
Research Process
Congratulations! In the wilds of Extended Essay, you are in the thick of it. Having moved through the Pre-Search stage (Deciding your Topic, Figuring out what you need to know, Developing your Research Question) you are now deep into the Research stage.
This means finding, organizing, and evaluating your resources. It also means your Annotated Bibliography is due on April 16th.
What is an annotated bibliography?
According to the Purdue Online Writing Lab, a “bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, Web sites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources.”
In three to five sentences, the annotations in your bibliography should
- Summarize: In one to two sentences, detail the main arguments, the topics covered, the overall point of this resource.
- Assess: In one to two sentences, evaluate the reliability, usefulness, and bias of this source. Think about the goal of the writers of this resource. Keep the C.R.A.A.P. method in mind when assessing your resource.
- Reflect: In one sentence, describe how this resource fits into your research: What is it helpful? How does it shape your argument? How has it impacted your thoughts on your topic? What questions do you have now?
Sample Annotated Bibliographies
Creating and Sharing your Annotated Bibliography – Your annotated bibliography needs to be a in a digital format you can share with your supervisor, Mr. Rancic and Ms. Katy. You must use one of the two options below. If you don’t know how to use these tools, see Ms. Katy during Extended Essay Office Hours on mondays at 3:00 in the secondary library.
- NoodleTools – This is a student research platform with Integrated tools for note-taking, outlining, citation, document archiving/annotation, and collaborative research and writing.
- Google Docs – Create a Document online using Google Drive. This requires an account with Google.