Evaluation of Information and Annotated Bibliographies

 

PART 1: SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ARTICLE EVALUATION

Article Citation in APA Style

Short, K. R., Kedzierska, K., & van de Sandt, C. E., (2018). Back to the future: Lessons learned from the 1918 influenza pandemic. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 8, Article 343. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00343

Descriptive Annotation:

In this article, the authors review the main causes of the severity of the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. Specifically, they address how the virus attacked the human hosts, genetic factors that may have impacted the degree of fatality of the virus, and how the immune system in differing demographics was associated with mortality rate. The authors conclude their article with a discussion of how understanding past pandemics can help prepare the world for future pandemics.

Evaluative Annotation:

·       The article was printed in 2018 and is quite up to date regarding current understanding of the epidemiology of the H1N1 virus that killed over 50 million people from 1918 to 1919.

·       This article is relevant to my research in that it directly addresses and answers half of my research question, “What made the Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919 so deadly?”

·       Kristy R. Short (PhD) is an ARC DECRA fellow and head of the Virus Pathogens Laboratory at the University of Queensland. Her research focuses on the pathogenesis of the influenza virus, specifically in the lung and has authored or co-authored over 100 published works. Katherine Kedzierska (PhD in medicine) is an NHMRC research fellow and head of the Human T Cell Laboratory in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Melbourne and has been credited with over 60 published articles. Carolein van de Sandt (PhD) is a post doctorate researcher with the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. She has participated in the writing of 34 published articles.

·       It is important to note that this article was published before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out worldwide and any mention of treatment or prevention measures utilizing social distancing or face coverings would not have been considered biased at that time.

·       Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology is an academic peer reviewed journal and is based on scientific research and observation.

·       The data and statistics in this article are consistent with similar data and statists in other sources I have been reading. There is some margin of disagreement in the number people who died because of the 1918-1919 influenza virus with some pushing the death toll to as many as 100 million individuals. Since record keeping at the time was much less reliable than current methods, there is room for debate on this issue. However, the information in this article is well cited and is consistent with most other reliable sources I have looked at.

·       This article appears in a journal specifically about cellular microbiology and is clearly intended for individuals who know something about cellular microbiology. Some of the terms seem quite technical and not all are defined for someone like me, who is not well versed in cellular microbiology. However, I was able to understand most of what I read and was able to glean some information that would be quite useful for a research paper on my chosen topic.

PART 2: BOOK OR EBOOK EVALUATION

Citation:

Crosby, A. W., (2012). America’s forgotten pandemic: The influenza of 1918. Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1990)

Descriptive Annotation:

This eBook mainly a historical timeline on the emergence and spread the Influenza of 1918 (also referred to by this author as the Spanish influenza) from 1918 through 1919 in three waves. Although spread of the virus through Africa and Europe is addressed, most of the book focuses on its spread throughout the U.S. and the attempts medical and government officials made to curb the spread and mortality of the disease.

It is written in a more academic format with dates, statistics, and footnotes but is quite easy to understand and includes many references to newspapers articles and other documents of the time. Although it would most appeal to those specifically interested in history, this eBook would be suitable to anyone wanting to learn more about how the United States was impacted by the Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919.

Evaluative Annotation:

·       Although originally published in print in 1990, the information is still accurate and useful.

·       Newspaper, magazines, academic journals, political documents, books, and public health reports are among the sources cited in this eBook. The sources are very appropriate, and the variety includes authoritative sources.

·       Alfred W. Crosby (PhD in history) taught history at several universities including Washington State History where he taught for 11 years and is credited for co-founding the first black studies department. He authored nine books and was the recipient of the 1986 Phi Beta Kappa book prize. Several of his works reflect his research and understanding of how epidemics influenced history.

·       This book was published by Cambridge University Press which suggests that this book is largely academic in nature.

·       After reading the section on the spread of the epidemic through San Francisco, this book will be an excellent source of information for my research. Crosby not only includes the statistical data on the spread and morbidity of the disease throughout the U.S., he breaks it down by major city to paint a picture of how the disease was spread and why it was difficult to contain it to slow down the mortality rate.

PART 3: WEBSITE EVALUATION

Citation:

Strochlic, N., & Champine, R. D., (2020, March 27). How some cities ‘flattened the curve’ during the 1918 pandemic. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/03/how-cities-flattened-curve-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic-coronavirus/

Descriptive Annotation:

This article found on the National Geographic website is a brief overview of basic measures (particularly social distancing) taken to slow down the spread the H1N1 influenza virus between 1918 and 1920 in the United States.  There are graphs comparing major U.S. cities that utilized these measures and the rate the disease spread in these cities for a good visual representation of the point the author of the article is trying to make.

This article seems to be meant to appeal to a wide audience. It is clearly written and not overly technical. The graphics are interesting and engaging, and do not require any special education to understand. Additionally, the National Geographic magazine has a reputation for containing something to appeal to an unlimited audience.

 

Evaluation:

·       This website is a .com which means that it is a commercial entity in the United States. However, this does not make the cite unreliable. Although it is a secondary source, the National Geographic magazine is also considered reliable, and has a reputation for accuracy and low bias reporting.

·       This article was written in response to the Covid-19 virus in March of 2020. It has not been updated online, however another version of the story does appear in the September 2020 version of the National Geographic magazine. The data in this version of the article is consistent with other current information I have been reviewing.

·       Although it briefly touches on the first part of my research topic, it focuses more on the second part, “. . .  how did the United States respond to treat those infected and to reduce/prevent the spread of the disease”, primarily by focusing on wearing of face masks and social distancing.

·       This article was written by National Geographic staff writer, Nina Strochlic. Nina is an Alicia Patterson Foundation fellow, International Women’s Media Foundation fellow and grantee, and previously worked for Newsweek. The graphs were provided by Riley D. Champine, a cartographer working for National Geographic.

·       Again, National Graphic has a long-standing reputation for providing accurate information. Additionally, there are several links to cited information in the article. Although several refer to other National Geographic article, several are from the Journal of the American Medical Association and from the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. Based on the reading I have already done on this topic; I would say that the information in this article is accurate.

·       The purpose of this article seems to be to point out that social distancing is an effective means of lowering deathrates in a pandemic situation. The key words would draw in anyone wanting more information on social distancing or wearing masks, and there are several other National Geographic Covid-19 articles referenced at the bottom of this article.  As a website, National Geographic is a pro-science source mainly covering geography, cartography, and exploration as well as sociology related to these topics. The site is designed to appeal to a large variety of current and future subscribers.