Disclaimer
*The information contained in this section is designed to be a reference, and should not be interpreted as assignment directions. Please consult your professor for specific guidance related to your assignment.*
An Annotated Bibliography is a preparation tool.
It is an alphabetical list of citations for the resources you're putting towards your research project, with an explanation below each describing the relevance and contents of each resource.
It is a bibliography in that it is a list of citations, and it is annotated in that each of those citations has a paragraph or two beneath it with summary, comments, and notes.
By reading, summarizing, and analyzing each resource in the context of you research topic, you will be more prepared to use it in your Honors Thesis.
The citation that the Honors Council requests for proposals is MLA . The citation should also be specific to the type of information resource it is. For example, scholarly journal articles are cited differently than books.
To find the correct citation for your resource, you can use Cite Them Right, which is a resources provided to you by Babson College.
To access Cite Them Right, click the link below.
- Cite Them Right This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
1. Choose your citation/reference style.
2. Choose the information type (Books, Journals, Digital and Internet, etc.)
3. Continue choosing the sub-category that best describes your resource to find the correct citation format.
Why Can't I Use a Citation Generator? Or Generative AI?
Machines make mistakes! While it may be tempting to use the generator that is built into your database, you need to be prepared to fix the mistakes that it makes. In order to do that, you need to be able to recognize the mistakes it makes. That's why starting with your own original citation and using the generated citation to find things like the DOI is the better way to go.
Similar to citation generators, generative AI tools like ChatGPT make mistakes -- sometimes, they even make things up (a phenomenon referred to as "hallucinating"). For more, see our guide on AI Literacy.
Both the length and the content of an annotation can vary. As a general rule of thumb, Honors Seminar II is looking for 17-21 lines of writing.
An annotation generally contains:
Summary: After reading the resource yourself, write a summary that provides a birds-eye-view of the topic or question that motivated the author(s), the author's expertise, the methodology used in the study (if applicable), and the findings.
*Warning*: DO NOT copy and paste the abstract or other pre-written summary of the resource. Your summary should highlight details that you find the most relevant or salient, as they relate to your research question.
Curiosity: What does this article make you want to do in your own research. Maybe it is making you think about a different demographic, or a new application of the theory. If this research were to continue (which it will as you take on the project) what are logical next steps within this academic conversation?
NOTE: Curiousity is NOT "critique". So you DO NOT say things like:
- I liked it.
- I agree with the thesis.
- It's useful.
- It's not helpful.
- Etc.
Discussion of the Research Implications: You have chosen this resources because it relates somehow to your own research question. It is part of the same scholarly conversation that you will be participating in. In the second part of your annotation, you have the opportunity to discuss why you found those salient or relevant details so interesting.
- How do they relate back to your research question?
- How does the resource relate to others you have read on the same topic?
- How do you plan to use this resource to explore your research question?
Need Help?
While you should always ask your instructor for advice first, you can also seek guidance on writing your annotations from the Writing Center.
Marine, Frank J. "The Effects of Organized Crime on Legitimate Businesses." Journal of Financial Crime 13.2 (2006): 214-34. ProQuest. Web. 12 Mar. 2018. Link
In this article, Frank Marine looks at the different legitimate businesses and unions that La Cosa Nostra have infiltrated. During the Prohibition era, the American mafia was able to influence the trucking industry and the Teamsters union. They used these connections to slowly infiltrate other industries such as the garment industry, entertainment industry, hotels, and gambling industry. Marine argues that the Cosa Nostra was able to become so strong and infiltrate so many industries because the United States government didn't see them as a threat for a long time. By the time they recognized the power the Cosa Nostra had, it was too late. By 1969 when the United States recognized they were a threat to the economy, they had already gained control over multiple enterprises. The United States government quickly tried to fight back by passing laws that allowed electronic surveillance and created RICO, the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations. One example of their infiltration is in the moving and storage industry where the Cosa Nostra forced workers to help them rig bids on government contracts in return of their safety. While Marine was able to show the extensive reach that Cosa Nostra had, he left undiscussed how they had acheived those connections. He briefly mentioned that they used previous connections to gain new ones, but didn’t give a clear explanation. Therefore, I'd like to explore how the mafia had received these connections. This will allow me to look at whether they used similar tactics with all sectors (entertainment, hospitality, etc) or if they adapted for each industry. By doing so, it gives insight on the thought process of the American mafia and how they operated in order to best benefit themselves. For instance, the Italian mafia also infiltrated legitimate enterprises such as the construction industry. Marine could have touched upon how the Italian mafia may have influenced the American mafia to go after these legitimate industries and look at both motivations in doing so rather than only focusing on the motivation of profits.