selected bibliography in research

How to Write a Bibliography for a Research Paper

Do not try to “wow” your instructor with a long bibliography when your instructor requests only a works cited page. It is tempting, after doing a lot of work to research a paper, to try to include summaries on each source as you write your paper so that your instructor appreciates how much work you did. That is a trap you want to avoid. MLA style, the one that is most commonly followed in high schools and university writing courses, dictates that you include only the works you actually cited in your paper—not all those that you used.

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• If your assignment calls for a bibliography, list all the sources you consulted in your research.
• If your assignment calls for a works cited or references page, include only the sources you quote, summarize, paraphrase, or mention in your paper.
• If your works cited page includes a source that you did not cite in your paper, delete it.
• All in-text citations that you used at the end of quotations, summaries, and paraphrases to credit others for their ideas,words, and work must be accompanied by a cited reference in the bibliography or works cited. These references must include specific information about the source so that your readers can identify precisely where the information came from.The citation entries on a works cited page typically include the author’s name, the name of the article, the name of the publication, the name of the publisher (for books), where it was published (for books), and when it was published.

The good news is that you do not have to memorize all the many ways the works cited entries should be written. Numerous helpful style guides are available to show you the information that should be included, in what order it should appear, and how to format it. The format often differs according to the style guide you are using. The Modern Language Association (MLA) follows a particular style that is a bit different from APA (American Psychological Association) style, and both are somewhat different from the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Always ask your teacher which style you should use.

A bibliography usually appears at the end of a paper on its own separate page. All bibliography entries—books, periodicals, Web sites, and nontext sources such radio broadcasts—are listed together in alphabetical order. Books and articles are alphabetized by the author’s last name.

Most teachers suggest that you follow a standard style for listing different types of sources. If your teacher asks you to use a different form, however, follow his or her instructions. Take pride in your bibliography. It represents some of the most important work you’ve done for your research paper—and using proper form shows that you are a serious and careful researcher.

Bibliography Entry for a Book

A bibliography entry for a book begins with the author’s name, which is written in this order: last name, comma, first name, period. After the author’s name comes the title of the book. If you are handwriting your bibliography, underline each title. If you are working on a computer, put the book title in italicized type. Be sure to capitalize the words in the title correctly, exactly as they are written in the book itself. Following the title is the city where the book was published, followed by a colon, the name of the publisher, a comma, the date published, and a period. Here is an example:

Format : Author’s last name, first name. Book Title. Place of publication: publisher, date of publication.

• A book with one author : Hartz, Paula.  Abortion: A Doctor’s Perspective, a Woman’s Dilemma . New York: Donald I. Fine, Inc., 1992.
• A book with two or more authors : Landis, Jean M. and Rita J. Simon.  Intelligence: Nature or Nurture?  New York: HarperCollins, 1998.

Bibliography Entry for a Periodical

A bibliography entry for a periodical differs slightly in form from a bibliography entry for a book. For a magazine article, start with the author’s last name first, followed by a comma, then the first name and a period. Next, write the title of the article in quotation marks, and include a period (or other closing punctuation) inside the closing quotation mark. The title of the magazine is next, underlined or in italic type, depending on whether you are handwriting or using a computer, followed by a period. The date and year, followed by a colon and the pages on which the article appeared, come last. Here is an example:

Format:  Author’s last name, first name. “Title of the Article.” Magazine. Month and year of publication: page numbers.

• Article in a monthly magazine : Crowley, J.E.,T.E. Levitan and R.P. Quinn.“Seven Deadly Half-Truths About Women.”  Psychology Today  March 1978: 94–106.
• Article in a weekly magazine : Schwartz, Felice N.“Management,Women, and the New Facts of Life.”  Newsweek  20 July 2006: 21–22.
• Signed newspaper article : Ferraro, Susan. “In-law and Order: Finding Relative Calm.”  The Daily News  30 June 1998: 73.
• Unsigned newspaper article : “Beanie Babies May Be a Rotten Nest Egg.”  Chicago Tribune  21 June 2004: 12.

Bibliography Entry for a Web Site

For sources such as Web sites include the information a reader needs to find the source or to know where and when you found it. Always begin with the last name of the author, broadcaster, person you interviewed, and so on. Here is an example of a bibliography for a Web site:

Format : Author.“Document Title.” Publication or Web site title. Date of publication. Date of access.

Example : Dodman, Dr. Nicholas. “Dog-Human Communication.”  Pet Place . 10 November 2006.  23 January 2014 < http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dog-human-communication-2/page1.aspx >

After completing the bibliography you can breathe a huge sigh of relief and pat yourself on the back. You probably plan to turn in your work in printed or handwritten form, but you also may be making an oral presentation. However you plan to present your paper, do your best to show it in its best light. You’ve put a great deal of work and thought into this assignment, so you want your paper to look and sound its best. You’ve completed your research paper!

Back to  How To Write A Research Paper .

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Chicago Referencing Guide

• Notes - basic patterns
• Bibliography - basic patterns

Types of bibliographies

Bibliography formatting guide, multiple works by the same author or editor, location of online works, secondary source - in bibliography, sources that can be omitted, bibliography example.

• Chapters and other parts of a book
• Journal articles
• Magazine articles
• Newspaper articles
• Reference works
• Theses and dissertations
• Social media
• Graphic arts
• Live performances
• Exhibition catalogues
• Television and radio
• Advertisements
• Online videos
• Sound recordings
• Legal resources
• Lectures and paper presentations
• Personal communications, unpublished interviews and AI content
• Tables - Examples
• Figures - Examples

Bibliography

Your bibliography should include every work that you cite in your text, as well as works that were important to your thinking, even if you did not mention them in your text. Label this standard type Bibliography or Sources Consulted .

There are other types of bibliography which you may be asked to create:

Selected bibliography

If a bibliography only includes some of the sources you have used, it should be labelled Selected Bibliography . If you choose to create this type of biblography, make sure your lecturer or supervisor knows that you are only citing selected sources, and give a good reason for this.

Single-author bibliography

This is a list of works by a single author. Label it  Works of [Author's Name] .  You can arrange it chronologically or alphabetically by title.

Annotated bibliography

This is a bibliography with added annotations - descriptions of each work's content and/or its relevance to your research. Check with your lecturer or supervisor to see what their requirements are in regards to the length and purpose of the annotations. Brief annotations (usually a single phrase) can be added in brackets after the publication data.

Longer annotations can be added on a new line, without brackets.

Foreign language titles (not in English) are the exception - they should be formatted sentence style (capitalise only the first word of the title and subtitle, and any proper nouns).

This is the city where the publisher's main editorial offices are listed. Look for it on the title page or with the copyright information. Where two or more cities are listed, use only the first. If the city of publication might be confused with another city of the same name, add a state abbreviation, province or country as necessary.

For more details on formatting individual elements of a bibliographic reference, see the examples of each source type in the left-hand menu, and the detailed notes below.

• When you reference more than one work by an author (or editor) in your paper, list them alphabetically by title (ignoring words such as a or the ).
• For all references after the first, a group of three em dashes and a period should replace the author’s name. You can insert an em dash in Microsoft Word 2016 by choosing Insert > Symbol > Special Character > Em Dash . Alternatively, you can use six small dashes.

List all these works before any that the individual co-authored or co-edited.

For a work that you found online, choose the appropriate location information to include:

• If there is a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) listed with the work, use that.
• If no DOI is available, use a stable URL.
• If you found the work by searching a library or commercial database, you can use the database name instead of a URL.

DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier.

• A DOI is a string of characters that commonly identifies a journal article, but can also be found on other publication types, including books.
• All DOIs start with 10 . and include numbers and letters. For example: doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.08.001
• The DOI provides a permanent internet address for the item, making it easy to locate.
• You may search by DOI numbers in Library Search or at  http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz , to locate articles.

Always use the DOI in your citation, if available.  

To cite a DOI, append the DOI number (starting with 10.) to https://doi.org/

If there is no DOI for an online work, include a URL in your reference.If a URL is listed along with the work, use that one rather than the one in your browser's address bar (which may not be a stable URL). 

Database name

If you found the work by searching a library or commercial database, you may give the name of the database instead of a URL.

If a source that you are using includes a useful quotation from another source, you should try to obtain the original and cite that, in order to verify that the quotation is accurate and quoted in context. However, if the original source is unavailable, you can cite it as quoted in  the secondary source.

By convention, you can leave references to the following source types out of your bibliography. Cite them in your notes only, unless they are critical to your argument or frequently cited , in which case you should include them:

• newspaper articles
• classical, medieval, and early English literary works
• the Bible and other sacred works
• well-known reference works, such as major dictionaries and encyclopedias
• unpublished interviews and personal communications
• online videos and podcasts
• social media posts
• some sources in the visual and performing arts, including artworks and live performances (but note that for Art & Design writing, these sources are likely to be critical to your argument, and in this case they should be included)
• cartoons, maps, and print advertisements
• the US Constitution, legal cases, and some other public documents

If you are unsure about which of these you should include in your bibliography, consult Turabian's  A Manual for Writers , or contact your Liaison Librarian for advice.

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How to Write a Bibliography in APA Format

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Emily is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, Vox, and Verywell.

• APA Bibliography
• How to Create One
• Why You Need It

Sample Bibliography

An APA format bibliography lists all of the sources that might be used in a paper. A bibliography can be a great tool to help you keep track of information during the research and writing process. In some cases, your instructor may require you to include a bibliography as part of your assignment.

At a Glance

A well-written APA format bibliography can help you keep track of information and sources as you research and write your psychology paper. To create a bibliography, gather up all of the sources that you might use in your paper. Create an APA format reference for each source and then write a brief annotation. Your annotation should be a brief summary of what each reference is about. You can quickly refer to these annotations When writing your paper and determine which to include.

What Is an APA Format Bibliography?

An APA format bibliography is an alphabetical listing of all sources that might be used to write an academic paper, essay, article, or research paper—particularly work that is covering psychology or psychology-related topics. APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association (APA). This format is used by many psychology professors, students, and researchers.

Even if it is not a required part of your assignment, writing a bibliography can help you keep track of your sources and make it much easier to create your final reference page in proper APA format.

Creating an APA Bibliography

A bibliography is similar in many ways to a reference section , but there are some important differences. While a reference section includes every source that was actually used in your paper, a bibliography may include sources that you considered using but may have dismissed because they were irrelevant or outdated.

Bibliographies can be a great way to keep track of information you might want to use in your paper and to organize the information that you find in different sources. The following are four steps you can follow to create your APA format bibliography.

Start on a New Page

Your working bibliography should be kept separate from the rest of your paper. Start it on a new page, with the title "Bibliography" centered at the top and in bold text. Some people use the title "References" instead, so it's best to check with your professor or instructor about which they prefer you to use.

Gather Your Sources

Compile all the sources you might possibly use in your paper. While you might not use all of these sources in your paper, having a complete list will make it easier later on when you prepare your reference section.

Gathering your sources can be particularly helpful when outlining and writing your paper.

By quickly glancing through your working bibliography, you will be able to get a better idea of which sources will be the most appropriate to support your thesis and main points.

Reference Each Source

Your references should be listed alphabetically by the author’s last name, and they should be double-spaced. The first line of each reference should be flush left, while each additional line of a single reference should be a few spaces to the right of the left margin, which is known as a hanging indent.

The format of each source is as follows for academic journals:

• Last name of first author (followed by their first initial)
• The year the source was published in parentheses
• The title of the source
• The journal that published the source (in italics)
• The volume number, if applicable (in italics)
• The issue number, if applicable
• Page numbers (in parentheses)
• The URL or "doi" in lowercase letters followed by a colon and the doi number, if applicable

The following examples are scholarly articles in academic journals, cited in APA format:

• Kulacaoglu, F., & Kose, S. (2018). Borderline personality disorder (BPD): In the midst of vulnerability, chaos, and awe.  Brain sciences ,  8 (11), 201. doi:10.3390/brainsci8110201
• Cattane, N., Rossi, R., & Lanfredi, M. (2017). Borderline personality disorder and childhood trauma: exploring the affected biological systems and mechanisms.  BMC Psychiatry,   18 (221). doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1383-2

Visit the American Psychological Association's website for more information on citing other types of sources including online media, audiovisual media, and more.

Create an Annotation for Each Source

Normally a bibliography contains only references' information, but in some cases you might decide to create an annotated bibliography. An annotation is a summary or evaluation of the source.

An annotation is a brief description of approximately 150 words describing the information in the source, your evaluation of its credibility, and how it pertains to your topic. Writing one of these for each piece of research will make your writing process faster and easier.

This step helpful in determining which sources to ultimately use in your paper. Your instructor may also require it as part of the assignment so they can assess your thought process and understanding of your topic.

Reasons to Write a Bibliography

One of the biggest reasons to create an APA format bibliography is simply to make the research and writing process easier.

If you do not have a comprehensive list of all of your references, you might find yourself scrambling to figure out where you found certain bits of information that you included in your paper.

A bibliography is also an important tool that your readers can use to access your sources.

While writing an annotated bibliography might not be required for your assignment, it can be a very useful step. The process of writing an annotation helps you learn more about your topic, develop a deeper understanding of the subject, and become better at evaluating various sources of information.

The following is an example of an APA format bibliography by the website EasyBib:

There are many online resources that demonstrate different formats of bibliographies, including the American Psychological Association website . Purdue University's Online Writing Lab also has examples of formatting an APA format bibliography.

Check out this video on their YouTube channel which provides detailed instructions on formatting an APA style bibliography in Microsoft Word.

You can check out the Purdue site for more information on writing an annotated APA bibliography as well.

What This Means For You

If you are taking a psychology class, you may be asked to create a bibliography as part of the research paper writing process. Even if your instructor does not expressly require a bibliography, creating one can be a helpful way to help structure your research and make the writing process more manageable.

For psychology majors , it can be helpful to save any bibliographies you have written throughout your studies so that you can refer back to them later when studying for exams or writing papers for other psychology courses.

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . 7th Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2020.

Masic I. The importance of proper citation of references in biomedical articles.   Acta Inform Med . 2013;21(3):148–155. doi:10.5455/aim.2013.21.148-155

American Psychological Association. How do you format a bibliography in APA Style?

Cornell University Library. How to prepare an annotated bibliography: The annotated bibliography .

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Citation Guide

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What is a Bibliography?

What is an annotated bibliography, introduction to the annotated bibliography.

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• the authors' names
• the titles of the works
• the names and locations of the companies that published your copies of the sources
• the dates your copies were published
• the page numbers of your sources (if they are part of multi-source volumes)

Ok, so what's an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is the same as a bibliography with one important difference: in an annotated bibliography, the bibliographic information is followed by a brief description of the content, quality, and usefulness of the source. For more, see the section at the bottom of this page.

What are Footnotes?

Footnotes are notes placed at the bottom of a page. They cite references or comment on a designated part of the text above it. For example, say you want to add an interesting comment to a sentence you have written, but the comment is not directly related to the argument of your paragraph. In this case, you could add the symbol for a footnote. Then, at the bottom of the page you could reprint the symbol and insert your comment. Here is an example:

This is an illustration of a footnote. 1 The number “1” at the end of the previous sentence corresponds with the note below. See how it fits in the body of the text? 1 At the bottom of the page you can insert your comments about the sentence preceding the footnote.

When your reader comes across the footnote in the main text of your paper, he or she could look down at your comments right away, or else continue reading the paragraph and read your comments at the end. Because this makes it convenient for your reader, most citation styles require that you use either footnotes or endnotes in your paper. Some, however, allow you to make parenthetical references (author, date) in the body of your work.

Footnotes are not just for interesting comments, however. Sometimes they simply refer to relevant sources -- they let your reader know where certain material came from, or where they can look for other sources on the subject. To decide whether you should cite your sources in footnotes or in the body of your paper, you should ask your instructor or see our section on citation styles.

Where does the little footnote mark go?

Whenever possible, put the footnote at the end of a sentence, immediately following the period or whatever punctuation mark completes that sentence. Skip two spaces after the footnote before you begin the next sentence. If you must include the footnote in the middle of a sentence for the sake of clarity, or because the sentence has more than one footnote (try to avoid this!), try to put it at the end of the most relevant phrase, after a comma or other punctuation mark. Otherwise, put it right at the end of the most relevant word. If the footnote is not at the end of a sentence, skip only one space after it.

What's the difference between Footnotes and Endnotes?

The only real difference is placement -- footnotes appear at the bottom of the relevant page, while endnotes all appear at the end of your document. If you want your reader to read your notes right away, footnotes are more likely to get your reader's attention. Endnotes, on the other hand, are less intrusive and will not interrupt the flow of your paper.

If I cite sources in the Footnotes (or Endnotes), how's that different from a Bibliography?

Sometimes you may be asked to include these -- especially if you have used a parenthetical style of citation. A "works cited" page is a list of all the works from which you have borrowed material. Your reader may find this more convenient than footnotes or endnotes because he or she will not have to wade through all of the comments and other information in order to see the sources from which you drew your material. A "works consulted" page is a complement to a "works cited" page, listing all of the works you used, whether they were useful or not.

Isn't a "works consulted" page the same as a "bibliography," then?

Well, yes. The title is different because "works consulted" pages are meant to complement "works cited" pages, and bibliographies may list other relevant sources in addition to those mentioned in footnotes or endnotes. Choosing to title your bibliography "Works Consulted" or "Selected Bibliography" may help specify the relevance of the sources listed.

This information has been freely provided by plagiarism.org and can be reproduced without the need to obtain any further permission as long as the URL of the original article/information is cited. 

How Do I Cite Sources? (n.d.) Retrieved October 19, 2009, from http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_how_do_i_cite_sources.html

The Importance of an Annotated Bibliography

An Annotated Bibliography is a collection of annotated citations. These annotations contain your executive notes on a source. Use the annotated bibliography to help remind you of later of the important parts of an article or book. Putting the effort into making good notes will pay dividends when it comes to writing a paper!

Good Summary

Being an executive summary, the annotated citation should be fairly brief, usually no more than one page, double spaced.

• Focus on summarizing the source in your own words.
• Avoid direct quotations from the source, at least those longer than a few words. However, if you do quote, remember to use quotation marks. You don't want to forget later on what is your own summary and what is a direct quotation!
• If an author uses a particular term or phrase that is important to the article, use that phrase within quotation marks. Remember that whenever you quote, you must explain the meaning and context of the quoted word or text. 

Common Elements of an Annotated Citation

• Summary of an Article or Book's thesis or most important points (Usually two to four sentences)
• Summary of a source's methodological approach. That is, what is the source? How does it go about proving its point(s)? Is it mostly opinion based? If it is a scholarly source, describe the research method (study, etc.) that the author used. (Usually two to five sentences)
• Your own notes and observations on the source beyond the summary. Include your initial analysis here. For example, how will you use this source? Perhaps you would write something like, "I will use this source to support my point about . . . "
• Formatting Annotated Bibliographies This guide from Purdue OWL provides examples of an annotated citation in MLA and APA formats.

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A publication of the harvard college writing program.

Harvard Guide to Using Sources 

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Below you’ll find a Bibliography adapted from a research paper written by Aishani Aatresh for her Technology, Environment, and Society course.

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Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research

(48 reviews)

Cheryl Lowry, Ohio State University

Copyright Year: 2016

Publisher: Ohio State University Libraries

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Elbert Davis, Assistant Professor, Marshall University on 10/24/21

The author does an incredible job in explaining the research process, from choosing a research question to how to search for sources (and citing those sources), and more. There are relevant self-check quizzes throughout the book to check for... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The author does an incredible job in explaining the research process, from choosing a research question to how to search for sources (and citing those sources), and more. There are relevant self-check quizzes throughout the book to check for understanding, along with other supplemental resources. As the book was published through The Ohio State University, some of the sources are only available to OSU students, but the author makes it clear when this is the case.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The author did an excellent job with the accuracy of the book, Two specific examples that stood out: taking care to mention that Wikipedia is a great as a starting point, but not as an endpoint for research. Lowry also clearly explained that educational use did not automatically mean fair use, which seems to be an issue with students and faculty alike.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book should remain relevant in years to come, as academic research seems to follow the same basic pattern. The only issue would be if The Ohio State University changes the links used in the book, although I expect these to be easy to update. The book would still be able to be used without the supplemental links though.

Clarity rating: 5

The book seems to be targeting an introductory audience. Lowry does a great job of breaking down the jargon of academic research into plain English for the beginning researcher.

Consistency rating: 5

I thought the author used approprate terminology for a student learning about academic research.

Modularity rating: 5

The book is designed into specific chapters for the different aspects of choosing a source. While there are specific sections devoted to The Ohio State University library, I would not expect to have any trouble assigning the other chapters in my courses.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The author started at the beginning, with how to design a research question before going into choosing a source, which gave good background knowledge.

Interface rating: 5

The contents of the book were clean and crisp. No distortions were noted. Navigation from the table of contents was easy.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors were noted.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Nothing offensive was in the book.

I have a difficult time in getting beginning graduate student to understand the different types of sources and fair use. I think using most chapters of this book would help a great deal in that comprehension.

Reviewed by Kelly LeFave, Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/15/21

This student friendly overview of academic research, including a strong focus on information literacy, covers many of the salient points that college level writing and writing for research classes curricula contain, making it a strong choice as a... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This student friendly overview of academic research, including a strong focus on information literacy, covers many of the salient points that college level writing and writing for research classes curricula contain, making it a strong choice as a comprehensive and useful overview. Chapters include enough depth of coverage to make the leap from information to practice for students; self-directed activities are provided to check knowledge, work through concept applications, and offer more specifics. The book provides an easy-to-navigate Table of Contents, but an Index and Glossary do not seem to be available.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Some errors appear that a thorough proofread would catch. Some resources may need to be updated since information practices and modes change so quickly; some references and links direct students to OSU information that would not apply to all readers.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The book’s topic – academic research – necessarily demands constant updating given our fast-changing digital landscape and the shifting paradigms we are witnessing for locating and evaluating information in our times. Resources can become obsolete fairly quickly in this environment. The book’s content is largely up-to-date, though a thorough review of linked resources, perhaps annually, would be beneficial. For instance, a video on RSS mentioned a Google feature that looks to be no longer available, though finding alternatives proves simple when searched online. The book’s organization makes updating or replacing linked resources easy, so keeping the content relevant would be straightforward with regular review.

Content is presented in a style engaging for students, using the “you” pronoun address to walk readers through a thinking process that applies and links ideas to practice; this effective approach is used for many of the book’s concepts. The writing strikes a good stylistic balance between engaging the student reader and informing/challenging that same reader by modeling research brainstorming or methods. The style seems appropriate for college level readers and college level curricula. The topic of academic research does include some technical terms at times, but the book’s approach is to define and explain such terms a part of its content.

Stylistically and organizationally, the content is consistent and easy-to-follow. A user begins to anticipate knowledge check activities or “try it out” activities at particular points in each section. The knowledge check quizzes, which are simplified multiple choice questions, seem at odds with the highly contextualized concept explanations in much of the book’s prose; perhaps a different approach to knowledge check quizzing, which as an element can be helpful, would work better.

Modularity rating: 4

Headings and subheadings follow a logical organization and are easy to navigate in the book. Some sections do refer to—and link to—other book sections, but most would work as stand-alone modules. An instructor or course designer could pick and choose sections and adapt them for their own purposes. As a whole, the book remains self-referential to the context of a specific university, which limits the easy adaptation of the book, and perhaps even sections, for faculty and course designers at other educational institutions.

The book’s organization is easy to navigate and coheres with the overall focus on presenting academic research and information literacy in a way that invites students toward a practical and fuller understanding. Topic order makes sense and is organized via headings and subheadings well.

Overall, no significant navigation issues or interface distractions.

A few errors that look like typos remain in the book. Otherwise, grammatical errors are not an issue for readability.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

A more nuanced and inclusive awareness of cultural relevance and diversity is worth considering for the book. The choice of some example topics, such as school shootings, might be distracting or traumatic for some student populations, while adding more examples that showcase interests or topics related to non-dominant cultural ideas would widen the sense of inclusivity throughout the book. Choices might be contingent on the demographics of the Ohio State University population, but more awareness of this aspect of the book might also make it more appealing as a resource for others to adapt

Reviewed by Nell McCabe, Associate Professor, Berkshire Community College on 6/15/21

This text is very-student friendly and covers all aspects of writing a student research paper, including steps that students frequently overlook such as the value of preliminary research and the different ways to incorporate different kinds of... read more

This text is very-student friendly and covers all aspects of writing a student research paper, including steps that students frequently overlook such as the value of preliminary research and the different ways to incorporate different kinds of information in a paper.

This text provides a well-balanced, research-driven approach to guiding students through the process of writing an academic research paper. Spelling mistakes, flaw grammar and usage, and factual errors are few and far between (as in I didn't find any during the course of this review).

Kinds of sources and the means of evaluating them are broad enough to be long-lasting, but the examples and other supporting details are timely and relevant.

This text uses student-friendly language and avoids jargon and other symptoms of academia run amok, while still maintaining high standards and expectations for students. Connections between the different stages of conducting research and developing an argument are well laid out and clear.

Terms associated with locating, evaluating, and incorporating a range of different kinds of sources are clear and consistent throughout the text.

The chapters do stand alone and I could image someone using bits and pieces or leaving out bits and pieces, but since the text is primarily focused on supporting the needs of a college research throughout the research process, it is hard to image much need for separating it into discrete modules. You could certainly rearrange the order of the chapters too if that worked better for your approach to teaching student research.

The flow of one chapter into the next is well-integrated and smooth. The order of the chapters

I had no issues with the interface; everything worked as expected.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The book does not go out of its way to make obviously inclusive examples. Increasing the cultural perspectives represented in the examples would enhance the overall value of this text.

Reviewed by Darci Adolf, Director of Library & Media Services, Oregon Coast Community College on 6/11/21

I found "Choosing and Using Sources" to be quite comprehensive and included the major areas that I cover in my LIB 101 Research skills class. In my class I like to cover each area of Eisenberg's Big6 Research model: Task definition, information... read more

I found "Choosing and Using Sources" to be quite comprehensive and included the major areas that I cover in my LIB 101 Research skills class. In my class I like to cover each area of Eisenberg's Big6 Research model: Task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. I was pleased to find the subject of synthesis covered under the writing chapter-- many research textbooks leave this out. I did not find anything that talked about Evaluation of the process and product. Also, I would've liked to have seen social justice and equity issues in information publishing and access addressed as a chapter or portion of a chapter. The textbook has a great Table of Contents, but no index.

This textbook seems to contain accurate and error-free content. I spot-checked most of the chapters and didn't find anything I didn't believe to be true, and links weren't broken. Because this book is mostly factual in nature, there aren't areas where an author's opinion was used over facts, and opinions seem to be be appropriate and unbiased. For example, the author remarks on the use of blogs in research: "Blogs – Frequently updated websites that do not necessarily require extensive technical skills and can be published by virtually anyone for no cost to themselves other than the time they devote to content creation." This is a wide-held belief among librarians.

The content appeared to be up-to-date throughout the book. The area that might change the quickest is the types of sources, Chapter 2 in the book. They did a good job including an overview of all of the major source types and should stay relevant for a good period of time. Because they've listed these source types in a single chapter, updates to the text should be fairly straight forward and easy to do without disturbing much of the rest of the book.

Clarity rating: 4

The text was clear to me, a seasoned librarian. But I think there were terms used throughout the textbook that might not be familiar to a student first starting out in library research. So I would add some clarification around some of the language if I were using this textbook for a lower-level class. For example: There are several types of specialized databases listed including: Bibliographic, Full-text, Multimedia, etc. Many first year students wouldn't know those terms, or others such as "circulation, World-cat, discharge, InterLibrary Loan" and so forth.

The text was consistent throughout in terms of terminology and the overall frame. As I mentioned previously, some of the terms might need to be defined for the first-year student, either in-text or in a separate glossary. The framework is well-done, with clear chapters and sections--it was definitely written by those who teach research at the college level.

The textbook has 13 chapters that are again sub-divided into six or more sub-topics. This makes it very easy for an instructor to pick and choose which topics to cover. The thirteen broader subjects makes it easy to use the entire textbook for a term-- or just choose the pieces you want to use. For example, I would use the "Ethical Use and Citing Sources" chapter if I were doing a one-shot in a classroom, but might choose to use most of the chapters for an online class.

The structure was easy to follow. If I were setting it up myself, I'd probably combine the chapters on Ethical Use of Sources (Ethical Use and Citing Sources, Why Cite Sources, and Challenges in Citing Sources) with the chapter on "How to Cite Sources," but it's easier to have them separate and combine them for a class than to have a big block of text that would make it difficult to work through.

The textbook online version was done in Wordpress, and was easy to view and navigate. There were several other choices for students, including a PDF that could be viewed off line. There were charts, graphs, and links throughout that added to the content, but not so much as to be distracting. Any visuals were simple and enough white space was left as to not overwhelm, with colors that were contrasting visually.

I spot-checked throughout the text in each chapter and did not find any grammatical errors.

The textbook seemed to be inclusive of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Ohio State University has included a lot of links to their own pages, handouts, and resources that would need to be changed or omitted by a new user. For example, they have a handout from the OSU Writing Center, and they link to the OSU World Cat platform. These would need to be changed by the adopter.

Reviewed by Kaia Henrickson, Assistant Professor of Library & Information Science, Information Literacy Librarian, University of Alaska, Southeast on 11/4/20, updated 12/16/20

This text does a good job highlighting the steps in the research process, from formulating a strong research question, to finding and evaluating sources, to incorporating ideas from research into writing, and finally, to citing and using sources... read more

This text does a good job highlighting the steps in the research process, from formulating a strong research question, to finding and evaluating sources, to incorporating ideas from research into writing, and finally, to citing and using sources properly. Each chapter can stand on its own as useful content for a research-based course, or the entire text could be used to walk students through the entire research and writing process. Based on tutorials created for Ohio State University Libraries, some sections, like Chapter 5 on search tools as well as some of the activities, are fairly specific to OSU. Still, much of the text and many of the activities are applicable to all student researchers. This would be a great base text for someone who wanted to remix and add in information from their own university library and student service supports to replace the OSU-focused sections.

The material is accurate overall.

Text content, as well as videos and activities, are fairly current. Sections are small, so making updates should be fairly easy.

While the text is generally clear, there are sections that are a bit cumbersome or wordy. The Evaluating Sources section, especially, seems overly complicated.

References and links to other helpful sections within the text are appropriate and useful. Key concepts and ideas are repeated and built upon as the text progresses.

Each chapter is divided into manageable sections, and there are few sections which require a lot of scrolling. Those that are longer are broken up by subheadings. Embedded video content, visuals, and boxes are used to break up the text for easier reading and more visual appeal.

The text clearly progresses through the steps in the research and writing process from start to finish, but it can also be accessed by section if a particular subtopic is all that is needed. Each chapter stands on its own, as well as being integrated into the whole.

Interface rating: 3

The web version of the text has no paragraph indents or lines of space between paragraphs, which makes it a bit difficult to read, especially when there are longer blocks of text. There are many videos included that only have automatically-created closed captions (and a few with no closed captions available at all). A few of the graphics are blurry, but most visual and audiovisual content is clear and easy to read. With some of the linked activities, it is unclear what to do when you have selected an incorrect answer, and there is not much feedback for students who answer questions incorrectly.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

There are a few typos and other minor issues here and there in the text. Some of the linked activities have more significant errors.

The text is not culturally insensitive, but it also doesn't present much in the way of diversity in examples or ideas. In addition, there is a noticeable amount content that is focused on Ohio State University resources and students, and this may not be relevant for readers from other universities.

