My research question is: Does the use of social media have a negative impact on mental health?
For this assignment, you should identify a specific topic, issue, or question of some significance and explore a range of secondary sources on the subject. This topic, issue, or question should be related to your major field of study in some way. Your assignment is to construct an annotated bibliography of seven sources centered on this specific subject. At least four of your sources should be peer-reviewed sources
Your bibliographic citations should be in MLA style, and each annotation should be three to seven sentences (approx. 100-150 words). Your work must be double-spaced, and the citations must be in alphabetical order.
Your annotated bibliography will be evaluated based on the quality of your sources and your annotations as well as the correctness of your citations.
Guidelines and Tips
Use your research question to conduct background research to help define the parameters of your topic. Expect your topic to evolve as you delve deeper into your research. If you are having trouble finding sources, ask for help from me or from a reference librarian—that’s what we’re here for.
Find quality sources. Evaluate each potential source’s purpose, relevance, authority, accuracy, and timeliness. Keep a working bibliography of potential sources throughout your research.
Look for thesis statements and topic sentences as you read sources. Ask yourself what makes this source different from the other sources you have read. As you prepare your annotations, think about how to (1) position the text: Who is the author and/or publisher? What do you know about this person or organization? What are the author’s biases? Whose interests does the source represent? To what audience is it directed? Is the information current? (2) summarize the text: What are the main ideas? What is the author’s stance on the topic? What conclusions does the author come to? (3) evaluate the text as a source: What did you learn from the source? Did the source alter your viewpoint? Do you agree or disagree with the author’s claims?
Consult the Purdue OWL for questions about MLA-style citations (link). Post citation questions in our Module 2 Discussion Forum 2.
Sample Annotations
- Antonuccio, David. “Treating Depressed Children with Antidepressants: More Harm Than Benefit?” Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, vol. 15, no. 2, June 2008, pp. 92-97. Springer Nature Journals, doi:10.1007/s10880-008-9108-9.
- The Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Setting is “the official journal of the Association of Psychologists in Academic Health Centers”and produces articles from clinical studies mainly used by psychologists. More recent studies may be available, since this was published in 2008, but the information should still be relevant since it includes statistics. (DESCRIPTION) In this source, Antonuccio tries to answer several questions about the safety and usefulness of antidepressants based on data collected in sample case studies. Some questions include the effectiveness and side effects, the statistical information, the alternative treatments, and the risk and benefits of antidepressants. Few questions have concrete answers; however, the uncertainty in these answers allows the argument to sway in either direction. (SUMMARY)This crediblearticle presents data and statistics objectively. It provides a specialized view of the issue. I can use this source to show support for or againstantidepressant use in children. Additionally, the source will be useful for factual information to introduce this subject. (EVALUATION)
- 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 difference between genders in nonfamily living.
- Research Paper Proposal
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