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CRJ 418/518: Criminal Justice Research Methods

Research Guide for CRJ 418/518

Writing Annotations

An Annotated Bibliography is a list of citations to articles and other sources. Each citation is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. Your annotations should follow a citation, annotation, then repeat format. Your annotations should also include the following three sections and answer their corresponding questions:

  • Summarize the key points of the source: What was the topic? Why was the research important? How was the research done? What did the authors find? Did the authors discuss implications of the research?
  • Assess the source (critical evaluation): Is it a useful source? How does it compare with outher sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of your source?
  • Reflection: Was this source helpful to you? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic? How does this source make you think about your thesis statement and build your arguments? Does the source support or counter any of your arguments? How will you apply the source’s theoretical positions, issues discussed, study data, and claims made based on that data to your thesis statement and arguments?

Use this Annotated Bibliography example from the UNC Chapel Hill for more help putting together your Annotated Bibliography.

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