Reviewed by Marybeth Beller, Associate Professor, Marshall University on 3/13/20

The book provides a thorough review of the research process; that said, a professor will have to add discipline-specific information and requirements, such as expected citation practices and research methods. read more

The book provides a thorough review of the research process; that said, a professor will have to add discipline-specific information and requirements, such as expected citation practices and research methods.

I found no errors in the text.

I will use this book for my undergraduate research course as it gives a very good introduction to research, from narrowing the topic to turning questions into hypotheses.

The book is very clear and provides graphs, links and videos for the reader to have additional information as needed.

Each chapter is organized similarly to the others and is written in the same easy-to-follow, technical-free language. It removes any inhibitions a reader might have.

Each chapter section has its own heading and link. The entire book could be assigned or sections of the book could be just as easily assigned. A drop-down table of contents menu allows the reader to move freely between topics.

This guide is beautifully organized for the beginning researcher but can easily be followed through the table of contents for students needed refreshers on particular elements of research.

I found no interface issues at all in navigating the book.

There were no grammatical errors in the text.

I believe the book would be welcomed by a diverse group of people. There is no insensitive language or use of poor examples in the book.

I really enjoyed the organization of the book and that the author takes the time to include links to additional information as well as videos for students who want to spend more time with a particular concept.

Reviewed by Racheal Rothrock, Assistant Professor, Miami University on 2/28/20

The text is comprehensive in its covering of topics related to choosing and using sources, though it does not go into great depth for each topic. Rather this text provides a broad overview around the topic of sources. This text seems to be written... read more

The text is comprehensive in its covering of topics related to choosing and using sources, though it does not go into great depth for each topic. Rather this text provides a broad overview around the topic of sources. This text seems to be written for an upper-level, undergraduate student audience. No glossary is provided.

This information is presented in an unbiased way that informs on the topic rather than presenting a strong bias or slant toward a particular type of source (though, there is cultural bias—see review comments in “cultural” section). The text does provide details on what approaches might be more helpful in certain situations. This provides a balance of usefulness for students trying to determine which sources to use, while also not assigning value to some sources over others or create a hierarchy.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The text demonstrates a current understanding around the topic of sources, taking into account the shift away from paper and toward digital sources. While overall this text should be useful for several years, there are some areas that may require updating (e.g. links, OSU policies or statements, specifics about various citation styles, software options available, copyright laws, etc.). Throughout the text, the authors do depend on examples that are specific to OSU (e.g. a section on “WorldCat@OSU”), and this might provide less useful for non-OSU students.

The text is written with simple language and explanations are given for more technical terminology (e.g. peer-reviewed, quantitative, qualitative, etc.).

Little specialized terminology is used throughout the text, however, the language and terminology used is consistent throughout. The format, structure, and approach the authors use, is also consistent throughout the text and forms a cohesive narrative.

The text is broken up by main topics and then within each topic, subtopics are provided to support the main topic. The length of each subtopic is fairly brief and examples are provided throughout with graphical separation for clarity. While the topics and subtopics support each other, each subtopic could be assigned individually and would maintain usefulness.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Overall, the organization is logical and clear. There are a few topics that might be shifted in their order, but this is not a critical need. For instance, moving the information about copyright closer to the section on ethical use of sources might make sense, but does not overly disrupt the general flow of the text.

There are no significant issues. A fixed bar at the bottom of the screen allows for navigation to pages directly preceding and proceeding the current page and a clickable contents button at the top right side of the page allows further navigation between sections. Overall, visuals do not appear to be distorted, however, many of the visuals are quite large, taking up the majority of the screen, and could be reduced in size without losing effectiveness. Additionally, on pages 9 and 11, a graphic is presented that contains text that is too small to read. While it is not necessary to read the text in the visual in order to understand the lesson of the section, because it is provided, it would be reasonable to make this large enough to be legible.

The text seems to be free of any major grammatical errors.

This text is written from an academic, western cultural perspective that is relevant to the particular topic and audience (i.e. “A guide to academic research”), but does not take into other ontological or epistemological scholarly perspectives (e.g. testimonios or oral histories as significant sources). The visuals and examples do privilege the U.S. and mainstream cultures, such as through a photo of a White woman using her Mac computer in a library, a photo of a football team, an illustration with the U.S. flag in it, an example question of “How has NASA helped America,” an example opinion of “George Clooney is the sexiest actor alive,” etc. The text is not overtly insensitive or offensive, but it also does not appear to take up or address non-dominant perspectives and cultures in any substantive way.

Reviewed by Audrey Besch, Temporary Faculty , East Tennessee State University on 10/31/19

This text is very comprehensive! From choosing sources to the final research project, this book does a wonderful job of providing all the steps. read more

This text is very comprehensive! From choosing sources to the final research project, this book does a wonderful job of providing all the steps.

Information is accurate for the purposes of writing research and using sources.

Up-to-date and relevant, this text does a good job of outlining various types of sources that can be used and the appropriate ways in which to use them.

Very easy to read content that would be great for students, especially those who are just starting the academic writing process for research.

The text remained consistent in it's use of terminology and framework.

Text has an appropriate use of subheadings and includes activity sections that focus on concepts. Material was broken into easy to grasp ways that didn't seem too lengthy.

Content is well organized and in a logical format for the content provided.

Book did not have any navigation issues and all images were appropriately used for content.

To the extent of my knowledge, there were no grammatical errors in this text.

There were no culturally insensitive issues or offensive language in this text that I could find.

Reviewed by Kris Frykman, Community Faculty, Minnesota State University System on 10/18/19

Comprehensive overview, with examples, to punctuate learning. read more

Comprehensive overview, with examples, to punctuate learning.

Clear, accurate process in showcasing academic research.

Appropriate book for researchers of all levels.

Chapter follow-up questions and videos are included to further enhance clarity.

Terminology and examples are included to further make the content accessible for the reader.

The book is divided in sections so that students can study and apply one concept at a time.

Content is clearly organized.

Charts, diagrams, examples, and videos are highlighted to exemplify key contents.

No discernable grammatical errors.

Appropriately culturally sensitive.

Reviewed by TyRee Jenks, Research Librarian & Library Instruction Coordinator, Montana State University - Billings on 7/31/19

The text is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary aspects of information literacy and student research. There is no index or glossary included, but terms are well explained within the text. The extensive coverage of topics, like types... read more

The text is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary aspects of information literacy and student research. There is no index or glossary included, but terms are well explained within the text. The extensive coverage of topics, like types of sources and copyright, was thorough while not being so in-depth as to bore students. The activities, quizzes, and short videos reinforce the concepts covered in the chapters and add interest, however some quizzes would benefit from additional explanation as to why answers are right or wrong.

The content of the text seems to be accurate. Very minor spelling errors and a copy/paste duplicate. No apparent bias.

Content is up to date and relevant for students while being broad enough to be useful for a longer period of time. Updating information would be easy. The text contains a lot of hyperlinks that an instructor would need to stay on top of to keep the links current. In some cases the links were to very reliable sources that will remain stable for a long time (i.e. Purdue OWL) while others are more transient (i.e. YouTube videos).

In general the text is clear, including good explanations of terms and concepts. It contains very little jargon and the prose is accessible. In “The Details Are Tricky” section, the finer points of primary, secondary, or tertiary information could be confusing to students who are trying to comprehend the basics. The author’s inclusion of informative tables with sample responses as well as the blank template for students to use was helpful.

There is consistent use of terminology and layout throughout the text.

The book has good modularity, excellent graphics, and the text and/or activities can easily be used at the point of need in an information literacy class or one that is discipline specific. Chapters can be used individually or rearranged as needed.

Overall the organizational flow worked well, however the chapters on copyright and fair use might make more sense when grouped with the chapters on the ethical use of sources and how to cite sources.

The EPUB and web versions of the text are easy to navigate with a clickable table of contents and left/right arrow navigation at the bottom of each page. Other than some images that could be resized, the formatting lent itself to consistency throughout the text giving students a uniform experience. In some cases the URL links were just written text instead of hyperlinked which was a little inconsistent. Pleasant graphics added value, explained concepts, balanced out the text, and added visual interest. The inclusion of links that lead out to further explanations of concepts (i.e. the peer review process or how to read a scholarly article) are a nice addition.

There are no major grammatical errors that would be distracting to the reader.

The text is applicable to students in all disciplines, and there are no concerns about cultural relevance or insensitivity. The text is heavily OSU centric (i.e. referencing the OSU code of conduct and requiring students to log in to OSU resources for some activities and examples) and requires effort on the part of instructors at other institutions to make the necessary changes making the content applicable at their institution.

With modifications this text could be incorporated into a three credit information literacy course for undergraduates or into other disciplines. The fair use and copyright sections could be useful to instructors as well as students. Could easily integrate with the ACRL Framework. There is some great general information on writing and making an argument that are applicable across disciplines.

Reviewed by Eric Bradley, Research and Instruction Librarian, Goshen College on 5/31/19

The focus of the book is on published sources for college level research and writing. In this area it is comprehensive. It does not address other areas of academic research. read more

The focus of the book is on published sources for college level research and writing. In this area it is comprehensive. It does not address other areas of academic research.

The content is accurate, error-free, and politically neutral. The last piece makes this a excellent source in the current United States political climate.

Content reflects the current realities of the information landscape. Several of the chapters use up-to-date wording that may need to be updated more frequently, but the excellent modularity of the text allows for accommodation.

The book is straight forward and uses contemporary language of the information and academic landscapes.

The text follows a consistent framework throughout the book.

The text is divided in a way to teach across a course. While the text builds upon itself, many of the chapters stand alone well. I have skipped several chapters of the text and it has not caused any disruption with students.

Excellent organization. The text guides the reader step by step through the research process.

Interface rating: 4

The overall interface is strong. The images and charts are excellent, although the use of branded logos in some of the images may become dated.

No grammatical errors noted.

The text is focused on academic research practices for a North American context. While not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way, it does not take into consideration research practices of other cultures.

I use this text as a replacement of Booth et al.’s Craft of Research. Beside the benefits of being a open textbook, this text provides a more relevant guide to finding sources in the current academic environment.

Reviewed by Kathleen Murphy, Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Music Thearpy, Loyola University-New Orleans on 4/30/19

This book includes all relevant information to help students choose appropriate sources for an academic research paper. It clearly defines different types of sources that can be used, and the difference between primary and secondary sources. It... read more

This book includes all relevant information to help students choose appropriate sources for an academic research paper. It clearly defines different types of sources that can be used, and the difference between primary and secondary sources. It gives an overview of how to search various databases, and defines and describes boolean operators. The chapter on ethical uses of sources clearly defines plagiarism and how and when to cite so as to avoid plagiarizing. The chapter on copyright is an excellent addition; that information is not common in many texts related to academic writing. Each chapter contains extra activities students can work on independently to help with understanding and application of the material covered.

Overall, I found the book to be accurate. I did find one error in Chapter 7. In the section titled "Challenges in Citing Sources" the entry labeled "Running out of Time" was repeated. In regards to bias--I did not find the content to be biased; however, the majority of links where students could go to get extra information were connected to Ohio State University. The one notable exception were the links to the Perdue Online Writing Lab.

The content is up-to-date and relevant. Choosing and using sources for an academic paper has not changed much. What has changed is how to access and find the sources to choose and use. This book does a nice job of explaining how to find sources--databases, google scholar, and search engines. My only concern is the frequent suggestion to search Wikipedia. As an academic, I find this a little troubling. To the author's credit, they did not that one should not cite Wikipedia or use information from Wikipedia in an academic paper. I am not able to comment on ease of updating information, as that is a technical issue.

The book is written in clear, accessible language, with limited "jargon." At times I found the writing to be too simple, written more for high school students than college students. Definitions are provided for all relevant terms.

The book is internally consistent. It moves through the process of choosing and using sources in a linear fashion. However, to their credit, the authors note that writing an academic research paper is not always a linear process.

Each chapter is broken up into smaller units that cover a topic relevant to the chapter theme. Sections of this book could be assigned as individual assignments based on areas of difficultly students seem to be having. Alternatively, a professor could develop a class session or two around each of the chapters. These book seems to be very versatile; there are links to previous chapters that readers can click on to refresh their memories.

The topics in the text are presented in a logical and clear way. The book moves through each topic associated with choosing and using sources in sequence that most researchers would follow. The table of contents, with main headings and subtopics provide a step-by-step guide to help undergraduate students through the research process.

There are many links in throughout the book that students can click on to get more information or to practice skills. Navigation back to the main text is a little trickier. Sometimes, clicking on the back arrow will get the reader back to the page s/he was studying before clicking on the hyperlink. More often, however, the back arrow will take the reader back to the Table of Contents, or front cover of the book. Not all the links worked when I went through the book

I did not fine any grammatical or mechanical errors. I think the book is well-written and appropriate for high school students. I think the language may be too simplistic for most college students.

I did not come across anything that was culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

I think this book is an excellent resource for high school students, and maybe college freshman who need help in choosing and using sources for an academic paper. The book is logical, gives an overview of the process and provides excellent examples and extra activities to enhance learning. I think it also could be used as a self-study guide.

Reviewed by Miguel Valderrama, Adjunct Assistant Professor, New York City College of Technology on 4/7/19

This book is a great resource of all steps needed to be taken in an academic research process. The book's index clearly displays a suggested methodology to follow and makes it easier to comeback for the review of previous chapters. In general the... read more

This book is a great resource of all steps needed to be taken in an academic research process. The book's index clearly displays a suggested methodology to follow and makes it easier to comeback for the review of previous chapters. In general the book is easy to read and every time a new world or a particular terminology related to the topic comes up, it is clearly defined and put into context.

This book collects a series of methodologies that have been proven to be efficient when they are put into use during the process of academic research. These techniques are not only presented and described to the readers, they are also actively used in the various examples, pretty much in every chapter in the book. These techniques may not be the only way a person can start and develop a research process but they are certainly a clear and convenient way to do so for beginners. There may be complex terminology entered to the discussion which may slow down the reading process. However, this is effectively addressed by separated easy to access links; This provide more in detail definitions and exercises from a particular section.

This book is a guide that presents many particularities of research methods and techniques that have been used for long time. These methodologies have been proven to be very effective in academic research. This book not only collects many of these techniques but carefully relate them to new searching tools that are part of the communication era we live in nowadays. This was not the case just couple of decades ago. I anticipate long life to the methodologies presented in this text with years or decades before they could become obsolete. Within this context, the searching tools may keep changing but the methodologies that are used here could keep working efficiently; at least as a way to approach to a research process for an undergrad student.

The author uses a clear and easy way to understand the language and terminology that makes part of a research process. Without getting too deep into technical terminology the book marks clearly words that deserve more understanding and usually provides separate links which connects the reader with a deeper explanation. The text doesn't have very large paragraphs all around which to me allows readers to keep a good and dynamic paste. Links to previous discussed topics presents a quick way to review previous content without loosing the paste.

Consistency rating: 4

Through out the entire text it is consistent that at the beginning of every chapter there's a statement related to what the previous set of contents was, also in several parts of the book this first paragraph makes a point about how this relates to what it is about to be presented in that chapter. This is why several words allusive to the subject of research are reuse constantly in different chapters. This makes lots of sense to me as a way to keep the reader's familiarity with these terms which will also ended up increasing retentivity levels in the subject. Since the book is clearly broken down into steps they all seemed to be well placed in order to present a cohesive structure that guides the process of research.

Academic research it is a process that should be flexible by nature in many ways. Even though some parts of the process could be done simultaneously to others, this will definitely not apply to all of them. This book brings up an interesting way to order this process which even though may look rigid at times it tries to make sure that some parts are developed before others in the research. It is presented that way so that there's enough understanding of the bases before there can be any progression or even conclusions. This is mostly reflected in the techniques that are presented, where some of then have as their main job to detonate creative thinking. For example: the importance of the set of questions that are asked at the beginning is that the answers will be used mostly to clarify the end goals of a research.

This text is organized following a clear and efficient way to develop an academic research process. It is well distributed in chapters that are all connected to each other in one or other way. The book is efficient at establishing this connections, specially at the beginning and end of every chapter where there's mentioning of the previous and following topic's main ideas. This helps readers to keep track with the overall content.

This book presents an excellent graphic approach to expose its content. The electronic version has the really nice feature of having the index accessible at any point of the reading process. This text is full of links that are either deeper explanations of a particular topic or a set of exercises that are directly related to what the reader is learning. If the idea was to present the information in a format that doesn't look congested to the eyes and that it is not distracting the reader from the important ideas, the editors made an excellent job. This book can't be easier to read, follow through and understand.

Besides a couple of punctuation spaces here and then I was not able to perceive any major grammatical errors. The book is well written all around. Punctuation is pretty much excellent and its composition keeps the reader in track with the content effectible.

Particularly the topics used as examples were very diverse in therms of gender allusion, cultural backgrounds and specialized fields. Research is a process that apply to all disciplines and the professionals working in them. This makes the research process a particularly broad one. The book makes efforts to present this idea by using numerous examples that connect with different segments of the population at numerous levels.

This books is an excellent tool available to anyone who wishes to start a serious research process in almost any particular professional area or field, even amateur researchers can benefit from its content. The book was written to merge the topic content with a series of exercises, tests and examples using a cohesive testing dynamic that helps to increase retention. This dynamic becomes the most efficient way to understand what it takes to start a professional research. The steps to follow the process are laid out clearly in this guide and the important things that need to be taking in account during the research process are highlighted and deconstructed to obtain a deeper overall understanding by the reader or researcher. The fact that the reader is being quizzed constantly during the entire book generates a stronger connection with the important subjects and a good way to evaluate the reader's understanding in real time as well. Highly recommended to undergrad and graduate students and perhaps even amateur researchers becoming familiar with the process of research as well.

Reviewed by Cindy Gruwell, Professor/Research Librarian, Minnesota State on 1/11/19

Choosing and Using Sources does a very good job of covering the topic of Academic Research. Each chapter focuses on an aspect of the research process and thoroughly covers the content with easy to read text and examples/activities for student... read more

Choosing and Using Sources does a very good job of covering the topic of Academic Research. Each chapter focuses on an aspect of the research process and thoroughly covers the content with easy to read text and examples/activities for student practice. Most importantly first-year students through seniors should find the content informative and presented in a collegial format.

All of the content is accurate and explained in a manner that is easy to grasp. There are some minor typos in some of the activities, but they do not confuse the reader. The text is bias-free and includes interesting examples that students can relate to.

The overall content is highly relevant and will age very well. Updates would definite be easy to handle and manipulate. By breaking down each chapter into a variety of content areas, readers will be able to focus and review areas of concern.

Having read several print and online texts of a similar nature, it was a pleasure to come across a text that is clean, consistent, and concise. Each topic has an appropriate amount of information to get the point across as well as tips that lead the reader to additional information. The presentation is consistent throughout without any bloating often found in print texts.

The authors of the text did an excellent job of producing an online text that is consistent and easy to use. No tricks that make it difficult to navigate or confusing to read.

One aspect of the text that I especially like is the modularity that allows for the use of a particular chapter or page(s). Too often texts have chapters that make readers feel like there is no end in sight. The concise nature of this work blends extremely well with the modularity of the complete text.

What makes this text easy to adapt is the layout from beginning to end. Each chapter and section scaffolds upon the other which will allow students to build their skills in a natural manner. Knowledge attained will easily transfer from one topic to another as they move through the book.

While I believe that the text is excellent and I have adopted it for my class, I do find myself frustrated by not being able to move from one section to another within a chapter without having to go back to the contents list. This surprised me because most books and tutorials have forward and backward links, especially within chapters.

There are a few grammatical (spelling) errors in several of the exercises, however, they do not interfere or confuse the reader.

This is definitely a professional work that has no cultural issues and is an excellent example of a non-biased text.

While looking for an OER text I was delighted to come across this book. The content and flow fit in with my class content extremely well and is an excellent resources for courses in the liberal arts, general research, and library-centric classes.

Reviewed by Kathy Moss, Clinical Professor, University of Missouri on 11/27/18

The hyperlinks and examples include a wide range of topics that include cooking, surgery, architecture and sports. read more

The hyperlinks and examples include a wide range of topics that include cooking, surgery, architecture and sports.

Credit is given to an editor, production and design specialists, as well as several content contributors. No additional information is provided to support inference regarding author credibility.

The open textbook Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research presented material that is relevant to my current issues course, including Background reading, Developing a complex research question, Classifying sources, and Evaluating sources.

The topics are presented clearly, using an engaging conversational style and frequent tips and activities. A reader who has no background in information science may be hampered by some terms used in the book (e.g., blog, podcast, Wikipedia, browser, database, Gawker, Reddit). The book does give intentional attention to the technology-naïve audience with some skills (Control-F) and topics (brief description of LexisNexis Academic, Lantern Online).

Terms and organizational framework are consistent throughout the text.

I plan to assign particular chapters of this text that are most relevant to my course's goals. The consistency of the text's terminology and organization should permit this reading plan with minimal distraction to the reader.

The information is clearly organized with a contents listing, chapter numbers and section headers. This organization facilitates easy access for learners with a specific interest in a single topic.

The author’s frequent use of hyperlinks invites students to explore topics more in-depth.

I note a few minor typographical errors that did not adversely affect my ability to comprehend the text.

The book includes examples of non-Western sources such as the allAfrica news database. Some of the links and examples are only available to individuals who have accounts with The Ohio State University. Though the book includes examples in audio and video formats, it could be improved by giving specific attention to topics related to accessibility.

The book provides the opportunity for readers to apply the topics by analyzing its frequent examples.

Reviewed by Lori Meier, Associate Professor, East Tennessee State University on 11/8/18

This text is exceedingly comprehensive. It addresses all elements of academic research (i.e. choosing questions, exploring and selecting sources, searching strategies, citation issues, copyright) as well as providing abundant links for student... read more

This text is exceedingly comprehensive. It addresses all elements of academic research (i.e. choosing questions, exploring and selecting sources, searching strategies, citation issues, copyright) as well as providing abundant links for student use. It is lacking an index or glossary - although many concepts are defined in the various chapters.

This book is accurate and comprehensive. I would not hesitate to use this resource with undergraduate or graduate students as a beginning primer for research.

The book is relevant and timely in regards to the various resources and tech tools it mentions (Google Scholar, EndNote, Ref Works). Given the subject matter I suspect that this book will have longevity to users.

The text is clear and provides definitions for jargon/technical terminology that is used. It is very comprehensive which might be a bit intimidating for the first time reader, but all elements needed for cogent research are included and therefore necessary. I appreciate the use of student scenarios as a way to step-by-step show the thinking process of choosing research questions.

Very consistent and thorough.

This text would be ideal for use as single chapters in courses where the content is needed. While the content is crafted with Ohio State University students in mind it is still very relevant for use by students and scholars. I am already thinking how I might use this next semester with an undergraduate honor's thesis student - both as modules to be read but also as a reference source.

The book is organized in a logical manner but spends only a brief amount of time about qualitative and quantitative research as peer-reviewed sources and only gives basic definitions for those two terms. I would perhaps suggest an additional section on qual/quant/mixed methods research methodology and perhaps a quick overview of research methods or samples via discipline. Additionally, a mention of the common IRB process for Human Subject Research might be helpful to those students using academic sources that discuss that process. It is a very clear text and this could be added with just a few pages of information that might be beneficial to students.

Navigation links worked well for me. The book is easy to read and the display features are not troublesome to me.

Grammatically sound.

Appropriate and is accessible to a wide audience.

Reviewed by Kathy Lamb, ELL Specialist/ English Instructor, Miami University on 8/2/18

The text covers most areas of academic research, and has a table of contents but no glossary, which is much needed. Topics are clear and concise, transitioning smoothly from general to more specific, such as “What is a Research Question?” to... read more

The text covers most areas of academic research, and has a table of contents but no glossary, which is much needed. Topics are clear and concise, transitioning smoothly from general to more specific, such as “What is a Research Question?” to “Narrowing Topics” and finding “Related Terms”. Perfect for college freshmen.

The content is accurate, error-free and unbiased.

The source is up-to-date and it would be relatively easy to update information.

The text is easily understand and flows in a clear manner. Ideas and topics progress easily and examples are used to offer context.

Ideas build one upon another and academic vocabulary is repeated throughout.

Some parts of the book seem a little “text heavy”, but overall it is well organized with efficient flow. The embedded links in the text connect earlier concepts

One problematic is that there lacks a glossary. The table of contents is very long, but broken down so that one is able to easily reference topics. Chapters are concise enough to be read in a timely manner and effectively used.

For some of the online activities it was confusing to discern which answers were correct or incorrect. And, after clicking on and completing an activity one must go back to the former page in order to navigate further. On the other hand, being able to access other information about the chapter topics via link is a handy tool.

There are no grammatical errors.

This book is culturally relevant and not offensive or insensitive in any way.

Reviewed by Sara Abrahamson, Faculty, Minneosta West Community and Technical College on 8/2/18

This text is very comprehensive. The complete research process is broken down from start to finish. read more

This text is very comprehensive. The complete research process is broken down from start to finish.

Very accurate information.

The content is very relative to today's researchers and does a fine job of detailing types of sources.

Very easy to read with content that is easily understood by even a first-time researcher.

The content was very consistent and easy to follow because if it.

LOVED the easy of reading because of the small, digestible informational pieces!

The flow of the text was perfect, following the research process from beginning to end.

I enjoyed the hyperlinked Activities, however, they did not all work for me.

No grammatical errors found.

Very culturally unbiased.

Excellent text that I wished I had years ago!

Reviewed by Justin Megahan, Librarian / Associate Professor, Fontbonne University on 6/19/18

The text does a good job covering academic research. There is a table of contents, but I feel like a glossary and index would be helpful for this book. read more

The text does a good job covering academic research. There is a table of contents, but I feel like a glossary and index would be helpful for this book.

The content is accurate. I did not notice any errors.

The content is up-to-date. There are many databases and websites referred to in the text so it is important to check those relevant links on occasion. It would be straightforward to update the text as needed.

The text clearly steps the reader through the research process. The process is discussed in detail over the 13 chapters.

The text is consistent.

The book is modular. Chapters can be rearranged without confusion. The Copyright Chapter is a good example of a component that can be used separately as a supplemental reading in another course.

The book is organized logically. The addition of a glossary and index could help navigation.

The book has images, charts, and videos that are useful. There are quick activity questions that tests the students’ knowledge on the current topic. These activities do link out to OSU’s site so it is important to make sure those links continue to stay active.

The text contains no grammatical errors.

This book does not have cultural concerns.

Many links direct the reader to OSU resources that have restricted access. The discussion of OSU resources and tools needs to be modified to fit the reader’s institutional resources. “ACTIVITY: Quantitative vs. Qualitative” has a link that is no longer working.

Reviewed by Jane Theissen, Reference Librarian/Professor, Fontbonne University on 5/21/18

The research process is explained in detail, from how to develop a research question to where and how to research through the application of copyright, fair use and citation styles. read more

The research process is explained in detail, from how to develop a research question to where and how to research through the application of copyright, fair use and citation styles.

The content is accurate and unbiased. Most of the links, which are plentiful and well placed, are either broken or link to resources at OSU's library, which I could not access. Use of this book would require time to correct this.

The content is stable. Other than updating the links, little would need to be done to use this text.

Very clearly written; jargon is appropriately explained. Self-checks allow students to make sure they understand the material.

Each section logically builds on the previous, and tone is consistent throughout.

The text has a great deal of modularity. Each section is listed in the Table of Contents and covers a few pages or less. There is no index. It is easy to find and move to sections quickly. the structure allows one to pull sections out for other courses (which I have done).

The research process is explained step-by-step with appropriate detail and excellent graphics.

Images, charts, and diagrams serve to explain and support the text. Many seem rather large and I found them a bit distracting. Additionally, there are page breaks in strange places, leaving large blocks of white space on pages while the narrative continued on the next page. This was very confusing. It would also be helpful if the links would open in a new window.

It seemed inclusive where applicable.

This text impressed me as appropriate for high school students or college freshmen.

Reviewed by Laura Heinz, Librarian, Texas Tech University on 3/27/18

This book provides beginning student researchers with a clear and complete path to the research process for class assignments and undergraduate research projects. read more

This book provides beginning student researchers with a clear and complete path to the research process for class assignments and undergraduate research projects.

The content is presented is accurate and in an unbiased manner for students to easily grasp the process and concepts.

This book was written in 2016 and may need some minor updates. The material is presented in a logical manner that leads students through the process as they begin their research. Each chapter can be used independently as the instructor fits the chapters into course content.

This book is easily understood by an undergraduate and doesn't require extra readings or content to be understood. It is concise and clear which will be appreciated by the student as they conduct research.

This book is consistent in it's framework which leads the student to each step logically avoiding confusion or frustration.

The chapters can easily be used independently and refer students to other chapters with supporting information.

The book is written to lead students in a logical manner through the research process. The length of the chapters allows a student to easily read the chapter for that step in their research, apply it and refer to it easily.

The book downloads easily onto a laptop or e-reader. The graphics display nicely on either size screen and enhance the text.

No grammatical errors were noticed.

This book is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. Examples used are appropriate.

This book introduces beginning student researchers to the academic research process in a thoughtful and deliberate manner. The books lack of jargon and abbreviations will help international students learn how to better navigate an academic library for research. Instructors in all disciplines should consider this book as an additional textbook for their classes requiring research for assignments, class projects and/or papers.

Reviewed by Hilary Johnson, Learning & Teaching Librarian, The Open University on 3/27/18

The text does not include an index or glossary. However, it covers a complex (and dry) subject in an economical and stimulating fashion. Each reader would learn about the subject from the basic text but the authors have enriched the text by... read more

The text does not include an index or glossary. However, it covers a complex (and dry) subject in an economical and stimulating fashion. Each reader would learn about the subject from the basic text but the authors have enriched the text by embedding audio-visual resources, download-and-keep checklists and formative activities of excellent quality.Chapter 9 'Making an Argument' is particularly strong and complements Chapter 1's analysis of research questions well. It is an excellent resource for undergraduates, post-graduates and beyond, and could also be useful for professionals researching topics to support evidence-based practice protocols.

More tips about applying facets to search results on services like Summon, EDS or Primo would be a useful addiition. I was surprised the authors did not employ language to frame the skill development in the language of 'employability' and life-skills, which might hook readers who are not planning to engage in academic research in the long-term.

The accuracy of the book was excellent, My score would have been 5, except the advice about copyright legislation and fair use is only applicable to students of Ohio State or elsewhere in the USA; so an institution in the Britain, Ireland or Europe would not be able to use or recommend chapters 11 or 12. However, these chapters are well-judged for the intended audience; succinct and comprehensible, where so many guides are too woolly or arcane to be useful to a general readership.

Chapter 1 had a dead link to an audio-visual resource. The explanation of how to use Wikipedia for academic study was nuanced, classic and practical. The explanation of how to use truncation and wildcards were similarly time- (and platform-) proof. There is much current interest in 'fake news' and the manipulation of Facebook and Google algorithms. So it could be timely to add a section on the known issues and some practical strategies to compensate for them.

The authors use excellent, clear English that should be comprehensible to anyone with academic english reading proficiency. My only qualms related to an ambiguous use of the term "poster" (this word has a particular meaning in an academic setting which was not explained) and more extensively around the slightly simplistic and dated language used for the university library catalogue and abstract & indexing databases. One of the activity sheets is structured like a decision-tree and starts with the question "are you working from a database"; with modern resource discovery platforms and other aggregating tools, students may not be able to tell whether they are looking at results from a single database, all the databases from one supplier or multiple databases from a variety of suppliers.

The stylesheet and planning of content is elegant and the quality is consistent throughout the text.

