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Research Tips

This guide contains information to help you get started on your academic research.

Types of Research Papers

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of cited sources (books, articles, websites, etc.) wherein each citation is followed by an annotation (a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph) of the source. Your annotation of a source should include:

  • The main focus or purpose of the source
  • Background and credibility of the author(s)
  • Conclusions or observations reached by the author(s)
  • Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the source
  • Special features of the source that were unique or helpful
  • Usefulness and/or relevance of the source to your research topic

Note: your annotation can include some of these aspects, or even others. If you are completing an annotated bibliography for a class, you should get specific guidelines from your instructor and follow them accordingly.

Annotations vs. Abstracts

Many scholarly articles start with an abstract, which is the author's summary of the article to help you decide whether you should read the entire article. This abstract is not the same thing as an annotation. An annotation should be written in your own words and explain the relevance of the source to your particular assignment or research question.

Tips on Writing and Formatting
  • Cite your sources in a consistent citation style (MLA, APA, etc.)
  • Include a hanging indent within each citation
  • List your citations in alphabetical order by the author's last name;
    • If there is no author, go by the first word of the title (excluding a, an, the)
  • Each annotation should be one paragraph, between 3 - 6 sentences long
  • Use the third person (e.g. he, she, the author) instead of the first person (e.g. I, my, me) 
  • All lines should be double spaced, do not add an extra line between citations 
Annotated Bibliography Resources
What is an Exploratory Essay?

An exploratory essay asks questions and gathers information that may answer these questions. However, the main point of an exploratory essay is not to find definitive answers to a question, but to allow a writer to explore their own perspectives as they investigate a topic, gather information about the topic from different angels, and share that information with readers. It situates the writer in a position of inquiry and exploration rather than attempting to convince or persuade readers on a particular topic. In an exploratory essay, the writer invites the reader into their internal thought process and lays out different and often competing perspectives on an issue or topic in order to better understand it.

Characteristics of an Exploratory Essay
  • Approach a topic from an objective point of view with a neutral tone
  • Rather than trying to solve the problem, the author seeks to clearly explain the different viewpoints regarding a topic - it tends to contain three or more points of view regarding a topic
  • Are usually written through a first person account, are chronologically organized, and provide a realistic account of the writers research process
 Exploratory Essay Resources
What is a Literature Review?

A literature review takes an in-depth look at relevant published literature (books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, dissertations, etc.) regarding an issue, theory, or area of study. It usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis of these sources as they relate to the research question being investigated. A literature review gives an overview of an area of study and should answer questions such as:

  • What research has been done on the topic?
  • What are the common theories and methodologies?
  • Are there challenges, controversies, and contradictions?
  • Are there gaps in the research?

If your literature review is a standalone assignment, it should provide your reader with a foundation of knowledge on a topic by collecting relevant research and synthesizing these various sources into a a cohesive summary of existing knowledge.

A Literature Review is Not...
  • An annotated bibliography, wherein you summarize each source that you have reviewed. A literature review summarizes and synthesizes your gathered sources in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem.
  • A research paper, wherein you select sources to support one side of an issue versus another. A literature review explains and considers all sides of an argument in order to avoid bias; areas of agreement and disagreement should be included/highlighted.
Literature Review Resources