Annotated Bibliography

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography or annotated bib is a bibliography (a list of books or other works) that includes descriptive and evaluative comments about the sources cited in your paper. These comments are also known as annotations.

How do I format my annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography entry consists of two components: the Citation and the Annotation.

Citation

The citation should be formatted in the bibliographic style that your professor has requested for the assignment. Some common citation styles includeAPA, MLA, and Chicago. For more information, see the Style Guides page.

Annotation

Generally, an annotation is approximately 100-300 words in length (one paragraph). However, your professor may have different expectations so it is recommended that you clarify the assignment guidelines.

An annotation may include the following information:

• A brief summary of the source
• The source’s strengths and weaknesses
• Its conclusions
• Why the source is relevant in your field of study
• Its relationships to other studies in the field
• An evaluation of the research methodology (if applicable)
• Information about the author’s background
• Your personal conclusions about the source

MLA style format for an Annotated Bibliography

• Hanging Indents are required for citations in the bibliography, as shown below. That is, the first line of the citation starts at the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented 4 spaces.
• The bibliography is double-spaced, both within the citation and between them.

Lozier, J. D., P. Aniello and M.J. Hickerson. "Predicting the Distribution of Sasquatch in Western North America: Anything Goes With Ecological

Niche Modelling." Journal of Biogeography 36.9 (2009): 1623-1627. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Jan. 2010.

This paper critiques the use of Ecological Niche Models (ENM) and species distribution by performing a tongue-in-cheek examination of

the distribution of the fictional Sasquatch, based on reports from an online Bigfoot archive. Lozier's paper powerfully demonstrates the

issues faced by ENM, when reports come from non-specialists, and highlights key problems with sourcing data from unmediated online

environments. The author neglects to compare the reliability of the many wildlife databases with the single Bigfoot database, as well as

other key issues, however in closing the paper briefly mentions that many issues lie outside the scope of the short article. Lozier's paper

advises professionals in fields using ENM to carefully assess the source of the data on which the model is based, and concludes that the

distribution of rare species in particular is often over-reported to to misidentification .

APA style format (6th edition) for an Annotated Bibliography

• Hanging Indents are required for citations in the bibliography, as shown below. That is, the first line of the citation starts at the left margin, and subsequent lines of the citation are indented 4 spaces.
• The annotation is indented 2 additional spaces, as a block.

D’Elia, G., Jorgensen, C., Woelfel, J., & Rodger, E. J. (2002). The impact of the Internet on public library use: An analysis of the current

consumer market for library and Internet services. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology

53(10), 808-820. doi:10.1002/asi.10102

In this study, the researchers examined if the Internet had affected public library usage in the United States. This study is

distinct because its researchers surveyed library nonusers as well as users. The major finding was that 75.2% of people

who used the Internet also used the public library. However, the researchers surveyed only 3000 individuals in a population

of millions; therefore, these results may not be statistically significant. However, this study is relevant because it provides

future researchers with a methodology for determining the impact of the Internet on public library usage.

Additional resources

Writing an annotated bibliography  - From Concordia University

How to prepare an annotated bibliography  - From Cornell University

How to write annotated bibliographies  - From Memorial University

source: Simon Fraser Library http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/annotated-bibliography

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Comprehension Questions:

Answer the questions and prepare them for class discussion:

1.     Describe the village of Holcomb.

2.     During which year and what time of year does the novel take place?

3.     Identify Mrs. Clutter’s health problem.  How does her ailing health affect the other members of the Clutter family? 

4.     Herb Clutter had an inflexible attitude/policy toward what habit?  Why?

5.     How was Herb Clutter viewed by other members of the Holcomb community? 

6.     How did Herb Clutter feel about Bobby Rupp, Nancy’s boyfriend?               

7.     Outline the details of “the score” as it is conceived by Dick and Perry.

8.     How was Nancy Clutter viewed by other members of the Holcomb community? 

9.     Why didn’t Dick’s parents approve of his association with Perry?  What was the lie Dick told to his parents? 

10. Describe Kenyon Clutter.

11. Create a compare-and-contrast chart with Dick and Perry.  Compare the physically and psychologically.

In cold Blood: The Clutter Murder Case

Hi Class,

Here I am leaving you an article on a USA Newspaper about the Clutter Case.

