BIO 205: Ecology

A bibliography is a list of sources used in research. The assignment for BIO 205: Ecology should follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition guidelines for citing resources. 

An annotation is a short description or summary of the work. Typically an annotation is about 150 words and includes information about the relevance, accuracy and quality of work.

Noodle Tools is a great way for you to create an annotated bibligraphy. You can set Noodle Tools to APA style to aid you in properly citing your references. NWC students learn to use this tool in FYS class.

Librarians are available to help if you need it!

Questions to help with a concise summary:

• What is the topic that this source covers?
• In brief, what does the author say about the topic and the topic’s importance or significance (major names, dates, places, developments, themes/thesis)?

Questions to help with a concise evaluation:

• How familiar with the relevant material for the topic is the author? Are the materials clearly indicated, and are they mostly primary? mostly secondary?
• Are there any important things about the topic that the source does not cover? If so, does the author explain why?
• How well-written is the source (clarity, organization)?
• How much do the author and the source help you (or readers in general) know and understand about your own topic? Why?

AUTHOR

• Who is the author of this site or page?
• What are his / her credentials (occupation, position, education, years of experience)?
• Is the author an expert on this topic?

AFFILIATION

• What institution or organization supports this information?
• What is the viewpoint or bias of this group?

AGENDA

• What is the purpose of this site?  Why was it put on the web?
• What opinions are expressed by the author?

ACCURACY

• When was the site last updated?
• Are statistics and other facts correctly cited?
• How does this information compare with other sources?

When determining whether a book is something you want to investigate further, look at a few items:

• Title
• Table of contents
  This gives clues as to what material will be covered.
• Preface or introduction
  Often the authors summarize the arguments they make in the book, outlining the discussion that will occur.
• Author’s affiliations
  Check the biographies of the authors. Often there's a summary; if not, try a quick Google search on the author. 
• Date
• Notes or Citations
  You want to make sure the sources you’re relying on verified and checked their statements.  Footnotes or endnotes will indicate that. 
• Index and bibliography
  Both an index and a bibliography make it easier for other researchers to do their studies.  The presence of these features helps indicate that the work is indeed scholarly. 
• Publisher
  The type of publisher -- academic, trade, general -- can tell you more about the type of book it is or the audience for which it's intended.