Why Do I Need to Know about Annotations?

You will often be required to write annotations for assignments. You create annotations in order to:

• Provide information that describes the content of your sources
  • Include 1-2 sentences about how the content specifically answers or relates to your research question
    
• Demonstrate you have selected good sources
  • Include at least 1 sentence about why is it a good or high quality information resource
  • Refer to and comment on specific evaluation criteria from Module 6
• Combine your research and writing skills

Sample Sentences in an Annotation: The following sentences describe a book related to the research question, "How are raptors being harmed by development in the UAE?"

Good example:		Bad example:
"This book has many colorful photos of eagles and osprey in the natural environment in the UAE. It also describes new urban hazards to birdlife including traffic and oil pollution. The author is a member of the National Academy of Ornithology." Good specific details!		"This book is all about birds. I like this book a lot. I found a lot of good information in this book. I really think the author can be trusted." Too general, no specific information. What information did you find? Why can the author be trusted? Do not use first person (I, me, my).

Do's	Don'ts
DO choose descriptive words, with specific information.	DO NOT use general, vague information or words.
DO use a variety of sentence structures and vocabulary.	DO NOT begin every annotation the same way, such as "I think ...", then "I found ..." It is boring for the reader if each sentence begins the same way.
DO keep looking for high-quality resources that relate to your topic.	DO NOT include a source if, after evaluating, you think it is untrustworthy or low-quality.