Annotated Bibliographies

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because...

-It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage. -It helps you control the temptation to quote too much. -The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.

A paraphrase is...

-Your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form. -One legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source. -A more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. 2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card. 3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase. 4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form. 5.Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source. 6. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Assess

After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

Reflect

Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Summarize

Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.

bibliography

a list of sources (books, journals, Web sites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. Bibliographies are sometimes called "References" or "Works Cited" depending on the style format you are using. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).

annotation

a summary and/or evaluation

annotated bibliography

includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following.