CHECKLIST FOR annotation content
Include all citation information (author, title, publisher or periodical, pages or city, volume, and date) in the first sentence of an annotation.
What are the subject and position?
What are the major points, attitudes or opinions covered?
What types of evidence are cited to support these points?
What unique and/or interesting approaches and features does it contain?
Is the author particularly qualified to write on this subject?
Consider using a current APA Handbook, the APA.org, and/or Noodletools which is accessible through the Ivy Tech Library Website.
Academic and professional writing is very clear and precise. To the reader, phrases like "is kind of" are not only wordy and non-essential but detract from your credibility because there needs to be an assertive statement by making a claim.
Another way to stay consistent and clear is to use the specific article name instead of "this article" and the author's name instead of "the author" so the reader does not need to scroll up or read backward.
Be sure to include credentials, as well, the first time you use a source. For example, what kind of a doctor and for how long has he been a doctor? Where did he go to school? Where does he practice?
Each annotation should include an evaluation of the source’s credibility, limitations, and potential biases.
Follow the Quote Sandwich Method in annotations. That way, if you decide to use information in your research paper, you can copy and paste the point, source information with in-text citation, and your evaluation of the source information without having to take time to access the source again :)
Font change. This occurs most often times because information is copied and pasted into a document. Be careful when doing this because of inconsistency in format but, most importantly, it sends a message to a reader (who could potentially be your employer or customer, or bank, or
PROFESSOR) that you did not take the time to analyze information and/or took time to cut corners. I do not think that you want that!