Midwest Murders: The Clutter Murder Case

Murders Committed by Hickock and Smith in Holcomb, Kansas

• Jul 23, 2009
• Vickie Britton

0 COMMENTS
JOIN THE CONVERSATION

PERRY SMITH MUG SHOT -WIKIPEDIA

On November 15, 1959, four members of the Clutter family were bound, gagged, and shot to death in their isolated farm home in Holcomb, Kansas, by two strangers.

On the morning after the murders, the bodies of four members of the Clutter family: Herbert, his wife Bonnie Jean, daughter Nancy, and son Kenyan, were discovered by a friend of Nancy's after efforts to rouse them for church had failed. In the ensuing poilice investigation it was found that the family had been murdered during the night. Telephone lines had been cut, but there was no sign of a struggle. For a long time, the police looked for a motive, but could find none because the act was committed by two transients who never even knew the Clutters.

The Clutter Family Murders-Crime and Motivation

Richard Hickock first heard about the Clutter family from a prison mate and former employee of Herbert Clutter, Floyd Wells. Wells led Hickock to believe that Clutter, a wealthy farmer, kept a considerable amount of money hidden in a safe in his home. He told this to inmate Perry Smith, and upon their release from prison, the two conspired to rob the place.

Hitchcock and Smith drove 400 miles to the Clutter home with the intent to get the contents of the safe. The two bound and tied the members of the family and demanded money. But the rumors were wrong, and Herbert Clutter did not keep his cash on the premises.

In an act of incredible violence, they then shot the four Clutter family members who lived in the house.. Herbert, his wife, Bonnie, 16 year old Nancy, and 15 year old Kenyon. (Two other daughters, Evanna and Beverly had moved away.) Bonnie and Nancy were found shot in their bedrooms. Herb and Kenyon had been taken to the basement, where it appeared Herb had also been tortured and his throat cut before his shooting. The murders netted the killers $40.00, a radio and a pair of binoculars.

Two months later, information derived from Floyd Wells led the police on the trail of Hickock and Smith, who were soon apprehended near Las Vegas. Five years later, both men were hanged for their crimes. Novelist Truman Capote had to delay publication of his book about the crimes In Cold Blood until the verdict was carried out on April 14, 1965.

The Killers-Hickcock and Smith

Richard "Dick" Hickock, 28, grew up on a farm near Kansas City. He had a stable family life, and had no trouble with the law until a car accident in 1950, which left him with a dislocated jaw that made his face permanently disfigured. Twice divorced, he began to turn to petty crime. He met Smith while serving time for fraud and burglary. Though he had been in and out of trouble with the laws, nothing in his backgound indicated that he might one day commit murder.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

• The Clutter Murders: Fifty Years Later
• In Cold Blood — The Novel and Film Adaptation
• Book Review: In Cold Blood By Truman Capote

Perry Edward Smith was born in Nevada to rodeo performers. The brooding, part-Cherokee man had a handsome face, but was runty and his legs were disfigured from a motorcycle accident. He was portrayed as the more sympathetic of the two because of troubled childhood. He.came from a dysfunctional family with a history of suicide and alcohol abuse. His mother took the kids and left his abusive father. She died when he was thirteen, and Smith spent the rest of his youth in orphanages. Two of his siblings committed suicide.

Capote’s Famous Novel In Cold Blood and Films Based on the Clutter Murders

Novelist Truman Capote found himself drawn to the story of the Clutter murders, and devoted six years to researching his famous novel In Cold Blood. The book, published in 1965, was the first true account of a crime in novel form that was told as fiction. It also served as a forerunner of the now-popular true crime novels.

It is obvious to note that Capote felt a certain empathy for Perry Smith. Both men came from a similar family background which included neglect, suicide, and alcoholism. It was rumored that Capote may have had a homosexual affair with Smith during his visits to the prison, but these rumors are not substantiated. The filmInfamous explores Capote’s relationship with Smith.

Books and Films about Capote and The Clutter Murders

One major book and three major films have been written about the Clutter murders, and about the man who made them famous. In both of the films the murder case and Capote’s involvement in the writing of the book are intertwined.

Books:

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood, The Modern Library First Edition, NY, 2002

ISBN 10-0375507906Films:

• In Cold Blood , 1967 Columbia Pictures (starring Robert Blake)
• Capote , 2005 Universal Studios (starring Philip Seymour Hoffman)
• Infamous , 2006 Warner Independent Pictures , (starring Toby Jones)

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Read more at Suite101: Midwest Murders: The Clutter Murder Case: Murders Committed by Hickock and Smith in Holcomb, Kansas | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article/midwest-murders-the-clutter-murder-case-a128095#ixzz23NpctWkK