Each chapter is split into useful subsections, with clear formatting to demarcate between topics, tips and activities. The authors have also helpfully embedded hyperlinks to relevant chapters or sections earlier or later in the book.The length of individual subsections is consistent to make reading online easy (balancing scrolling and page turning). However, the length of embedded audio-visual materials varies so a student planning their time might be surprised in places.

The text has a sensible progression of topics, with hyperlinks back and forwards to connect relevant topics. And the final chapter, 'Roles of Research Sources', pulls together the lessons learnt with a useful acronym (BEAM), giving the book a strong ending.

I accessed the text on a variety of browsers, screen sizes and operating systems without any problems with the interface.

I only spotted two minor errors - site instead of cite and White's definition (page 186) without an apostrophe.

Not all the video materials embedded are captioned making them inaccessible to some categories of disabled users.

Reviewed by Lydia Bales, Academic Skills Tutor & Librarian, Staffordshire University on 2/1/18

Considering the book is not overly large, the guide manages to be very through and comprehensive guide to locating sources and using them correctly. It even goes further in giving some great information on making an argument and writing out the... read more

Considering the book is not overly large, the guide manages to be very through and comprehensive guide to locating sources and using them correctly. It even goes further in giving some great information on making an argument and writing out the research. The chapters are in easily digestible chunks covering the process of searching and evaluating resources in a useful and cross-discipline manner. It covers the source search process of research in an easily digestible manner.

The topics are accurate and have been written in a way that they will not date too much. The links and examples of the services provided may need updating to keep them accurate but the nature of the online format makes this easily possible. The Copyright chapter is obviously only applicable to those studying in the US. Having a version of this chapter available discussing copyright law in the UK could be useful any access the course for a different location.

The topics, examples and videos used are relevant and useful and should not date too much. The links and examples of the services provided may need updating to keep them accurate but the nature of the online format makes this easily possible. Some of the examples and links are specific to Ohio State and America and this can limit the relevance for students who do not have the ability to access Ohio State resources or are not based in America. Also the copyright section specfically is obviously only US copyright law limiting it's usefulness for students based in other locations.

The writing style is straightforward and easy to follow. It is sometimes slightly repetitive but overall the information is clearly presented and the vocabulary used is not too advanced. The style is informal and it makes a weighty topic much easier to process. I think it would be useful to have a glossary in the resource for students who maybe have not come across some of the topic specific words before and need them defining.

I was impressed with the consistency considering the work is made up of different author’s contributions. I could not identify different voices within the text, which helped improve the flow of the work. The arrangement of the contents tab is very useful to help navigate to specific sections of chapters as well as the overall chapter.

The layout of the book makes this modular. You can choose which sections to look at in any order and they read clearly and separately well. The other sections are signposted throughout the text and you can link back through to these using the hyperlinks provided. I think the order could be slightly improved by moving the citing and copyright information after the information on argument and writing but because you can choose how to read the book then it is not really an issue. I think it is important to note that if you cannot play the video content or the links in the book are Ohio State Specific the book does lose some of its positive features.

Overall, the structure is straightforward and logical. It flows in a manner that is easy to read and to process. Using the navigation you can work your way through the book in any order you feel is appropriate. As I stated I feel the referencing and copyright information could be in a different place but because you can choose to read this in a different order, it does not really matter.

Having read the online version on both a PC and a tablet I found the interface both easy to use and accessible. The page and chapter length worked well on both platforms and it was easy to access the links and activities contained within the resource. I could not access the videos on the PC due to not having Adobe Flash and it would be useful to have known I would require this to access the resource in its entirety. The video content is a refreshing change to just text and the images used are overall relevant. The videos do not all include a text version and this would be useful for accessibility. A few of them do have this option. Some of the images in the text viewed blurry on my PC and tablet. I am not sure if this was an issue with my own software or an error in the book.

I did not notice any errors during this read through. In some places, the text was a bit repetitive but this not disrupt the flow too drastically.

The examples used are not offensive and are diverse in their range. They have not given examples that define the guide for specific subset of students, which makes it more applicable.

Just for accessibility purposes, I think all the videos need a text version not just some. In addition, the RefWorks program has now been updated and it is called New Refworks with a changed logo and this could be updated in the book along with the guide to setting up Refworks if your institution subscribes. I feel that there are many links that you could not access unless you were an Ohio State user and this could disrupt the flow of the book for some users.

Reviewed by Lori Jacobson, Associate Director, Curriculum Development, William & Mary Writing Resources Center on 2/1/18

The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the use of sources in academic writing. read more

The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the use of sources in academic writing.

The book is a polished, professional and appropriate tool to help students improve their information literacy.

The content is relevant for undergraduate students and their instructors. It focuses primarily on fundamental approaches to finding, evaluating, and deploying sources in order to enter the scholarly conversation. While the authors occasionally mention a specific tool, or insert links to outside sources, these are placed within "Tip" boxes that can easily be updated.

Because this book was created for students at Ohio State University, it is sometimes quite specific about tools or processes that are unique to OSU. Instructors using this book at other institutions may sometimes need to suggest their own's institution's available tools to keep the text relevant for their students.

The book is well-crafted for an undergraduate audience, taking an easy-going, friendly tone and clearly defining key terms and concepts. It is also accessibly structured, making it fairly easy for users to jump between topics, rather than requiring a linear read. Links between related sections are provided wherever it is appropriate.

The book uses a consistent design scheme and structure. Features that appear in each chapter include graphics, tip boxes, examples, activities, and summaries.

Each unit of the text stands on its own and could be easily assigned as an individual reading. Rather than being self-referential, the text will suggest that more information on a related topic can be found in one of the other modules.

The text is organized to flow in roughly the same sequence as a typical research project. Students who are reading the text while working on a project should find individual sections logically presented and relevant. This is clearly not a text designed as background reading; rather it functions best as "just in time" information for students working through the research process.

I found the text quite easy to use in it its online form. It is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and thoughtfully arranged.

I noticed a couple of typos, but no significant grammatical errors.

The examples provided are of broad interest, and most readers will have some familiarity with them. There were no insensitive or offensive comments or examples.

Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research is a practical tool for novice researchers. It asks students to begin the process with a research question, and then provides a step-by-step approach to creating the question. All the other chapters flow from this effective beginning, and should increase students' information literacy by helping them understand types of sources available to researchers, the relationship between sources and information needs, how sources should be evaluated, and how they can be deployed effectively and ethically. Additional chapters on argumentation and copyright round out the book's overall usefulness to students engaged in a research project. This book could be easily paired with a staged research project, and would provide students with the "just-in-time" information they need to successfully complete the assignment.

Reviewed by Kristin Green, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State Worthington Scranton on 2/1/18

The aspects of academic research that are prudent to cover within the first year of any undergraduate student's general education are all covered within this textbook. From an introduction to the ethics of source use to crafting basic Boolean... read more

The aspects of academic research that are prudent to cover within the first year of any undergraduate student's general education are all covered within this textbook. From an introduction to the ethics of source use to crafting basic Boolean search strings, all facets of entering scholarly discourse are addressed in brief chapters that feel modern and accessible. While instructors may wish to supplement or replace some of the exercise sets in the text with their own assessments, the content of the text provides ample coverage if selected to serve as a primary textbook for a foundational information literacy course.

The book is accurate in addressing the current state of the information landscape as encountered in the realm of academic research, as well as the legalities of copyright and fair use.

All content within this book is current and the content within chapters sections are written in a style that today's undergraduate students will be able to learn easily from. Many of the concepts, processes, and principles that are covered in the text have an inherent longevity that will prolong the relevance of this text past its initial publication date. However some chapter sections, tutorials, and videos are institution-specific reducing the overall relevancy of using the entire text at other locations.

The text is written in a clear and concise style that current students will find very accessible. The authors consciously defined any technical terminology or jargon as it was introduced throughout the chapters. Furthermore, the technical concepts that were more complex to define are often accompanied by visuals to help convey what is being defined.

The terminology and format of the book, along with the linked exercise sets and visualizations, provide a solid consistency that will helps students focus on learning the content rather than being bogged down with understanding the textbook format.

Instructors could easily parse different chapters of this book to use for modular instruction, especially in "one-shot" or other limited instructional scenarios. Some of the chapters are a bit self-referential which may generate a minor degree of confusion if used out of the holistic context.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

While there is a logical flow to most of the chapters, some seem a little out of place such as the "Making an Argument" chapter. I would have preferred a division of chapters into sections, where the writing-related chapters were separated from the source-related chapters. I also think the chapters that covered Copyright, Fair Use, ethical source use, and citations would have a stronger flow if organized together in their own section.

The ability to navigate through the book from the table of contents page is a great feature for students, especially when the instructor is choosing to assign only particular chapters or work through some of the chapters in a different sequence. The linked exercise sets are also easy to navigate through, allowing students to focusing on applying learned concepts rather than learning new interfaces. However, throughout my review some of the linked external content would not open for me and links to external materials always have the possibility of changing which may result in future inaccessibility

No grammatical errors were detected when reviewing this book.

This book is not offensive nor culturally insensitive in any manner.

For any instructor looking for an open textbook to orient undergraduate students to the basics of the academic research and writing processes while simultaneously providing context of contemporary issues surrounding these scholarly activities, this is a comprehensive and accessible choice!

Reviewed by Anne Behler, Information Literacy Librarian & Instruction Coordinator, The Pennsylvania State University on 2/1/18

This text offers a comprehensive breakdown of the academic research process, with special effort made to demystify jargon that may present itself in either the classroom or library environment. Beginning with establishing a research question and... read more

This text offers a comprehensive breakdown of the academic research process, with special effort made to demystify jargon that may present itself in either the classroom or library environment. Beginning with establishing a research question and carrying through to integrating and citing sources, the text includes practical tools for students to use in their own research, as well as links to supplemental information. If anything, the text errs on the side of providing too much information, such that a novice researcher may feel overloaded.

The text offers an accurate articulation of the research process, and avoids bias by covering a wide variety of potential information sources, including the use of web search engines other than Google.

Because the information landscape is constantly shifting, the text will require fairly frequent review. This is particularly important when it comes to how web sources are addressed. For example, the book does not address fake news and/or dealing with problematic web resources, and it glosses over use of social media as an information source. However, the concepts related to the research process itself change very little, and the information presented about them has staying power.

The text is written in accessible language, and works to address uses of jargon that are typical within the academic environment by providing explanations for what professors typically want when they request a particular item in the research process. This is an effective way to establish relevance with students, as well as clarify academic expectations.

The language within the text is consistent and accessible, with helpful insertions of definitions and/or links to explanatory supplementary information online.

The text's sections are clearly and logically labeled, and could very easily be plugged into a course in part or whole.

The order of topics in the text follow the research assignment process, from point of assignment decoding through to writing and source citation. Given the audience for the text and its intended purpose, this makes great sense.

The text contains links to many outside web sources that may provide helpful supplemental information for the reader; however many of these links were found to be dead. Comprehensive review of all links is highly recommended. In addition, I recommend continuing review of available videos related to the topics, as many selected are either rudimentary or contain dated material.

The writing and grammatical quality of this text are of the highest quality.

The text is culturally relevant and inclusive in its examples.

As stated, this book holds great utility and relevance, but requires updating for links to external web resources. It will also need to be adapted to keep up with the changing landscape of information sources themselves.

Reviewed by Craig Larson, Librarian, North Hennepin Community College on 2/1/18

The book is very comprehensive, sometimes almost too much so (sections on copyright seem to be more detailed than the average college student would need or perhaps be interested in; the section on the lifecycle of information, while interesting,... read more

The book is very comprehensive, sometimes almost too much so (sections on copyright seem to be more detailed than the average college student would need or perhaps be interested in; the section on the lifecycle of information, while interesting, also is a bit questionable as to its overall relevance). Instructors who choose this book for a one- or two-credit information literacy course will have much more material at their hands than they can reasonably cover in a semester. This book would make a good companion volume to just about any course involving research.

The content is accurate and unbiased. As an example, I was interested to find that the author actually recommends that students use Wikipedia, at least in the very early stages of research, to get an overall picture of their topic. So many college instructors, regardless of the subject, seem to have a strong aversion to Wikipedia. Here, the author actually goes into some detail on how using the references in an entry can lead the researcher to additional sources he/she might not find through other means. Some of the activities are a bit misleading or written in such a way that there could be more than one right answer, which isn't necessarily an error, but could be tightened up a bit.

The content is largely relevant and up-to-date, though I was a bit surprised to not find a section addressing "fake news," which has become such a watchword over the past year. I was also a bit surprised that, although the author has a section talking about which "neighborhood" certain types of information "hangs out," there wasn't a discussion of different domain names, such as ".edu," ".org," and ".com" and what they indicate to readers. Also hampering the book's relevance somewhat is an overabundance of examples and activities that require an Ohio State student ID to log-in. Many of these would have to be re-worked or re-written for the book to be useful at other schools.

In large part, the book is clearly written and new ideas are clearly explained. The writer does a pretty good job of avoiding jargon and technical terminology or where it can't be avoided, of providing examples and clear definitions of terms. Some of the activities aren't so clearly written that there is one obviously correct answer. Also, some of the scoring of activities isn't clear enough to indicate to the user what was wrong and why it was wrong or even the correct answer that should have been chosen. Not every concept is adequately explained or thoroughly developed (for instance, the crucial process of moving from an initial reading to a research question could use further clarification and development). Another area that could use further discussion and development would be how to use databases.

The book is largely consistent, though there are occasions where the consistency falls through. For example, most of the accompanying activities will open in a new window, but not all. There were several occasions where this reader closed out an activity window and closed out the entire book as well. This is an area that someone really should take a look at, as it can be confusing and irritating for the user. Also, the fact that many of the book's activities require an Ohio State student ID effectively locks out users from other institutions.

The book is largely modular, with sections that can easily be broken apart and assigned at different points in the course. There is a very useful table of contents, broken down by subject into smaller pieces that can easily be accessed. As mentioned previously, the book is very comprehensive, almost too much so at times, so having this table of contents is very helpful.

The book is fairly-well organized, though there are things placed in odd locations that could be touched on earlier or later, as the case may be. For instance, there is a good discussion fairly late in the book about deciding whether to quote, paraphrase, or summarize, which would have been much more useful if it was placed in the section of the book that directly addresses each of those activities. Instead, it is placed in a section on academic integrity (which, again, is very Ohio State-specific, too much so, really). I also question the relevance of a chapter on creating an academic argument, which if it is to be included at all, would seem to make much more sense earlier in the book, when students are learning the basics of research and how to apply it to their writing.

The book is largely free of significant issues, although as mentioned previously, many of the activities require an Ohio State student ID to log-in and use, which makes them useless to students from other institutions. Also, the activities are sometimes difficult to follow--one doesn't know why one answered incorrectly or what the correct answer even is in some instances. And the fact that some activities open a new browser window and some don't can also be confusing. There are a few activities that lead to broken links.

There are the occasional run-on sentences and spelling mistakes in the text. It's almost impossible not to have some issues in this area. However, the infrequent errors don't detract from the book or its overall usefulness, though it might be a good idea for someone to go through the text and try to clear some of these up.

The book does a good job of avoiding being culturally insensitive or offensive. Activities and examples are written in such a way as to be inclusive. Many of the examples link directly to sites that deal with minority themes and issue.

I think, on the whole, this is a very useful book and one that could be put to immediate use in many instances. However, the number of activities and examples that require an Ohio State student ID to access make this less relevant than it could be if the author had striven for more universal examples.

Reviewed by Mairéad Hogan, Lecturer, National University of Ireland, Galway on 2/1/18

This book covers the subject matter in a comprehensive and detailed way. The way in which the material is presented is very suitable for students who have not previously been involved in academic research as it starts at the very beginning and... read more

This book covers the subject matter in a comprehensive and detailed way. The way in which the material is presented is very suitable for students who have not previously been involved in academic research as it starts at the very beginning and assumes no prior knowledge. It has additional features that help to reinforce the material, such as activities and MCQs. These help to reinforce the learning and test the reader’s understanding. Additionally, the examples used are very useful and helpful in gaining understanding of the subject matter.

It goes into the material in depth and not only tells students how to progress their research but also explains clearly why they should be doing it this way. For example, it explains to students how to differentiate between good and bad sources. However, I have one small concern with this aspect. They do not tell students how to differentiate between different standards of peer-reviewed journals. They do mention looking at citation count but state that is not a useful measure for very recent articles. Some discussion on determining the quality of the journal itself would be helpful. For example, looking at citation counts for the journal, rather than the article would be one example, as would looking at rankings.

Overall, I would see this as an excellent reference book to last students through their academic careers.

The material itself is accurate. However, many of the links to additional material either do not work or are inaccessible to those without OSU credentials.

The material is mainly presented in a way that will last. However, many of the links no longer work so these should be checked and alternatives put in on a regular basis. Additionally, there are links to videos that may not be there in the future, although all I clicked on were available. However, the text description of the videos did not work. Many of the activities (MCQ’s etc) have a dated feel about them in terms of layout and interaction. The design of them could do with some updating.

The writing itself is very clear and easy to understand. Diagrams are used to good effect to clarify concepts (e.g. use of Venn diagrams to explain Boolean concepts). However, some of the terminology is not as clearly defined as it could be. While terms are generally explained clearly in the text, it would be nice to have a glossary of terms. Additionally, the MCQs are not always clear as if the reader gets an answer wrong it is not always apparent which is the correct one.

The book is consistent in writing style and interface.

The book is structured in a modular format whereby the reader can dip in and out of different sections, as they need to. Equally, for a student starting out, it is structured in a way that is likely to follow the steps in the same order as the student, making it a good companion to their research projects.

The book was organised in a very natural and sensible way and flowed smoothly from one topic to another. Links were provided to related sections of the book where relevant so that if the reader forgot what was meant by a particular topic, they could easily hop back and forth. The book started at the very beginning with good coverage of developing a research question and then progressed through tools and sources to help with this. The additional activities were all web based, which works fine if you have easy access. However, I was using a kindle with poor broadband so struggled to access it at times. It also felt a bit disruptive leaving the book to do the activities. It’s also not always clear whether links lead to another part of the book or to an external site. The tips are a useful addition. The stand out when flicking through the book and help to reinforce the important points. It is also useful the ways steps are clearly broken down into sub-steps.

I downloaded it to Kindle, and found a number of issues. It struggled to deal with larger fonts, resulting in some text not being visible.. There were also references to “the bottom of the page” but the bottom of the page varies depending on font size. Not all of the activities worked. Some of the activities required OSU credentials to access them, which was frustrating.

There were some minor grammatical and typographical errors but nothing major.

The book is very US centric in its use of examples. For example, there is an American football example and news sources referred to are US based generally. Additionally, copyright discussion is US centric.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent book that will help students in their research projects. I think it is a book that they will use for a number of years as it is has sufficient depth to help at different levels. The one main change I would make would be to broaden OSU references and activities so they are referring to databases in general, for example, rather than simply talking about the OSU one. Much of the material is relevant regardless of institution but a reader unfamiliar with databases would not be aware of this and might skip over some very useful information.

Reviewed by Anthony Patterson, Assistant Professor, North Carolina Central University on 2/1/18

Choosing and Using Sources is an extremely thorough text taking readers through the research process from formulating research questions to fair use and copy right issues. I particularly liked the online examples and resources including quizzes... read more

Choosing and Using Sources is an extremely thorough text taking readers through the research process from formulating research questions to fair use and copy right issues. I particularly liked the online examples and resources including quizzes and videos. The table of contents is thorough but there is not a glossary. While this is a strong text some discussion of theory and how theoretical frameworks are used in academic writing.

While the text could have addressed additional areas, the authors were accurate and detailed. Chapter 8 - How to Cite Sources is well done and accurately takes novel researchers through when they should and should not provide citations.

The authors present how to develop, approach, and conduct sound research in a well thought out format. This text is up-to-date addressing issues like Wikipedia and Google Scholar. While issues around these information sources will change, the way this text is set up, it can easily be updated in the future.

The book is well written, clear, and easy to follow. Jargon such as primary, secondary, and tertiary sources were explained clearly with appropriate examples. This text will be accessible for my students and most others pursuing advanced degrees.

The authors are consistent throughout the text when discussing topics like presenting arguments and the relationship this has with concepts like research questions and the sources researcher select. While consistency is expected is difficult to do especially when writing as a team. More impressively is the consistency of supplemental materials throughout the text.

The book has long chapters and occasionally I had some difficulty knowing where one section ended and another began but overall it is readily divisible. Another important aspect of the text are the supplemental materials like online quizzes and videos which are also clearly align with the sections in the text.

I was skeptical at first when I began reading but the overall organization of this text is good. Even though the text is about writing and sources, a section of theory and incorporating theoretical frameworks would have strengthen the book. However the topics selected flowed well and led potential researchers through a logical process.

A few problems linking to sum supplemental materials but overall I was impressed by the quality of the graphics as well as the links to quizzes and videos that were provided.

I did not come across any grammatical or typographical issues.

I did not see any cultural insensitive examples or information provided. However I also did not see a lot of racial or ethnic diversity in examples throughout this text. Overall, I feel the authors approached the subject matter appropriately.

Reviewed by Rachelle Savitz, Assistant Professor, Clemson University on 2/1/18

The text is quite comprehensive regarding finding, using, and understanding sources. It provides the process of sourcing from start to finish with examples and activities provided throughout to support the reader. Various ways to find sources... read more

The text is quite comprehensive regarding finding, using, and understanding sources. It provides the process of sourcing from start to finish with examples and activities provided throughout to support the reader. Various ways to find sources are described. There is a focus throughout on software and databases for the students at the authors institution and that can be confusing to readers from other institutions. The information provided regarding citing, ethics and copyright, and fair use was informative and would be beneficial to the reader. There were sections throughout that could have been more in depth and more specific. For instance, when going over the various ways to cite sources, additional examples could be provided and the version/edition should be listed. For instance, was the APA citation in APA 6th edition format? Also, make sure to address citing from secondary sources as students do this often and tend to cite what they read even if they read it from another text. The TOC was helpful and allowed ease of understanding what was to be covered in each section. One main complain that I have was regarding the additional information provided to help the reader in writing a paper. This information would be helpful for basic college writing but not for academic writing, thesis or dissertation writing. The sections required for some of these papers are not discussed and the text eludes that the sections provided regarding writing an argumentative piece would be appropriate for all. Also, synthesizing information could be explained a bit more and with more depth. Synthesizing includes more than critiquing and summarizing. All in all, the sourcing information is spectacular and the additional information could be expanded upon.

Accuracy of sourcing was spot on. Some of the additional categories discussed, as mentioned in the first section of this review, could be expanded upon to fully explain that category, if it is to be included in the book. The examples and activities provided were quite good and would be very beneficial for students to apply what they are learning in real-life contexts. Links were provided for extending information. I did not attempt to open every link but making sure they are up-to-date will be important as time goes forward. I also feel that the section on popular texts can be misleading. Stating that the Washington Post is "popular" eludes that it is not reliable or valid. This is not necessarily true as many experts in various fields write sections in "popular" newspapers.

As previously stated, a lot of links go to OSU resources. This could be problematic for any reader that is not at OSU. More information should be provided to support any student in the world as that part would be confusing to many students.

The text is easy to read and follow. All new information is explained and then examples and activities are provided. This is student friendly and allows any reader to quickly follow along and understand what is being stated, especially regarding the sourcing elements. As stated above, there are some sections that could/should be expanded upon for clarity and this might be best for beginning university students but the text was easy to understand in regards to sourcing, citing, and fair use. More information on how to use the sources and sections of papers would be beneficial to all students.

Each chapter seemed to follow a similar structure that followed the TOC.

Modularity rating: 3

Reading the book online provides ability to chunk the text based on assignments and can be read chapter by chapter, entirety or starting at different places. Due to the extensive amount of outside links and examples, this would be quite different if read in paper format. This book truly has to be read online to ensure benefit from all of the additional activities, links, examples, sources, etc. In addition, the many links specific to OSU would not be helpful for other students.

The organization is consistent from chapter to chapter. Information is explained and then examples and activities are provided to further knowledge. This works well for readers that needs examples.

Using a laptop provided no issues. However, when using a smartphone, the pages changed in size and various display features did not load properly or at all.

Very few grammatical errors were noticed.

No cultural issues noticed other than the many OSU references and sources. This could be offensive to other institutions as they will not be able to access many of the links.

Reviewed by Scott Rice, Associate Professor, Appalachian State University on 2/1/18

The book is very comprehensive which sometimes detracted from its usefulness. There were a few units that may be superfluous, but I did appreciate that the author seemed to err on the side of inclusivity, leaving it to other adoptees how much... read more

The book is very comprehensive which sometimes detracted from its usefulness. There were a few units that may be superfluous, but I did appreciate that the author seemed to err on the side of inclusivity, leaving it to other adoptees how much content they might use and repurpose.

The book is error-free and appears to be free of bias.

The book is pitched to an Ohio State University audience, so some of the resources pointed to would not be the same as a potential adopter's institution might select. In addition, the book needs some updating regarding the impact of social media on the information cycle. Social media formats are mentioned, but a fuller treatment of how they fit into the information climate would be a good addition.

The text was clear and easy to read, and provided numerous examples for its points. It also did not rely on jargon in its explanations, which makes it much more accessible.

The text was consistent in its use of terms. I found its tone consistent, as well as the level of explanation for the wide variety of concepts explored.

The organization of the text into units makes it very easy to break the content apart into smaller units and use it for a variety of purposes. I could see using the content for different parts of several courses, as well as incorporating it into e-learning content.

The topics are presented in a logical fashion, following the path that a typical research assignment might take. This will also make it easier to fit within the flow of a course that uses the textbook to teach about the process of academic research.

The interface of the text itself works appropriately, but some of the ancillary quizzes and extra material did not work so well. Many of the graphics did not work as well within the pdf format as they do in the web format.

The textbook was free of grammatical errors and was easy to read.

The text did not appear to be culturally insensitive.

I am exploring the creation of a for-credit information literacy class at my institution and this book is a possible candidate for adoption for the course.

Reviewed by Bryan Gattozzi, Lecturer, General Studies Writing, Bowling Green State University on 2/1/18

I was impressed how the text began helping students understand the benefits of leading a research project by writing research question(s), following with assessment of research methods, and thinking about research writing as an avenue to test a... read more

I was impressed how the text began helping students understand the benefits of leading a research project by writing research question(s), following with assessment of research methods, and thinking about research writing as an avenue to test a hypothesis instead of one simply confirming a previous, and perhaps uninformed, belief.

The book didn't seem to dismiss any possible research method. Instead it provided suggestions of how and when any individual research method may be relevant.

The book was published last academic year and the content included is still relevant, mostly because best-practices in research (and research writing) haven't changed much.

The volume of research methods students can use given the internet's power is ever increasing, yet the book does well to isolate a handful of long standing tenets that academic writers have used for decades while allowing for discussion of web-based writing and multi-modal presentation methods instructors may increasingly require students to use.

Each section is concise, clear, and easy to follow . . . for me.

I assume students will be capable of reading the text, performing quizzes provided, and plotting out a research path to complete their assignment(s).

Then again, as an academic I obsess over these issues. I can see a student yawning while reading this text.

The content isn't especially fun to read yet the information provided in relevant and time-saving if students are willing to relax, read actively, and apply the material to the assignment their instructor has given.

I don't imagine many students would seek the book out and read about research methods, yet an instructor can pair excerpts from the book with specific assignments along a student's research path to help the student retain and apply the helpful suggestions in the book.

The text does well to allow students to name the process they're going through when composing a research question then deciding on what research path fits their question. Students are guided to consider what blend of qualitative / quantitative, primary / secondary / tertiary, or public / professional / scholarly research will fit their research and writing goals.

The book refers back to the same terms throughout and provides students with active learning worksheets to plot a research AND writing plan to complete their work, one they could conceivably follow throughout their academic and professional career.

Each subheading contains, on average, not more than a page of content allowing instructors the ability to easily limit reading assignments from the book to concise, focused sections.

The book is very process-based, and follows the workflow necessary to write a successful academic researched assignment.

The limit of this strategy might be students being overwhelmed with so much discussion of process they'd be paralyzed to inaction.

An instructor, then, would have to be direct in assigning reading materials relevant to a student's immediate research goal.

I like how the text follows the path a student would follow: from narrowing a research question, selecting and reviewing research materials, then choosing how to implement them ethically in writing.

It also details how to process research considerations students may not consider including how to archive research results, to respect copyright law when publishing blog posts or submitting student work to an online repository.

The text contains many online activities, sample research artifacts, and instructional handouts. Some require on Ohio State student authentication. The text is still useful without access to these materials, though an instructor would have to alert students to this issue.

Text was proofread well.

Didn't see any culturally insensitive content.

Reviewed by Jonathan Grunert, Assistant Professor of Library Services: Information Literacy Coordinator, Colorado State University - Pueblo on 2/1/18

This textbook covers the concepts found in the ACRL frameworks in a way that is meaningful and accessible to academic researchers at all levels. It adequately provides a discussion of the complete research process, with clear signposts as to which... read more

This textbook covers the concepts found in the ACRL frameworks in a way that is meaningful and accessible to academic researchers at all levels. It adequately provides a discussion of the complete research process, with clear signposts as to which steps writers might need to revisit to improve their work.

The content appears to be accurate to 2016, with some acknowledgement that finding sources is an activity that has seen many changes in the past few decades, and will likely seem more, and rapidly.

Information discovery and retrieval is a rapidly changing process in a changing field. But much of the content in this textbook—as far as general advice and instruction for finding resources and the ways to use them—remains relevant. As information processes change and as information uses change, I have no doubt that librarians will be at the forefront of maintaining the relevance of a textbook like this one through various edition changes.

This textbook is clear, and accessible to researchers at all levels. Jargon, where present, is well-explained, and the contexts for the various components of the textbook are provided.

The text and frameworks in this book are consistent with ACRL frameworks as well as with the ways librarians tend to talk about finding and using sources. Furthermore, the book consistently uses the same terminologies to clearly explain sometimes difficult practices.

I would be very comfortable using any chapter of this book to teach a component of the academic research process. The chapters are discrete, with well-defined boundaries. The modularity of this textbook helps reinforce the overarching idea in this book: the iterative research process. Students might read the chapters in virtually any order, and come away with a valuable understanding of the research process.

This textbook presents the research process in the way that many students and faculty think about the process—from the perspective of the end goal, and through the organizational structure of an academic paper. But, it also indicates throughout the process places when the researcher needs to revisit an earlier step, to modify the project, or to make the end product more meaningful.

No issues in the interface; nothing distracting from the content.

Some minor punctuation errors, but no grammatical errors that distract from the content.

This textbook comes from an American perspective for ways of searching for, retrieving, and using information, as well as the traditionally American ways of constructing arguments. Though there is not discussion of other cultural ways of arguing academically, this textbook does not dismiss or otherwise denigrate other cultures; nor is it insensitive in any way.

Many examples are university-specific to the libraries at Ohio State University, as should be expected from a textbook such as this. As such, this book will be most helpful to students using the book at OSU. However, instructors using this book need to be aware of this focus, and must prepare to supplement with materials accessible by researchers outside OSU.

Reviewed by Susan Nunamaker, Lecturer, Clemson University on 2/1/18

This textbook is comprehensive. It goes in-depth covering the topics of research questions (specifically how to narrow down topics), types of sources, sources and information needs, precision searching, search tools, evaluating sources, ethical... read more

This textbook is comprehensive. It goes in-depth covering the topics of research questions (specifically how to narrow down topics), types of sources, sources and information needs, precision searching, search tools, evaluating sources, ethical use of sources, how to cite sources, making an argument, writing tips, copyright basics, fair use, and roles of resource sources. The textbook hits all of the topics that I plan to cover in my upcoming classroom-based research course with the exception of techniques for completing and writing a literature review. The textbook touches on the topic through a section on "background reading", but does not go in-depth. Otherwise, the textbook covers every aspect of academic research.

