Self-Paced Library Instruction

Annotating a Source
Students should learn to critically analyze sources in order to use them meaningfully, and avoid descriptions that simply restate an academic title, draw too heavily from an abstract, or use AI-generated summaries.

Reading: Identifying a Thesis Statement and

Activity
Have students search for and select 5-10 items to annotate. Cite the sources and answer the following questions directly beneath each citation in 250-300 word paragraphs:

• Based on the item's introduction and first few paragraphs or chapter, what is the author’s/creator’s thesis, central theme, argument, research question, or purpose?  In other words, why was this item created?
• Why did you choose this item over all possible options in the library databases?  How  specifically does it contribute to your knowledge base?  Provide examples of what you learned from this resource.
• Provide examples of sources or data the author uses to reinforce their argument, answer a question, or sway opinion?
• How does this item compare and contrast with the other sources you found?  What did you learn from this source that you did not learn from the others?  How does this source reinforce or contradict information found in the others?
• Would you use this source for your final project and why or why not?