WRI 1100: Webb

Getting started:

• Purdue OWL: Annotated Bibliographies
• From Inquiry to Academic Writing, pp. 148-150
• APA citation style resources (Publication Guide, APA tab on this guide, Purdue OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide)

What do I include?

• Summary
  • What is the research about?
  • What are the main points and arguments?
• Analysis
  • What is the purpose of the research?
  • Is this useful and relevant to my research?
  • Is it biased or objective?
  • Would this be considered strong evidence?
• Relevance
  • How would you use this source in your paper? (background info, making argument, clarifying additional research)
  • How does it relate to the various aspects of your topic?

• How to (seriously) read a scientific article (Science)

Strategies:

• Read the abstract first -- is it relevant?
• Skim first, then go slower
• Sections of an empirical research article
  • Abstract (summary)
  • Introduction (background info; why were the researchers conducting the study?)
  • Method (how did they gather data?)
  • Results (what did they find?)
  • Discussion (what do the researchers think the results mean?)

Example: Two side of the same coin