Always read your assignment guidelines. If your assignment guidelines differ from the information on this page, follow the instructions given by your course instructor.
Annotated Bibliography Steps
Article Selection:
Select an intervention or program evaluation study published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Use the Library's Ulrichsweb Database, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ.org), or journal website to confirm.
Review the Research Types handout linked below for brief definitions.
Database selection: Explore several databases, e.g. CINAHL, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, Nursing & Allied Health (Proquest), Proquest Public Health
Database search tip: Review & use database specific subject headings; Each database has its own controlled vocabulary.
Summarize & Contextualize:
Describe intervention and / or method used in program evaluation
Situate the source in context of other studies or other interventions
Be succinct! Try to combine multiple ideas within single sentence(s)
Evaluate & Assess:
Analyze each source for rigor of study methodology, accuracy in reporting, quality.
Assess generalizability, and applicability (relevance) to target population
Your evaluation should demonstrate critical analysis, and an understanding of research methodology.
Edit often for succinct writing. Follow these tips on Conciseness from OWL at Purdue to demonstrate depth of analysis while staying within the word count.
The annotated bibliography involves some descriptive writing, however, you must also demonstrate critical analysis in your writing. Review this useful article by Whiffin & Hasselder (2013).
