Project 1: Environmental Resources Annotated 'Webliography'

WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 50-150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED WEBLIOGRAPHY?

Like an annotated bibliography, a webliography brings together as many on-line resources pertaining to a particular topic as possible.

THE PROCESS

Whether you are creating an annotated bibliography or webliography, you must use high-level cognitive skills such as precise writing, concise synthesis of material, analysis, and informed library research.

1. Use your favorite search engine to find web sites, blogs, video clips, listservs, online journals^[1], etc. that are relevant to your group's topic.
2. Try to use sources from a variety of domains, such as:
   • .com
   • .gov
   • .edu
   • .org
3. Only use web resources that are available to the general public. Do not use any site that requires a subscription, like Jstor (Jstor and sites like it should also not be used because they are online databases for printed journals).
4. Briefly examine and evaluate the actual items (How-To Evaluate Websites). Make sure you provide a fair and even list of sources while also ensuring not to include sources with hidden agendas, conflicts of interest, or other biases.
5. Cite the book, article, or document using CSE style.
6. Alphabetize your list; put it in bold face type; and double-space between each item.
7. Write a concise annotation of the content, services, or features of each web source. Avoid flowery language that adds little information. Include one or more sentences that
   • (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author and the credibility of the site,
   • (b) comment on the intended audience,
   • (c) compare or contrast this source with another you have cited, or
   • (d) explain how this work illuminates your topic.

SAMPLE^[2]:

Waite, L. J., Goldschneider, F. K., & Witsberger, C. 1986. Nonfamily living and the erosion of traditional family orientations among young adults. American Sociological Review. [Internet]. [cited 2007 July 24]; 6:20. Available from: http://www.amsocrev.com/1471-2105/6/20

The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living.^[3]

OBJECTIVES:

This project is intended to provide a webliography of sites that will be interesting to your peers and will also help them learn about Environmental Health.  The list will

be divided among the following topics that will be determined by your group:

• Topic 1 : Population Growth: India vs. China

• Topic 2:  Population Growth and its Effects on the Spread of Disease

• Topic 3 : <Insert your topic here.>

• Topic 4 : Population and Pollution

• Topic 5 : <Insert your topic here.>

• Topic 6 : Population decline in Europe

• Topic 7 : Population, Loss of Biodiversity and Extinction

INDVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT:

• Each team member will complete an annotated webliography of at least 10 sources as described above in 'The Process'.
• Each webliography should be submitted via Blackboard by uploading under the appropriate link in Assignments.
  • Webliographies should be saved in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).
  • Other formats that are acceptable but not preferred are .txt and .rtf. 
  • Wordperfect files will not be graded.
  • Files submitted by email will not be graded.
• This assignment is due by 10:00 am, Tuesday September 9th.

GROUP PROJECT: 

• Each group will compile the 15-20 best sites from each members webliography.
• The evaluation of what is best will be determined by the criteria for evaluating websites and the group's decision of what would be the most useful and interesting to their peers.
• The compiled list will be added to the page linked to the appropriate topic on the Web Resources for a Healthy Environment page.

GROUPS:

The following links will take each group to their project page:

• Group 1 

• Group 2
• Group 3
• Team America
• Thundercats
• The Kevin Jubb Fan Club
• Group 7