APA Citations and Annotations Format
This section is designed to assist you in developing further your skills in completing the annotated bibliography. You are to generate a list of sources that relate to your topic. Perhaps you will uncover 10 or 15, and you should cite all that are relevant in your bibliography. However, you will select only eight for annotation. Therefore, let me explain both aspects of bibliographic citation and annotation style:
1. Bibliographic citations. The following is an excellent guide to the American Psychological Association's (APA) style. (If you are reading hard copy, the URL is www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.cfm?doc_id=796.) Go to that link and scroll down to the examples. Follow this format very carefully. For further help, see your instructor. Be sure to read the explanatory guidelines which follow, but these are no substitute for going to this previous link.Here are several APA principles for creating an accurate citation, which helps to explain the examples. Give careful attention to each point, because you lose credit when these guidelines are not followed exactly.
Never use full first names, but only an initial or possibly a middle initial as well. Also, never use degrees, such as "PhD" in a citation.
Do not capitalize any letters in the title of a journal article or a book unless it is normally capitalized due to its being a proper noun, or because it is the first word of the title, or because it is the first word after a colon in the subtitle.
Always italicize the book title, journal title, and volume number of a journal, but do not use "vol."
List all multiple authors of a journal last name first, and use an ampersand (&) before the last author of the multiple group of authors. (e.g., Fitch, J., Smith, A., & Stevenson, D.)
Cite journals and books in alphabetical order according to the first authors last name.
Arrange the eight annotated citations alphabetically first and
then start over with your alphabetical listing with all of your non-annotated
citations.
Always use page numbers on each page except the first.
2. Annotation
format. Once you understand the citation format (and it is very important
that you use this form exactly), then you can annotate eight of your best
sources. An annotation simply implies a summary with brief critique of the
written piece. I am asking that you use no more than 200 words for this summary
and it should be in several paragraphs. Do not just copy the abstract at the
beginning of an article (that is called plagiarism!). Rather, read the
article, work hard to understand its basic meaning, and summarize it in your own
words. Your last paragraph should give the reader an indication of your overall
view of the article and its usefulness. Help a reader by guiding her with
some evaluative statements near the end of your annotation. That is, be critical and place a value
on its worth as a source. "Summarizing only" does not allow you or
future readers to know whether the article or book chapter is worth looking up
to read it in its entirety. Then, finally, be sure to
explain exactly where you found this source.
Do not put this assignment off.
There is a fairly early deadline (October21) for your annotated
bibliography. So remember:
a) You must get started
very soon. b) You should
include the other information (cited in this syllabus) regarding where
you found your sources. The more varied research strategy you can
demonstrate, the better. Ideally, you should get all eight resources from a
different source, such as Psychological Abstracts, Social Science Citation
Index, Proquest, etc.but that may not happen. That shows you know how to
get sources from many places--a natural expectation for a research-focused
assignment. This will serve you well in future courses and assignments! c) As always, if
you have difficulties, please see the instructor. Do not wait until a day or two before the
assignment is due.