How to Write a Critical Annotation

How to Write a Critical AnnotationAn annotated bibliography is a list of publications, systematically arranged,and including a descriptive account of the contents and themes of each item. Acritical annotation is more than a summary; it also evaluates the material interms of its usefulness and quality.CONTENTSAUTHORITYAUDIENCEDESIGNCONCLUSIONSPURPOSECONTEXTRESULTSEXTRASWRITING A CRITICAL ANNOTATIONThe following is a systematic way of evaluating what you read. The questionsapply to most types of literature (books, journal articles, or governmentpublications and virtually all subjects. Not all the questions will be easilyanswered in every case, but keeping them in mind as you read will put you wellon your way toward a critical analysis of the publication.AuthorityWho is the author? Is the author qualified to write on the subject? What is theauthor's education, occupation, title, experience etc? What type of journal is thearticle published in? (ie: popular magazine or scholarly journal).PurposeWhat is the purpose for writing the article or for doing the research?AudienceWhat type of audience is the author writing to? (ie: general public, scholars,policy makers, professionals, teachers, practitioners etc.) Is this reflected in theauthor's style of writing or language?ContextDoes the author make any assumption or express any biases which affect therationale of the publication? Are there specific studies, schools of thought orphilosophies with which this one agrees or disagrees?DesignHow was the study designed? What method was used to obtain data or conductresearch? (ie: personal opinion or experience, interviews, questionnaires, libraryresearch, laboratory experiments, case studies, etc.) Is it appropriate? Are the

measures used in the study explained? Could someone else repeat the studygiven the information in the publication?ResultsWhat conclusions does the author arrive at? Is it a clear, appropriate and reliableanalysis of the data? Are unexpected results, reservations, or limitations of thestudy design discussed?ConclusionsAre the conclusions supported by the data? How does this study compare withsimilar studies? Does the study offer important practice or theory for the future?ExtrasAre there attachments or appendixes such as maps, charts, bibliographies, testsor questionnaires? If not, should there be?http://www.uleth.ca/lib/guides/research/display.asp?PageID=32