I found no errors or bias issues in my initial first read of the textbook.

The information and techniques provided within this textbook are up-to-date and relevant for academic research. I reviewed several textbooks before choosing this one for my upcoming masters-level classroom-based research course. I chose this book because of its relevance in regard to the practical skills needed in order to complete research assignments within the course, as well as, writing a capstone research paper.

This textbook is clear and exceptionally readable. It is organized by research skills in an order that makes sense to the reader. For example, the book begins with a chapter on choosing one's research question. Verbiage is clear and concise for all levels of academia to be able to effectively utilize this text.

This textbook is consistent in terms of terminology and framework. Each chapter of the textbook builds on the last. The reader is not necessarily expected to have prior knowledge of research before reading chapter one, but should easily be able to have a good frame of reference for academic research by the end of the textbook due to its high-quality framework for scaffolding knowledge with each chapter.

This textbook does a great job of sectioning academic research into small bites for the reader. It was easy for me to create modules from the textbook's chapters, spreading the information within the text over an 8-week course. The modularity of this textbook was a selling point for utilizing the textbook with students.

This is a well-organized textbook. Each chapter builds on prior chapters. Chapters are organized in a logical manner. The first chapter begins with the purpose of research questions and builds content to assist the reader in narrowing down options for research questions. The textbook progresses to assist the reader in building skills as an academic researcher throughout the textbook.

No interface issues were discovered during my initial exposure to the online format. I printed the PDF (because I still love paper) and all display features printed properly. The online navigation is easy to use and pleasing to the eye, as well.

No grammar issues were detected during my initial review of the textbook.

This text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in my opinion.

This is an excellent textbook if you are looking to utilize it to introduce students to the academic research and writing process. Its layout and design and conducive to module-based instruction, and the content is well thought out and beneficial.

Reviewed by Diane Kauppi, Library Faculty, Technical Services & Systems, Ruth A Myers Library at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College on 2/1/18

The text did a great job of covering the subject and the table of contents were laid out well. The content was well thought out. read more

The text did a great job of covering the subject and the table of contents were laid out well. The content was well thought out.

I found the accuracy to be good. The content is a good representation of what a student needs to know in order better understanding library research.

The content itself is good & should stand the test of time for the near future. The only exception is that even though it's only one year from the publishing date (2016) many of the links are broken. And I would have preferred a OER text that was geared more generally for application to any institution vs. the inclusion of OSU specific references, links, resources.

For a text written to a 4-year university/college audience the text was good. For a 2-year community college audience some of the terminology would need to be defined.

I found the consistency to be good. It followed through each section with including tips, activities, etc.

I think the modularity was good. And the text could easily be broken down into smaller sections to be used as units by themselves or refresher units. The only issue would be where there are links within a module that link to other modules. Add to this that these links didn't work-- I rec'd errors each time I tried a module link.

The overall organization and flow as great. As stated on p 6 ("... as though you are conducting a research project while reading them [the sections]...") this made my logical side happy.

I like the links to activities for students to practice the skills being taught. The problem though was that many of the links no longer work. Additionally, many of the links are to areas not available to users who are not affiliated with OSU. And as mentioned in another review section, module links to other modules didn't work either.

I found the grammar to be quite good with only a few exceptions or where it was clunky at times.

I thought the text was neutral in this area. Nothing that blatantly jumped out at me.

I appreciated the link to application of research to other areas of our lives outside of academic research. I try to get this point across to students, especially when they are hesitant and resistant to library research. I found the "tips" & "summaries" to be a nice added 'pop' & easy for referring back to later. I liked the bold letters/words for emphasis. And the suggestion to "brush up" on p 31 was a nice touch vs outwardly assuming they don't know. The downloadable templates are a great resource for students. Overall, I found the text to be a good resource.

Reviewed by Kristine Roshau, Instructional Technology Specialist and PT Faculty Librarian, Central Oregon Community College on 8/15/17

This text is extensive! Like the title suggests, it truly is a full guide to academic research, from developing a topic, finding sources, and using them appropriately. It also follows the logical order of the search process, from identifying an... read more

This text is extensive! Like the title suggests, it truly is a full guide to academic research, from developing a topic, finding sources, and using them appropriately. It also follows the logical order of the search process, from identifying an information need, evaluating source quality (and purpose), and how to perform complex searches. It also highlights several common areas where academic research can be performed, from the college library catalog to specialized databases and how to find academic sources on the free web.

The book also covers what to do once sources have been found, including the importance of properly citing sources, ethical use of source material, and how to cite unusual or non-standard source material. It then moves into addressing the writing process: developing an argument and idea, writing tips, and a large section on copyright, fair use, creative commons, and public domain.

The table of contents is very granular, which is helpful. The sections vary in length, but given the overall size of the book (190 pages) having a very specific TOC is useful when returning to the text as a reference source.

I did not find any objectionable or questionable content. The authors have done a good job of selecting examples for each section (often with associated online activities or examples linked out to the web) that are varied and unbiased, but also represent realistic examples of what students might be encountering during their research process. I was really pleased when looking through the section on citing sources - styles can change, but the book is written in such a way as to be comprehensive about the purpose of citing sources, and links out to many helpful web sources, citation tools, etc so the information will remain accurate in the textbook even if the style guides themselves are updated in the future.

The section on copyright is similarly done.

See previous note - it is clear the authors have taken care to include examples that will remain relevant, not evaporate into popular culture, and provide flexibility where the content may be updated or changes (such as copyright law and citation style guides). They do provide a LOT of external links and activities, not all produced by Ohio State. So it's possible that some of their links may break in the future. It does appear that they have made an effort to either link to open sources they control, or which are unlike to change significantly (ie: government websites).

If I were using this text, I would probably modify some of the resource sections (eg: databases) to reflect those that the students at my institution have access to, though the writers do make a point of identifying OSU access-only resources where applicable. I would also update the copyright/plagiarism section to include our college's student handbook blurbs, etc.

The tone is extremely approachable in all of the areas I checked. This is extremely important in academic research where there are a lot of areas of possible legal entanglement, and the authors have done a credible job of breaking down complex concepts into approachable prose and examples.

The textbook is consistent in both writing and structure; however, I do with the table of contents was split into sections in the same way the content is. Page numbers are given though, so that's not really a big deal. There were one or two places where I saw formatting errors, but nothing overly distracting - it did not adversely effect the content.

It is visually appealing and for the most part, easy to navigate. No huge blocks of text, and it also intersperses activities, tips, and examples. The text is also organized in such a way that it can be used as a reference, without needing to be read from start to finish in order to make sense, which is helpful for the researcher who may need to pop in for just pieces of the work.

However, there is a strong presence of external sources (often OSU library webpages) and activities that are linked out of the text. The writing itself is certainly standalone, but the book would lose a lot of its character if it were printed and not viewed digitally. I would have liked a References or bibliographic section that listed some of these resources, but there wasn't one, meaning the user would not be able to search for the resource if the linked text didn't work.

I can see the potential for too many asides for activities to be distracting, but they are generally held to the end of their relevant sections, so it wasn't too overwhelming. The organization follows a logical research process, walking the reader through from beginning to end.

As mentioned before, there are a few places where it looks like images have distorted the intended formatting, pushing items to empty pages, etc. But these instances are rare. A few of the images could be higher resolution, but they were certainly legible (and I was viewing this text at 125% zoom on a larger screen, so my experience is probably not representative of every reader).

It is long though, and I would have loved to be able to jump to sections through anchor bookmarks in the content page - that would be a nice touch.

I also found a few broken links, which is not totally surprising, given the volume of them in this book.

None noticed in this review.

No objectionable content found - the authors have chosen inclusive examples wherever possible, while remaining realistic about subjects students might be researching.

Not all of the links to activities are self-describing (there are no plain URLs, but many of the activity links contain the same 'Open Activity in Web Browser' text, which would be confusing if a user was navigating with a screen reader.

Reviewed by Deborah Finkelstein, Adjunct Professor, George Mason University on 6/20/17

The book is very comprehensive. The authors consistently explain concepts well and provide easy-to-understand examples that are approachable for the undergraduate audience. For example, the authors don’t just say, “narrow down your source,” they... read more

The book is very comprehensive. The authors consistently explain concepts well and provide easy-to-understand examples that are approachable for the undergraduate audience. For example, the authors don’t just say, “narrow down your source,” they go through steps to narrow it down, walking students through the process. (p 9) Very thorough. They also spend a page and a half giving examples of “Regular Question” vs. “Research Question.” (p 13-14) This ensures that students will understand the difference. They also do well with explaining fact vs. option, objective vs. subjective, primary vs. secondary vs. tertiary sources, popular vs. professional vs. scholarly magazines, when to quote vs. paraphrase vs. summarize, and other concepts that are critical to performing research.

The book does not have an index. The table of contents is quite thorough and very useful in understanding the breakdown of the book or locating certain topics.

The book is error-free.

There are many digital examples in the text. As long as authors make updates as technology inevitably changes in the future, the book should remain relevant.

The book has a conversational tone that is connective, trustworthy, and approachable for the undergraduate audience. This makes it easy to read and easy to understand.

The book is very consistent with tone, and terminology.

In the introduction, the book encourages students to “jump around a bit in this guide to meet your needs.” (p 5). The book stays true to this idea. Students could read the book straight through, but it is well-designed for “jumping around.” The sections stand alone, and instructors could easily assign sections in the book out of order. This book could be used as the only textbook in a classroom, or an instructor could use these modules to supplement an existing textbook. Topics are easily found in the book thanks to an excellent table of contents, a clear organizational structure, and a great use of headers.

The book is well-organized and follows a logical structure. Individual topics are also well-organized. The authors break processes into step-by-step, making is easy for students to learn.

Great use of visual aids. For example, there is a chart on how to narrow down research topic (p 9), and a chart on the roles of resources in research (p 179). These items are great for visual learners, and they make the text come alive while emphasizing important concepts.

The book shares links to outside sources. This provides students that would like more information that is beyond the book with resources. It additionally provides students links to activities, such as one that asks them if a source is primary, secondary, or tertiary (p 34). On occasion, it links to outside companies, such as citation management software, news outlets, and social media, making the book a resource. In this way, the book utilizes the medium of a digital book.

The book is free of grammatical errors.

The book is culturally sensitive. The book is designed for Ohio University students. Examples given occasionally apply to Ohio, such as when the authors are providing examples of newspapers, they list two out of six that are from Ohio, including the campus newspaper (p 43) There is also a link to the OSU Libraries’ newspaper database (p 44), and when talking about citation management software, they mention the three that are available at OSU. It’s not a large enough issue that one should not use the book; it’s still easy to understand, but it is a limitation and worth mentioning to students.

I teach a 300-level English class on performing research and writing research papers. I plan to utilize this book next semester due to the excellent organization of modules, the approachable tone, and the great explanations and examples.

Reviewed by Constance Chemay, Head of Public Services, Library Services; Asst. Professor, User Instruction, River Parishes Community College, Gonzales, LA on 6/20/17

The book does an excellent job covering the subject, and even goes beyond what its title suggests, with chapters on writing and formulating an argument. The chapters on copyright and fair use are exceptional. However, it lacks both a glossary and... read more

The book does an excellent job covering the subject, and even goes beyond what its title suggests, with chapters on writing and formulating an argument. The chapters on copyright and fair use are exceptional. However, it lacks both a glossary and an index. Some terms are defined in their appropriate chapters, but not all. Some students, particularly first-year or those who may be enrolled in developmental courses, would benefit greatly from a glossary. The activities, while appropriate for their contexts, are mixed in their effectiveness; some provide good feedback with clarification, but most offer little more than a smiley face for a correct answer or an “x” for a wrong answer with no other feedback.

For the most part, this book is accurate and unbiased, but one area where I noticed discrepancies is the chapter on citing sources. MLA released its 8th edition in April 2016, yet the examples provided are 7th edition. I also noticed errors in the example for APA; only the first word, proper nouns, and those following major punctuation marks are to be capitalized in article titles following APA formating guidelines. Regarding bias, the book is unbiased; however, I disagree with the discussion of news sources regarding mainstream versus non-mainstream (or mainline as used in the text); main-stream media includes "traditional" sources, e.g., television, newspapers, and radio, as opposed to online sources, especially social media. The authors’ inclusion of Fox News, a right-leaning national television news network, a contemporary of CBS, NBC, and ABC, as non-mainline rather than mainline shows bias, in my opinion. It’s difficult to find news from any news source, mainstream or not, right, left or center, that doesn’t have some bias or opinions in its reporting.

This textbook itself is written so that it will be relevant for a long time. However, there are some exceptions. The discussion of citation styles uses examples for MLA that reflect the 7th edition rather than the 8th, which was released in April 2016. The book covers this discrepancy somewhat with its tip regarding choosing a citation style, with its remarks that styles do change and its recommendation to check with one’s instructors. Another issue is the potential for link rot regarding external websites; in fact there are a few dead links in the text and activities already. A couple of online resources mentioned and linked to, IPL2 and the Statistical Abstracts of the US, have been retired for at least a couple of years, which makes me wonder about when the book was actually last reviewed edited.

The book is well-written, easy to read, conversational. Most technical language is defined and used appropriately.

This book is consistent in terms of its terminology and framework.

This book is extremely modular in its organization at the chapter level and within the chapters. It can be easily reordered to meet specific course or instructor needs. It does refer to other sections of the text, but these references are appropriate, emphasizing more in-depth information elsewhere in the book. Sections that are unique to OSU can be replaced/revised to make the text relevant to other institutions as needed.

It is well organized and reflects the processes and stages of research. While the research process is not linear, the topics are presented in a logical manner that guides students through the process. I did note that a couple of sections in chapter 7, on ethical use of sources don’t really seem to fit there, however. The paragraphs on page 118 discussing a lack of understanding of the materials and lack of time might fit better in other chapters.

While the online version works well, the PDF format has issues. Some of the in-text navigation links work (the TOC links) while others found throughout the text don’t, often giving an “error: unknown export format” message. There are also a few dead links in both the online and PDF formats, as well as in some of the online activities. Some links direct users to OSU Libraries’ resources, either their catalog or their licensed databases, but not all such links are clearly identified as such.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

For the most part, this text is well-written, grammatically; however, it does have a few grammatical/typographical errors, possibly more than one might expect from a text of this length, and assuming that the author is most likely a committee rather than an individual, more eyes reviewing the text should catch such errors. There are also instances of tense inconsistencies, shifting from present to past in the same sentence. Two paragraphs on page 47, under “Finding Data in Articles . . .,” repeat the same four sentences verbatim in different order. This occurs again on page 88. While these are not grammatical errors, they are certainly editorial errors. Most of the online activities have typos, as well, more so than the textbook.

This textbook is not culturally insensitive or offensive.

I do like this book. I think it puts the topic in terms that students can readily use and understand. I'd even recommend the chapters on copyright and fair use to faculty! I do think that it could benefit from the inclusion of a glossary and an index, as well as regular and frequent review, especially in regards to the linked resources. The PDF version definitely needs revisions since it seems that most of the in-text referral links throughout the text don’t work. Since it is tailored to OSU’s library resources, any instruction librarian using the book can substitute content relevant to his/her institution; non-library faculty using the text can consult their own librarians for help with this.

Reviewed by Dawn Kennedy, Ed.S, Health Education, Anoka-Ramsey Community College on 4/11/17

Choosing &amp; Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research serves as an excellent guide for teaching the research process. It takes the learner through the process of academic research and writing in an easy to understand manner. As an educator... read more

Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research serves as an excellent guide for teaching the research process. It takes the learner through the process of academic research and writing in an easy to understand manner. As an educator in a community college setting, I am working with students who are new to the research process. This text will be useful when working with students to start developing the appropriate process of research writing. The text has neither a back-of-the-book index nor a glossary. It is beneficial that key terms are defined throughout the chapters.

The information presented in the text is accurate at this point in time and unbiased. One concern is that some of The information presented in the text is accurate at this point in time and unbiased. One concern is that some of the links do not work.

Content is up-to-date at this point in time. Most examples and exercises are arranged separately from the main text and can be updated as needed. Some of the content links to the Ohio State University Libraries databases which may not be assessable to students outside that institution.

This text is clearly written, well-illustrated, and user-friendly for the undergraduate audience. It avoids technical jargon and provides definitions where appropriate.

Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research is consistent in terms of terminology and framework.

Regarding the book’s modularity, users of this text can be selective in chapter choice. In this sense the text is useful to instructors and students who wish to focus on a single component and /or use the text as a reference. For a better understanding of the research process in its entirety, reading the text in the order written may prove to be more beneficial.

The text's organization mirrors the research process in a logical, clear manner. Chapters 1-8 lead the reader through the basics of research literacy and research skills; chapters nine and ten explain the process for making an argument and writing tips; Subsequent chapters zero in on copyright and Fair Use information. Key concepts and points are supported with highlights, examples and colorful illustrations.

The text displays generous use of visuals which are clear and free of distortion. The activities provided support the concepts and skills being addressed and are easy to navigate. One concern is the activities which are linked to Ohio State University may not provide access to all, resulting in limited access of information and frustration for the reader.

• The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

This is a text does an excellent job of explaining the research process in a logical manner. The text uses examples, illustrations, and skill practice to support the learning process. I recommend this text for use in it's entirely for teaching and learning the research process and as a resource for the rest of us.

Reviewed by Scott Miller, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Rogue Community College on 4/11/17

The book is very comprehensive and even goes beyond what might be expected in this kind of textbook. Along with choosing and using sources, the authors include a section on making an argument. Topics are dealt with appropriately and the text... read more

The book is very comprehensive and even goes beyond what might be expected in this kind of textbook. Along with choosing and using sources, the authors include a section on making an argument. Topics are dealt with appropriately and the text employs tests and activities along the way. I found some of the activities were not particularly well designed and sometimes answers to questions were based on assumptions by the authors as to context that in real life may or may not be appropriate. For instance, they claim that the periodical/journal title "Coral Reefs" is a scholarly journal, but judging by the title alone in a real life exercise there is no way to know whether it is scholarly or popular in nature.

There could have been more discussion about context and how it defines whether a sources is primary, secondary or tertiary. '

What the this textbook does not have is any kind of index or glossary, which I found disappointing.

I did not find any instances of inaccuracies in the text. I did find, however, some assumptions in the text that were not always warranted. I took issue with the assumption that mainline news sources are objective (p. 42). It is very clear that news articles are often biased. I think telling students that mainline news sources are objective effectively disarms instead of promotes critical thinking by students doing research.

On page 126 there is a discussion about using quotations where the authors say that all quotes are to be put within quotation marks. This is not true of block quotes in MLA or APA style and they omit any mention of it.

This textbook should retain its relevancy for several years, but it will lose its effectiveness very soon, since many of the dozens and dozens of links in the text will surely break before long. In the short term the links are a great feature, but they do severely limit the longevity of the book. I also found them annoyingly pervasive.

It should also be noted that the MLA citation example on page 122 uses the outdated MLA 7th edition guidelines.

Overall, I thought the book was very clearly written and easy to follow. The one section I struggled reading was the section on sources and information need. It seemed to want much more editing and was often wordy and almost obscure.

I did not notice any lack of consistency in terminology or framework.

This is one the book's strengths. It was clearly organized into topics and subtopics which sometimes could be addressed in an order chosen by an instructor. There were, however, occasional self-references to earlier sections or previously used external sources.

Moving from the simpler aspects of choosing and evaluating sources to the more complex uses of them and how arguments are constructed made good sense.

Interface rating: 2

I found the interface to have significant problems. At least a dozen links would not work from the PDF text when opened in Firefox. I often got the message, "error: unknown export format." The links seemed to work when viewing the text online, however.

The textbook's usefulness outside of Ohio State is severely limited by the frequent use of sources only available through OSU student logins. The textbook was written for OSU students, but it really fails as a textbook for any other institution unless it is significantly modified.

I found a few missing punctuation marks, and only two missing or wrong words in sentences. For a textbook this long, that's very good.

The textbook used interesting and non-offensive examples.

While it's a good textbook for choosing and using information sources it suffers from being too specifically written for OSU students, as well as including an overabundance of links that will reduce its longevity. Not including any kind of index or glossary is also a drawback.

Reviewed by Vanessa Ruccolo, Advanced Instructor of English, Virginia Tech on 2/8/17

Ch. 1 has a great overview of regular versus research questions and the difference between qualitative and quantitative research. Ch. 2 covers primary, secondary, and tertiary sources as well as popular, professional, and scholarly. Ch. 3... read more

Ch. 1 has a great overview of regular versus research questions and the difference between qualitative and quantitative research. Ch. 2 covers primary, secondary, and tertiary sources as well as popular, professional, and scholarly. Ch. 3 includes a source plan (i.e. what do you need the sources for and what is your plan). Ch. 4 gives tips and hints for searching on a library database. Ch. 5 gives different search options, like the library or Google Scholar. Ch. 6 is all about evaluating the sources you find, including clues about sussing out bias and thoroughness, as well as discussing currency of topic. Ch. 7 discusses why you should cite sources. Ch. 8 discusses ways to cite sources. Ch. 9 is looking at argument as dialog and what is necessary in that exchange and a recommended order of components. Ch. 10 covers quoting, paraphrasing,and summarizing and signal phrases. Ch. 11, 12 are copyright and fair use. Ch. 13 covers the roles or research.

I will use Ch. 1 and 2 in my classes, as I think the breakdown of research is useful and clear. Ch. 3 also has useful imbedded tools that will help students plan; Ch. 4 and 5 might be used as references post-library visit. I will also use Ch. 6 and Ch. 10.

I think the information provided for distinguishing scholarly, popular, and professional is helpful and I hope the resources help students understand good, reliable sources a bit better. The same is true for searching for sources, and I think the sections on search engines and evaluation of sources are going to be quite useful.

While the information on copyright, fair use, and why and ways to cite sources is fine, I won't be using these for my English classes as I find them not as helpful or relevant.

I think the book is quite accurate in terms of information provided. They use sources that both I and my students use, so clearly the book is addressing real needs in the classroom. It also makes suggestions that reinforce the concepts our librarians share with the students and instructors, so I find this to be extremely helpful.

The book suggests Purdue OWL, a source I also use; however, I realized this year that OWL was behind in updating some of the MLA citation changes. So that's something maybe for the book authors to note or address when recommending websites.

With that said, I think the book covers key specifics like university library websites, Google Scholar, and search engines, in broad enough terms to keep it relevant. Also, the graphics are simple and not dated, and there is one drawing of the "outernet" that shows what social media, Youtube, etc. would look like in the "real, outer" world. This drawing is the only thing I saw that might be dated soon, but its point is still solid.

Very easy to read, clear terminology and explanation of terms, and lists are also provided to help break up each page's prose, which means the information is presented in a visually clear form as well.

I think the consistency of terminology as well as the scaffolding makes sense on the whole. I didn't seem places where the language changed or seemed to have several writers or definitions.

Perhaps one of the best parts of this book is how each chapter is contained, succinct, includes an activity, but still builds on and with the other chapters. Each chapter is stand-alone and clear and easy to read online, or if you chose to print it. The creators clearly had the online reader in mind, however, and the chapter lengths and fonts are comfortable.

Overall, I like the organization, specifically for chapters 10-6. I would change the order of the final chapters so that Ch. 9 and 10 come before Ch. 7, 8, 11, 12. I would also move Ch. 13 "The Roles of Research" to earlier in the book, perhaps around Ch. 3 or Ch. 6. If I use these materials, I will reorder some of the chapters for my class so that the scaffolding and explanations work a bit more side by side.

Again, comfortable, easy-to-read pages, simple graphics and the charts used are helpful and appropriate. I especially appreciated that the authors didn't use images that showed people or figures that could both date the book and also make students feel talked down to - I hate images like this and refuse to use textbooks that incorporate them, so kudos!

Additional resources are easy to access.

I wish the email option (for sending yourself a page) pulled up a screen in which I could type the email I wanted it sent to. Instead, it pulls up Messenger, which I don't use.

The Table of Contents didn't let me jump to the chapter when I pulled down the menu. Was that just my computer/browser?

Now, I didn't read through as though I was grading (it is winter break, after all!) but nothing jumped off the page. If something had, if there had been a mistake, I would still use the text; if there had been several, I would have considered abandoning it for class. However, the information is still so good I i might have told my students to find the grammar mistakes as part of an assignment just so that I could use the research parts still; however, I didn't not see any.

No, nothing. Perhaps if the authors include more examples for citations they could pull from culturally different sources then, but the material here was so broad in terms of textual sources it was in no way exclusive.

I will be using parts of this book in my English classes. Well done to the authors - a helpful, free supplement.

Reviewed by Dale Jenkins, Advanced Instructor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) on 2/8/17

Having taught freshmen how to write college research papers for the past 18 years, I gave the text high marks on addressing all of the key elements college students need to engage in academic research. read more

Having taught freshmen how to write college research papers for the past 18 years, I gave the text high marks on addressing all of the key elements college students need to engage in academic research.

The text implements content from a host of sources which is extremely useful, but the grammar needs a few tweaks.

This represents a strong aspect of the text. The writers did a good job of winnowing out unnecessary components of the research process, although my freshmen would not delve into the Fair Use and Copyright chapters.

The book gets outstanding marks on clarity. Students will find this to be a definite strength of the text.

The authors did a good job with consistency. I kept my students in mind as I evaluated this aspect of the text.

Students would find this book extremely accessible in terms of modularity. I don't see them being overwhelmed by the text or high-brow jargon.

I noted a logical progression to all thirteen of the chapters. Students in upper-level classes would find the chapters on Fair Use and Copyright more significant in their academic studies.

The hyperlinks and the interactive elements of the book will be extremely appealing to students as well as being substantive.

The book still needs some work in this regard. Pronouns don't always agree with the antecedents, and I noted several shifts in voice in the text.

The text doesn't have any instances of cultural insensitivity, and I pay close attention to this aspect of textbooks when I peruse them for potential use in my courses.

The hyperlinks, using different types of media, and the chapters on "Why Precision Searching?" and the discussion of plagiarism proved to be well-crafted and accessible for students. I also commend the authors for the lack of jargon that would leave students in its wake.

Reviewed by Jarrod Dunham, Instructor - English Composition, Portland Community College on 2/8/17

A very comprehensive guide to the writing of the research paper. I've taught research writing for several years, and this book covers all the material I'd typically cover in a class. Previously I've not used a textbook in that class, but I'm... read more

A very comprehensive guide to the writing of the research paper. I've taught research writing for several years, and this book covers all the material I'd typically cover in a class. Previously I've not used a textbook in that class, but I'm teaching an online section this term and find that the book offers a very effective substitute for the lectured and activities I'd otherwise be presenting in class.

This text is accurate and up-to-date with the most recent developments and issues in the field.

This text is very much up-to-date. It shows an awareness of changing conventions in academic writing, and emphasizes the latest technological tools for researching and managing citations. It frequently links to outside resources, which could be problematic in the event those resources were removed or relocated, but in practice I never encountered such an issue.

Clarity is one of the book's strengths. It is written in clear, simple, and concise prose, resisting the kind of "academese" that is frequently employed in textbooks and gives students a false impression of what academic writing should look like. I found all of the content very easy to understand, and, although it's intended for slightly more advanced classes, accessible for Freshman writing students.

The text is highly consistent, both in terms of the terminology it employs, its organizational structure, and its systematic incorporation of tips, learning activities, and quizzes.

The book is divided into 13 chapters, each of which addresses particular aspects of research writing and can be employed on its own, or in conjunction with other related chapters. I found that assigning chapters in order was generally perfectly appropriate, although there was no issue with assigning the odd chapter out of order - links to previous or later content are provided where appropriate, so students can easily navigate to other relevant sections of the text.

This text is very nicely organized. It moves from the beginning stages of the pre-writing process - choosing a topic and identifying appropriate guiding questions - through the research to the writing of the paper itself. I found that the organizational structure of the text very closely mirrored the structure I use myself in teaching research writing. As such, adopting this text for the course (and adapting the course to the text) was a delightfully straightforward exercise.

The interface of the text is excellent. It is very easy to navigate, very attractive, and all tools work as intended. Some features are only available to those with Ohio State University log-ins, which yields a handful of frustrating moments, but in general I didn't find this to be a significant issue.

The text is error free and written in a simple, accessible, and engaging style. It's not merely an easy read, but one that effectively models clear and concise academic prose for writing students.

To the extent such issues come into play, the text is inclusive and culturally sensitive. The content of the text is mostly neutral on such issues - they simply tend not to come into play - but I was pleased to find a comprehensive chapter on the ethical use of sources, which introduces an ethical dimension to the research and writing process that many students may not anticipate or otherwise be prepared to navigate.

Overall I was quite pleased with this text. In my online section of Research Paper Writing, I have assigned nine of the thirteen chapters, and am very pleased with the breadth of content covered thereby. With one exception, I've been able to assign those chapters in the order they appear in the book, which simplified the planning process for myself, and offers a structure to the course that will be more readily apparent to my students as well. Late chapters on Copyrights Basics and Fair Use struck me as unnecessary and a little off topic, but it is of course easy to simply not assign those chapters, and since this is not a print book they have no bearing on materials costs.

For an online class like the one I am currently teaching, this is an excellent primary text. Even in a face-to-face class it could prove to be a very useful supplemental text. Normally I resist the use of supplemental texts in face-to-face classes, but since this one is free it is ideal for that purpose: instructors and students can simply rely on it to whatever extent feels useful.

Reviewed by Jennifer Lantrip, Reference Librarian, Umpqua Community College on 2/8/17

This book is an excellent source for guiding undergraduate students through the research process, from understanding the purposes for doing research and writing a research question, to composing a thesis and contributing to a scholarly... read more

This book is an excellent source for guiding undergraduate students through the research process, from understanding the purposes for doing research and writing a research question, to composing a thesis and contributing to a scholarly conversation. Students learn where and how to find relevant sources and how to evaluate and use them ethically. The main text is supplemented with links to useful resources, videos, worksheets, examples, and exercises. These are all high quality sources, making this a comprehensive resource for teaching information literacy and the research process. While no index or glossary is provided, terms are well defined within the text. Links are provided to other sections within the text where terms are further discussed.

The content is error-free, unbiased, and accurate. Ideas and concepts are in accordance with the Association of College and Research Libraries’ “Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education,” with the exception of several small sections that could easily be clarified or adapted.

The opening section of Chapter 3 states that researchers should find sources in order to meet their information needs. However, it states that one information need is “to convince your audience that your answer is correct or, at least, the most reasonable answer.” This should be clarified for students so that they understand that they should start their research with an open mind as opposed to looking for sources which support their predetermined thesis.

The section “The Sources to Meet Needs” in Chapter 3 states that convincing one’s audience is an information need and that students should find sources based upon what their audience would be convinced by. Researchers should not choose their sources based upon what would convince their audience, but rather upon what sources best answer their research question. The most relevant and highest quality sources should not be omitted from the research process because the researcher does not think that his/her audience would be convinced by them. It is part of the researcher’s job to educate and convince his/her audience why the chosen sources and the research are relevant and of high quality.

Chapter 13 mentions briefly, “Putting your sources to work for you in these roles can help you write in a more powerful, persuasive way—to, in fact, win your argument.” It is very important for researchers to make convincing arguments through using quality sources, doing quality research, and presenting the information in an understandable way. Students should understand that the goal of scholarly conversation is not to “win” arguments, but rather to contribute to the world’s shared knowledge. While one argument may hold for a time, it will most likely be refined in some way by future researchers.

