how to annotate articles

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-7th edition.” (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 “Sample Annotated Bibliography-7th edition” 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.