Week 1 you calculated your environmental footprint and examined the amount of land needed for everything from cultivating food crops to carbon sequestration. Then in week 2 discussion, you chose one environmental issue related to our footprint and how it is being affected where you live. This week you will continue to develop your project with an annotated bibliography using the same topic you chose in week 2.

Objective: The Annotated Bibliography is included as part of the Course Project because it provides the first step in the preparation of your Outline and Final Presentation. One of the issues regarding research, especially in the environmental sciences field, is the credibility of the sources used, particularly those obtained from various websites. By challenging you to carefully evaluate each of your potential sources, the Annotated Bibliography helps you to:

• determine that the source article (e.g., peer-reviewed journal paper, book, website article) you chose is academically and scientifically credible,
• explain how and why your source article is relevant to your course project’s required topics and subtopics, and
• list those sources in proper APA reference format (version 7).

Before You Start:

To prepare for this assignment, I strongly recommend that you:

• Read these directions carefully.
• Choose sources that are RELEVANT to your project’s topic
• Review the sample Annotated Bibliography provided to you: EVSP180 Sample Annotated Bibliography.pdf
• Read the grading rubric – EVSP180 Annotated Bibliography Grading Criteria.pdf The grading criteria is a detailed evaluation that I will use to assess your performance. It also will help you understand what is expected of you as you prepare your assignment.
• Use your own words (paraphrase). For help with paraphrasing, please review the ‘Quoting and Paraphrasing’ help in the Trefry Library Writing@APUS Center.
• Note that your Turnitin report similarity score should be under 20% (not including references) and free of paraphrasing issues. Review the color-flagged text on your report, fix any issues, and resubmit again before the deadline (this assignment is set to unlimited submissions until the deadline).
• Note that less than 10% of your work should contain direct quotes.
• Email me with any questions!
• [Recall that Wikipedia is not considered a credible source for our purposes and should not be used in class.]

Assignment Instructions:

Your Annotated Bibliography will include an APA-formatted reference, summary, and evaluation of TWO of the credible source articles you will use for your Outline and Final Presentation. However, just as a reminder you must use FIVE or more credible articles in your Outline and Final Presentation.

What articles are acceptable? They must either be peer-reviewed, or academic for this assignment (you will research government articles next week). To learn how to search for peer-reviewed articles the library has a fantastic page – https://www.apus.edu/apus-library/resources-services/Writing/writing-center/the-research-process.html. Academic articles are published by universities and are typically .edu sites. If you have a question about your article please don’t hesitate to ask.

Download and type your answers in this template with the following information for your TWO academically and scientifically credible sources: EVSP180 Annotated Bibliography Template.docx

1. APA Reference Formatting of Source Article sections:

Written in APA reference list format (7^th edition). For more help with formatting, see the APA handout.

1. Summary sections:

What is the purpose of the source article, and how is it relevant to your Course Project’s required topics and subtopics (see Outline assignment instructions)? Briefly address the following points in 4-6 sentences:

• Begin with a “topic sentence” that states the source’s main point. (e.g., This article discusses topsoil loss in the state of Kansas.).
• Summarize the main findings and conclusions of the peer-reviewed journal paper, book, website article, etc.
• State how the information is relevant to your project’s assigned topics and subtopics and be specific.

1. Evaluation sections:

After summarizing the source article, it is necessary to evaluate it and state where you found it (journal, website, book, etc.). Briefly answer the following questions in 4-6 sentences:

• What is the format/type of source article (e.g., peer-reviewed journal paper, book, website article)?
• Is the author an authority/expert on the topic? Explain how the author is qualified (see below).
  • For subject-matter experts, provide their credentials (e.g. degrees earned, professional or academic affiliations, published works)
  • For freelance/professional writers (non-experts), state if all reference sources are academically and scientifically credible and provide an example.
  • For undergraduate-student writers (non-experts), include the subject-matter expert that may have edited or reviewed their work.
  • If no author is listed, move on to discuss the publishing source.
• How is the publishing source (e.g., the website’s sponsoring organization, journal, book publisher) credible? (e.g., The Journal of Mammalian Research is the peer-reviewed journal of the Society of Mammalian Researchers which is comprised of subject-matter expert members and published quarterly by the University of Linux.)

For more help, see this handout on evaluating resources.

*Writing Expectations: Apply scientific concepts and use scientific terminology correctly. Utilize proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Evaluation: Please review the grading criteria – EVSP180 Annotated Bibliography Grading Criteria.pdf that describe how your annotated bibliography will be graded.