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RSH9101B Updated Annotated Bibliography August 10, 2009

Posted by thinkphd in : RSH9101B , trackback

Over the weekend I completed and turned in Activity 6, the updated annotated bibliography. This document was 40 pages long. The purpose of the annotated bibliography is to collect sources that will be used in the dissertation. According to the syllabus, it is “a foundational piece that will be useful as you develop your literature review. Each annotation should include the purpose, method, and key findings of the study.”

Several of my sources were not academic papers, as I am writing on a very current topic. However, I had many peer-reviewed articles and papers so those I was able to identify the purpose, method, and key findings. Sometimes there were headings to identify this information, and sometimes I had to really hunt through looking for methods.

I really like ScienceDirect because most of the papers from there have a mini-outline at the very beginning, so you can tell in a flash if the paper is relevant or not. Sometimes I would select a paper based on the abstract and find out that the data or information was not applicable to my research.

Activity 6 is a second pass at an annotated bibliography - and after all the hours I spent reading for the first one, I did it again plus more for the second one! I had 59 total sources, 15 more than the first pass. All of the 15 were academic, and about half were historical. Dr. R had pointed out that I did not have enough in the historical to build a foundation for the lit review in my first annotated bibliography.

Activity 7 is an abridged literature review, and tonight I have been reviewing Chapter 2 in Creswell’s text Research Design. Well, I say “have been” but that implies nothing else. As a matter of fact, here is what I did this evening after coming home from work:

watched a few minutes of NatGeo about catching big fish (husband was watching this)
cut up a tomato for supper and got the plates ready (husband grilled out)
ate supper (yummy) while watching NatGeo show about a new high-tech prison in MD
did not finish watching show; I wandered off after eating
called a student who had left a message earlier in the day regarding a question about an assignment
another student called me with a question, we discussed the Learning Team Charter
responded to posts in the University OLS for GEN200 (I am teaching just one class right now)
checked personal emails
refunded money through PayPal to an eBayer who returned an item he said did not work (ouch): I will have to check to see if it works or not this weekend
answered several questions on AllExperts.com, where I am a continuing education and distance learning “Expert”; tonight’s questions were assorted, including one about a veteran returning to college
watched video highlighting new Avon distribution center in Zanesville (loved it, I am a sucker for inventory management)
asked husband to watch Zanesville video with me; he declined, obviously not as excited about machinery and inventory as I am
read nculearner Yahoo group posts
checked Associated Content account for page views; disappointed in a few articles I had believed to be evergreen
read posts in NCU Learner Portal; of interest is one that reveals that it may make sense to take time between a few of the Diss track classes to refine the paper, rather than jump into the next course immediately (consdering this…is this something that would be good for me?
wrassled with Tucker and Charlie (our dogs)
re-read the syllabus for RSH9101B, and designed a timetable for last two assignments (#7 & #8) which must be in by end of the course date of 08/24
used 5 minutes to organize the abridged literature review (#7) in my head, reconsidering the arrangement that I had come up with yesterday (flash reviewing an assignment before I start on it helps me organize)
located which chapter in Creswell related to the literature review (I had read the book twice already, but need to review this topic again)
re-scanned chapter 2 in Creswell
worked on this blog post

I know that some of you wonder how I get everything done; you can see that I don’t watch much TV or sit around not working. If I am just sitting, then I am thinking and planning. It’s 10PM now, and I will finish out the night by logging off the computer, setting out my clothes for tomorrow, and reading for a few minutes before turning off the light. And I get to do it all over again tomorrow. Good night!

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