The following Annotated Bibliography and Article Comparision task is in response to the following research question in Assessment Item 2:
What is the most essential skill for an undergraduate student to develop in their first term of study?
Annotated Biography
Find two (2) peer-reviewed journal articles which are to be used to develop a thesis in the essay (Assessment Item 2) and write a summary with evaluations of each article. Both articles should be researched using the CSU Primo Search or Journal Database and selected based on one of the following BUS100 topics:
• Time management
• Critical reading
• Paraphrasing and maintaining ‘voice’
• Research and digital literacy
• Referencing and citation techniques
• Communication skills
Article Comparison
Compare the two articles. You should compare and contrast various ideas expressed in the articles and evaluate which article is more relevant or helpful to understanding the essay topic (assessment item 2) and why.
Suggested Process
1. Understanding the topic
It is important that you make sure you understand precisely what your topic or question means. To do this, discuss the topic and any related questions with your lecturer. Note that both articles presented in this assessment task should be relevant to one of the topics offered, so keep in mind how you would use your articles to develop an argument to respond to the research question in assessment item 2.
2. Finding articles
You are required to find two (2) articles from academic journals. Articles from the popular press (Newspapers, Magazines, the Internet, etc.) will be unacceptable. If you have any doubts about whether an article is of an academic standard, please check with your lecturer or library staff member. You should use the CRAP (Currency, Reliability, Authority, Purpose) test to determine whether to use the article.
3. Summarising articles
You should outline the research and any findings or conclusions of the articles. This should include information on what research was conducted or reviewed, and why the writer/s came to the conclusions they reached, as well as any criticisms you may have of the article. Critique of the article could relate to the purpose of the research, the methodology used by the author to conduct the research, whether the conclusions and recommendations adequately respond to the findings presented.
4. Comparing articles
Look at the findings or conclusions of the articles – whether they are the same, or different from each other. If they differ, why do they differ? If they agree why do they agree? If they present different ideas of the topic and neither disagree nor agree, what are those ideas?
