This document was designed for the Didactics in Language Learning course

By Prof. M.A. Lena Barrantes Elizondo

RESEARCH PROJECT: 10%

Pair work: students write an annotated bibliography that gives an account
on the topic EFL teaching. Instructions on how to write this project will be
given in class.

Instructions on how to write the annotated bibliography for this course:

Step 1: Understanding what an A.B is

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography gives an account of the research that has been done on a given
topic. Like any bibliography, an annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of research
sources. In addition, to bibliographic data, an annotated bibliography provides a concise
summary of each source and some assessment of its value or relevance. An annotated
bibliography may be one stage in a larger research project, or it may be an independent
project standing on its own.

Selecting the sources:

The quality of your bibliography will depend on your selection of sources. Define the
scope of your research carefully so that you can make good judgments about what to
include and exclude. Your research should attempt to be reasonably comprehensive
within well-defined boundaries. Consider these questions to help you find appropriate
limits for your research:

• What topic am I investigating? If your bibliography is part of a research

project, this project will probably be governed by a research question. If your
bibliography is an independent project on a general topic (e.g. learning strategies),
try formulating your topic as a question or a series of questions in order to define
your search more precisely ( e.g. How can EFL learners make use of effective
cognitive learning strategies? How can learning strategies affect EFL learning?
How do students respond to the use of direct learning strategies?).
• What kind of material am I looking for? (academic books and journal
articles? government reports or policy statements? articles from the popular press?
etc.)

Summarizing the argument of a source:

An annotation briefly restates the main argument of a source. Keep in mind that
identifying the argument of a source is a different task than describing or listing its
 This document was designed for the Didactics in Language Learning course
By Prof. M.A. Lena Barrantes Elizondo

contents. Annotations are descriptive and critical; they discuss the author's point of

Example: the argument is highlighted.

Mclvor, S. D. (1995). Aboriginal women's rights as "existing rights." Canadian Woman

Studies/Les Cahier de la Femme 2/3, 34-38.

This article seeks to define the extent of the civil and political rights returned to aboriginal
women in the Constitution Act( 1982), in its amendment in 1983, and in amendments to the
Indian Act (1985). This legislation reverses prior laws that denied Indian status to aboriginal
women who married non-aboriginal men. On the basis of the Supreme Court of Canada's
interpretation of the Constitution Act in R.v. Sparrow (1991), Mclvor argues that the Act
recognizes fundamental human rights and existing aboriginal rights, granting to aboriginal
women full participation in the aboriginal right to self-government.

Step 2: Writing your A.B

 The format of your A.B must follow the next parts:

1. Title cover
2. Introduction
3. Description of the topic ( E F L teaching)
4. A list of sources (at least 10). Each with its corresponding annotation (brief and
descriptive evaluative paragraph) of about 100 words.

 Requirements:

a. Each part previously mentioned.

b. APA format.
c. Academic sources only.

IMPORTANT: Credit will not be given for descriptive/evaluative information copied from another
source. In other words, if you find a book review and copy this review to serve as your
annotation you will not receive credit. This is considered plagiarism and your instructor will take
further action.
 This document was designed for the Didactics in Language Learning course
By Prof. M.A. Lena Barrantes Elizondo

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL-SEDE REGIONAL BRUNCA.

COURSE: DIDACTICS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING
Students’ Name: ____________________________________
Total points: 30 Points: _________Score: _________ % ________

Rubric to Assess the Annotated Bibliography

Objective: The students write an academic annotated bibliography that helps them get a wide picture
of the topic “EFL Evaluation”.

Score

Guideline fulfillment: The A.B includes all sections ___/ 5

required (Title cover, Introduction, Description of the
topic, A list of sources with their corresponding
annotations). Each section is well-written. Document
cites the number of sources outlined in the assignment.
Annotations: Annotations show that the writers evaluated ___/ 10
the sources included. All annotations are thoughtful, complete,
and well- written. The annotations are coherent and
concise. Full academic references are given using a consistent
referencing style. There is clear evidence that the student has
read and understood the sources.
Quality /Reliability of Sources: All sources cited can be ___/ 5
considered reliable and/or trustworthy. Excellent variety of
sources; cites more than three types of sources .
Language use: Ideas are written accurately. Verb tense, ___/ 10
grammatical and syntactical structures are appropriately used.
It is consistently correct in spelling, capitalization and
punctuation. Writing demonstrates an effective command of
terminology. Word choice is consistent, varied and precise.

Outstanding 5 10
Satisfactory 4 8
Average 3 6
Deficient 2 4
Poor 1 2