This document provides guidance to students on annotating and organizing information from academic sources. It discusses annotating texts while and after reading. Students are instructed to submit an annotated bibliography as a formative assessment. The annotated bibliography should include 5 annotated academic sources on the student's chosen essay topic, with full references and 50-150 word annotations summarizing, evaluating, or reflecting on each source. The document provides examples and advice on effective annotation strategies.

1. IFY Social Sciences – Semester 2 Week 2
Workshop II: Annotating and grouping
information

2. Effective from September 2015 | Name of PPT or Course here
Today’s lecture: Context
Reminder: Summative assessment 2 (50%)
includes 2 essays of 1,000 words each, on two
different topics.
This workshops and tutorials series (every other
week) aim at supporting your work and
progression on Essay 1 of the assessment (on
either Education or Media). You will complete
Essay 2 independently.
Last week, we practiced finding and sifting
published, peer-reviewed studies. This week will
focus on reading the studies you selected and
making useful notes.
By the end of this week you must submit
Formative assessment 3 – Annotated
Bibliography.
F_SSc mark
(100%)
Assessment 1:
Exam (50%)
Part I: 30%
Part II: 30%
Part III: 40%
Assessment 2:
Portfolio (50%)
Essay I: 50%
Essay II: 50%

3. Effective from September 2015 | Name of PPT or Course here
Today’s lecture: Objectives
What is this lecture aiming to achieve?
• Familiarity with different types of comments;
• An increase confidence and ability to make and
organise comments on academic texts;
• Support your development and timely progression
on Essay 1 (assessed in Formative Assessment 3)

4. Effective from September 2015 | Name of PPT or Course here
Today’s lecture: Content
Structure: What we will cover
• Annotating texts while reading them
• Annotating texts after reading them
• Annotated bibliography: What is it, why write it and how
• Formative Assessment 3: Annotated Bibliography

5. Effective from September 2015 | Name of PPT or Course here
Making notes when reading
What do you think?
• Why should you jot comments while reading?
• What kind of notes are you making (or should make)?
• What notes are more/less useful?
Image source: https://hayleynadolny.weebly.com/annotated-text.html

6. Effective from September 2015 | Name of PPT or Course here
Making notes when reading
Why annotate?
Short term:
• Highlighting, underlining, jotting and drawing on a text can help
you prepare for more organised notes later.
• Your notes can be seen as time travellers, time capsules,
or ‘reverse archaeology’: They will help future-you
find what they need later, without having to read the
whole text all over again. You are now leaving
breadcrumbs for your future-self to find.
Long term:
• Deep engagement with a text is one of the best ways to improve
reading, comprehension and writing!
• Develops your ability to interpret academic text.
• Active reading also develops your critical thinking.

7. What/how to annotate?
Making notes when reading
What is the difference between these two examples?
Which is better? Why?
Image sources: http://thedaringenglishteacher.blogspot.com/2015/07/Text-Annotation.html
https://catlintucker.com/2013/04/common-core-reading-understanding-analyzing-complex-texts/

8. Effective from September 2015 | Name of PPT or Course here
Making notes when reading
What/how to annotate?
Spontaneous annotations you can make:
• Highlight the aim, method, findings, argument, key points
(aim for 5% maximum)
• Things you want to remember or use
• Thoughts or questions you have, or answers you found
already (i.e. your own explanations for your future self)
• Relationships (e.g. add arrows or draw mind maps)
• Concepts or sources to explore
(not a linear process)
• Instinctive critique/evaluation
(e.g. ‘Good!’, ‘Outdated?’, ‘is this not
contradicting what was said earlier!?’

9. What else can you include?
• Definitions and new
vocabulary
• Summaries
• Translate ideas into
your own words
• Make connections
with other books,
classes, life
experiences…
• Ask questions
• Comment on ideas
• Develop your own
shorthand codes. For
example:
? = Unclear/disagree
! = Important
🗸 = Agree
[ ] = Quotable
# = Facts
_ = Vocabulary

10. Examples
Images: kibin.com,
https://www.weareteachers.com/clo
se-reading-anchor-
charts/?utm_source=WAT_MDR&ut
m_medium=Enews&utm_campaign=
WAT_Enews020719
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/book-
annotations-in-2022--
281543718745586/ https://study-
hack.tumblr.com/post/80849230036
/the-pomodoro-technique-for-
managing-your-study
https://studyaway.tumblr.com/post/
108106088845/in-class-notes-
format/amp

11. Do’s and Don’t’s
Use your own words, in ways
that are short and clear for
yourself.
Add your own thoughts, ideas
and questions
Draw mind maps
Identify and explain main
concepts (even if online)
Go back to other texts, or
search for new ones
Do not copy sections or quote
Highlight large sections
Use theoretical essays
(concepts and discussions, but
no empirical research),
methodological (incl. new
tool/index for
measuring/modelling),
reviews/critiques/syntheses of
prior research, brief essays or
commentary

12. After reading
sheffield.ac.uk/international-college
12
• When you finished, spend a few minutes concluding the text, and
organising your notes, so that you have overall clarity and won’t
need to ‘decipher; your own notes later – before you forget what
they meant.
• You can include:
• What was the study about?
• How was it conducted & what did it find?
• What was particularly new/interesting?
• What might be useful here?
• Your own insights, ideas, comments or questions
• Things to look up or explore more
We suggest you aim for 50-150 words per item.

13. Annotated bibliography
sheffield.ac.uk/international-college
13
• An annotated bibliography is a list of
source references that is arranged
thematically, and includes a short
descriptive, and sometimes reflective
text (an annotation) for each source – in
your own words.

14. Annotated bibliography
sheffield.ac.uk/international-college
14
Why write an annotated bibliography?
• To show that you can identify and evaluate the literature
underpinning a research problem;
• To develop skills in discerning the most relevant research studies
from those which have only superficial relevance to your topic;
• To be thoroughly engaged with individual sources in order to
strengthen your analytical skills;
• To practice paraphrasing (not re-phrasing!) and finding your own
ideas and articulations;
• To organise your thoughts and lay the foundations for your work.

15. Annotated bibliography
sheffield.ac.uk/international-college
15
How to write it
For each source, put the full APA reference,
followed by 50-150 words, typically
formatted as a single paragraph.
Notes can be:
• Descriptive = Summarising key information arguments,
methods and findings;
• Evaluative = assessing how good the arguments and
methods are;
• Reflective (considering the relevance of the sources to
your project);
or a combination of them.

16. Formative Assessment this weekend
sheffield.ac.uk/international-college
16
1. Upload an annotated bibliography to the folder you
shared with your tutor.
2. The document must include:
a) The topic you chose + 1-2 sentences on why you
chose it.
b) Your writing plan (with deadlines) for producing
Essay 1. (max. 1 page, could be much less)
c) A minimum of 5 annotated, relevant items for your essay:
full APA reference followed by 50-150 of your own
annotations per item.
A description/summary of the text is a minimum, but a strong
annotation also includes evaluation and/or reflection (points,
thought, problems and ideas you want to remember, or to use in
your study). The notes can be informal. If you have many sources,
try to put them into groups under headers.
3. If possible, upload the reading (or links) you read to that folder.
This could help your tutor support you in evaluating the
sources.
Feedback will be provided in week 5 tutorials.

17. References
sheffield.ac.uk/international-college
17
Caulfield, J. (2022, August 23). What Is
an Annotated Bibliography? | Examples
& Format. Scribbr. Retrieved January
24, 2023, from
USC research libraries (2023), Research
guides. Organizing Your Social Sciences
Research Assignments. University of
South Carolina.