2.8 Other Common Academic Writing Sub-Genres You Will Encounter
2.8 Other Common Academic Writing Sub-Genres You Will Encounter
Nancy Ami; Natalie Boldt; Sara Humphreys; Jemma Llewellyn; and Erin Kelly
Annotated Bibliography
In upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses, you may be asked to complete an annotated bibliography, which is a list of citations, followed by a brief summary and evaluation of each source. This assignment involves finding, synthesizing, and critically analyzing relevant journal articles and books. You may be asked to complete an annotated bibliography to prepare for writing a major research paper assignment, for example.
Annotated bibliographies are helpful before writing a research paper because you do the hard work of critically reading what others have said on the topic before you begin drafting your own paper.
Creating an annotated bibliography draws on key intellectual skills: informed library research, concise exposition, and succinct analysis:
- First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information on your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then, choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.
- Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style.
- Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme of the book or article. Include sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.[1]
An annotated bibliography is an assignment powerhouse that builds your research and summary skills.
Wait, did you see that? A major part of creating the Annotated Bibliography is writing summaries. Summary writing is everywhere in academic writing. If you skipped over how to write an effective summary, then head back to “Convention One: Summary Writing.”
Scientific Reports
Scientific writing may differ from essay writing in process, organization, and style. The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides very helpful information about writing lab reports.[2] We have summarized key features of scientific reports for you here.
Scientific research entails formulating a research question, developing a hypothesis based on research in the field, testing it, and determining whether the findings support the hypothesis. Researchers carefully consider their purpose, their procedure, rationale for their choice, and the benefits of the study. When beginning their experiment, they create a detailed plan for the experiment and for recording the data. They work collaboratively with other researchers on their procedure, data collection, and findings. After conducting their scientific experiment, researchers write their report.
Scientific reports may vary depending on the discipline, but typically follow a consistent pattern of organization: introduction, methods and materials, resu