WRTG 391 – Advanced Research Writing

Week 2, Discussion 1 — Practice in Writing the Annotated Bibliography

Must post first.

Your response to this discussion is due by this week Friday at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).

You are also asked to comment on at least one other student’s thread in the class on his or her response.

Your comment to your classmate is due by this week Sunday at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).

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Hi students!

This discussion topic is designed to help you become familiar with how to annotate articles. In this discussion, you’ll read an academic article on teaching grammar and then write an annotation of that article.

Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Watch the video, “How to Write an Annotated Bibliography.” (It’s in this week’s Content.)

Step 2: Access and then read the article, “Teaching Grammar and Editing in Public Administration: Lessons Learned from Early Offerings of an Undergraduate Administrative Writing Course,” by Claire Connolly Knox.

This article is in the e-reserves section of your class. You can access the article by taking the following steps:

click Content

select Class Resources

select eReserves

select the icon for eReserves in the middle of your page.

in the list of items that appears, locate the article and download it

Step 3: Create an annotation of this article as if you were considering it for a source in a paper. Here’s how:

List the article in APA format, as the video describes. (Note: the publication date for this article is not listed. A quick Google Search of the article title will show you that the year of publication is 2013. Include this in your citation.)

Write a 100-to-150-word summary/critique of the article in which you not only summarize the article but also note any strengths or weaknesses you find in it. In addition, mention whether it will be a possible article for an essay on the topic of teaching grammar in writing courses. (Note: you won’t be writing about this topic for your own writing assignments.)

Your annotation thus should include the following:

Focus of the study (~ 1-2 sentences

Conclusion(s) of the study (~ 1-2 sentences)

Analysis of the study (e.g., any strengths or weaknesses? Any thing that was particularly remarkable/helpful?) (~ 1-2 sentences)

Its relevance to research on teaching grammar in writing courses (~ 1-2 sentences)

Please refer to the “CSI at University” practice annotation in this week’s Content for an example.

Step 4: Post your response.

Step 5: Comment on at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Please note: You’re not writing about teaching grammar for your own writing assignments. However, this exercise is designed to help you become familiar with listing a source in APA format and with writing a critical annotation for it.

Also please note that you will not be able to see other students’ responses to this discussion topic until you post your response.

Week 2, Discussion 2 — Examining a Student Annotated Bibliography

Must post first.

Your response to this discussion is due by this week Friday at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).

You are also asked to respond to at least one other student in the class on his or her response.

Your response to your fellow student is due by this week Sunday at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).

For this discussion, you’ll learn about the annotated bibliography, which will be the first assignment you’ll submit.

For your WA #1, you’ll gather five (5) scholarly sources on the topic that you’ve chosen and write an annotated bibliography.

An annotated bibliography consists of APA-formatted citations and written paragraphs that summarize, describe, and evaluate the referenced articles.

In evaluating the article, you’ll ask questions like: Does the source seem reliable? Is it current? What limitations have you noted in the study? How does the material relate to your topic? Will you find the material useful for your work?

For this discussion, here’s what you need to do:

Review the sample, student annotated bibliography attached here: Student A Sample Annotated Bibliography.

Answer the prompts below.

After reading the sample student annotated bibliography, choose one of the annotations and answer the following questions. If the annotation does not offer a clear answer to the prompt, be sure to state this in your response:

(1) Identify the claim made by the author(s) of the article (1-2 sentences) (e.g., “The authors claim that China’s one-child policy…”)

(2) Identify the main strength(s) in the study, according to the student (1-2 sentences). (e.g., “According to the student, the main strength is…”)

(3) Identify the conclusion(s) reached by the author(s) of the article (1-2 sentences) (e.g., “The author determined that…”)

(4) Are there any limitations in the study, according to the student? (1-2 sentences) (e.g., “The student states that the study was not current…”)

(5) Did the student find the source useful/not useful for his/her own work? Why or why not? (~1-2 sentences) (e.g., “It’s unclear if the student found the source useful…”)

(6) Post a comment or question on one or two of your classmates’ threads.

Thank you!