The main content of each chapter is current and does not contain terms that will soon be outdated. Specific examples and exercises are arranged separately from the main chapter text and can be updated independently. Some of the content discusses and links to Ohio State University Libraries databases which are unavailable to students at other institutions. While some of this knowledge is transferable, the specific information about these databases is unique to OSU Libraries. It would be useful if this information could be generalized in the main flow of the text so that it would be applicable for students at other institutions.

This text is very readable and easy to understand. Concepts are explained clearly. Exercises and examples are provided to help students grasp each new concept. It is written in a casual tone that appears to make an effort to put its readers at ease while giving solid information about how to complete research and writing assignments successfully.

The terminology used in this book and its framework are consistent. Each chapter, chapter sections, examples, and exercises are organized in a consistent manner throughout the book, making it easy to follow. Students can refer to specific sections of the book or read it straight through. Because links are provided to sections of the book where important terms are defined or discussed further, students can easily jump to relevant sections of the book.

The book is divided into chapters and subsections which lead the reader seamlessly and logically through the research process. The book could easily be assigned to be read linearly, but it would also work well for instructors to assign specific chapters as applicable to the course content.

This book takes students through the research process in logical steps, from choosing and refining research questions, to producing and sharing what they have learned. For students who are unfamiliar with the research process, it would be most useful to read the book linearly as each chapter prepares students for future chapters.

This text is easy to navigate in both the PDF and online versions. Images are clear. There are currently no broken links. The contents in the PDF version could be made clearer by making a greater distinction between the main chapter and chapter section titles.

The text has negligible grammatical errors.

This text is not culturally insensitive or offensive.

I highly recommend this book for teaching information literacy and the research process to undergraduates.

Reviewed by Patricia Akhimie, Asst. Prof of English, Rutgers University-Newark on 2/8/17

This textbook does not include an index or glossary but is full-text searchable, returning a an easy to read and access menu of clickable search results to take readers directly to the desired information. In addition, an expandable Table of... read more

This textbook does not include an index or glossary but is full-text searchable, returning a an easy to read and access menu of clickable search results to take readers directly to the desired information. In addition, an expandable Table of Contents for the book is available as a tab so that readers can view an overview of topics and jump to other sections at any time. This textbook offers a review of research methods that is certainly comprehensive. Instructors will likely find that individual sections, rather than the whole work, are most useful in planning lessons and constructing student assignments in research based and writing intensive courses at the undergraduate level.

This textbook is accurate in its representation of research methods and of the reasoning behind these approaches. In addition, details about citation styles, and search tools, seem error-free. Treatments of the more complex aspects of research, such as constructing an argument, are unbiased and thorough.

The textbook should be useful to students and instructors for some time. It should be noted, however, that research software and citation styles are updated, though infrequently. Thus, the video walkthroughs of particular databases, for example, may be obsolete or misleading after some time.

This textbook is remarkably lucid and approachable for undergraduate readers. Discussions of complex ideas are illustrated with useful graphics that readers and instructors will find particularly helpful. The video walkthroughs are perhaps the most attractive illustrations for instructors. These guides will be appealing and easy to use for students intimidated by large databases and their idiosyncrasies.

The textbook is immanently usable. It is consistent in its tone as well as in its use of terms.

It is clear that this textbook has been designed with modularity in mind. Individual sections will be more useful than others, depending on the type and level of the class. In addition, sections can easily be assigned at different points over the course of a semester. For example, sections might be assigned at intervals that reflect the stages of the development of undergraduate student’s independent research paper. The section on formulating research questions might appear early in the semester, the section on citation styles toward the end.

The organization of the book reflects the stages of research. This means that navigating the textbook will be intuitive.

Navigating this textbook will be intuitive, the Table of Contents tab makes moving between sections very easy.

Readers will find the textbook free of simple typos and errors.

Readers will find the textbook inclusive. Some readers may find that the attempt made in the textbook to speak to research in the humanities, social sciences and sciences has meant that discussions can be vague at times but this is to be expected in a textbook on this topic aimed at a broad range of readers and researchers.

Reviewed by Heather Jerónimo, Assistant Professor, University of Northern Iowa on 2/8/17

This text is a comprehensive review of the various types of sources one might need to complete a research project or paper. The book begins with a clear explanation of how to formulate a research question, while the majority of the chapters focus... read more

This text is a comprehensive review of the various types of sources one might need to complete a research project or paper. The book begins with a clear explanation of how to formulate a research question, while the majority of the chapters focus on finding and evaluating sources. The topics in this text are well-chosen and reflect several aspects of academic writing in which beginning researchers might struggle, such as how to do a precision search, understanding biased versus unbiased sources, and how to decide between quoting or paraphrasing. This book is written at a level that undergraduates should easily be able to comprehend, while the content of the chapters gets increasingly detailed and complex throughout the book. There is no index or glossary at the back of the book, but there is a very complete table of contents at the beginning of the text. Readers might find it useful if the chapter titles in the table of contents were in bold, as the detailed breakdown of sections—while helpful—can be overwhelming when one is looking for the main categories of the book.

The text provides helpful and unbiased examples for how to do research in many different areas. The practice activities relate quite well to the content of the chapters, although some links do not work. One of the strengths of the text is its applicability in a general sense to many different types of research.

In most chapters the information is kept very general, allowing the text to enjoy relative longevity, as the process of how to conduct academic research, cite quotes, etc., likely will not change drastically in the near future. For example, in the section on databases, different types of databases are explained, but the author does not reference many specific databases to which students may or may not have access. With an understanding of the concept, students then are equipped to find the databases that pertain to their field and that are offered by their institutions. There are several references to Ohio State throughout the text that will not be helpful to all readers, but they do not impede the reader’s comprehension of the text.

It is a very readable text, written at a level that makes it easily accessible to undergraduate students. The author has avoided jargon that would be confusing to the readers.

Even though the book gives examples of various types of research and sources, it maintains a high level of consistency throughout.

The chapters are clearly divided in a way that allows the reader the option to skip between chapters or to read the chapters in succession. This text could be put to a variety of uses within the classroom. As an instructor, one could use it as a primary text for a Research Methods or Composition class. One could also suggest that students read only certain sections in a class that was not primarily focused on the writing of research papers but that had a research component. This text is a valuable how-to manual that students can reference throughout their academic journey.

The text has a logical organization and flow. The book transitions from more basic information at the beginning to more specialized knowledge in later chapters, allowing students to gradually become more immersed in the topic. The structure permits students to read the text from cover to cover, or to read only the information and chapters about which they are curious. The activities serve as good checkpoints to assess students’ knowledge and break up longer readings.

The interface of the text is easy to manage and does not distract from the content. The placement and accessibility of the activities provide quick and easy checks to assess whether students have understood the concepts of the chapters. The images support the text and are linked closely to the message.

There are few grammatical errors in this text.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive. Like many textbooks, it could be more intentional in its inclusion of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds, perhaps in the examples or practice activities.

Reviewed by Dr. William Vann, Information Studies Faculty, Minneapolis Community and Technical College on 12/5/16

While there is neither a back-of-the-book index nor a compiled glossary in this outstanding textbook (key terms are defined, however, throughout the chapters), one cannot deny its comprehensiveness. In fact, this text covers so much ground it is... read more

While there is neither a back-of-the-book index nor a compiled glossary in this outstanding textbook (key terms are defined, however, throughout the chapters), one cannot deny its comprehensiveness. In fact, this text covers so much ground it is unlikely to be used in its entirety for any single college course. Information literacy and research skills courses will find the first eight chapters to be a robust introduction to their subject matter, replete with interactive activities and auto-graded assessments. Composition courses engaged in research-based writing will likely work through the first eight chapters selectively, but then dwell on chapters nine and ten on argument formation and writing. Such courses may also benefit from the excellent chapter thirteen on Joseph Bizup's BEAM method of deploying research sources in scholarly communication. Chapters eleven and twelve on copyright and fair use, respectively, are likely to be used only by advanced undergraduates, faculty, and professional librarians, but they do serve as a handy reference nonetheless.

All of the chapters of this textbook contain authoritative and accurate information, in line with national information literacy standards and sound pedagogical methods for composition and critical thinking. The only section of the text I took issue with was the "Fact or Opinion" part of the second chapter, where the authors try to distinguish between fact, opinion, subjective information, and objective information. The authors' attempt results in claims like "the death penalty is wrong" being rendered as opinions, while claims like "women should stock up on calcium to ensure strong bones" are judged to be subjective information. Facts and objective information are superior, on this way of thinking, because they are the result of research studies, particularly empirical, quantitative ones.

I suspect that this way of drawing the distinction would do little to challenge the naive relativism most undergraduates bring to the classroom. (How many of us, when analyzing a text with beginning undergraduates, have had to entertain the question "Isn't that just the author's opinion though?") A better approach would be to talk about claims that are empirically justified (facts), claims that are justified, but not empirically (value judgments - "x is wrong", prescriptive claims - "women should do x"), and claims that are not adequately justified by any means (opinions). In this way, answering a research question like "Is the death penalty unjust?" is not merely an exercise in subjective opinion-making, but rather an exploration of reasoned argumentation, only some of which may be empirical or based on research studies.

The text is current and will likely be so for some time. Examples, activities, and tips are marked off from the main chapter prose, so will be easy to refresh when necessary.

There is no lack of technical terms in the world of information studies, but this textbook does a fine job of providing definitions where appropriate in each chapter. Concepts and methods are explained in context, and illustrative, easy-to-follow examples adorn each chapter.

The only area of the text that falls a little short on clarity is the interactive activities. These are usually multiple choice or matching questions, but some of the word choice in questions left this reader confused, and in some cases the instructions could have been more explicit.

Being authored by committee, we might expect this textbook to suffer in the consistency category. Yet it does not, thanks again to the fine editing job by Cheryl Lowry. Perhaps the book's provenance as a series of online tutorials put together by librarians and faculty at OSU is partly responsible for this.

As the authors suggest on the first page, the research process isn't always linear. So reading a text modeled on the research process oughtn't to be a straightforward chapter-by-chapter march either. Consequently, faculty and students can comfortably read this text selectively and skip chapters as needed. For the most holistic understanding of the research process, however, it would be sensible to work through at least chapters one through eight in their entirety.

I appreciate how the text's organization mirrors the research process itself. The first chapter takes on research questions, exactly where student researchers need to begin their projects. Subsequent chapters explore types of information sources, how to find and evaluate them, and finally how to deploy them in a well-argued scholarly product. The writing in each chapter is clear and crisp, with important concepts amplified by colorful visualizations.

As mentioned above, the chapters on copyright and fair use which occur near the end of the book feel like a logical interruption to the book's flow, and they might well fit more comfortably as appendices for occasional reference by advanced undergraduates, faculty, and librarians.

The "look and feel" of this textbook is clean and very intuitive to navigate through. The design strikes a pleasing balance between prose, graphics, and special formatting features like the explanatory, grey-background "TIPS" found in each chapter. Subheadings, bulleted and ordered lists, and judicious font choices make the text easy to read in all its online file formats.

One weakness of the interface is that several of the linked activities point to OSU Libraries' resources, thus requiring OSU authentication to be accessed. While it is understandable that the authors wanted to include their libraries' proprietary information sources in the activities - these are the sources their students and faculty will be using in actual practice, after all - this obviously makes this text less of an "open" textbook. Those outside of the OSU community who would like to adopt this textbook will therefore have to come up with their own replacement activities in such cases, or do without.

A few of the links in the text did lead me to a curious OSU server error message: "Error: Unknown export format", but I expect these links will be repaired as they are reported to the authors.

This textbook has clearly been edited with careful eyes by Cheryl Lowry, as grammatical errors are few to none. The grammatical hygiene of the text can probably also be attributed to its collective authorship - over a dozen librarians and faculty of the Ohio State University Libraries developed the content, which was born out of a series of online tutorials.

This textbook is culturally relevant in its use of examples and depictions of college students.

This text is a substantial contribution to the open textbook movement, and its quality easily meets or exceeds anything comparable in the commercial publishing arena. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Kelly McKenna, Assistant Professor, Colorado State University on 12/5/16

The book provides a thorough introduction and how to regarding sources in academic writing. With the exception of the first chapter on writing research questions, the rest of the book is focused on sources, which is relevant for any type of... read more

The book provides a thorough introduction and how to regarding sources in academic writing. With the exception of the first chapter on writing research questions, the rest of the book is focused on sources, which is relevant for any type of academic writing not just research papers. The information is relevant across disciplines and readable to a wide audience. It is clearly written for and geared towards undergraduate students, particularly from Ohio State University. The index is detailed making it easy to locate specific information and includes hyperlinks for clear navigation. A slightly altered index format would make the chapter topics more readily available and accessed. All subjects and chapters are aligned rather than clearly indicating each of the chapters found within the text.

Content throughout the book is accurate and clearly written. There does not appear to bias in reading the material. The book includes numerous resources linked throughout the text, however some are no longer active resulting in error messages.

Due to the significant number of links throughout the book, it is likely updates will be necessary on a consistent basis. These links are extremely beneficial, so ensuring they are accurate and up to date is essential to the content of this book. Much of the book reads as a "how to" regarding sources, so although practices for scholarly writing will likely not become obsolete the sources and technology used to locate the sources will evolve.

The informal tone of the text is engaging and applicable for the intended audience. The writers are aware of their audience, avoiding technical jargon. Also, throughout the book they provide numerous examples, resources, activities, and tips to provide insight and relevancy to students.

The structure of the book is clear and well organized with each chapter providing scaffolding for the next. Although the text is internally consistent regarding terminology there are formatting differences between and within some chapters. Blue boxes throughout the text contain tips, examples, answers, etc. Organization, readability, and consistency could be improved if these were constant throughout the text similar to the presentation of activities in the text.

Sections of the book could be easily assigned and read in isolation. Subsections of material are clearly marked and chapters are presented in organized fashion with clear delineation between segments. The inclusion of numerous activities, examples, resources, and tips improve modularity.

The book is created as a tool for students completing academic writing and follows this course. Topics contained in the book are presented in a clear and logical structure. As mentioned above, with exception of the first chapter, the material is relevant to all undergraduate academic writing, not just research.

The layout and display work well as a PDF or electronic book. Numerous visuals are included throughout and are free of distortion or other distracting or confusing issues. As mentioned above, the index could be improved by clearly articulating the subheadings as within a chapter.

The book contains minimal to no grammatical errors.

The book is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

Some sections of the book are specific to Ohio State University potentially limiting its relevancy and audience in specific chapters or sections.

Table of Contents

• 1. Research Questions
• 2. Types of Sources
• 3. Sources and Information Needs
• 4. Precision Searching
• 5. Search Tools
• 6. Evaluating Sources
• 7. Ethical Use of Sources
• 8. How to Cite Sources
• 9. Making an Argument
• 10. Writing Tips
• 11. Copyright Basics
• 12. Fair Use
• 13. Roles of Research Sources

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Choosing & Using Sources presents a process for academic research and writing, from formulating your research question to selecting good information and using it effectively in your research assignments. Additional chapters cover understanding types of sources, searching for information, and avoiding plagiarism. Each chapter includes self-quizzes and activities to reinforce core concepts and help you apply them. There are also appendices for quick reference on search tools, copyright basics, and fair use.

What experts are saying about Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research :

“…a really fantastic contribution that offers a much needed broadened perspective on the process of research, and is packed to the brim with all kinds of resources and advice on how to effectively use them. The chapter on plagiarism is really excellent, and the chapter on searching for sources is utterly brilliant.”

– Chris Manion, PhD Coordinator of Writing Across the Curriculum at Ohio State University

“… an excellent resource for students, with engaging content, graphics, and examples—very compelling. The coverage of copyright is outstanding.”

– J. Craig Gibson Co-chair of ACRL's Task Force on Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

About the Contributors

Cheryl Lowry , training and education specialist, Ohio State University Libraries.

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Columbia University Libraries

Columbia university buildings: research guide & selected bibliography: citing sources.

• General History
• Maps and Plans
• Morningside Campus
• Morningside Campus Buildings
• Barnard College
• Manhattanville Campus (West Harlem)
• Manhattanville Campus (West Harlem) Buildings
• Medical Center
• Baker Field Athletics Complex
• Citing Sources

Zotero allows you to collect, organize, cite and share your research sources and enables the download, capture, and indexing of full text from PDFs and websites. The Libraries recommend the use of Zotero due to its open-source pedigree and widespread popularity.  

Zotero is available as a Firefox plugin as well as a standalone version, providing browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.  Zotero's integration with Firefox is considerably more efficient than with the other browsers, however, so bear this in mind when getting started.

Click here for a free download of Zotero. Consult the Quick Start Guide for tips and videos on how to get started using Zotero.   Be sure to download a word processor plugin to make the fullest use of this software.

The Libraries offer free hands-on workshops on using Zotero.  You can find information about dates and times as well as register online to attend one of these sessions on the Libraries Workshops page.

If you need help installing or using Zotero, including support for advanced features, you can email: [email protected]. edu

General Citation Sources & Tools

• Citing Sources - APA, Chicago, MLA, CSE, & Turabian
• OWL Writing Lab - APA, Chicago, & MLA
• Research and Documentation Online - APA, Chicago, CSE, & MLA
• Citation Style Suggestions for Internet Resources - APA, Chicago, CSE, & MLA
• Citing Electronic Resources - Chicago & MLA
• Citing Government Documents - APA, Chicago, MLA, & Turabian
• The Columbia Guide to Online Style : Includes guidelines for online citations and for formatting your documents.
• Citing Government Documents : Includes citation formats for specific government documents.

Citation Formatters:

• Son of Citation Machine
• DocsCite (Government Documents Service)
• DOI Data Citation Formater
• What is Plagiarism and How to Avoid It
• Academic Integrity at Columbia College
• Columbia Copyright Advisory Office

Other Resources:

• Plagiarism Tutorial , Duke University
• How to Avoid Plagiarism , Northwestern University
• Avoiding Plagiarism , Purdue University
• Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It , Indiana University
• Common Scholarly Procedures , Duke University
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How To Write a Bibliography (Three Styles, Plus Examples)

Give credit where credit is due.

Writing a research paper involves a lot of work. Students need to consult a variety of sources to gather reliable information and ensure their points are well supported. Research papers include a bibliography, which can be a little tricky for students. Learn how to write a bibliography in multiple styles and find basic examples below.

IMPORTANT: Each style guide has its own very specific rules, and they often conflict with one another. Additionally, each type of reference material has many possible formats, depending on a variety of factors. The overviews shown here are meant to guide students in writing basic bibliographies, but this information is by no means complete. Students should always refer directly to the preferred style guide to ensure they’re using the most up-to-date formats and styles.

What is a bibliography?

When you’re researching a paper, you’ll likely consult a wide variety of sources. You may quote some of these directly in your work, summarize some of the points they make, or simply use them to further the knowledge you need to write your paper. Since these ideas are not your own, it’s vital to give credit to the authors who originally wrote them. This list of sources, organized alphabetically, is called a bibliography.

A bibliography should include all the materials you consulted in your research, even if you don’t quote directly from them in your paper. These resources could include (but aren’t limited to):

• Books and e-books
• Periodicals like magazines or newspapers
• Online articles or websites
• Primary source documents like letters or official records

Bibliography vs. References

These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they actually have different meanings. As noted above, a bibliography includes all the materials you used while researching your paper, whether or not you quote from them or refer to them directly in your writing.

A list of references only includes the materials you cite throughout your work. You might use direct quotes or summarize the information for the reader. Either way, you must ensure you give credit to the original author or document. This section can be titled “List of Works Cited” or simply “References.”

Your teacher may specify whether you should include a bibliography or a reference list. If they don’t, consider choosing a bibliography, to show all the works you used in researching your paper. This can help the reader see that your points are well supported, and allow them to do further reading on their own if they’re interested.

Bibliography vs. Citations

Citations refer to direct quotations from a text, woven into your own writing. There are a variety of ways to write citations, including footnotes and endnotes. These are generally shorter than the entries in a reference list or bibliography. Learn more about writing citations here.

What does a bibliography entry include?

Depending on the reference material, bibliography entries include a variety of information intended to help a reader locate the material if they want to refer to it themselves. These entries are listed in alphabetical order, and may include:

• Author/s or creator/s
• Publication date
• Volume and issue numbers
• Publisher and publication city
• Website URL

These entries don’t generally need to include specific page numbers or locations within the work (except for print magazine or journal articles). That type of information is usually only needed in a footnote or endnote citation.

What are the different bibliography styles?

In most cases, writers use one of three major style guides: APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), or The Chicago Manual of Style . There are many others as well, but these three are the most common choices for K–12 students.

Many teachers will state their preference for one style guide over another. If they don’t, you can choose your own preferred style. However, you should also use that guide for your entire paper, following their recommendations for punctuation, grammar, and more. This will ensure you are consistent throughout.

Below, you’ll learn how to write a simple bibliography using each of the three major style guides. We’ve included details for books and e-books, periodicals, and electronic sources like websites and videos. If the reference material type you need to include isn’t shown here, refer directly to the style guide you’re using.

APA Style Bibliography and Examples

Source: Verywell Mind

Technically, APA style calls for a list of references instead of a bibliography. If your teacher requires you to use the APA style guide , you can limit your reference list only to items you cite throughout your work.

How To Write a Bibliography (References) Using APA Style

Here are some general notes on writing an APA reference list:

• Title your bibliography section “References” and center the title on the top line of the page.
• Do not center your references; they should be left-aligned. For longer items, subsequent lines should use a hanging indent of 1/2 inch.
• Include all types of resources in the same list.
• Alphabetize your list by author or creator, last name first.
• Do not spell out the author/creator’s first or middle name; only use their initials.
• If there are multiple authors/creators, use an ampersand (&) before the final author/creator.
• Place the date in parentheses.
• Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, unless the word would otherwise be capitalized (proper names, etc.).
• Italicize the titles of books, periodicals, or videos.
• For websites, include the full site information, including the http:// or https:// at the beginning.

Books and E-Books APA Bibliography Examples

For books, APA reference list entries use this format (only include the publisher’s website for e-books).

Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Publication date). Title with only first word capitalized . Publisher. Publisher’s website

• Wynn, S. (2020). City of London at war 1939–45 . Pen & Sword Military. https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/City-of-London-at-War-193945-Paperback/p/17299

Periodical APA Bibliography Examples

For journal or magazine articles, use this format. If you viewed the article online, include the URL at the end of the citation.

Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Publication date). Title of article. Magazine or Journal Title (Volume number) Issue number, page numbers. URL

• Bell, A. (2009). Landscapes of fear: Wartime London, 1939–1945. Journal of British Studies (48) 1, 153–175. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25482966

Here’s the format for newspapers. For print editions, include the page number/s. For online articles, include the full URL.

Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year, Month Date) Title of article. Newspaper title. Page number/s. URL

• Blakemore, E. (2022, November 12) Researchers track down two copies of fossil destroyed by the Nazis.  The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/11/12/ichthyosaur-fossil-images-discovered/

Electronic APA Bibliography Examples

For articles with a specific author on a website, use this format.

Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year, Month Date). Title . Site name. URL

• Wukovits, J. (2023, January 30). A World War II survivor recalls the London Blitz . British Heritage . https://britishheritage.com/history/world-war-ii-survivor-london-blitz

When an online article doesn’t include a specific author or date, list it like this:

Title . (Year, Month Date). Site name. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from URL

• Growing up in the Second World War . (n.d.). Imperial War Museums. Retrieved May 12, 2023, from https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/growing-up-in-the-second-world-war

When you need to list a YouTube video, use the name of the account that uploaded the video, and format it like this:

Name of Account. (Upload year, month day). Title [Video]. YouTube. URL

• War Stories. (2023, January 15). How did London survive the Blitz during WW2? | Cities at war: London | War stories [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/uwY6JlCvbxc

For more information on writing APA bibliographies, see the APA Style Guide website.

APA Bibliography (Reference List) Example Pages

Source: Simply Psychology

More APA example pages:

• Western Australia Library Services APA References Example Page
• Ancilla College APA References Page Example
• Scribbr APA References Page Example

MLA Style Bibliography Examples

Source: PressBooks

MLA style calls for a Works Cited section, which includes all materials quoted or referred to in your paper. You may also include a Works Consulted section, including other reference sources you reviewed but didn’t directly cite. Together, these constitute a bibliography. If your teacher requests an MLA Style Guide bibliography, ask if you should include Works Consulted as well as Works Cited.

How To Write a Bibliography (Works Cited and Works Consulted) in MLA Style

For both MLA Works Cited and Works Consulted sections, use these general guidelines:

• Start your Works Cited list on a new page. If you include a Works Consulted list, start that on its own new page after the Works Cited section.
• Center the title (Works Cited or Works Consulted) in the middle of the line at the top of the page.
• Align the start of each source to the left margin, and use a hanging indent (1/2 inch) for the following lines of each source.
• Alphabetize your sources using the first word of the citation, usually the author’s last name.
• Include the author’s full name as listed, last name first.
• Capitalize titles using the standard MLA format.
• Leave off the http:// or https:// at the beginning of a URL.

Books and E-Books MLA Bibliography Examples

For books, MLA reference list entries use this format. Add the URL at the end for e-books.

Last Name, First Name Middle Name. Title . Publisher, Date. URL

• Wynn, Stephen. City of London at War 1939–45 . Pen & Sword Military, 2020. www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/City-of-London-at-War-193945-Paperback/p/17299

Periodical MLA Bibliography Examples

Here’s the style format for magazines, journals, and newspapers. For online articles, add the URL at the end of the listing.

For magazines and journals:

Last Name, First Name. “Title: Subtitle.” Name of Journal , volume number, issue number, Date of Publication, First Page Number–Last Page Number.

• Bell, Amy. “Landscapes of Fear: Wartime London, 1939–1945.” Journal of British Studies , vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 153–175. www.jstor.org/stable/25482966

When citing newspapers, include the page number/s for print editions or the URL for online articles.

Last Name, First Name. “Title of article.” Newspaper title. Page number/s. Year, month day. Page number or URL

• Blakemore, Erin. “Researchers Track Down Two Copies of Fossil Destroyed by the Nazis.” The Washington Post. 2022, Nov. 12. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/11/12/ichthyosaur-fossil-images-discovered/

Electronic MLA Bibliography Examples

Last Name, First Name. Year. “Title.” Month Day, Year published. URL

• Wukovits, John. 2023. “A World War II Survivor Recalls the London Blitz.” January 30,   2023. https://britishheritage.com/history/world-war-ii-survivor-london-blitz

Website. n.d. “Title.” Accessed Day Month Year. URL.

• Imperial War Museum. n.d. “Growing Up in the Second World War.” Accessed May 9, 2023. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/growing-up-in-the-second-world-war.

Here’s how to list YouTube and other online videos.

Creator, if available. “Title of Video.” Website. Uploaded by Username, Day Month Year. URL.

• “How did London survive the Blitz during WW2? | Cities at war: London | War stories.” YouTube . Uploaded by War Stories, 15 Jan. 2023. youtu.be/uwY6JlCvbxc.

For more information on writing MLA style bibliographies, see the MLA Style website.

MLA Bibliography (Works Cited) Example Pages

Source: The Visual Communication Guy

More MLA example pages:

• Writing Commons Sample Works Cited Page
• Scribbr MLA Works Cited Sample Page
• Montana State University MLA Works Cited Page

Chicago Manual of Style Bibliography Examples

The Chicago Manual of Style (sometimes called “Turabian”) actually has two options for citing reference material : Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date. Regardless of which you use, you’ll need a complete detailed list of reference items at the end of your paper. The examples below demonstrate how to write that list.

How To Write a Bibliography Using The Chicago Manual of Style

Source: South Texas College

Here are some general notes on writing a Chicago -style bibliography:

• You may title it “Bibliography” or “References.” Center this title at the top of the page and add two blank lines before the first entry.
• Left-align each entry, with a hanging half-inch indent for subsequent lines of each entry.
• Single-space each entry, with a blank line between entries.
• Include the “http://” or “https://” at the beginning of URLs.

Books and E-Books Chicago Manual of Style Bibliography Examples

For books, Chicago -style reference list entries use this format. (For print books, leave off the information about how the book was accessed.)

Last Name, First Name Middle Name. Title . City of Publication: Publisher, Date. How e-book was accessed.

• Wynn, Stephen. City of London at War 1939–45 . Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, 2020. Kindle edition.

Periodical Chicago Manual of Style Bibliography Examples

For journal and magazine articles, use this format.

Last Name, First Name. Year of Publication. “Title: Subtitle.” Name of Journal , Volume Number, issue number, First Page Number–Last Page Number. URL.

• Bell, Amy. 2009. “Landscapes of Fear: Wartime London, 1939–1945.” Journal of British Studies, 48 no. 1, 153–175. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25482966.

When citing newspapers, include the URL for online articles.

Last Name, First Name. Year of Publication. “Title: Subtitle.” Name of Newspaper , Month day, year. URL.

• Blakemore, Erin. 2022. “Researchers Track Down Two Copies of Fossil Destroyed by the Nazis.” The Washington Post , November 12, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/11/12/ichthyosaur-fossil-images-discovered/.

Electronic Chicago Manual of Style Bibliography Examples

Last Name, First Name Middle Name. “Title.” Site Name . Year, Month Day. URL.

• Wukovits, John. “A World War II Survivor Recalls the London Blitz.” British Heritage. 2023, Jan. 30. britishheritage.com/history/world-war-ii-survivor-london-blitz.

“Title.” Site Name . URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

• “Growing Up in the Second World War.” Imperial War Museums . www.iwm.org.uk/history/growing-up-in-the-second-world-war. Accessed May 9, 2023.

Creator or Username. “Title of Video.” Website video, length. Month Day, Year. URL.

• War Stories. “How Did London Survive the Blitz During WW2? | Cities at War: London | War Stories.” YouTube video, 51:25. January 15, 2023. https://youtu.be/uwY6JlCvbxc.

For more information on writing Chicago -style bibliographies, see the Chicago Manual of Style website.

Chicago Manual of Style Bibliography Example Pages

Source: Chicago Manual of Style

More Chicago example pages:

• Scribbr Chicago Style Bibliography Example
• Purdue Online Writing Lab CMOS Bibliography Page
• Bibcitation Sample Chicago Bibliography

Now that you know how to write a bibliography, take a look at the Best Websites for Teaching & Learning Writing .

Plus, get all the latest teaching tips and ideas when you sign up for our free newsletters .

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Research: From selecting a topic to writing the bibliography

• Selecting a Topic
• Developing a Research Question
• What Type of Source Do I Need?
• Selecting the Best Place to Search
• Search Like a Pro
• Evaluating Information

Video on Selecting Sources

What Kind of Materials Do I Need (captions) from GW Library on Vimeo .

The information cycle

This video takes you through the information cycle.  

The Information Cycle is how different types of sources cover a topic over time.  Like how an event today will have information available immediately on TV newscasts and years later that event will be covered in scholarly books.

General types of sources

Books, research articles, and news articles provide different types of information and, especially, different amounts of detail. Which source you need depends on what you want to do with it. You may be looking for a brief overview, a quick fact, or an in-depth analysis. Until you know what you need, it can be difficult to decide where to look for the information.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Primary sources are original works, first-person accounts, and research results. What is considered a primary source differs by discipline and also by how you plan to use it. Some examples include:

• Creative works, novels, plays, performances, art works
• Diaries, letters, speeches, memoirs
• Research reports, data sets, technical reports, government reports, patents

Secondary sources summarize or interpret primary sources. These may include review articles, books, news articles, encyclopedias, and text books.

Consider this: an encyclopedia is generally considered a secondary (or even tertiary) source of information. However, if your research is on how the encyclopedias have treated a certain topic over time, then the encyclopedias you consult will be considered primary sources.

