Annotated Bibliography

Many people are unfamiliar with what an annotated bibliography is...so...here's the process of creating one:

1) Sources: Go to the library and/or spend time online and find a minimum of 6 different sources of information about your topic research. Make sure you use different types of sources-for example, not all newspaper articles. Make sure the sources are "relevant and credible" which means that the sources are from published works found in the library, or from websites posted by government or non-government agencies, businesses, newspapers, magazines, journals, or other sites that are edited. Sources that are "relevant and credible" DO NOT include the following: Wikipedia or any other encyclopedic websites, blog websites, or Q&A-type websites that are filled with the opinion of those choosing to post. The Bible and other religious authorities are also not appropriate and should not be used for any part of your project.

2) Additional Sources: After you have compiled your 6 sources and you begin reading through each of them you might find that one or more of them is not as helpful as you had initially hoped, and you choose not to use the source(s) after all. In that case, you will need to find additional sources to fulfill the requirement of having and using 7 good sources for your research. But, be sure to keep the "discarded" ones as well to be included in your Annotated Bibliography.

3) Annotations: Now ignoring the specific formatting for a minute, type your sources in a Word document (if you haven't already). This basic format should be familiar from previous research papers, etc. Now to make your list of sources into an annotated bibliography, you simply add a paragraph after each of your sources in which you summarize the important information from each source, and the reasons you found the source to be helpful-remember no first ("I") or second ("you") person statements! If you have any sources that you decided were unnecessary or not helpful, include them as well, and for their annotation state the reason you chose not to use it in your project. When you have finished, you will have 6 (or more) sources and an annotation after each source telling about that source.

4) Format: The annotated bibliography must be in APA format. To make things easier, I have compiled a quick checklist of information specific to this assignment that if carefully followed, will ensure that you produce a wonderfully APA-formatted document-in other words; you will get full points for formatting!

• 12-point font consistent throughout document (Times New Roman or Arial are the preferred fonts). Word defaults to a different font than either of these, and needs to be changed. Previous versions of Word default to Times New Roman.

• 1" margins on all sides, left margin justified, right margin unjustified (words not hyphenated).Note that older versions of Word default to 1.25" margins on the left and right which must be changed to avoid losing points.

• Double-spaced citations and annotations, with only one double space between paragraphs, but no extra spaces.

• Page numbers must be included: upper right corner, at the right margin, just the number, no ‘page' or p. and not your last name.

• List the sources alphabetically by the last name of the first author or the first main word of the title when there is no author.

• The author's last name comes first, then the initial of the first (and middle) name, for example: Peterson, L.

• The first line of a source must begin at the left margin, and each additional line is indented 1 tab (5 to 7 spaces).

• Do not use the enter key to divide up the citation information from line-to-line, the citation is one continuous paragraph.

• Capitalize only the first word of the title of the article or book, and the first word after a colon (:) used in a title.

• Do not underline the title of articles or books; also do not type the title all in uppercase letters.

• Do not use bold font for any part of the citation or the annotation.

• Italicize book titles, and if any article was found in a journal, italicize the journal title as well as the volume(issue) information that follows. For example: Journal of Economic Literature, 12(3).

• The sources are NOT numbered, they are not bulleted, and they are not typed in bold

• The annotation is a double-spaced paragraph following the citation that it explains. Begin all lines of the annotation at the left margin (not right justified).

• Always 3rd person-never 1st person ("I"), or 2nd person ("you"). For this assignment this refers to your annotations.

6) Additional APA Information: The following website is very helpful if you have additional questions about APA formatting:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

7) Examples: Here are some examples of APA citations of three of the most commonly used kinds of sources, a book, an online article with an author, and an online article without an author. Note that I have included little red prompts so you know what kind of source each citation represents. But, when you create your annotated bibliography, do not include little red words like these, just the citations. Also note that the examples are NOT in 12-point Times New Roman, etc.; however, you will see the proper formatting for the author's name, the article date, the article title, journal title (if appropriate), information to cite an electronic source, etc. Note that the structure of each citation is very specific, for example, cite the author as last name first, then first initial followed by a period, then cite the date in parentheses followed by a period, then the article title, etc. Take a minute to notice the specific language and order and you will have a much easier time citing in APA. Also, check out the website listed in the previous item (owl at purdue) which is helpful and simple to understand. Note that I have also examples of brief annotations after each.

(Article with author from Website)

John, D. C. (2008, Mar. 26). 2008 Social security trustees report continues to show the urgency of reform. Retrieved fromhttp://www.heritage.org/Research/SocialSecurity/wm1868.cfm

This article summarizes the 2008 Social Security Trustees Report. It identifies several important questions to ask about Social Security-how much has the problem changed over the past year, which year is the important one to consider in terms of the trust fund depletion, etc.-and then explains how the report answers those questions, using specific statistics and dollar values, but no graphs. It also identifies a couple of things that were not covered by the report that would clarify the Social Security situation further.

(Article with no author from Website-so we use the organization as the author)

Social Security Administration. (2008, March 25). Frequently asked questions about social security's future. Retrieved from http://www.ssa.gov/qa.htm

This is a page in the Social Security Administration's website that poses and then answers numerous questions about the future of the Social Security System. It contains a great deal of information related to the 2008 Trustees report, as well as the background of the system-specifically, how Social Security is calculated, disability benefits, discussion of the present conditions of the trust fund as well as the future of the trust fund.

Book-

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American psychological association (5th ed.) Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association.

This book is an exhaustive collection of the rules of APA formatting which was very helpful to the preparation of this paper. It broke the rules down by category which made it very simple to follow. Obviously, however, it is useless as a source of information about Social Security, but is included here as an example of how to cite a published book.

Article with multiple authors from an online journal

Baicker, K., Brown, J.R., Holtz-Eakin, D., & Orszag, P. (Spring 2008). Future of social security, medicare, and medicaid: Is U.S. entitlement spending sustainable? Risk Management and Insurance Review. 11(1), Retrieved fromhttp://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ pqdweb?index=30&did=1459994701&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1220735785&clientId=13118

This article is from a panel discussion held at the 2006 American Insurance and Risk Association annual meeting. Experts in the field of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid discussed the future of each of these entitlements funded by the federal government, and whether not it is sustainable (i.e. whether it will/can continue into the future). Speakers identified specific problems with each of these entitlements in terms of current and future funding, system operation, future of U.S. health care, etc.

Article with an author from an online periodical

Blackstone, B. (2008, Aug. 20). Report urges raising social security age. Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition), D.2. Retrieved fromhttp://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/pqdweb?index=38&did=1535280921&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst= PROD&VType= PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1220736585& clientId=13118

This article cites a report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) that projects that without an increase in the age of eligibility for Social Security that the percentage of the U.S. population eligible to receive benefits will increase significantly by 2050, causing further stress to the system. They suggest that the age be increased from 65 years of age to something in the low 70s.