Transcript Slide 1

Literature Review and
Annotated Bibliography
Basics
Nikolas Nadeau
Walden University
Online Writing Center
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Housekeeping
• Muting
• Questions
• Tech trouble?
http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/GoToTraining
• Recording: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/415.htm
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An Overview
Purpose
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Formatting/
Organization
Fulfilling
expectations
Alternative names
You might also hear or see:
1. annotated bib
2. annotation
3. lit review
All of these terms are synonymous with annotated
bibliographies or literature reviews.
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1. The Annotated Bibliography
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Annotated Bibliography
Annotate: “to make or furnish critical or
explanatory notes or comment”
Bibliography: “the history, identification, or
description of writings or publications”
(Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, 2012)
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Annotated Bibliography
Teaches about a
particular topic
Demonstrates a
source’s value
Shows depth/breadth
of research
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Annotated Bibliography
The format of an annotated bibliography can
change depending on the assignment, but the
typical format is a list of reference entries
followed by annotations.
– Alphabetized by author
– No headings
– Brief
Be sure to ask your instructor about any alternative expectations for
your specific assignment.
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Annotated Bibliography
Remember to
use APA format
for reference
entries, just like
in a normal
reference list.
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APA
Common
Reference
Examples
Annotated Bibliography
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Annotated Bibliography
An annotation has three components:
Summary
Analysis
Critique
Each component normally appears as its own
paragraph within the annotation.
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Annotated Bibliography
Part 1: Summary
Answers these questions:
• What is the topic of the source?
• What actions did the author perform within the
study and why?
• What are the methods of the author?
• What was the theoretical basis for the study?
• What were the conclusions of the study?
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Annotated Bibliography
Past tense
Brief
summary
Example Summary:
The authors described the construction and rationale of
an honors course in science and religion that was
pedagogically based on Lawson’s learning cycle model. In
Lawson’s model, the student writes a short paper on a subject
before a presentation of the material and then writes a longer
paper reevaluating and supporting his or her views. Using
content analysis, the authors compared the answers in the
first and second essays, evaluating them based on Fowler’s
stages of development. Examples of student writing are
presented with the authors’ analysis of the faith stage
exhibited by the students, which demonstrated development
in stages 2 through 5.
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(Not as long or formulaic as an abstract,
and written fully in writer’s own words.)
Annotated Bibliography
Part 2: Critique/Analysis
• Strengths and weaknesses
– Methodology, language choices,
organization, level of detail
• Is any information is missing?
• Is the article scholarly or generalizable?
Why or why not?
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Annotated Bibliography
Example Critique/Analysis:
Rather than focusing on spiritual development, the
authors’ course emphasized the intersection between
religion and science, through material on epistemology,
creation myths, evolutionary theory, and ethics.
Furthermore, although the authors exposed students to
Fowler’s faith development theory, this exposure did not
carry into to student work in the classroom. However,
since Fowler’s work is based largely within a Western
Christian setting, some attention to differences in faith
among class members would have been a useful addition
to the study.
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Annotated Bibliography
Part 3: Application
• Does this article fill a gap in literature?
• How do I apply this method to my area of
focus?
• Is the article universal?
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Annotated Bibliography
The key is to justify why you are using the
source.
– How is it different than others in the same
field/topic?
– How does it inform your future research?
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Annotated Bibliography
Example Application:
Fowler’s work would seem to lend itself to research of
this sort, but such a model is the one found in recent
literature. This study demonstrates the best use of the
model, which is assessment. While the theory claimed
high predictive ability, the change process chronicled is so
slow and idiosyncratic that it would be difficult to design
and implement research aiming to measure movement in
faith development continuum.
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Annotated Bibliography
Remember:
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•
•
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No in-text or parenthetical citations
No direct quotes
No use of the first person (“I,” “my,” “me”)
No reference list
*However, always defer to your instructor’s
preferences.
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Annotated Bibliography vs.
Literature Review
Annotated
bibliography
=
precursor to a
literature review
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Literature
review
=
foundation for
one’s research
2. The Literature Review
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Literature Review
A literature review:
• overviews your chosen
topic or field
• demonstrates your depth
of knowledge
• supports/guides future
research
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Literature Review
What is not a literature review?
• A collection of source summaries or abstracts
• A copy/paste of annotations
• A discussion of your opinions on a topic
Instead, your job as the writer is to synthesize
the literature to create that foundation for your
research or argument.
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Literature Review
What is synthesis?
• Identifying patterns among the sources
• Critically discussing strengths/weaknesses
of the sources or in the field
• Comparing and contrasting the authors’
findings
• Interpreting what is known in your field and
what is missing
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Literature Review
Remember:
• No required formatting
• An introduction and conclusion
• Avoid overreliance on quotes/
paraphrases
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Literature Review
Organize…
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…by author (bad)
…by theme (good)
•Limits a paragraph to
one source
•Does not allow for
direct comparison
•Tends to come across
as a series of “book
reports”
•Allows for a unique
organization
•Can have the authors
“talk to each other”
•Demonstrates the
writer’s analysis of the
literature
Literature Review
When organized by theme, writers can also
use headings and comparative terms within
the text.
• Headings
– Cue your reader to organization and changing topics
– Note subtopics of themes
• Comparative terms
– Demonstrate where authors agree or disagree
– Highlight your interpretation of the authors’ findings
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Literature Review
Example Synthesis
As Stragalas (2010) argued, sharing specific details
about the change will help to eliminate any difficulties.
Steele-Johnson et al. (2010) echoed these sentiments when
they reported that revealing all of the details about a
change process can help those involved better understand
and support the change. Steele-Johnson et al. also asserted
that a high level of transparency during the change can
help those involved prepare for and welcome the change.
Similarly, Nahata et al. (2010) showed that transparency
through excessive communication can allow for a wider
range of acceptance of the change.
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Literature Review
Literature
review
matrices
HELPFUL
TOOLS
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Zotero
Literature Review
Literature Review Matrices
Matrices are documents that allow you to
compile details about your sources and begin to
note similarities among the authors.
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•
•
•
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Theoretical framework
Methodology
Conclusions
Implications or need for future research
Literature Review
Example Matrix
Example matrices on Writing Center website:
http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/50.htm
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Literature Review
Zotero Reference Manager
While a matrix can help you make connections
between your sources, the software Zotero can
help you store and organize your references.
Library website and Zotero information:
http://libraryguides.waldenu.edu/zotero
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Recap
• Annotated Bibliographies
– Summary, analysis, and application
– No direct quotes, citations, or use of first person
• Literature Reviews
– Synthesis, not summary
– Themes, not authors
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References
Merriam-Webster. (2012). Annotate [Dictionary definition]. Retrieved from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annotate
Merriam-Webster. (2012). Bibliography [Dictionary definition]. Retrieved from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bibliography
(He just checked out
our Common Reference
List Examples page.) →
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Thanks for joining us!
Questions?
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