Since my last post, I have received feedback on my Paper Outline, the blueprint for the final capstone paper outlining both its structure and content. That assignment provided us with an opportunity to engage directly with various elements of the paper, including the Literature Review and Methods sections, and consider how exactly we plan to execute our research within the time and resource constraints of the course. I am happy to report that I received positive feedback from my capstone professor, Dr. Albert Widman, and it seems like I am on the right track. The next step in the capstone process, though, is critical.

If you are a current or former communications college student, you have likely written your share of bibliographies -  the lists of works you referred to in a paper. The next step in the capstone process is the completion of an Annotated Bibliography, which goes beyond its simpler counterpart to incorporate details about each of the entries listed. Those of you who have completed longer form research papers or senior theses may recognize this step, which helps us accomplish a number of important goals on our way to writing our papers. As Dr. Widman explains:

I like to think of the annotated bibliography as my “stealth” assignment during the preparation of the capstone. I think of it this way because the word most students focus on is “bibliography," so they often first think about the assignment as a technical task getting their references into good APA format. But the students soon learn that an annotated bibliography is much more than that!

Indeed, writing annotated bibliographies is about so much more than simply formatting your citations correctly. It is an opportunity to evaluate the sources you have found in your research thus far, assessing them for the quality of their content and the credibility of their publishers. This assignment also provides us students with an opportunity to think critically about how our sources fit together - theoretically, thematically, practically - and how they shed light on our particular research questions. Though the format will vary slightly according to your instructor and subject area, most annotations include the following:

• Key source findings (main themes, methods, takeaways)
• Credibility of the source (where it is published, by whom)
• Relevance of the source (how you plan to use it)

I know, I know, this seems like a lot at first. After all, our final capstone papers will include anywhere from 15 to more than 20 scholarly and other reputable sources. Yet, this assignment occurs precisely when it does in the process because, as Dr. Widman explains, it "[helps] you to focus your thoughts about what the main published authors in your field are thinking and how you see their ideas working in conjunction with your own."

Rather than trying to write a paper that fits our existing ideas and expectations, we are compelled to consider how our own ideas stack up against what others in our field have found. Not only does this prevent us from going on wild research goose chases, but it also ensures that our final project is a novel, valuable contribution to the communications discipline.

How, then, to tackle this seeming mountain of an assignment? Well, first things first, don't sweat it! Though it seems daunting, annotated bibliographies need not consume endless hours of your precious time. In my experience, it pays to begin by assembling a larger pool of sources (20-30 in my case, a number which will vary according to the volume of research in your subject area). A great place to start your search is the Rutgers Google Scholar database, accessible here. After compiling all of my sources, I read through each of the papers' abstracts, summaries, or introductions to ascertain their main idea. I then select anywhere from 15 to 20 sources from this set to include in my annotated bibliography, which need not be exhaustive. Try to select sources that you believe will be significant to informing your analysis and which speak, directly or indirectly, to your research question.

If you've gone ahead and selected your sources already, congratulations - you've completed the hardest part of this assignment! Now, it is time to review each source and produce an annotation that addresses the bullet points listed above. Annotations typically run from 5 to 7 sentences, a short paragraph, and should not be much longer. Your goal is to be as clear and concise as possible in describing the substance of the source and its significance to your research. That said, this does not mean that you need to read all of your sources in their entirety, particularly if they are longer academic journal articles. Rather, I recommend skimming the Introduction, Methods, and Discussion sections - all of which, taken together, tend to provide a fairly reliable representation of the work as a whole.

Once you've annotated your citations and proofread them for grammar and proper APA formatting, you're pretty much good to go! As of this writing, I have submitted and already received feedback on my own annotated bibliography. Good news, everybody: I did extremely well and Dr. Widman was very pleased. So, take this as a sign to take my advice and to breathe: Remember, you have a whole team of MCM students and instructors rooting for you to succeed and the capstone process is designed for you to succeed - so long as you put in the work and keep a positive attitude. Happy spring and happy writing, everyone!

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