ENG 2450E: Modern Drama (Research Workshop II: Annotated Bibliographies)

ENG 2450E: Modern Drama
RESEARCH WORKSHOP II:
THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Melanie Mills,
Research & Instructional Services Librarian
The D.B. Weldon Library
11 November 2010

Research Workshop Series
Agenda
 Introductory Workshop
 October 21st, 2010 – 1 hour
 Annotated Bibliography Workshop
 November 11th, 2010 – 2 hours
 Methods & Materials I (Research Paper, DRAFT 1)
 February 10th, 2011 – 1 hour
 Methods & Materials II (Research Paper, DRAFT 2)
 March 10th, 2011 – 2 hours
ENG 2450E: Modern Drama (2010-11) Melanie Mills, The D.B. Weldon Library

Research Workshop Series
Course Objectives:
[…] understand and communicate […] the relationships
among theory, history, text and performance […];
craft strong research questions that invite investigation
and debate […];
distinguish among poor, fair, good, and excellent research
materials;
prepare annotated bibliographies, including evaluative
information about the strength and weakness of each
source; and
research and prepare papers […] engaging at some depth
with secondary source materials.

Research Workshop II
Today’s Agenda
 Research Strategies (50 minutes)
 Methods & Materials, In Brief
 Annotated Bibliographies (50 minutes)
 What is an Annotated Bibliography?
 Annotations vs. Abstracts
 The Process Research, Read, Synthesize, Write, Cite
 Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Due: 7 December 2010 *IN CLASS*

Research Strategies
ENG 2450E: Modern Drama Melanie Mills, The D.B. Weldon Library
Strategies to help you get the very most
out of the rich research resources available
to you through Western Libraries!
 Methods (search tips & tricks)
 Materials (helpful hints)

Search Strategies
Helpful Tips & Tricks…
 Search Syntax
 Search Vocabulary

Search Syntax
Boolean Logic
 AND, OR, NEAR
Modernism
activism
drama
20th Century
criticism
gender
politicsproduction

Search Syntax
Boolean Logic AND (narrows your search)
e.g. “drama and modernism”
drama Modernism

Search Syntax
Boolean Logic OR (broadens your search)
e.g. (theatre or drama)
theatre drama
and modernism
Modernism

Search Syntax
Truncation
 asterisk* (used to find multiple endings)
e.g. drama*= drama, dramas, dramatic,
dramatically, dramatist, dramatize,
dramaturge, dramaturgical, etc.
e.g (theat* or drama*) and modernis*

Search Vocabulary
Keyword Searching
 results will include any / all resources,
relevance not taken into consideration
e.g. Samuel Beckett

Search Vocabulary
Controlled Vocabulary
 limits results to only the most relevant,
subject-focused works
e.g. Beckett, Samuel, 1906 – 1989

Search Syntax and Vocabulary
(theat* or drama*) and modernis*Beckett near (activis* or politic*)

www.lib.uwo.ca

Resist the urge to just ‘dive in’…

Instead, focus your research…

Browse by Program (BxP)

English (BxP page)

Modern Drama – Research Guide

Selecting Sources
Critically evaluate what you find. Consider
the following criteria:
 Currency
 Relevance
 Authority
 Accuracy
 Purpose

Selecting Sources
‘Think, Pair, Share’ activity (hands-on
practice evaluating sources for your
annotated bibliography)
 Think On your own… 5 mins.
 Pair In partners / small groups… 5 mins.
 Share As a class… 15 mins.

The Research Process
Define
Research
Topic
Conduct
Preliminary
Research
Revise
Research
Topic
Refine
Research
(Re)Define

Research Strategies
Strategies to help you get the very most
out of the rich research resources available
to you through Western Libraries!
Methods (search tips & tricks)
 Materials (helpful hints)

Annotated Bibliographies (ABs)
“A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, websites,
periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic.
Bibliographies are sometimes called "references" or "works
cited" depending on the style format you are using[…].”
“An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation [of a
resource].”
“Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary
and/or evaluation of each of the sources [listed in the
bibliography].”
Bisignani, Dana and Allen Brizee. “Annotated Bibliographies” Purdue Online Writing Lab
(OWL). Purdue Univeristy,, April 2010. Web. 10 November 2011.

Purpose of ABs?
 to identify and acknowledge the research or
scholarship that has already been conducted
 to credit previous researchers whose foundational
work serves as a source for new ideas, theories and
perspectives
 to make more efficient academic research by
compiling comprehensive, analytical listings of
research already conducted by other scholars in
the field of study

Elements included in ABs
Citation
 bibliographic information (author, title, source, date of
publication, pages, etc). For example:
Worthen, W. B. "Playing "Play"." Theatre Journal 37.4
(1985): pp. 405-414. Print.
 MLA style (use the MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers, 7th ed., 2009)
DBW Ref Quick NO LOAN LB2369.M57 2009

Elements included in ABs
Summary
 Beyond a mere description or synopsis of the content,
but rather concise synthesis of the subject(s) covered,
arguments presented, and conclusions drawn.
Assessment
 An evaluation of the overall quality of the resource and
the information it presents. Is the resource useful? Is
the information accurate? Who is the author?
Reflection
 How does this source fit into your own research? Does
it support or contradict your thesis?
Bisignani, Dana and Allen Brizee. “Annotated Bibliographies” Purdue Online Writing Lab
(OWL). Purdue Univeristy,, April 2010. Web. 10 November 2011.

Critical Analysis: Reading as
Practice for Writing Annotations
Summary *STUDENTS IN ROW 1*
 identify any language which summarizes content
(e.g. subject(s) covered, arguments presented, and conclusions
drawn)
Assessment *STUDENTS IN ROW 2*
 identify any language which evaluates the quality of the resource
and/or the information it presents (e.g. depth or originality of
research, quality of writing, etc.)
Reflection *STUDENTS IN ROW 3*
 identify any language which describes how the resource fits into
the broader field of study (e.g. discussion of the nature of the
research – is it original, new, groundbreaking, etc.)

Research Help
 E-mail, Chat, In-Person (www.lib.uwo.ca/weldon/)

One-on-One Help
Melanie Mills,
Research & Instructional Services Librarian
English, Philosophy
melanie.mills@uwo.ca
Office Hours:
Wednesdays, 2 – 4 PM
University College, Room 171

Thank you!
 Next time…
Methods & Materials I
February 10th, 2010 – 1 hour

ENG 2450E: Modern Drama (Research Workshop II: Annotated Bibliographies)

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