An annotated bibliography requires you to find a source of evidence-based information (journal article, book or public health document) and write a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph (annotation). Upon identification of your team health issue or topic, each team member will be responsible for development of three annotations. This assignment works much like a puzzle in that your team gathers the puzzle pieces and then, through group communication, you discuss how those pieces fit together to reveal the whole picture, or in this case, how an evaluation of the information and your own opinions frame an evidence-based recommended course of action related to your health topic. As you develop your proposed course of action (solutions) you will need to include how social determinants of health affect this issue and include your proposals for solution.
In public health, the questions asked often include the following aspects:
WHAT is the health issue or topic? (i.e., condition or disease or issue)
WHY is it important?
WHO does the health issue affect? People/population/problem (What are the characteristics of the population?
Comparisons (What is the alternative to the intervention? How is this health issue addressed? What measures are in place to PREVENT worsening of the health issue?)
Outcomes (What are the relevant outcomes of this health issue? i.e., morbidity, death, complications)
Assignment Instructions:
1. Select a Topic: As a team, choose a public health issue or topic, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) List of Diseases and Conditions for a list of topics to get you started: https://www.cdc.gov/DiseasesConditions/Links to an external site.
2. Assess Sources: Begin the process of gathering your sources by first searching for your topic in Google Scholar or using databases available through the UTA Libraries such as PubMed. Locate three to five peer-reviewed articles that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual articles, selecting your final three sources.
3. Read the Peer-reviewed Articles: Read each article and summarize the author's main points. Be sure you pay special attention to how this particular source fits into the larger, ongoing public health conversation about the topic. A good approach to this is to list main points and then tie those together in a written paragraph.
4. Research the Author/Publication: Conduct a brief search on the author to determine his/her expertise, reputation, and credibility. Look at citations, articles, and books by this author to find information about who the author is, what his/her credentials are, and what occupation or position he/she holds. Similar to your author search, examine the publication or source to determine the publication's reputation, credibility and target reader/researcher. Is the text specialized or general? Is the target audience clinicians (i.e., physicians, research scientists) or another audience such as public health professionals, university students or persons in the community? (Core Objectives: Critical Thinking, Communication, Empirical and Quantitative, and Teamwork Skills.)
5. Develop Three Written Annotations: Now that you have reviewed your three articles, you will individually write three annotations that are between 150-200 words, summarizing the central theme and scope of the article. The annotation must be written in APA style. NOTE: Use Times New Roman size 12 font for this assignment.