Popular vs. Scholarly Resources​

Popular sources are often written by journalists.  Journalists are good writers and researchers, but they are not necessarily experts on the topic. These sources are written for a general audience.

Scholarly sources are written or compiled by experts for an academic or professional audience. These are often original research on very specific topics. They include bibliographies. 

To illustrate the above:

A recent popular piece in The Economist :

• Lies, Damn Lies, and Polygraphs

Vs. a scholarly article in Applied Cognitive Psychology:

• Detecting concealed information with reaction times:  Validity and comparison with the polygraph

Peer Review

Peer review is a process by which experts in a field read and evaluate a journal article before it is is published to ensure quality. Generally, several experts will read an article and comment on it. The authors may then revise the article based on the feedback. Articles may not always pass the review process. Peer review is not necessary for something to be considered "scholarly," but it is an excellent indicator of a "scholarly" article.

The following video is good overview of the peer review process.

• << Previous: Developing a Research Question
• Next: Selecting the Best Place to Search >>
• Last Updated: Apr 12, 2024 9:57 AM
• URL: https://libguides.gwu.edu/research

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

• Annotated Bibliography
• Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
• Group Presentations
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Types of Structured Group Activities
• Group Project Survival Skills
• Leading a Class Discussion
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Works
• Writing a Case Analysis Paper
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An annotated bibliography is a list of cited resources related to a particular topic or arranged thematically that include a brief descriptive or evaluative summary. The annotated bibliography can be arranged chronologically by date of publication or alphabetically by author, with citations to print and/or digital materials, such as, books, newspaper articles, journal articles, dissertations, government documents, pamphlets, web sites, etc., multimedia sources like films and audio recordings, or documents and materials preserved in archival collections.

Beatty, Luke and Cynthia Cochran. Writing the Annotated Bibliography: A Guide for Students and Researchers . New York: Routledge, 2020; Harner, James L. On Compiling an Annotated Bibliography . 2nd edition. New York: Modern Language Association, 2000.

Importance of a Good Annotated Bibliography

In lieu of writing a formal research paper or in preparation for a larger writing project, your professor may ask you to develop an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography may be assigned for a number of reasons, including :

• To show that you can identify and evaluate the literature underpinning a research problem;
• To demonstrate that you can identify and conduct an effective and thorough review of pertinent literature;
• To develop skills in discerning the most relevant research studies from those which have only superficial relevance to your topic;
• To explore how different types of sources contribute to understanding the research problem;
• To be thoroughly engaged with individual sources in order to strengthen your analytical skills; or,
• To share sources among your classmates so that, collectively, everyone in the class obtains a comprehensive understanding of research about a particular topic.

On a broader level, writing an annotated bibliography can lay the foundation for conducting a larger research project. It serves as a method to evaluate what research has been conducted and where your proposed study may fit within it. By critically analyzing and synthesizing the contents of a variety of sources, you can begin to evaluate what the key issues are in relation to the research problem and, by so doing, gain a better perspective about the deliberations taking place among scholars. As a result of this analysis, you are better prepared to develop your own point of view and contributions to the literature.

In summary, creating a good annotated bibliography...

• Encourages you to think critically about the content of the works you are using, their place within the broader field of study, and their relation to your own research, assumptions, and ideas;
• Gives you practical experience conducting a thorough review of the literature concerning a research problem;
• Provides evidence that you have read and understood your sources;
• Establishes validity for the research you have done and of you as a researcher;
• Gives you the opportunity to consider and include key digital, multimedia, or archival materials among your review of the literature;
• Situates your study and underlying research problem in a continuing conversation among scholars;
• Provides an opportunity for others to determine whether a source will be helpful for their research; and,
• Could help researchers determine whether they are interested in a topic by providing background information and an idea of the kind of scholarly investigations that have been conducted in a particular area of study.

In summary, writing an annotated bibliography helps you develop skills related to critically reading and identifying the key points of a research study and to effectively synthesize the content in a way that helps the reader determine its validity and usefulness in relation to the research problem or topic of investigation.

NOTE: Do not confuse annotating source materials in the social sciences with annotating source materials in the arts and humanities. Rather than encompassing forms of synopsis and critical analysis, an annotation assignment in arts and humanities courses refers to the systematic interpretation of literary texts, art works, musical scores, performances, and other forms of creative human communication for the purpose of clarifying and encouraging analytical thinking about what the author(s)/creator(s) have written or created. They are assigned to encourage students to actively engage with the text or creative object.

Annotated Bibliographies. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Annotated Bibliographies. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Annotated Bibliography. The Waldin Writing Center. Waldin University; Hartley, James. Academic Writing and Publishing: A Practical Guide . (New York: Routledge, 2008), p. 127-128; Writing an Annotated Bibliography. Assignment Structures and Samples Research and Learning Online, Monash University; Kalir, Remi H. and Antero Garcia. Annotation . Essential Knowledge Series. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2021.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  Types

• Descriptive : This annotation describes the source without summarizing the actual argument, hypothesis, or message in the content. Like an abstract , it describes what the source addresses, what issues are being investigated, and any special features, such as appendices or bibliographies, that are used to supplement the main text. What it does not include is any evaluation or criticism of the content. This type of annotation seeks to answer the question: Does this source cover or address the topic I am researching? Collectively, this type of annotated bibliography synthesizes prior research about a topic or serves as a review of the literature before conducting a broader research study.
• Informative/Summative : This type of annotation summarizes what the content, message, or argument of the source is. It generally contains the hypothesis, methodology, and conclusion or findings, but like the descriptive type, you are not offering your own evaluative comments about such content. This type of annotation seeks to answer these types of questions: What are the author's main arguments? What are the key findings? What conclusions or recommended actions did the author state?   Collectively, this type of annotated bibliography summarizes the way in which scholars have studied and documented outcomes about a topic.
• Evaluative/Critical/Analytical : This annotation includes your own evaluative statements about the content of a source. It is the most common type of annotation your professor will ask you to write. Your critique may focus on describing a study's strengths and weaknesses or it may describe the applicability of the conclusions to the research problem you are studying. This type of annotation seeks to answer these types of questions: Is the reasoning sound? Is the methodology sound? Does this source address all the relevant issues? How does this source compare to other sources on this topic? Collectively, this type of annotated bibliography offers a detailed analysis and critical assessment of the research literature about a topic.

NOTE:   There are a variety of strategies you can use to critically evaluate a source based on its content, purpose, and format. A description of these strategies can be found here .

II.  Choosing Sources for Your Bibliography

There are two good strategies to begin identifying possible sources for your bibliography--one that looks back into the literature and one that projects forward based on tracking sources cited by researchers.

• The first strategy is to identify several recently published [within the past few years] scholarly books using the USC Libraries catalog or journal articles found by searching a comprehensive, multidisciplinary database like ProQuest Multiple . Review the list of references to sources cited by the author(s). Review these citations to identify prior research published about your topic. For a complete list of scholarly databases GO HERE .
• The second strategy is to identify one or more books, book chapters, journal articles, or research reports on your topic and paste the title of the item into Google Scholar [e.g., from Negotiation Journal , entering the title of the article, " Civic Fusion: Moving from Certainty through Not Knowing to Curiosity " ]. If it is a short title or it uses a lot of common words, place quotation marks around the title so Google Scholar searches the source as a phrase rather than a combination of individual words. Below the citation may be a "Cited by" reference link followed by a number [e.g., Cited by 45]. This number refers to the number of times a source has subsequently been cited by other authors in other sources after the item you found was published.

Your method for selecting which sources to annotate depends on the purpose of the assignment and the research problem you are investigating . For example, if the course is on international social movements and the research problem you choose to study is to compare cultural factors that led to protests in Egypt with the factors that led to protests against the government of the Philippines in  the 1980's, you should consider including non-U.S., historical, and, if possible, foreign language sources in your bibliography.

NOTE:   Appropriate sources to include can be anything that you believe has value in understanding the research problem . Be creative in thinking about possible sources, including non-textual items, such as, films, maps, photographs, and audio recordings, or archival documents and primary source materials, such as, diaries, government documents, collections of personal correspondence, meeting minutes, or official memorandums. If you want to include these types of sources in your annotated bibliography, consult with a librarian if you're not sure where to locate them.

III.  Strategies to Define the Scope of Your Bibliography

It is important that the scope of sources cited and summarized in your bibliography are well-defined and sufficiently narrow in coverage to ensure that you're not overwhelmed by the number of potential items to consider including. Many of the general strategies used to narrow a topic for a research paper are the same that be applied to framing the scope of sources to include in an annotated bibliography.

• Aspect -- choose one lens through which to view the research problem, or look at just one facet of your topic [e.g., rather than annotating a bibliography of sources about the role of food in religious rituals, create a bibliography on the role of food in Hindu ceremonies].
• Time -- the shorter the time period to be covered, the more narrow the focus [e.g., rather than political scandals of the 20th century, cite literature on political scandals during the 1980s].
• Comparative -- a list of resources that focus on comparing two or more issues related to the broader research topic can be used to narrow the scope of your bibliography [e.g., rather than college student activism during the 20th century, cite literature that compares student activism in the 1930s and the 1960s]
• Geography -- the smaller the area of analysis, the fewer items there are to consider including in your bibliography [e.g., rather than cite sources about trade relations in West Africa, include only sources that examine, as a case study, trade relations between Niger and Cameroon].
• Type -- focus your bibliography on a specific type or class of people, places, or things [e.g., rather than health care provision in Japan, cite research on health care provided to the elderly in Japan].
• Source -- your bibliography includes specific types of materials [e.g., only books, only scholarly journal articles, only films, only archival materials, etc.]. However, be sure to describe why only one type of source is appropriate.
• Combination -- use two or more of the above strategies to focus your bibliography very narrowly or to broaden coverage of a very specific research problem [e.g., cite literature only about political scandals during the 1980s that took place in Great Britain].

IV.  Assessing the Relevance and Value of Sources All the items included in your bibliography should reflect the source's contribution to understanding the research problem . In order to determine how you will use the source or define its contribution, you will need to critically evaluate the quality of the central argument within the source or, in the case of including  non-textual items, determine how the source contributes to understanding the research problem [e.g., if the bibliography lists sources about outreach strategies to homeless populations, a non-textual source would be a film that profiles the life of a homeless person]. Specific elements to assess a research study include an item’s overall value in relation to other sources on the topic, its limitations, its effectiveness in defining the research problem, the methodology used, the quality of the evidence, and the strength of the author’s conclusions and/or recommendations. With this in mind, determining whether a source should be included in your bibliography depends on how you think about and answer the following questions related to its content:

• Are you interested in the way the author(s) frame the research questions or in the way the author goes about investigating the questions [the method]?
• Does the research findings make new connections or promote new ways of understanding the problem?
• Are you interested in the way the author(s) use a theoretical framework or a key concept?
• Does the source refer to and analyze a particular body of evidence that you want to highlight?
• How are the author's conclusions relevant to your overall investigation of the topic?

V.  Format and Content

The format of an annotated bibliography can differ depending on its purpose and the nature of the assignment. Contents may be listed alphabetically by author, arranged chronologically by publication date, or arranged under headings that list different types of sources [i.e., books, articles, government documents, research reports, etc.]. If the bibliography includes a lot of sources, items may also be subdivided thematically, by time periods of coverage or publication, or by source type. If you are unsure, ask your professor for specific guidelines in terms of length, focus, and the type of annotation you are to write. Note that most professors assign annotated bibliographies that only need to be arranged alphabetically by author.

Introduction Your bibliography should include an introduction that describes the research problem or topic being covered, including any limits placed on items to be included [e.g., only material published in the last ten years], explains the method used to identify possible sources [such as databases you searched or methods used to identify sources], the rationale for selecting the sources, and, if appropriate, an explanation stating why specific types of some sources were deliberately excluded. The introduction's length depends, in general, on the complexity of the topic and the variety of sources included.

Citation This first part of your entry contains the bibliographic information written in a standard documentation style , such as, MLA, Chicago, or APA. Ask your professor what style is most appropriate, and be consistent! If your professor does not have a preferred citation style, choose the type you are most familiar with or that is used predominantly within your major or area of study.

Annotation The second part of your entry should summarize, in paragraph form, the content of the source. What you say about the source is dictated by the type of annotation you are asked to write [see above]. In most cases, however, your annotation should describe the content and provide critical commentary that evaluates the source and its relationship to the topic.

In general, the annotation should include one to three sentences about the item in the following order : (1) an introduction of the item; (2) a brief description of what the study was intended to achieve and the research methods used to gather information; ( 3) the scope of study [i.e., limits and boundaries of the research related to sample size, area of concern, targeted groups examined, or extent of focus on the problem]; (4) a statement about the study's usefulness in relation to your research and the topic; (5) a note concerning any limitations found in the study; (6) a summary of any recommendations or further research offered by the author(s); and, (7) a critical statement that elucidates how the source clarifies your topic or pertains to the research problem.

Things to think critically about when writing the annotation include:

• Does the source offer a good introduction on the issue?
• Does the source effectively address the issue?
• Would novices find the work accessible or is it intended for an audience already familiar with the topic?
• What limitations does the source have [reading level, timeliness, reliability, etc.]?
• Are any special features, such as, appendices or non-textual elements effectively presented?
• What is your overall reaction to the source?
• If it's a website or online resource, is it up-to-date, well-organized, and easy to read, use, and navigate?

Length An annotation can vary in length from a few sentences to more than a page, single-spaced. However, they are normally about 300 words--the length of a standard paragraph. The length also depends on the purpose of the annotated bibliography [critical assessments are generally lengthier than descriptive annotations] and the type of source [e.g., books generally require a more detailed annotation than a magazine article]. If you are just writing summaries of your sources, the annotations may not be very long. However, if you are writing an extensive analysis of each source, you'll need to devote more space.

Annotated Bibliographies. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Annotated Bibliographies. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Annotated Bibliography. The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Annotated Bibliography. Writing Center. Walden University; Annotated Bibliography. Writing Skills, Student Support and Development, University of New South Wales; Engle, Michael et al. How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography. Olin Reference, Research and Learning Services. Cornell University Library; Guidelines for Preparing an Annotated Bibliography. Writing Center at Campus Library. University of Washington, Bothell; Harner, James L. On Compiling an Annotated Bibliography . 2nd edition. New York: Modern Language Association, 2000; How to Write an Annotated Bibliography. Information and Library Services. University of Maryland; Knott, Deborah. Writing an Annotated Bibliography. The Lab Report. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Norton, Donna. Top 32 Effective Tips for Writing an Annotated Bibliography Top-notch study tips for A+ students blog; Writing from Sources: Writing an Annotated Bibliography. The Reading/Writing Center. Hunter College.

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The bibliography is a separate page at the end of your paper, listing all the sources used in alphabetical order. It's a comprehensive list of works related to your subject, and you might consider calling it a "Selected Bibliography" for accuracy.

Here are some key differences between footnotes and bibliographies:

• Bibliography entries are organized alphabetically by the author's last name (e.g., Jones, Mark).
• Periods are used to separate different pieces of information in bibliography entries.
• Complete source information is provided in bibliographies, rather than specific page numbers.
• Bibliography entries start at the left margin, with subsequent lines indented by 5 spaces.

In both footnotes and bibliographies, if an author's name is missing, move on to the next element as it should appear. Alphabetize the list based on the first letter of each entry, whether it's a last name or a title.

Book with 1 author

Nadler, Steven. A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza’s Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011.

Boyer, Paul S. Purity in Print: Book Censorship in America from the Gilded Age to the Computer Age . 2nd ed. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2002.

Book with 2 authors

Marwell, Gerald, and Pamela Oliver. The Critical Mass in Collective Action . Cambridge: Cambridge  University Press, 2007.

Book with 3 authors

Child, Julia, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck. Mastering the Art of French Cooking . New York: Knopf, 1961.

Book with more than 3 authors

Geller, Anne Ellen, Michele Owen, Frank Johnson, Tristan Jones, Louis Bissett, and Jonathan Howell. The Everyday Writing Center . Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 2007.

Book without an author

CIA World Factbook . Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2009.

Work in an anthology or collection of works by different authors

Dunlavy, Colleen. “Why Did American Businesses Get So Big?” In Major Problems in American Business History , edited by Regina Blaszczyk and Philip Scranton. New York: Houghton- Mifflin, 2006. 257-263.

Newspaper article (print)

Marshall, Tyler. "200th Birthday of Grimms Celebrated." Los Angeles Times , 15 March 1985, sec. 1A, p. 3.

Journal article (print)

Sánchez, Raúl. “Outside the Text: Retheorizing Empiricism and Identity.” College English 74 (2012): 234- 246.

Davidson, Richard. Interview by author. Madison, WI, April 20, 2012.

Soderbergh, Steven, director. Che . DVD. New York: Criterion Collection, 2008.

Electronic book (e-book)

Note: you may use either the URL or database name.

Adams, Ian, and R.W. Dyson. Fifty Major Political Thinkers . London: Routledge, 2003. Accessed December 3, 2015. site.ebrary.com/lib/surricc/detail.action?docID=10211497.

Paine, Thomas. Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution, Part 1. London: G.P. Putnam, 1894. Accessed November 16, 2015. ProQuest Ebrary.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success . Boston: Little, Brown, 2008. Kindle.

Journal article (online)

Note: you may use either URL, database name, or DOI number (if available).

Nash, David. "The Gain from Paine." History Today 59 (June 2009): 12-18. Accessed December 2, 2015. ProQuest Central.

Cooper, Mary H. "Social Security Reform." CQ Researcher Online 14 (September 24, 2004): 790. Accessed November 19, 2015. http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre.

Wandel, Lee Palmer. “Setting the Lutheran Eucharist.” Journal of Early Modern History 17 (1998): 124-55. doi: 10.1163/157006598X00135.

Magazine article (online)

Ehrenreich, Barbara. “Real Patriots Speak Their Minds." Time (July 8, 1991): 66. Accessed December 2, 2015. ProQuest Research Library.

Conason, Joe. "Liberalism Is as Patriotic as Apple Pie." Salon (July 7, 1998). Accessed November 19, 2015. http://www.salon.com/news/col/cona/1998/07/07/cona/index.html.

Newspaper article (online)

Chen, David W. "Rehabilitating Thomas Paine, Bit by Bony Bit." New York Times (March 30, 2001). Accessed November 6, 2015. http://search.proquest.com/docview/431684606.

Kreis, Steven. "Thomas Paine, 1737-1809." The History Guide: Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History. Last modified May 30, 2015. Accessed November 4, 2015. http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/paine.html.

ChatGPT or Artificial Intelligence Model

You should not cite ChatGPT in your Bibliography or Reference List. The URL created by your prompt are not stable and cannot be reproduced by your instructor. ChatGPT should be treated like an email, phone, or text conversation, or another form of personal communication. Simply put the ChatGPT (or other AI model) information in a footnote in your paper.

Tweet or other social networking post

Thomas Paine Society. Twitter Post. June 16, 2015, 8:05 PM. https://twitter.com/CitizenPaine.

YouTube or video on a website

GEICO Insurance. “GEICO Hump Day Camel Commercial – Happier than a Camel on Wednesday.” Filmed [May 2013]. YouTube video, 00:30. Posted [May 2013]. http://youtu.be/kWBhP0EQ1lA.

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Definitions.

Reference Bibliography - The study of books as intellectual objects:

• Systematic or Enumerative Bibliography - Listing of books and/or other materials covering a specific time period, country, or topic; an inventory; can describe items focusing on a particular topic.

Physical Bibliography - The study of books as physical objects:

• Analytical or Descriptive Bibliography - The study of the materials (paper, binding, type, ink) and the processes of producing books; physical details that might be significant to those studying the text.
• Textual Bibliography - The study of the author's creative message as expressed in the physical object, and how this message might be distorted through the process of printing; the relationship between the printed text and the text as conceived by the author; comparison of texts and their transmission through various printings and editions.

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• Am J Respir Crit Care Med

Selected Bibliography of Recent Research in COVID-19

Benjamin d. singer.

1 Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine,

2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics,

3 Canning Thoracic Institute, and

4 Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois;

Sanjay H. Chotirmall

5 Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore;

6 Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore;

Lindsay M. Leither

7 Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, Utah;

8 Department of Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah;

Oliver W. Meldrum

Anthony m. joudi.

9 Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; and

Samuel M. Brown

Başak Çoruh.

10 Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continued throughout 2021. Highly effective vaccines became widely available in 2021, and basic, translational, and clinical knowledge about COVID-19 expanded at a rapid pace. This bibliography cites and summarizes publications from American Thoracic Society journals and others centered on the year 2021 that inform our understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, vaccines, and treatment advances in COVID-19 while considering broader effects on society, healthcare delivery, and medical education.

Chotirmall SH, Martinez FJ, Schumacker PT, Cooke CR, Seam N, Brochard L, et al. Life at the editorial “COVID frontline”. The American Thoracic Society Journal Family. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020;201:1457–1459.

Pathophysiology

The biomedical community’s grasp of the pathophysiology underlying the clinical spectrum of COVID-19, including basic, physiological, and environmental factors, grew in 2021.

National Institutes of Health. Clinical spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 infection. [accessed 29 Jan 2022]. Available from: https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/overview/clinical-spectrum/ .

For example, we have gained new insights into the biology of the SARS-CoV-2 viral receptor, ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2). Murine ACE2 does not efficiently bind to the spike protein of most SARS-CoV-2 variants. Accordingly, techniques are emerging to sensitize mice to SARS-CoV-2 infection by expressing human ACE2 via an adenovirus delivery system, although these mouse models remain limited to a mild phenotype.

Han K, Blair RV, Iwanaga N, Liu F, Russell-Lodrigue KE, Qin Z, et al. Lung expression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 sensitizes the mouse to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;64:79–88.

Harker JA, Johansson C. Rapidly deployable mouse models of SARS-CoV-2 infection add flexibility to the COVID-19 toolbox. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021; 64:7–9.

In humans, infant nasal epithelial cells exhibit interferon-stimulated ACE2 expression similar to adult cells, arguing against a prior hypothesis that a lack of interferon-stimulated ACE2 expression provides a protective advantage in younger individuals.

Salka K, Abutaleb K, Chorvinsky E, Thiruvengadam G, Arroyo M, Gomez JL, et al. IFN stimulates ACE2 expression in pediatric airway epithelial cells. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;64:515–518.

Yepsen EN, Harrod KS. Influenza antiviral subversion: now the host is in on the act. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;65:1–3.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have increased expression of ACE2 and other genes encoding proteins that are predicted to mediate interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and human cells.

Agusti A, Sibila O, Casas-Recasens S, Mendoza N, Perea L, Lopez-Giraldo A, et al. Molecular interactions of SARS-CoV-2 in lung tissue of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1922–1924.

These interactions can be blocked, representing a potential therapeutic strategy. Madan and colleagues demonstrated that a recombinant fragment of surfactant protein D reduces viral infectivity and replication in vitro by inhibiting the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to ACE2 in clinical samples.

Madan T, Biswas B, Varghese PM, Subedi R, Pandit H, Idicula-Thomas S, et al. A recombinant fragment of human surfactant protein D binds spike protein and inhibits infectivity and replication of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;65:41–53.

Finally, despite multivariate analyses revealing no association of serum ACE or ACE2 concentrations with mortality in COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), manipulating the enzymatic function of ACE2 may be a therapeutic strategy in ARDS because of COVID-19 or other etiologies.

Reindl-Schwaighofer R, Hodlmoser S, Eskandary F, Poglitsch M, Bonderman D, Strassl R, et al. ACE2 elevation in severe COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1191–1196.

Gerard L, Lecocq M, Bouzin C, Hoton D, Schmit G, Pereira JP, et al. Increased angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and loss of alveolar type II cells in COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:1024–1034.

Collins SP, Chappell MC, Files DC. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in COVID-19-related and non-COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome: not so different after all? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:1007–1008.

Multiple studies have provided a mechanistic basis to explain the hypercoagulable state observed in patients with COVID-19.

Hernandez Cordero AI, Sin DD. Clotting in COVID-19: is it all in the genes? Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;64:647–649.

In human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein stimulates the expression of the prothrombotic molecule PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor 1).

Han M, Pandey D. ZMPSTE24 regulates SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-enhanced expression of endothelial PAI-1. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;65:300–308.

Khan SS. The central role of PAI-1 in COVID-19: thrombosis and beyond. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;65:238–240.

ZMPSTE24, an inhibitor of PAI-1, mediates ACE2 ectodomain shedding to generate SARS-CoV-2 decoy receptors. Its expression declines with age and inhalational injury, which may partially explain the thrombotic risk and poorer outcomes observed in older patients and those who smoke. KLF2 (Krüppel-like factor 2), which is downregulated in COVID-19 lung autopsy specimens, also inhibits PAI-1 while promoting the expression of antiviral genes and nitric oxide synthase in vitro .

Wu D, Lee TH, Huang RT, R DG, Schoettler N, Adegunsoye A, et al. SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with reduced Kruppel-like factor 2 in human lung autopsy. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;65:222–226.

Of note, patients with COVID-19 who experience anosmia demonstrate persistent elevations in nasal nitric oxide concentration up to 5 months after infection.

Hua-Huy T, Lorut C, Aubourg F, Morbieu C, Marey J, Texereau J, et al. Persistent nasal inflammation 5 months after acute anosmia in patients with COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1319–1322.

Macrophages and damaged epithelial cells exert prothrombotic functions via the expression of plasminogen urokinase-localizing protein and tissue factor, respectively, together with PAI-2.

FitzGerald ES, Chen Y, Fitzgerald KA, Jamieson AM. Lung epithelial cell transcriptional regulation as a factor in COVID-19-associated coagulopathies. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021;64:687–697.

Elevated complement factors, specifically factor D, correlate with markers of endothelial injury and hypercoagulability, as well as poorer outcomes.

Ma L, Sahu SK, Cano M, Kuppuswamy V, Bajwa J, McPhatter JN, et al. Increased complement activation is a distinctive feature of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sci Immunol 2021;6:eabh2259.

Host immune responses and the microbiome are associated with tissue pathology and outcomes. A pathological reticuloendothelial response characterized by infiltration of reactive plasma cells, iron-laden macrophages, and MRP8 + mononuclear cells appears to be universal in severe and critical COVID-19. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 RNA and spike protein do not colocalize with these inflammatory changes.

Dorward DA, Russell CD, Um IH, Elshani M, Armstrong SD, Penrice-Randal R, et al. Tissue-specific immunopathology in fatal COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:192–201.

Welte T. SARS-CoV-2-triggered immune reaction: for COVID-19, nothing is as old as yesterday's knowledge. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:156.

Monocyte-derived CD68 + CD163 + macrophages adopt a damage response gene expression signature and profibrotic phenotype in severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, potentially explaining the increased prevalence of fibroproliferative ARDS among patients with critical COVID-19.

Wendisch D, Dietrich O, Mari T, von Stillfried S, Ibarra IL, Mittermaier M, et al. SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers profibrotic macrophage responses and lung fibrosis. Cell 2021;184:6243–6261.e6227.

Lebreton G, Dorgham K, Quentric P, Combes A, Gorochov G, Schmidt M. Longitudinal cytokine profiling in patients with severe COVID-19 on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and hemoadsorption. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1433–1435.

Analysis of the upper respiratory tract microbiome in patients with COVID-19 supports the associations among microbiome composition, pathogen burden, and viral immune response.

Althuwaybi A, Al Quaimi M, Krishnan A, Jones R, Pearson J, Ward C. Hospitalization outcomes for COVID-19 in patients with interstitial lung disease: a potential role for aerodigestive pathophysiology? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:521–522.

McGinniss JE, Collman RG. The upper airway microbiome and lung injury in COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:1353–1355.

Before death, but not on admission, hospitalized patients with COVID-19 carry a higher proportion of potential copathogens in their oropharyngeal microbiome, particularly Enterococcus spp. and Candida spp., compared with those who recover.

Ren L, Wang Y, Zhong J, Li X, Xiao Y, Li J, et al. Dynamics of the upper respiratory tract microbiota and its association with mortality in COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:1379–1390.

Several studies have expanded our understanding of respiratory system physiology in severe or critical COVID-19. Before the initiation of noninvasive ventilation, patients with COVID-19 exhibit a lower overall work of breathing and higher dynamic respiratory system compliance than patients with other causes of respiratory failure, which may limit the degree of self-inflicted lung injury.

Tonelli R, Busani S, Tabbi L, Fantini R, Castaniere I, Biagioni E, et al. Inspiratory effort and lung mechanics in spontaneously breathing patients with acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19: a matched control study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:725–728.

In contrast, time spent with a Pa O 2 /F i O 2  < 100 mm Hg and respiratory rate >greater than 25 breaths per minute before intubation is independently associated with increased driving pressure and elastance after initiation of mechanical ventilation.

Tsolaki VS, Zakynthinos GE, Mantzarlis KD, Deskata KV, Papadonta ME, Gerovasileiou ES, et al. Driving pressure in COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome is associated with respiratory distress duration before intubation. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:478–481.

A recruitment-to-inflation ratio greater than 0.7, as determined by lung ultrasound, identifies patients with potential for alveolar recruitment.

Stevic N, Chatelain E, Dargent A, Argaud L, Cour M, Guerin C. Lung recruitability evaluated by recruitment-to-inflation ratio and lung ultrasound in COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1025–1027.

Plasma concentrations of the soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation end-products, a marker of lung alveolar epithelial injury, are elevated in COVID-19 ARDS and correlate with Pa O 2 /F i O 2 , ventilatory ratio, shunt fraction, RALE (Radiographic Assessment of Lung Edema) score, and mortality.

Kapandji N, Yvin E, Devriese M, de Margerie-Mellon C, Moratelli G, Lemiale V, et al. Importance of lung epithelial injury in COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome: value of plasma soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:359–362.

Hence, the soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation end products may serve as a physiologically relevant biomarker of the severity of lung injury in COVID-19 ARDS.

Environmental factors and exposures are important risk factors for COVID-19 diagnosis and severity. People living in neighborhoods with higher concentrations of air pollution have an increased risk of dying from COVID-19.

Stieb DM, Evans GJ, To TM, Lakey PSJ, Shiraiwa M, Hatzopoulou M, et al. Within-city variation in reactive oxygen species from fine particle air pollution and COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:168–177.

Kim H, Bell ML. Air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in New York City. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:97–99.

Balmes JR. Stress is in the air: ambient reactive oxygen species and COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:118–120.

Data also demonstrate a dose-dependent correlation between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing ARDS during hospitalization for COVID-19.

Lassen MCH, Skaarup KG, Sengelov M, Iversen K, Ulrik CS, Jensen JUS, et al. Alcohol consumption and the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome in COVID-19. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1074–1076.

High viral loads, which were associated with increased disease severity and odds of requiring intubation or death in the era before Omicron (B.1.1.529), increased the transmission of viral particles into the surrounding environment.

Zacharioudakis IM, Prasad PJ, Zervou FN, Basu A, Inglima K, Weisenberg SA, et al. Association of SARS-CoV-2 genomic load with outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:900–903.

Yang M, Li L, Huang T, Li S, Zhang M, Yang Y, et al. SARS-CoV-2 detected on environmental fomites for both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:374–378.

These transmission dynamics are important considerations when patients undergo aerosol-generating procedures.

Avari H, Hiebert RJ, Ryzynski AA, Levy A, Nardi J, Kanji-Jaffer H, et al. Quantitative assessment of viral dispersion associated with respiratory support devices in a simulated critical care environment. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1112–1118.

