Essay

Annotated Bibliography

So Far:

• We read articles about misinformation, particularly as it relates to social media.


• We watched Mike Caulfield’s videos on the SIFT method.


• We discussed tips for finding credible information.

So Now:

An important aspect of doing research is the concept of inquiry--the idea that asking questions about a topic is a good entry point for gaining insights and a deeper understanding—which can eventually lead to writing. So, our next assignment is going to be to produce an annotated bibliography.

An annotated bibliography is a preliminary document that provides an evaluation of sources and prepares you to write an essay. The annotated bibliography should help you hone your research skills, build a stronger base of knowledge (a “working knowledge”) about the issues you read about, and help you refine your ideas for an essay that we will write in the coming weeks.

Instructions for the Annotated Bibliography

The goal of the annotated bibliography is to find several credible sources that provide at least a partial answer to a question that you pose.

I am providing some sample questions that you can use to start. Choose only one of them. If you would like to use your own question, please clear it with me first. The question you frame should connect at the intersection of misinformation, finding credible information, and social media.

Sample questions:

• Is there actually a misinformation “problem” or is the issue overstated?


• How much is social media to blame for amplifying misinformation?


• Who is most susceptible to misinformation online?

To start the assignment, type your question at the top of the document.

Each entry should begin with an MLA formatted citation for your source.

Then, you should write three separate paragraphs, in the following order:

Summarize: What are the main arguments of the article? 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. In this part of the annotated bibliographic entry, you do not present your judgments, evaluations, etc.  You are only presenting a condensed version of the content.

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? In this part of the annotated bibliography, you offer your assessment of the content. How do you know this is a credible 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 might it help you shape an argument? Has it changed how you think about your topic? In this part of the annotated bibliography you present your ideas about how to use the material.

Your annotated bibliography should have 5 sources, and at least 1 of them should be scholarly (also known as “peer-reviewed”) sources. Remember that the tag “scholarly” only applies to specific kinds of sources. An article can be credible and still not considered “scholarly.”

Each entry should be about 300 words. Thus, the full document should annotate 5 sources, be 15 total paragraphs, and be no less than 1500 words long.

https://onezero.medium.com/the-simplest-way-to-spot-coronavirus-misinformation-on-social-media-4b7995448071

https://www.thedailybeast.com/martinlutherkingorg-is-owned-by-neo-nazis