ASSESSMENT 3a: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Assessment Question
Q2. Choose one of the following areas of policing, and using concepts from two theoretical frameworks and analyse contemporary policing or criminal justice response in your area.
Type your responses in the boxes below:
Reference 1: Peer-reviewed journal article (Scholarly)
Reference details
Annotation 1: Summary and evaluation (250 words, +/- 10% leeway)
Annotation
Reference 2: A second peer-reviewed journal article (scholarly) or newspaper article (non-scholarly) or government report (scholarly) or book chapter (scholarly).
Reference details
Annotation 2: Summary and evaluation (250 words, +/- 10% leeway)
Annotation
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How to Write and Annotated Bibliography (1)
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How to Write an Annotated Bibliography1
Introduction
This learning resource has been prepared to help you with Assessment task 3a for 102039
Crime, Deviance and Society. Firstly the structure and purpose of an annotated bibliography
are explained and an example of an annotated bibliography entry is provided. The three key
skills you will need to employ to write your annotated bibliography are:
Referencing and citation formatting
Summarising
Evaluating a text
What is an annotated bibliography?
Generally, an annotated bibliography can:
Identify main scholarly and public debates in a topic area
Help the writer become familiar with the literature in a topic area
Display the writer’s depth of reading and research for a particular topic
Demonstrate the range of sources available on a topic area, for example scholarly
texts, web-sites, government reports and news articles.
Compile relevant sources for future research and writing
When set as an assignment, an annotated bibliography allows you to get acquainted with
the material available on a particular topic area.
Assessment 3a for XXXXXXXXXXCrime, Deviance and Society has been designed to support you
to:
Accurately define theoretical concepts
Identify and extract empirical evidence to support arguments
Apply theories from criminology and the sociology of deviance to contemporary
issues and debates
Demonstrate li
ary skills, on-line and in-li
ary search strategies
Demonstrate referencing and citation conventions in the social sciences
Critically interpret the available frameworks for understanding and responding to
crime and deviance.
Questions to consider when selecting sources
You need to consider carefully the texts that you select for your annotated bibliography.
Keep the following questions in mind to help clarify your choices.
1 This resource has been largely adapted from the Unistep Guide, a UWS learning resource that covers a wide
ange of academic literacy skills. For more comprehensive information, you can access the Unistep Guide at:
http:
www.uws.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/783721/UniStep_Final.pdf
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1. What topic/issue am I researching?
2. What question(s) am I exploring? Identify the aim of your literature search early on.
3. What kind of materials am I looking for, and why? Am I looking for journal articles,
eports, news articles, or policy documents?
4. Am I being thoughtful in my selection of texts? Does each text relate to my essay
topic and assignment requirements in a clear and direct way?
What does an annotated bibliography look like?
An annotated bibliography is structured by beginning each entry with the bibliographic
details of a source (the citation). The citation details are formatted as they would appear in
a reference list – check the Harvard UWS Referencing Style Guide2 for co
ect formatting
conventions required in XXXXXXXXXXCrime, Deviance and Society. Underneath each citation a
ief summary of the source is provided as well as an evaluation of the limitations and
usefulness of the source.
Content of an annotated bibliography
An annotation may contain all or part of the following elements depending on the word
limit and the content of the sources you are examining.
Provide the full bibliographic citation
Indicate the content or scope of the text
Outline the main argument presented by the autho
s
Identify the research methods (if applicable)
Identify any conclusions made by the autho
s
Highlight any special features of the text that were unique or helpful (charts, graphs,
interview data etc.)
Point out in what way the text relates to themes or concepts in your essay question
Reflection on the strengths and limitations of the text
Note: In certain instances some of the features in the list above are not applicable to some
sources. For example, “Identify the research methods”, is only applicable to a source that is
empirical in nature (i.e. a source presenting or reporting on evidence or data that comes
from surveys, interviews, focus groups, participant observations etc.). In contrast, a
theoretical journal article, solely dedicated to outlining a theory or concepts, will not have a
esearch methods component. Nor would a news article. Please take note of the ‘type’ of
source you identify and ensure you cover the content that does apply to your source when
putting together your annotations.
2 Click on the following link for a direct connection to the required referencing guide in this unit
http:
li
ary.uws.edu.au/uws_li
ary/sites/default/files/cite_Harvard.pdf
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Example of a single annotated bibliography entry3
This example has been colour coded to show you where the different aspects of an annotated bibliography are
presented. Please refer to the legend on the right hand side.
Reference details
Spencer, A 2012, ‘The social construction of te
orism:
media, metaphors and policy implications’, Journal of
International Relations and Development, vol. 15, no. 3,
pp XXXXXXXXXX.[1]
Annotation
Spencer’s article applies the constructivist perspective to
an analysis of counter-te
orism policy in Britain [2].
Spencer’s argues that ‘te
orism’ is a highly politicised
social construct. Power relations influence how te
orism is
defined and by extension what responses are appropriate
and legitimate in counter-te
orism policy [3]. Using a
discourse analysis of media articles on te
orism,
appearing in The Sun newspaper between 2001 and 2005
[4], Spencer identifies four key metaphors, including;
te
orism ‘as war’, ‘as crime’, ‘as uncivilised evil’ and ‘as
disease’. Spencer contends that counter te
orism
measures such as military violence, detention without trial
and torture are discursively constructed as appropriate
esponses to ‘te
orism’ using these metaphors while
alternatives such as negotiations are sidelined [5]. This
article is recent and published in a peer reviewed journal.
It is useful for applying the labelling perspective as an
analytic frame to the contemporary issue of te
orism.
Spencer draws on key concepts such as ‘othering’,
‘constructivism’, and ‘moral panics’ to discuss how
counter-te
orism policy is politicised [6]. However, the
article is limited by its focus on one newspaper in one
jurisdiction. Nevertheless, it is relevant to the essay
question as it presents both conceptual and empirical
evidence on the essay topic [7].
3 This example is intended as a learning tool and has been adapted from a student submission.
Bibliographic details
accurately formatted.
[1] Citation
Annotation made up of a
summary and evaluation
of the source
[2] Indicates the content
and scope of the text.
[3] Outlines the main
argument
[4] Identify research
methods (where
applicable).
[5] Identify any conclusions
made by the autho
s
[6] How text relates to
themes and concepts in
the essay question.
[7] Evaluation, state
strength and limitations of
the text.