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What is
an annotation? Annotations are brief descriptions of cited material.
They provide the reader with enough relevant information about a book
or article to decide whether the actual, full-text material should be
examined. Annotations can be any length, but are usually about 50-150
words, depending
on the item being described.
Annotations begin with a complete citation, formatted
according to a style manual.
Following are some questions to address in an annotation:
1. AUTHOR
Who is the author? What are the author's credentials, and occupation, background,
and/or experience? Is the author qualified to write this book/article?
2. PURPOSE
What is the purpose for writing this material? Is the purpose stated or
implied? Is there a particular message the author wants to convey? Does the
author succeed in this?
3. INTENDED AUDIENCE
Who is the author writing for? Is the work intended for the general public,
scholars, or students? How does the author's writing style/vocabulary reflect
this?
4. AUTHOR BIAS
Does the author have a known bias, or can a bias be assumed from the tone
or writing style? Does the author base his rationale or research on assumptions?
Are the assumptions substantiated, or can they be substantiated?
5. AUTHOR'S SOURCES
How was information obtained? Is the material based on personal opinion,
personal experience, interviews, original research, experiments, and/or statistical
analysis? Does the author cite other, respected, current, and relevant sources
in this field?
6. AUTHOR'S CONCLUSION
What conclusions does the author draw? Are the conclusions stated or implied?
Are the conclusions substantiated? Can the conclusions be justified based
on research? Do the conclusions address the stated objective of the material?
Are the conclusions skewed by author bias?
7. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER WORKS
How does this material compare with similar studies? Does it agree or contrast
with conventional wisdom, established scholarship, or the classic literature?
Does the author cite other works which present an opposing viewpoint?
8. ORGANIZATION
Does the material make it easy for the reader to scan it, or find the main
points? Does a book have an index and a bibliography? Does an article include
an abstract? Are there relevant appendices? Would it be helpful to include
charts, maps, or other related material?
Annotation Style Commonly, annotations are written using verb phrases rather
than sentences; the title of the book, or journal article, is understood
to be the subject of the phrase. Examples: "Provides comprehensive overview
of the subject." "Clearly defines the scope of the material."
Your teacher or advisor may expect other questions to be answered in
your annotation:
Why is this work relevant to my course of study?
or
How did I find this material?
Be sure you know what is expected of you before you begin the assignment!
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