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Religion in the World: REL 0863 / ASST 0863

A library course guide for this General Education course

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

bibliography is a list of books and articles on a particular topic. An annotated bibliography is a bibliography in which each book or article has an annotation, or note, which describes and evaluates the item.

The annotations are relatively brief, usually about 150 words, explaining how a source is relevant and valuable to your research.

Writing annotated bibliographies is an excellent way to...

  1. learn to do academic research using research databases, 
  2. learn to identify and evaluate scholarly sources,
  3. learn about and organize your thoughts on a topic, and
  4. practice citing sources.

Example of a Bibliography

Research Topic: What are the similarities between big-time American sports and organized religions?

  • Contents: 6 scholarly articles, 3 scholarly books
  • Databases used: Academic Search Premier, ATLA Religion Database, Library Search: Books
  • Citation Style used: Chicago Humanities Style

A bibliography is a simple list of books and articles. To make the list below an annotated bibliography, write annotations and insert them under each bibliographic entry. See below.

--------------------- 

Baker, William J. Playing with God :Religion and Modern Sport. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2007.

[insert Annotation here]

Butterworth, Michael L. "Saved at Home: Christian Branding and Faith Nights in the "Church of Baseball." Quarterly Journal Of Speech 97, no. 3 (August 2011): 309-333. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2015).

[insert Annotation here]

Butterworth, Michael. "Fox Sports, Super Bowl XLII, and the Affirmation of American Civil Religion." Journal of Sport & Social Issues, August 2008., 318-323, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2015).

[insert Annotation here]

Ellis, Robert. "The meanings of sport: an empirical study into the significance attached to sporting participation and spectating in the UK and US." Practical Theology 5, no. 2 (August 1, 2012): 169-188. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2015).

[insert Annotation here]

Forney, Craig A. The Holy Trinity of American Sports :Civil Religion in Football, Baseball, and Basketball. Sports and Religion. 1st ed. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2007.

[insert Annotation here]

Lewis, Todd Vernon. "Religious Rhetoric in Southern College Football: New Uses for Religious Metaphors." Southern Communication Journal 78, no. 3 (July 2013): 202-214. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2015).

[insert Annotation here]

Maranise, Anthony M. J. "Superstition & Religious Ritual: An Examination of their Effects and Utilization in Sport." Sport Psychologist 27, no. 1 (March 2013): 83-91. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2015).

[insert Annotation here]

Scholes, Jeffrey and Raphael Sassower. Religion and Sports in American Culture. Fir ed. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2014.

[insert Annotation here]

Shilling, Chris, and Philip A. Mellor. "Re-Conceptualizing Sport as a Sacred Phenomenon." Sociology Of Sport Journal 31, no. 3 (September 2014): 349-376. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2015).

[insert Annotation here]