The bibliography is a fairly common word and you may know about it. In case you do not know, a bibliography is the list of references you find at the end of an essay and it provides the details of the sources used to write the essay. Annotation is a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph. Therefore, Annotated bibliography is simply a bibliography that contains an annotation about each source that I would use to write my essay.
A student should never make the mistake of confusing an annotation with an abstract. Both of these are different terms. Abstracts are purely descriptive in nature while annotations have two types: descriptive and analytical. A descriptive or informative annotation describes the distinctive features of the source, its main arguments, and its conclusion. It does not evaluate the source. On the other hand, Analytical or critical annotation first summarizes the sources but additionally analyzes it also. It examines the strength and weaknesses of the source.
An annotated bibliography can serve various functions and purposes. It is very essential for writing a literature review on a topic. The practice of writing an annotated bibliography can help you formulate a thesis on a particular topic as it demonstrates the research you have performed. Another function is that it provides examples of major sources available on a topic. It can also describe sources so that other researchers may find the relevant material for their own research.
The structure of the annotated bibliography is very simple. First, write the source citation according to the format you are following. If you are unfamiliar with the citation styles you can always take help from a professional essay writer. After that, you have to write the annotation. You can start the annotation with a brief introduction of the authors but it is optional. Then you have to write the complete research question of the source. A research question is a statement that tells us the main aim of the research conducted and how it fills the gaps in previous research. The next item to write is the methodology and design used by the authors to conduct their research.
After the methodology, you can write the results and findings of the study. This part of the annotation is very important and should be given the maximum word count. After that write the implications of the study. In the implication, you can tell how the findings are important for policy, practice, and theory. Finally, you have to write how the study may be useful or relevant to your future research topic.
Now you may be thinking that where would you find these components of the annotation in the study? Do not worry I will now explain the steps of quickly reading and researching the source. If you get stuck at any moment you can always get help from a paper writing service. First, look at the title of the paper and look at different keywords in it to get an idea of the topic. Next, skim through the abstract as it may give you a better understanding of the content of the study.
I will advise you to read the abstract carefully as it may give you hints about where to find the relevant information in the article. After the abstract, we move on to the introductory paragraphs of the study. The most important paragraphs of the introduction are the first and the last paragraph. The first paragraph contains the background of the study while the last paragraph may give you the hypothesis of the study.
After you have gone through the introduction paragraph move on to the methods of the study. Most of the research papers have a methodology section in which they explain what process was used to conduct the research. You should note these methods as they are a component of the annotation.
The next step is to look at the results and findings of the study. Read the results carefully as they are the most important part of the research. The results make up the major portion of the annotation, therefore, note all the findings and paraphrase them. Some research papers may contain subsections in results. Look at the subsection heading to get a better understanding of all the results.
The result section of the research study may also contain figures, graphs, and tables. You should inspect them also as they may make it easier for you to understand the findings. Then move on to the limitation section of the study. The limitations of the study may tell you about the shortcomings in the data collection method or the sample size. It may also comment on any biases present in the research.
The only section left is the conclusion and discussion of the research. The conclusion will provide a quick summary of the paper and help you note down anything you missed. At this point, you should be able to collect all the content that is required for each component of the annotation. It would not be a good strategy to read the whole paper and then write the annotation. The above steps help you go through a research paper very quickly and identify the required information needed to write the annotation. These steps are essential to save precious time in your busy lives.
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