Dhand R. Mitigating viral dispersion during respiratory support procedures in the ICU. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1051–1053.

Clinical Manifestations

Reports describing mortality rates among patients receiving mechanical ventilation have exhibited high variability since the pandemic’s beginning.

Angriman F, Scales DC. Estimating the case fatality risk of COVID-19 among mechanically ventilated patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:3–4.

In a meta-analysis, Lim and colleagues estimated overall mortality in this population to be 45% (95% confidence interval, 39–52%) with substantial between-study heterogeneity.

Lim ZJ, Subramaniam A, Ponnapa Reddy M, Blecher G, Kadam U, Afroz A, et al. Case fatality rates for patients with COVID-19 requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. A meta-analysis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:54–66.

Temporal heterogeneity is also relevant, as highlighted by a retrospective cohort study in the United Kingdom that detected associations between caseload peaks and the makeup of the population of patients admitted to an ICU.

Pilcher D, Durie M. Learning from the first wave of the pandemic in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:532–534.

Doidge JC, Gould DW, Ferrando-Vivas P, Mouncey PR, Thomas K, Shankar-Hari M, et al. Trends in intensive care for patients with COVID-19 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:565–574.

Churpek and colleagues studied hospital-level variation in the mortality of critically ill patients with COVID-19; whereas 38% of patients died by Day 28, there was significant variation between hospitals that was largely attenuated after adjusting for acute physiology, socioeconomic status, and caseload/census.

Teja B, Wunsch H. Pinpointing the cause of variation in mortality in COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:381–382.

Churpek MM, Gupta S, Spicer AB, Parker WF, Fahrenbach J, Brenner SK, et al.; STOP-COVID Investigators. Hospital-level variation in death for critically ill patients with COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:403–411.

A retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 found that the most common causes of death were respiratory failure and septic shock with multiorgan dysfunction syndrome because of COVID-19 or a superinfecting pathogen, underscoring the paradigm that critical COVID-19 is best understood as severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Ketcham SW, Bolig TC, Molling DJ, Sjoding MW, Flanders SA, Prescott HC. Causes and circumstances of death among patients hospitalized with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1076–1079.

Budinger GRS, Misharin AV, Ridge KM, Singer BD, Wunderink RG. Distinctive features of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. J Clin Invest 2021;131:e149412.

Nevertheless, important differences exist in comparing severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia with pneumonia owing to other pathogens, including influenza and other respiratory viruses.

Hardin CC. Influenza and COVID-19: times don’t get no better. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:586–587.

A retrospective study found that patients admitted to the ICU with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia experienced longer durations of mechanical ventilation than patients with severe influenza and were at greater risk for in-hospital mortality.

Cobb NL, Sathe NA, Duan KI, Seitz KP, Thau MR, Sung CC, et al. Comparison of clinical features and outcomes in critically ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19 versus Influenza. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:632–640.

Likewise, small observational cohort studies observed that patients with COVID-19 ARDS were similar to patients with non–COVID-19 ARDS except for experiencing longer durations of mechanical ventilation, exhibiting lower minute ventilation rates, and having lower blood concentrations of IL-6.

Sjoding MW, Admon AJ, Saha AK, Kay SG, Brown CA, Co I, et al. Comparing clinical features and outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1876–1885.

Bain W, Yang H, Shah FA, Suber T, Drohan C, Al-Yousif N, et al. COVID-19 versus non-COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome: comparison of demographics, physiologic parameters, inflammatory biomarkers, and clinical outcomes. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1202–1210.

In 2021, the literature expanded our understanding of short-term and long-term sequelae of COVID-19. An observational cohort study revealed short-term sequelae among survivors of COVID-19 who had been hospitalized, including a high prevalence of lung function deficits, functional impairment, and psychological symptoms.

Finney LJ, Doughty R, Lovage S, Spurr L, Mehta B, Kemp SV, et al. Lung function deficits and symptom burden in survivors of COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1740–1743.

Indeed, peritraumatic dissociative symptoms and symptoms related to anxiety and depression also appear to be common during hospitalization for COVID-19 and during the early postacute recovery period in patients, family members, and healthcare workers.

Derry HM, Lief L, Woubeshet N, Schenck EJ, Kakarala S, LaFond E, et al. Peritraumatic stress symptoms during early post-intensive care unit recovery. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:364–367.

McPeake J, Shaw M, MacTavish P, Blyth K, Devine H, Fleming G, et al. Long-term outcomes after severe COVID-19 infection: a multicenter cohort study of family member outcomes. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:2098–2101.

Benedict C, Partinen M, Bjorvatn B, Cedernaes J. Sleep in female healthcare workers during COVID-19: a cross-sectional survey study in Sweden during the flattening of the first wave of the pandemic. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1418–1420.

Rare postacute manifestations of COVID-19 continue to be reported, including angioedema weeks after symptom onset.

Batarseh E, Kersten BP, Pinelo AC, Nadler JN, Schwartz SA. Angioedema in African American patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020;202:1581–1584.

Chan ED, Majluf-Cruz A. Is the angioedema associated with COVID-19 a real entity, a mimic, or both? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:645–646.

While still being defined, long COVID (formally postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection [PASC]) refers to a constellation of signs and symptoms, including those attributable to neuromuscular, psychiatric, respiratory, cardiac, gastrointestinal, and other origins, that persist for weeks to months after acute COVID-19.

Gandotra S, Russell D. The long and the short of it: is “long COVID” more than slow resolution of the acute disease? Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:948–950.

Investigators have reported PASC across the spectrum of acute COVID-19 severity.

Townsend L, Dowds J, O’Brien K, Sheill G, Dyer AH, O’Kelly B, et al. Persistent poor health after COVID-19 is not associated with respiratory complications or initial disease severity. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:997–1003.

Cohort studies have observed respiratory symptoms, reduced functional capacity, and impaired lung function, particularly gas exchange abnormalities, in survivors of COVID-19 3–4 months after acute illness that may persist for at least 1 year.

Mendez R, Latorre A, Gonzalez-Jimenez P, Feced L, Bouzas L, Yepez K, et al. Reduced diffusion capacity in COVID-19 survivors. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1253–1255.

Abdallah SJ, Voduc N, Corrales-Medina VF, McGuinty M, Pratt A, Chopra A, et al. Symptoms, pulmonary function, and functional capacity four months after COVID-19. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1912–1917.

Huang L, Yao Q, Gu X, Wang Q, Ren L, Wang Y, et al. 1-year outcomes in hospital survivors with COVID-19: a longitudinal cohort study. Lancet 2021;398:747–758.

Among patients mechanically ventilated for COVID-19, most survivors exhibit abnormal respiratory physiology and imaging abnormalities 3 months after hospital discharge, with limited diffusion capacity, decreased lung volumes, and fibrosis characterizing the clinical syndrome.

van Gassel RJJ, Bels JLM, Raafs A, van Bussel BCT, van de Poll MCG, Simons SO, et al. High prevalence of pulmonary sequelae at 3 months after hospital discharge in mechanically ventilated survivors of COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:371–374.

As PASC is a syndrome associated with a novel pathogen, it may be years before we have robust, normative datasets regarding its course and outcomes.

Heesakkers H, van der Hoeven JG, Corsten S, Janssen I, Ewalds E, Simons KS, et al. Clinical outcomes among patients with 1-year survival following intensive care unit treatment for COVID-19. JAMA 2022;327:559–565.

Numerous studies in 2021 evaluated diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 and superinfection with other pathogens. Although some patients with SARS-CoV-2–induced respiratory failure will have negative PCR tests on samples obtained from their nasopharynx while testing positive on BAL samples, the accuracy of nasopharyngeal assessment remains approximately 90%.

Gao CA, Cuttica MJ, Malsin ES, Argento AC, Wunderink RG, Smith SB; NU COVID Investigators. Comparing nasopharyngeal and BAL SARS-CoV-2 assays in respiratory failure. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:127–129.

Importantly, bronchoscopy performed using personal protective equipment for airborne infection isolation and aerosol-minimizing protocols can be accomplished in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia with a low infectious risk to bronchoscopists.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transmission-based precautions. [updated 2016 Jan 7; accessed 2022 Jan 20]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/basics/transmission-based-precautions.html#anchor_1564058235 .

Gao CA, Bailey JI, Walter JM, Coleman JM, Malsin ES, Argento AC, et al. Bronchoscopy on intubated patients with COVID-19 is associated with low infectious risk to operators. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1243–1246.

Accordingly, investigators have used bronchoscopy and other lower respiratory tract sampling procedures to guide antibacterial pharmacotherapy in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

Kitsios GD, Morris A. Seek and ye shall find: COVID-19 and bacterial superinfection. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:875–877.

Musher DM. Bacterial coinfection in COVID-19 and influenza pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:498–500.

Bronchoscopy within 48 hours of intubation identified that up to 21% of patients recently intubated for severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia have a bacterial superinfection. The same study found a higher rate of ensuing ventilator-associated pneumonia than reported in other ICU populations.

Pickens CO, Gao CA, Cuttica MJ, Smith SB, Pesce LL, Grant RA, et al.; NU COVID Investigators. Bacterial superinfection pneumonia in patients mechanically ventilated for COVID-19 pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:921–932.

In a cohort study of patients with COVID-19 or influenza, sampling using primarily endotracheal aspirates detected an early superinfection rate of 10% in patients with critical COVID-19 and approximately 30% in patients with severe influenza.

Rouze A, Martin-Loeches I, Povoa P, Metzelard M, Du Cheyron D, Lambiotte F, et al.; coVAPid Study Group. Early bacterial identification among intubated patients with COVID-19 or influenza pneumonia: a European multicenter comparative cohort study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:546–556.

Although the literature supports an association between COVID-19 and invasive Aspergillus , evaluation of immunocompetent patients in French ICUs with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia found a low rate of Aspergillus superinfection.

Baron A, Hachem M, Tran Van Nhieu J, Botterel F, Fourati S, Carteaux G, et al. Bronchoalveolar lavage in patients with COVID-19 with invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory distress syndrome. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:723–726.

Wauters J, Lamoth F, Rijnders BJA, Calandra T. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis goes viral again? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:275–277.

Fekkar A, Lampros A, Mayaux J, Poignon C, Demeret S, Constantin JM, et al. Occurrence of invasive pulmonary fungal infections in patients with severe COVID-19 admitted to the ICU. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:307–317.

Importantly, a cohort study demonstrated that patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia remain susceptible to nosocomial infection via traditional routes such as indwelling devices.

Adelman MW, Bhamidipati DR, Hernandez-Romieu AC, Babiker A, Woodworth MH, Robichaux C, et al.; Emory COVID-19 Quality and Clinical Research Collaborative members. Secondary bacterial pneumonias and bloodstream infections in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1584–1587.

Preexisting comorbidities, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and lung disease, are risk factors for severe COVID-19.

Perger E, Soranna D, Pengo M, Meriggi P, Lombardi C, Parati G. Sleep-disordered breathing among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:239–241.

Paradoxically, several studies suggest that the course of COVID-19 is less severe among patients with asthma; indeed, exacerbations of asthma requiring hospitalization decreased during 2020.

Chan KF, Kwok WC, Ma TF, Hui CH, Tam TC, Wang JK, et al. Territory-wide study on hospital admissions for asthma exacerbations in the COVID-19 pandemic. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1624–1633.

Terry PD, Heidel RE, Dhand R. Asthma in adult patients with COVID-19. Prevalence and risk of severe disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:893–905.

Beasley R, Hills T, Kearns N. Asthma and COVID-19: preconceptions about predisposition. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:799–801.

Martinez FD. Asthma in the time of COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:785–786.

Likewise, patients with bronchiectasis experienced a significant reduction in exacerbations and hospitalizations when comparing 2019–2020 with baseline years.

Crichton ML, Shoemark A, Chalmers JD. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on exacerbations and symptoms in bronchiectasis: a prospective study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:857–859.

It is plausible that mitigation measures designed to decrease the spread of COVID-19, including self-imposed physical distancing, also decrease the transmission of other respiratory viruses that would otherwise contribute to exacerbations of chronic lung diseases.

Metersky ML. Fewer bronchiectasis exacerbations during the “lockdown” for COVID-19: can we convert knowledge into action? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:759–760.

Singer BD. COVID-19 and the next influenza season. Sci Adv 2020;6:eabd0086.

Previous studies found increased mortality among patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and COVID-19. Survival rates differ between types of ILD, with higher mortality among patients with fibrotic ILD compared with other types of ILD.

Gallay L, Uzunhan Y, Borie R, Lazor R, Rigaud P, Marchand-Adam S, et al. Risk factors for mortality after COVID-19 in patients with preexisting interstitial lung disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:245–249.

Obesity and low lung function independently increase the risk of COVID-19.

Bui DS, Cassim R, Russell MA, Doherty A, Lowe AJ, Agusti A, et al. Lung function levels influence the association between obesity and risk of COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:1106–1108.

Adults at high risk for OSA have an increased risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19, and loud snoring predicts slow clinical improvement and the need for hospitalization, supplemental oxygen, and intensive care.

Peker Y, Celik Y, Arbatli S, Isik SR, Balcan B, Karataş F, et al. Effect of high-risk obstructive sleep apnea on clinical outcomes in adults with coronavirus disease 2019: a multicenter, prospective, observational clinical trial. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1548–1559.

Overadjustment bias can occur when evaluating the effect of OSA on outcomes, and further studies are needed to understand causal relationships.

Mulla ZD, Pathak IS. Sleep apnea and poor COVID-19 outcomes: beware of causal intermediates and colliders. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1325–1326.

Immunocompromised patients, including those with a history of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, tend to exhibit prolonged viral shedding and associated high mortality.

Roedl K, Heidenreich S, Pfefferle S, Jarczak D, Urbanowicz TT, Norz D, et al. Viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in critically ill allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients and immunocompetent patients with COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:242–245.

Finally, data continue to support that pregnancy is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19.

Chinn J, Sedighim S, Kirby KA, Hohmann S, Hameed AB, Jolley J, et al. Characteristics and outcomes of women with COVID-19 giving birth at US academic centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open 2021;4:e2120456.

Nevertheless, in a cohort of 32 critically ill pregnant women, all patients survived with no fetal deaths, and treatment outcomes were similar between pregnant and matched nonpregnant patients.

Easter SR, Gupta S, Brenner SK, Leaf DE. Outcomes of critically ill pregnant women with COVID-19 in the United States. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:122–125.

Vaccination

Approaches to COVID-19 vaccine development have included multiple platforms ( Figure 1 ). BNT162b2 is an mRNA vaccine encoding a prefusion stabilized, membrane-anchored SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike protein. In the landmark efficacy trial of BNT162b2, a two-dose regimen in subjects at least 16 years old demonstrated 95% protection against COVID-19 with safety profiles comparable to other vaccines.

Vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ( A ) Mechanisms of mRNA and viral vector vaccines. ( B ) Vaccine platforms in COVID-19. Examples of each category are listed. SARS-CoV-2 = severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, Absalon J, Gurtman A, Lockhart S, et al.; C4591001 Clinical Trial Group. Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. N Engl J Med 2020;383:2603–2615.

Vaccine efficacy waned through 6 months of follow-up; however, BNT162b2 remained highly efficacious in preventing hospitalization and death because of COVID-19.

Thomas SJ, Moreira ED, Jr., Kitchin N, Absalon J, Gurtman A, Lockhart S, et al.; C4591001 Clinical Trial Group. Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine through 6 months. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1761–1773.

These results extended to 12- to 15-year-old recipients, who exhibited even greater immune responses than young adults.

Frenck RW, Jr., Klein NP, Kitchin N, Gurtman A, Absalon J, Lockhart S, et al.; C4591001 Clinical Trial Group. Safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents. N Engl J Med 2021;385:239–250.

Most recently, randomized trials reported positive safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy signals, including protection against severe illness, of a two-dose BNT162b2 regimen in children ages 5–11 years as well as in adolescents.

Walter EB, Talaat KR, Sabharwal C, Gurtman A, Lockhart S, Paulsen GC, et al.; C4591007 Clinical Trial Group. Evaluation of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11 years of age. N Engl J Med 2022;386:35-46.

Olson SM, Newhams MM, Halasa NB, Price AM, Boom JA, Sahni LC, et al.; Overcoming Covid-19 Investigators. Effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine against critical COVID-19 in adolescents. N Engl J Med 2022;386:713–723.

A different mRNA vaccine, mRNA-1273, demonstrated 94% efficacy in preventing COVID-19, including severe disease, with no significant safety signals in a randomized controlled trial.

Baden LR, El Sahly HM, Essink B, Kotloff K, Frey S, Novak R, et al.; COVE Study Group. Efficacy and safety of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. N Engl J Med 2021;384:403–416.

At more than 5 months of follow-up, mRNA-1273 continued to have preventive efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 with additive protection against asymptomatic infection.

El Sahly HM, Baden LR, Essink B, Doblecki-Lewis S, Martin JM, Anderson EJ, et al.; COVE Study Group. Efficacy of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine at completion of blinded phase. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1774–1785.

Similar to BNT162b2, mRNA-1273 was found to be efficacious at preventing COVID-19 in healthy adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age with comparable immune responses to young adults.

Ali K, Berman G, Zhou H, Deng W, Faughnan V, Coronado-Voges M, et al. Evaluation of mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in adolescents. N Engl J Med 2021;385:2241–2251.

Although rare and usually mild or moderate in severity, inflammatory heart disease has been reported after mRNA vaccination, mostly among young male recipients.

Verma AK, Lavine KJ, Lin CY. Myocarditis after Covid-19 mRNA vaccination. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1332–1334.

Mevorach D, Anis E, Cedar N, Bromberg M, Haas EJ, Nadir E, et al. Myocarditis after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 in Israel. N Engl J Med 2021;385:2140–2149.

Witberg G, Barda N, Hoss S, Richter I, Wiessman M, Aviv Y, et al. Myocarditis after Covid-19 vaccination in a large health care organization. N Engl J Med 2021;385:2132–2139.

Alternative vaccine approaches, such as viral vectors and subunit proteins, provide similar protection against severe COVID-19 despite imparting less protection from symptomatic infection than mRNA vaccines.

Sadoff J, Gray G, Vandebosch A, Cardenas V, Shukarev G, Grinsztejn B, et al.; ENSEMBLE Study Group. Safety and efficacy of single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against COVID-19. N Engl J Med 2021;384:2187–2201.

Voysey M, Clemens SAC, Madhi SA, Weckx LY, Folegatti PM, Aley PK, et al.; Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group. Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK. Lancet 2021;397:99–111.

Ramasamy MN, Minassian AM, Ewer KJ, Flaxman AL, Folegatti PM, Owens DR, et al.; Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group. Safety and immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine administered in a prime-boost regimen in young and old adults (COV002): a single-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 2/3 trial. Lancet 2021;396:1979–1993.

Ad26.COV2.S is a recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26) vector encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. With a similar safety profile to other COVID-19 vaccines, a single dose protected against symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and was efficacious against severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

Sadoff J, Le Gars M, Shukarev G, Heerwegh D, Truyers C, de Groot AM, et al. Interim results of a phase 1-2a trial of Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 vaccine. N Engl J Med 2021;384:1824–1835.

Stephenson KE, Le Gars M, Sadoff J, de Groot AM, Heerwegh D, Truyers C, et al. Immunogenicity of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine for COVID-19. JAMA 2021;325:1535–1544.

A chimpanzee adenovirus-vector vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), demonstrated comparable immunogenicity across all age groups after a booster.

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 was efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19, including the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant; however, it did not impart protection against mild–moderate COVID-19 owing to Beta (B.1.351).

Emary KRW, Golubchik T, Aley PK, Ariani CV, Angus B, Bibi S, et al.; COVID-19 Genomics UK consortium, AMPHEUS Project, Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Group. Efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern 202012/01 (B.1.1.7): an exploratory analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2021;397:1351–1362.

Madhi SA, Baillie V, Cutland CL, Voysey M, Koen AL, Fairlie L, et al.; NGS-SA Group, Wits-VIDA COVID Group. Efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 COVID-19 vaccine against the B.1.351 variant. N Engl J Med 2021;384:1885–1898.

Concerns about the occurrence of a rare but clinically significant immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia mediated by platelet-activating antibodies against PF4 in recipients of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and Ad26.COV2.S vaccines intermittently interrupted administration in some countries.

Greinacher A, Thiele T, Warkentin TE, Weisser K, Kyrle PA, Eichinger S. Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia after ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccination. N Engl J Med 2021;384:2092–2101.

Scully M, Singh D, Lown R, Poles A, Solomon T, Levi M, et al. Pathologic antibodies to platelet factor 4 after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination. N Engl J Med 2021;384:2202–2211.

Muir KL, Kallam A, Koepsell SA, Gundabolu K. Thrombotic thrombocytopenia after Ad26.COV2.S vaccination. N Engl J Med 2021;384:1964–1965.

Shay DK, Gee J, Su JR, Myers TR, Marquez P, Liu R, et al. Safety monitoring of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine – United States, March-April 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:680–684.

Other COVID-19 vaccines, including Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), NVX-CoV2373, SCB-2019, BBV152, and inactivated whole-virion CoronaVac, provide a broad vaccine portfolio going into 2022.

Shinde V, Bhikha S, Hoosain Z, Archary M, Bhorat Q, Fairlie L, et al.; 2019nCoV-501 Study Group. Efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccine against the B.1.351 variant. N Engl J Med 2021;384:1899–1909.

Heath PT, Galiza EP, Baxter DN, Boffito M, Browne D, Burns F, et al.; 2019nCoV-302 Study Group. Safety and efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccine. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1172–1183.

Richmond P, Hatchuel L, Dong M, Ma B, Hu B, Smolenov I, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of S-Trimer (SCB-2019), a protein subunit vaccine candidate for COVID-19 in healthy adults: a phase 1, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2021;397:682–694.

Tanriover MD, Doganay HL, Akova M, Guner HR, Azap A, Akhan S, et al.; CoronaVac Study Group. Efficacy and safety of an inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac): interim results of a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial in Turkey. Lancet 2021;398:213–222.

Al Kaabi N, Zhang Y, Xia S, Yang Y, Al Qahtani MM, Abdulrazzaq N, et al. Effect of 2 inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on symptomatic COVID-19 infection in adults: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2021;326:35–45.

Ella R, Reddy S, Blackwelder W, Potdar V, Yadav P, Sarangi V, et al.; COVAXIN Study Group. Efficacy, safety, and lot-to-lot immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BBV152): interim results of a randomised, double-blind, controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet 2021;398:2173–2184.

Heterologous vaccine schedules (“mix and match”) may provide superior protection.

Logunov DY, Dolzhikova IV, Shcheblyakov DV, Tukhvatulin AI, Zubkova OV, Dzharullaeva AS, et al.; Gam-COVID-Vac Vaccine Trial Group. Safety and efficacy of an rAd26 and rAd5 vector-based heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccine: an interim analysis of a randomised controlled phase 3 trial in Russia. Lancet 2021;397:671–681.

Liu X, Shaw RH, Stuart ASV, Greenland M, Aley PK, Andrews NJ, et al.; Com-COV Study Group. Safety and immunogenicity of heterologous versus homologous prime-boost schedules with an adenoviral vectored and mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Com-COV): a single-blind, randomised, non-inferiority trial. Lancet 2021;398:856–869.

Indeed, in people vaccinated with a two-dose CoronaVac series, heterologous vaccination with an mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2) led to increased titers of neutralizing antibodies compared with a third CoronaVac dose.

Mok CKP, Chen C, Yiu K, Chan TO, Lai KC, Ling KC, et al. A randomized clinical trial using CoronaVac or BNT162b2 vaccine as a third dose in adults vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2022;205:844–847.

Substantial challenges remain, including waning immunity, inequitable vaccine distribution, vaccine hesitancy, and higher rates of breakthrough infection with increasingly transmissible strains capable of evading host immunity.

Gupta RK, Topol EJ. COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections. Science 2021;374:1561–1562.

Razai MS, Oakeshott P, Esmail A, Wiysonge CS, Viswanath K, Mills MC. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: the five Cs to tackle behavioural and sociodemographic factors. J R Soc Med 2021;114:295–298.

Waning vaccine efficacy remains greatest in older individuals and higher-risk groups.

Lin DY, Gu Y, Wheeler B, Young H, Holloway S, Sunny SK, et al. Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines over a 9-month period in North Carolina. N Engl J Med 2022;386:933–941.

Andrews N, Tessier E, Stowe J, Gower C, Kirsebom F, Simmons R, et al. Duration of protection against mild and severe disease by COVID-19 vaccines. N Engl J Med 2022;386:340–350.

Alpha, Beta, Gamma (P.1), Delta (B.1.617.2), Epsilon (B.1.427/B.1.429), and Omicron have challenged vaccine efficacy. Although vaccine efficacy against some variants is reduced, vaccines continue to provide strong protection against severe disease.

Wu K, Werner AP, Koch M, Choi A, Narayanan E, Stewart-Jones GBE, et al. Serum neutralizing activity elicited by mRNA-1273 vaccine. N Engl J Med 2021;384:1468–1470.

Concerns over waning immunity and the emergence of more transmissible variants prompted consideration of an additional (booster) vaccine beyond the initial series. In a report from the United States, the administration of a third BNT162b2 dose between 7.9 and 8.8 months after the two-dose regimen to 23 study participants suggested improved COVID-19 protection.

Falsey AR, Frenck RW, Jr., Walsh EE, Kitchin N, Absalon J, Gurtman A, et al. SARS-CoV-2 neutralization with BNT162b2 vaccine dose 3. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1627–1629.

Large datasets from Israel in individuals at least 16 years of age confirmed that rates of COVID-19 and, in particular, severe illness, are substantially lower among those boosted with a third dose of BNT162b2.

Bar-On YM, Goldberg Y, Mandel M, Bodenheimer O, Freedman L, Kalkstein N, et al. Protection of BNT162b2 vaccine booster against COVID-19 in Israel. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1393–1400.

Bar-On YM, Goldberg Y, Mandel M, Bodenheimer O, Freedman L, Alroy-Preis S, et al. Protection against COVID-19 by BNT162b2 booster across age groups. N Engl J Med 2021;385:2421–2430.

The importance of a booster has become more apparent during the emergence of Omicron, with 100-fold higher neutralization efficiency achieved after a third dose. Even with three vaccine doses, overall neutralization efficacy against Omicron remains lower than that observed against Delta.

Collie S, Champion J, Moultrie H, Bekker LG, Gray G. Effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine against omicron variant in South Africa. N Engl J Med 2022;386:494–496.

Nemet I, Kliker L, Lustig Y, Zuckerman N, Erster O, Cohen C, et al. Third BNT162b2 vaccination neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 omicron infection. N Engl J Med 2022;386:492–494.

Sinha P, Furfaro D, Cummings MJ, Abrams D, Delucchi K, Maddali MV, et al. Latent class analysis reveals COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome subgroups with differential responses to corticosteroids. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:1274–1285.

Going forward, intranasal and pansarbecovirus vaccines currently in development may address many of these challenges.

Tan CW, Chia WN, Young BE, Zhu F, Lim BL, Sia WR, et al. Pan-sarbecovirus neutralizing antibodies in BNT162b2-immunized SARS-CoV-1 survivors. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1401–1406.

Carmen JM, Shrivastava S, Lu Z, Anderson A, Morrison EB, Sankhala RS, et al. SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine induces robust innate immune activity driving polyfunctional spike-specific T cell responses. NPJ Vaccines 2021;6:151.

The primary message of COVID-19 therapeutics over the last year is the confirmation, with nuances related to the serological status, of the “two-phase” model proposed early in the pandemic. In general, it appears that virus-focused therapies are more effective in the early phase of illness, with host-focused therapies becoming more relevant later in the disease. Notwithstanding the methodological problems posed by substantial practice variation, the conceptual division into outpatient, inpatient, and intensive care continues to seem most useful for classifying therapies ( Table 1 ). Key priorities for therapeutics in the coming year include grappling with fluctuations in the standards of evidence motivated by pandemic urgency, conducting strategy trials to manage the accumulating independent evidence for multiple therapies, and tailoring trials to relevant physiological subtypes.

Therapeutics Granted Emergency Use Authorization by U.S. Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 through 2021

Outpatient Therapy

The last year has witnessed transformational changes in outpatient care for COVID-19. Multiple neutralizing monoclonal antibody products have demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of early symptomatic disease, and some agents have demonstrated efficacy for preexposure (PROVENT [Prophylaxis Prevention] trial, {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT04625725","term_id":"NCT04625725"}} NCT04625725 ) or postexposure prophylaxis.

O’Brien MP, Forleo-Neto E, Musser BJ, Isa F, Chan KC, Sarkar N, et al.; COVID-19 Phase 3 Prevention Trial Team. Subcutaneous REGEN-COV antibody combination to prevent COVID-19. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1184–1195.

Though this effect was not observed among patients treated in the emergency department with convalescent plasma, high-risk but less ill outpatients may have benefited from early administration of high-titer convalescent plasma.

Korley FK, Durkalski-Mauldin V, Yeatts SD, Schulman K, Davenport RD, Dumont LJ, et al.; SIREN-C3PO Investigators. Early convalescent plasma for high-risk outpatients with COVID-19. N Engl J Med 2021;385:1951–1960.

Sullivan DJ, Gebo KA, Shoham S, Bloch EM, Lau B, Shenoy AG, et al. Early outpatient treatment for COVID-19 with convalescent plasma. N Engl J Med 2022;386:1700–1711.

A trial ( {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT04910269","term_id":"NCT04910269"}} NCT04910269 ) evaluating hyperimmune globulin among outpatients is ongoing. Given the expense, complexity of storage and administration, viral evolution limiting neutralization by established products, and ongoing constraints on supply, neutralizing monoclonal antibodies have generally been restricted to the highest-risk patients. Most available products have limited neutralization of the Omicron variant. Hence, these agents may need to be regularly updated and tested to cover new variants, similar to seasonal influenza vaccines. As we anticipate COVID-19 moving toward a more endemic state, a priority will be understanding how best to treat patients at the highest risk, particularly those with immune deficiency. It seems likely that a combination of passive immunity and complementary antiviral therapies will be useful in high-risk and immunocompromised patient populations.

The PINETREE (GS-US-540–9012) trial demonstrated a significant reduction in risk of hospitalization or death with a 3-day course of intravenous remdesivir in outpatients with an increased risk of severe COVID-19.

Gottlieb RL, Vaca CE, Paredes R, Mera J, Webb BJ, Perez G, et al.; GS-US-540-9012 (PINETREE) Investigators. Early remdesivir to prevent progression to severe COVID-19 in outpatients. N Engl J Med 2022;386:305–315.

Because remdesivir is a nucleoside analog, there may be better odds of it maintaining efficacy against new variants, although on-therapy resistance has been documented in an immunocompromised patient.

Gandhi S, Klein J, Robertson AJ, Pena-Hernandez MA, Lin MJ, Roychoudhury P, et al. De novo emergence of a remdesivir resistance mutation during treatment of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in an immunocompromised patient: a case report. Nat Commun 2022;13:1547.

Through emergency use authorization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the oral antivirals nirmatrelvir–ritonavir and molnupiravir for outpatient treatment of early COVID-19.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: FDA authorizes first oral antiviral for treatment of COVID-19. 2021 [accessed 2022 Jan 20]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-first-oral-antiviral-treatment-covid-19 .

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: FDA authorizes additional oral antiviral for treatment of COVID-19 in certain adults. 2021 [accessed 2022 Jan 20]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-additional-oral-antiviral-treatment-covid-19-certain .

The pivotal trials for both agents ( {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT04960202","term_id":"NCT04960202"}} NCT04960202 and {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT04575597","term_id":"NCT04575597"}} NCT04575597 ) were stopped early for efficacy, although final data for molnupiravir suggested modest efficacy, whereas nirmatrelvir–ritonavir exhibited higher efficacy in the final analysis cohort. Although oral drugs are sometimes hailed as “game-changing” in the popular press, adherence may be low, particularly with nirmatrelvir–ritonavir, given its side effect profile and potential for drug–drug interactions.

Hammond J, Leister-Tebbe H, Gardner A, Abreu P, Bao W, Wisemandle W, et al.; EPIC-HR Investigators. Oral nirmatrelvir for high-risk, nonhospitalized adults with COVID-19. N Engl J Med 2022;386:1397–1408.

Jayk Bernal A, Gomes da Silva MM, Musungaie DB, Kovalchuk E, Gonzalez A, Delos Reyes V, et al.; Group MO-OS. Molnupiravir for oral treatment of COVID-19 in nonhospitalized patients. N Engl J Med 2022;386:509–520.

The antidepressant fluvoxamine has been studied as a treatment for COVID-19 because of its potential antiinflammatory properties. The TOGETHER trial in Brazil suggested a modest decrease in long emergency department stays or transfer to tertiary care hospitals for high-risk outpatients with COVID-19 treated with fluvoxamine (100 mg twice daily) compared with placebo; a small trial ( N  = 153) also suggested possible efficacy for fluvoxamine, albeit using an idiosyncratic primary endpoint (dyspnea, hospitalization, or hypoxemia) and a different dosing regimen.

Reis G, Moreira-Silva EAD, Silva DCM, Thabane L, Milagres AC, Ferreira TS, et al.; TOGETHER Investigators. Effect of early treatment with fluvoxamine on risk of emergency care and hospitalisation among patients with COVID-19: the TOGETHER randomised, platform clinical trial. Lancet Glob Health 2022;10:E36–E45.

Lenze EJ, Mattar C, Zorumski CF, Stevens A, Schweiger J, Nicol GE, et al. Fluvoxamine vs placebo and clinical deterioration in outpatients with symptomatic COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2020;324:2292–2300.

Despite considerable partisan fervor, the clinical data supporting ivermectin are limited. The ACTIV (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines)-6 trial ( {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT04885530","term_id":"NCT04885530"}} NCT04885530 ) is studying fluvoxamine as well as two dosing strategies for ivermectin in a pragmatic design.

Inpatient Therapy

For inpatients, remdesivir continues to be favored in the United States on the basis of findings of the ACTT (Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial)-1 trial and less favored outside the United States because of a lack of mortality benefit in large pragmatic trials that were not designed to test time to recovery.

Beigel JH, Tomashek KM, Dodd LE, Mehta AK, Zingman BS, Kalil AC, et al.; ACTT-Study Group Members. Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 – final report. N Engl J Med 2020;383:1813–1826.

Pan H, Peto R, Henao-Restrepo AM, Preziosi MP, Sathiyamoorthy V, Abdool Karim Q, et al.; WHO Solidarity Trial Consortium. Repurposed antiviral drugs for COVID-19—interim WHO solidarity trial results. N Engl J Med 2021;384:497–511.

Ader F, Bouscambert-Duchamp M, Hites M, Peiffer-Smadja N, Poissy J, Belhadi D, et al.; DisCoVeRy Study Group. Remdesivir plus standard of care versus standard of care alone for the treatment of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (DisCoVeRy): a phase 3, randomised, controlled, open-label trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2022;22:209–221.

Dexamethasone or an equivalent glucocorticoid is a cornerstone therapy in SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, although it has not demonstrated benefit in a placebo-controlled trial.

Horby P, Lim WS, Emberson JR, Mafham M, Bell JL, Linsell L, et al.; RECOVERY Collaborative Group. Dexamethasone in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. N Engl J Med 2021;384:693–704.

Targeted antiinflammatory therapies have been studied with mixed results. Inhibition of the IL-6 receptor with tocilizumab or sarilumab is a complex story, with positive readouts from two unblinded pragmatic trials. A large ( N  = 4,116) trial of hospitalized patients found benefit of tocilizumab in patients requiring oxygen with evidence of systemic inflammation, and one moderately large ( N  = 803) trial of critically ill patients also found benefit of tocilizumab.

RECOVERY Collaborative Group. Tocilizumab in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial. Lancet 2021;397:1637–1645.

Gordon AC, Mouncey PR, Al-Beidh F, Rowan KM, Nichol AD, Arabi YM, et al.; REMAP-CAP Investigators. Interleukin-6 receptor antagonists in critically ill patients with Covid-19. N Engl J Med 2021;384:1491–1502.

Nevertheless, two moderately sized (total N  = 438 + 649 = 1,087) placebo-controlled trials showed no benefit of tocilizumab.

Rosas IO, Brau N, Waters M, Go RC, Hunter BD, Bhagani S, et al. Tocilizumab in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. N Engl J Med 2021;384:1503–1516.

Rosas IO, Diaz G, Gottlieb RL, Lobo SM, Robinson P, Hunter BD, et al. Tocilizumab and remdesivir in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia: a randomized clinical trial. Intensive Care Med 2021;47:1258–1270.

The results of trials studying the JAK (Janus kinase) inhibitor baricitinib are somewhat clearer. ACTT-2 suggested a modest benefit for baricitinib without glucocorticoids, whereas ACTT-4 suggested no difference between dexamethasone and baricitinib, and trials with a background of glucocorticoids suggested efficacy for baricitinib (COV-BARRIER [A Study of Baricitinib (LY3009104) in Participants With COVID-19]) and tofacitinib (STOP-COVID [Study of the Treatment and Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19]).

Marconi VC, Ramanan AV, de Bono S, Kartman CE, Krishnan V, Liao R, et al.; COV-BARRIER Study Group. Efficacy and safety of baricitinib for the treatment of hospitalised adults with COVID-19 (COV-BARRIER): a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Lancet Respir Med 2021;9:1407–1418.

Guimaraes PO, Quirk D, Furtado RH, Maia LN, Saraiva JF, Antunes MO, et al.; STOP-COVID Trial Investigators. Tofacitinib in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia. N Engl J Med 2021;385:406–415.

The efficacy signals were not large, and whether IL-6 receptor inhibition and JAK inhibition are interchangeable is unknown. Because the safety dataset for these agents in COVID-19 is not large, real-world pharmacovigilance will be important and will require methodological rigor to ensure that benefits continue to outweigh risks. Notably, nosocomial infections were more common in the placebo than in the tocilizumab groups in trials, although overall numbers of infections were low.

Although neutralizing monoclonal antibodies are not beneficial in unselected hospitalized patients, seronegative patients likely benefited from their administration, at least for the REGN-COV cocktail in the era before Omicron.

ACTIV-3/Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19 Study Group. Efficacy and safety of two neutralising monoclonal antibody therapies, sotrovimab and BRII-196 plus BRII-198, for adults hospitalised with COVID-19 (TICO): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2022;22:622–635.

Lundgren JD, Grund B, Barkauskas CE, Holland TL, Gottlieb RL, Sandkovsky U, et al.; ACTIV-3/TICO Bamlanivimab Study Group. Responses to a neutralizing monoclonal antibody for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 according to baseline antibody and antigen levels: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 2022;175:234–243.

RECOVERY Collaborative Group. Casirivimab and imdevimab in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial. Lancet 2022;399:665–676.

The United Kingdom approved the REGN-COV cocktail for inpatients with a pragmatic approach to serological testing. Another unknown is whether the most important signal is viral load (perhaps sampled in blood as serum antigen), serostatus, or both. Whether antibody-dependent enhancement drives pathology in COVID-19 is controversial. Hence, it seems prudent not to administer neutralizing monoclonal antibodies to seropositive patients unless or until there is evidence to suggest that certain seropositive patients, such as those with high viral loads, are likely to benefit.

Because COVID-19 is associated with a prothrombotic state, several trials have studied anticoagulation. Full-dose heparinoid-based anticoagulation in hospitalized patients with COVID-19– related acute illness who did not require ICU care and did not have venous thromboembolism was beneficial on the basis of the primary efficacy endpoint in a multiplatform trial.

Lawler PR, Goligher EC, Berger JS, Neal MD, McVerry BJ, Nicolau JC, et al.; ATTACC Investigators, ACTIV-4a Investigators, REMAP-CAP Investigators. Therapeutic anticoagulation with heparin in noncritically ill patients with COVID-19. N Engl J Med 2021;385:790–802.

Nevertheless, the interpretation is complex given the study design, with the primary effect being a decrease in progression from conventional oxygen to high-flow nasal oxygen. Smaller trials have provided confirmatory results, although inclusion criteria and beneficial outcomes differed somewhat from the multiplatform trial. The use of tissue plasminogen activator early in the pandemic was prominently discussed but had little clinical evidence supporting its administration.

Douin DJ, Shaefi S, Brenner SK, Gupta S, Park I, Wright FL, et al. Tissue plasminogen activator in critically ill adults with COVID-19. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1917–1921.

There is growing interest in treatments for patients during the convalescent phase, especially the use of thromboprophylaxis, a topic being addressed by the ACTIV-4c trial ( {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT04650087","term_id":"NCT04650087"}} NCT04650087 ), with encouraging early results from the Brazilian MICHELLE (Medically Ill Hospitalized Patients for COVID-19 THrombosis Extended ProphyLaxis With Rivaroxaban ThErapy) trial.

Ramacciotti E, Barile Agati L, Calderaro D, Aguiar VCR, Spyropoulos AC, de Oliveira CCC, et al.; MICHELLE Investigators. Rivaroxaban versus no anticoagulation for post-discharge thromboprophylaxis after hospitalisation for COVID-19 (MICHELLE): an open-label, multicentre, randomised, controlled trial. Lancet 2022;399:50–59.

Critically Ill Patients

The most important intervention in critically ill patients is high-quality, multidisciplinary supportive care. Specific to COVID-19, the mainstays of therapy remain glucocorticoids and probably secondary immune modulation. A multiplatform trial of full-dose anticoagulation suggested probable harm among patients receiving life support at the time of randomization.

Goligher EC, Bradbury CA, McVerry BJ, Lawler PR, Berger JS, Gong MN, et al.; REMAP-CAP Investigators, ACTIV-4a Investigators, ATTACC Investigators. Therapeutic anticoagulation with heparin in critically ill patients with COVID-19. N Engl J Med 2021;385:777–789.

On the totality of the evidence, it seems appropriate to stop full-dose anticoagulation and replace it with thromboprophylaxis for patients transferred to the ICU with organ failure.

The best ventilatory strategy before invasive mechanical ventilation remains an open question. The largest trial, RECOVERY-RS (Randomized Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy–Respiratory Support), suggests that early noninvasive ventilation (NIV) may be superior to early high-flow nasal oxygen or conventional oxygen.

Perkins GD, Ji C, Connolly BA, Couper K, Lall R, Baillie JK, et al.; RECOVERY-RS Collaborators. Effect of noninvasive respiratory strategies on intubation or mortality among patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and COVID-19: the RECOVERY-RS randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2022;327:546–558.

Nevertheless, the results of the RECOVERY-RS trial do not mean that NIV should be used as salvage therapy for patients who otherwise require intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation. Other investigators have explored NIV use outside the ICU.

Bellani G, Grasselli G, Cecconi M, Antolini L, Borelli M, De Giacomi F, et al. Noninvasive ventilatory support of patients with COVID-19 outside the intensive care units (WARd-COVID). Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1020–1026.

Despite an ongoing lack of clear evidence for efficacy from well-controlled trials, many centers have adopted extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a centerpiece of their management for critical COVID-19.

Schmidt M, de Chambrun MP, Lebreton G, Hekimian G, Chommeloux J, Brechot N, et al. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation instead of invasive mechanical ventilation in a patient with severe COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1571–1573.

Diaz RA, Graf J, Zambrano JM, Ruiz C, Espinoza JA, Bravo SI, et al. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for COVID-19-associated severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in Chile: a nationwide incidence and cohort study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:34–43.

Karagiannidis C, Strassmann S, Merten M, Bein T, Windisch W, Meybohm P, et al. High in-hospital mortality rate in patients with COVID-19 receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in Germany: a critical analysis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:991–994.

Patient positioning has also been of interest, focusing on the implementation of prone positioning, which had low uptake in the United States before the pandemic.

Klaiman T, Silvestri JA, Srinivasan T, Szymanski S, Tran T, Oredeko F, et al. Improving prone positioning for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic. An implementation-mapping approach. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:300–307.

Among patients not undergoing mechanical ventilation, prone positioning and various other positions to improve oxygenation have been proposed, including one on the basis of Rodin’s “The Thinker.”

Taylor SP, Bundy H, Smith WM, Skavroneck S, Taylor B, Kowalkowski MA. Awake prone positioning strategy for nonintubated hypoxic patients with COVID-19: a pilot trial with embedded implementation evaluation. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1360–1368.

Johnson SA, Horton DJ, Fuller MJ, Yee J, Aliyev N, Boltax JP, et al. Patient-directed prone positioning in awake patients with COVID-19 requiring hospitalization (PAPR). Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1424–1426.

Coppo A, Winterton D, Benini A, Monzani A, Aletti G, Cadore B, et al. Rodin’s Thinker: an alternative position in awake patients with COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:728–730.

Societal Effects

COVID-19 continues to cause widespread impacts on society, healthcare delivery, the conduct of research, and medical education. Striking racial and ethnic disparities noted early in the COVID-19 pandemic have persisted. In a retrospective cohort study, Gershengorn and colleagues found that Black race and Hispanic ethnicity increased the odds of COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization, a finding largely mediated by socioeconomic factors.

Gershengorn HB, Patel S, Shukla B, Warde PR, Bhatia M, Parekh D, et al. Association of race and ethnicity with COVID-19 test positivity and hospitalization is mediated by socioeconomic factors. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1326–1334.

The prognostic accuracy of mortality prediction models was also examined through an equity lens. The SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) score and LAPS2 (Laboratory-based Acute Physiology Score) underestimated in-hospital mortality for White patients and overestimated mortality for Black patients, indicating that overreliance on SOFA scores for triage could divert resources away from Black patients.

Ashana DC, Anesi GL, Liu VX, Escobar GJ, Chesley C, Eneanya ND, et al. Equitably allocating resources during crises: racial differences in mortality prediction models. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:178–186.

Interestingly, an examination of the effect of four different allocation frameworks on disparities demonstrated no significant racial differences in allocation scores and no effect from the use of equity-focused modifications.

Ross-Driscoll K, Esper G, Kinlaw K, Lee YH, Morris AA, Murphy DJ, et al. Evaluating approaches to improve equity in critical care resource allocation in the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:1481–1484.

Crisis standard-of-care plans were proposed but plagued by unresolved ethical debates, underappreciated practical issues with scoring systems, and the fear of legal liability.

Oxman D. The crisis in crisis standards of care. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1283–1284.

The medical community was urged to consider principles of distributive justice, including the use of racial or socioeconomic correction factors, training on ethics and equity, and a system of checks and balances through hospital triage and ethics committees.

Tukpah AM, Moll M, Gay E. COVID-19 racial and ethnic inequities in acute care and critical illness survivorship. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:23–25.

Ramnath VR, Lafree A, Staats K, Tomaszewski C. Promoting racial and health equity in COVID-19 by leveraging empathic interpreters, trained liaisons, and cross-institutional physician leadership. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1262–1263.

Disruptions in the availability of personnel, equipment, and space continued through 2021. Alternative staffing from redeployment resulted in less supervision and lowered perceived quality and safety.

Hennus MP, Young JQ, Hennessy M, Friedman KA, de Vries B, Hoff RG, et al. Supervision, interprofessional collaboration, and patient safety in intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic. ATS Sch 2021;2:397–414.

Proposed strategies to maximize ventilator availability included using NIV and maximizing the existing supply of ventilators with operating room devices, supply from governments, and conversion of noninvasive devices to invasive ones.

Dar M, Swamy L, Gavin D, Theodore A. Mechanical-ventilation supply and options for the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging all available resources for a limited resource in a crisis. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:408–416.

With a scarcity of hospital beds and personnel, health systems also grappled with equity in resource allocation. Investigators used a simulated ventilator shortage to assess triage strategies for ventilator allocation and found that “color-blind” allocation exacerbated health inequities. Systematic triage algorithms saved more lives than a lottery system.

Bhavani SV, Luo Y, Miller WD, Sanchez-Pinto LN, Han X, Mao C, et al. Simulation of ventilator allocation in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;204:1224–1227.

Specific stakeholders in health care have been differentially affected by the pandemic. An observational cohort study of family members of severely ill patients with COVID-19 revealed high levels of anxiety, depression, and caregiver strain.

With the media focus primarily on physicians, there was a call for attention to nursing shortages.

Lynch J, Evans N, Ice E, Costa DK. Ignoring nurses: media coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1278–1282.

Many summer research programs, including those for high school, college, and medical students, remained virtual. Nevertheless, investigators discovered that program objectives could be accomplished remotely.

Hardie WD. Evaluation of a summer medical student research program during a pandemic. ATS Sch 2021;2:172–175.

Berr AL, Ridge KM, Hu JY-S. Pivoting to a remote-learning summer student program during the COVID-19 pandemic. ATS Sch 2021;2:521–534.

Early-career physician–scientists remained disadvantaged during 2021 because of pandemic effects on research productivity, access to mentors, professional development opportunities, funding, and threats to wellness.

Burden M, Flores SC, Schwartz DA. COVID-19: a time to reinvest in our scientists. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1190–1191.

Kliment and colleagues proposed interventions to address these challenges.

Kliment CR, Barbash IJ, Brenner JS, Chandra D, Courtright K, Gauthier MC, et al. COVID-19 and the early-career physician-scientist. Fostering resilience beyond the pandemic. ATS Sch 2020;2:19–28.

The pandemic has led to new approaches to clinical care that reflect requirements for physical distancing. Virtual focus groups supported qualitative research into these approaches.

Santhosh L, Rojas JC, Lyons PG. Zooming into focus groups: strategies for qualitative research in the era of social distancing. ATS Sch 2021;2:176–184.

In a qualitative study, clinicians and families reported that phone calls for routine updates and video calls for aligning clinician and family perspectives were somewhat effective communication tools.

Kennedy NR, Steinberg A, Arnold RM, Doshi AA, White DB, DeLair W, et al. Perspectives on telephone and video communication in the intensive care unit during COVID-19. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:838–847.

A national survey in the United Kingdom determined that virtual family visits decreased psychological distress for patients, reoriented those with delirium, and improved staff morale.

Rose L, Yu L, Casey J, Cook A, Metaxa V, Pattison N, et al. Communication and virtual visiting for families of patients in intensive care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a UK national survey. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1685–1692.

Virtual peer support for ICU survivors was also valuable in promoting a greater understanding of illness management and improving quality of life.

Lassen-Greene CL, Nordness M, Kiehl A, Jones A, Jackson JC, Boncyk CS. Peer support group for intensive care unit survivors: perceptions on supportive recovery in the era of social distancing. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:177–182.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also provided opportunities to evaluate other processes of care.

Weissman GE. A bold first toe into the uncharted waters of evaluating proprietary clinical prediction models. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1116–1117.

Investigators observed that the Epic Deterioration Index, a proprietary clinical prediction tool, possesses low sensitivity among patients with COVID-19, limiting its use as an early warning system.

Singh K, Valley TS, Tang S, Li BY, Kamran F, Sjoding MW, et al. Evaluating a widely implemented proprietary deterioration index model among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1129–1137.

A study comparing no face mask with surgical- or N95-type face masks found similar results on 6-minute-walk testing among patients undergoing evaluation for PASC.

Salles-Rojas A, Guzman-Valderrabano C, Madrid WA, Gonzalez-Molina A, Silva-Ceron M, Rodriguez-Hernandez C, et al. Masking the 6-minute walking test in the COVID-19 era. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:1070–1074.

Finally, in a United Kingdom-based ICU cohort in which the mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 19 days and 90% of patients received neuromuscular blockade, efforts to initiate rehabilitation were delayed by severe illness yet still resulted in increased mobility before ICU discharge.

McWilliams D, Weblin J, Hodson J, Veenith T, Whitehouse T, Snelson C. Rehabilitation levels in patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care requiring invasive ventilation. An observational study. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18:122–129.

Graduate medical education, particularly for pulmonary and critical care trainees, has experienced continued disruption because of the pandemic.

Lenz PH. Adding to the COVID-19 educational script. ATS Sch 2021;2:497–499.

In a survey of interventional pulmonary fellows, over half of respondents reported deployment to care for patients with COVID-19, although most educational activities were retained.

Kalchiem-Dekel O, Schwalk AJ, Patel NM, Lin IH, Beattie JA, Husta BC, et al. COVID-19 impact on interventional pulmonology training. ATS Sch 2021;2:236–248.

A U.S. survey of pulmonary and critical care fellowship program directors identified educational gaps resulting from the pandemic, including pulmonary function test interpretation, elective bronchoscopy, and outpatient encounters.

Matta A, Adamson R, Hayes MM, Carmona H, Soffler MI, Benzaquen S, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship training. ATS Sch 2021;2:556–565.

Wahlster and colleagues’ global survey of critical care trainees and attendings revealed an overall negative impact of the pandemic on critical care training.

Wahlster S, Sharma M, Çoruh B, Town JA, Lewis A, Lobo SM, et al. A global survey of the effect of COVID-19 on critical care training. ATS Sch 2021;2:508–520.

The pandemic also affected trainee recruitment. Educators shared their experiences of pivoting to virtual recruitment interviews with proposals for minimizing cognitive load in this new format.

Chaisson NF, Ashton RW. Virtual interviews and their effect on cognitive load for graduate medical education applicants and programs. ATS Sch 2021;2:309–316.

A survey of both applicants and interviewers regarding the virtual interview process revealed benefits (reduction in travel costs and time required off-service) and identified new challenges, including a lack of training for virtual interviewing and a shift in attention to program websites.

Strumpf Z, Miller C, Livingston D, Shaman Z, Matta M. Virtual interviews: challenges and opportunities for pulmonary disease and critical care medicine fellowship programs. ATS Sch 2021;2:535–543.

In considering curricular changes, Brotherton and colleagues highlighted crucial topics for training frontline providers in low-to-middle-income countries during a pandemic, emphasizing the need for human resources.

Brotherton BJ, Mbugua E, Halestrap P, Lee BW. COVID-19 and the need for global critical care training. Why ventilators alone are not the answer. ATS Sch 2020;2:13–18.

A university health system deployed a tele-ICU system that benefited local clinicians as well as residents and fellows, who learned about critical care in resource-limited settings.

Leverone NA, Ramnath VR, Munce D, Raphelson JR, Ma J, Akuthota P, et al. Critical care education in a pandemic through tele-ICU. ATS Sch 2020;2:29–33.

Jackson and colleagues described their approach to a hybrid model of remote and in-person ultrasound teaching.

Jackson R, Brotherston D, Jain A, Doufle G, Piquette D, Goffi A. Teaching ultrasound at the point of care in times of social distancing. ATS Sch 2021;2:341–352.

Others found that remote simulation resulted in a trend toward higher comfort across technical and cognitive domains and improved competency in leading cardiac resuscitation.

Lin E, You AX, Wardi G. Comparison of in-person and telesimulation for critical care training during the COVID-19 pandemic. ATS Sch 2021;2:581–594.

Critical appraisal of the literature became even more important with the deluge of information on COVID-19, and the American Thoracic Society’s weekly COVID-19 Critical Care Training Forum provided a venue to address training and knowledge gaps.

Mazer AJ, Mazer MA, Meisenberg BR. Teaching deliberation and restraint in interpreting a tempest of COVID-19 “information.” ATS Sch 2021;2:163–167.

Cypro A, McGuire WC, Rolfsen M, Jones N, Shah NG, Cribbs SK, et al. An international virtual COVID-19 critical care training forum for healthcare workers. ATS Sch 2021;2:278–286.

As we enter 2022, the threat of novel mutations creating variants with increased transmissibility and virulence continues to strain healthcare systems, research teams, medical education, and society at large. The advent of highly effective vaccines has changed the course of the pandemic, yet questions remain about how to maximize the benefit and equitable distribution of these preventives as well as novel therapeutics. Undoubtedly, we will continue to face social strife in the face of contagion; however, as we concluded the “Update in COVID-19” a year ago, we can remain hopeful that “the dawn that always follows darkness is near.”

Chotirmall SH, Leither LM, Çoruh B, Chan LLY, Joudi AM, Brown SM, et al. Update in COVID-19 2020. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021;203:1462–1471.

Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards R01HL149883, R01HL153122, P01HL154998, P01AG049665, and U19AI135964 (B.D.S.); the National Research Foundation Singapore under its COVID-19 Research Fund administered by the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council (MOH-000409 [S.H.C.]); the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council under its Clinician–Scientist Individual Research Grant (MOH-000141 [S.H.C.]); Clinician Scientist Award (MOH-000710 [S.H.C.]); the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (N.S.); the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine-Imperial College London Postdoctoral Fellowship (Grant#020458–00001 [O.W.M.]); LEARN Grant LEARN008 [O.W.M.]; NIH awards U01HL123018, OT2HL156812, and R01HL144624 (S.M.B.); and DoD award W81XWH-21–1-0050 (S.M.B.). The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not represent any position or policy of the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government or any of their institutions.

Author Contributions: The following authors conceived and provided a first draft of each of the following sections: pathophysiology (O.W.M. and A.M.J.), clinical manifestations (B.D.S. and L.M.L.), vaccines (S.H.C. and B.Ç.), treatment (N.S. and S.M.B.), and societal effects (S.H.C. and B.Ç.). B.D.S., S.H.C., O.W.M., and B.Ç. conceived and drafted the figure and table. B.D.S. and S.H.C. conceived the overall project, coordinated the team, and planned and prepared the manuscript draft, including editing of all subsections, with assistance from all authors, who contributed to the editing of and approved the final submitted version of the manuscript.

Originally Published in Press as DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202202-0277UP on October 6, 2022

Author disclosures are available with the text of this article at www.atsjournals.org .

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What to know

The following tips will help you use the Cancer Research Citation Search tool.

The Cancer Research Citation Search tool allows you to search for scientific articles authored or coauthored by researchers from CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) starting in 2000.

The articles themselves are not stored in the search tool. Citation titles are linked to the National Institutes of Health's PubMed database or PubMed Central archive, or CDC's journals Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and Preventing Chronic Disease. If available, a digital object identifier (DOI) link is also provided.

Selecting the search criteria

If you leave all fields empty and click Search, you will retrieve the entire list of articles.

Use the Keywords field to search for specific words in the title of the article.

Match any word

Select Match any word to retrieve articles that contain any of the words in the Keywords field in the article title. For example, if you type "prostate cancer" in the Keywords field using this option, you will retrieve all articles containing either "prostate" or "cancer" in the title (which would be most of the articles).

Exact match

Select Exact match to retrieve articles that contain the exact phrase in the Keywords field in the article title. For example, if you type "prostate cancer" in the Keywords field using this option, you will retrieve all articles containing the phrase "prostate cancer" in the title, but not articles containing "cancer of the prostate" in the title.

Match all words

Select Match all words to retrieve articles that contain all of the words in the Keywords field in the article title. For example, if you type "prostate cancer" in the Keyword field using this option, you will retrieve all articles containing both "prostate" and "cancer" in the title.

Author last name

Use the Author last name field to search for articles by a particular author. Note that since many articles are collaborations between researchers from DCPC and other institutions, the author may not be a DCPC researcher.

DCPC first authors

Check the DCPC first authors checkbox to retrieve only articles that were first-authored by a DCPC researcher.

Each article is assigned to one or more topics manually when the citation is entered. To retrieve articles that have been assigned to one or more topics, click the checkboxes corresponding to the topics you want.

If you select multiple topics, you will retrieve a list of articles that have been assigned to all of the topics you selected. If an article doesn't fit in any topic, it is assigned to the Other Research topic.

Journal name

Use the Journal name field to search for articles that were published in a particular journal.

Publication/calendar year between

Use these two fields to select a beginning and ending calendar year of publication. For example:

• If you want to retrieve articles that were published between 2021 and 2024, select 2021 from the first dropdown list and 2024 from the second dropdown list.
• If you want to retrieve articles published during one year, select that year from both dropdown lists. For example, if you select 2024 from both dropdown lists, you will retrieve articles published in 2024.

Fiscal year between

Use these two fields to select a beginning and ending fiscal year of publication. CDC's fiscal years begin October 1 and end September 30. For example, fiscal year 2024 began October 1, 2023 and ends September 30, 2024. See the instructions for Publication/calendar year between for more information.

Note that you can include either calendar years or fiscal years in your search criteria, but not both.

When you have entered all of your search criteria, click the Search button. The list of results appears.

Viewing the search results

Sorting the search results.

When you have retrieved your results, the default sort order is ascending alphabetical (A to Z, 1 to 9) by article title. You can sort the results in different ways by clicking on the column titles. To sort the column in descending order (Z to A, 9 to 1), click the down arrow in the column title.

Please note that if you choose to sort the list by the Author column, the list is sorted alphabetically by the first author.

Setting the number of search results to view per page

By default, 25 results are shown on each page of the list. To increase the number of results to show on each page, select the desired number from the Show citations dropdown list at the top or bottom of the page.

Accessing and reading an article

To read an article in the search results list:

• Click on the article title. A new browser window will open and show either the abstract of the article (if available) in PubMed, or the full text of the article in PubMed Central, MMWR, or Preventing Chronic Disease. The PubMed abstract will include links (if available) to the full text of the article; however, many journals charge a fee to access the full text.
• Click on the DOI (if available). A new browser window will open and show the article in a journal.

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What is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a summary and evaluation of a resource. According to Merriam-Webster, a bibliography is “the works or a list of the works referred to in a text or consulted by the author in its production.” Your references (APA) or Works Cited (MLA) can be considered a bibliography. A bibliography follows a documentation style and usually includes bibliographic information (i.e., the author(s), title, publication date, place of publication, publisher, etc.). An annotation refers to explanatory notes or comments on a source.

An annotated bibliography, therefore, typically consists of:

Documentation for each source you have used, following the required documentation style.

For each entry, one to three paragraphs that:

Begins  with a summary ,

Evaluates  the reliability of the information,

Demonstrates  how the information relates to previous and future research.

Entries in an annotated bibliography should be in alphabetical order.

** Please note: This may vary depending on your professor’s requirements.

Why Write an Annotated Bibliography?

Why Write an Annotated Bibliography

Writing an annotated bibliography will help you understand your topics in-depth.

An annotated bibliography is useful for organizing and cataloging resources when developing an argument.

Formatting an Annotated Bibliography

Formatting Annotated Bibliographies

• Use 1-inch margins all around
• Indent annotations ½ inch from the left margin.
• Use double spacing.
• Entries should be in alphabetical order.

Structure of an Annotated Bibliography

This table provides a high-level outline of the structure of a research article and how each section relates to important information for developing an annotated bibliography.

Annotated Bibliography Sample Outline

Author, S. A. (date of publication). Title of the article.  Title of Periodical, vol.  (issue), page-page.  https://doi.org/XXXXXX

Write one or two paragraphs that focus on the study and its findings.

• Two or more sentences that outline the thesis, hypothesis, and population of the study.
• Two or more sentences that discuss the methodology.
• Two or more sentences that discuss the study findings.  
• One or more sentences evaluating the study and its relationship to other studies.

Sample Annotated Bibliographies

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