Annotated Bibliography in ASME Style

As an engineering student, citations are done in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) style. In the blog below, I will be creating an annotated bibliography of the six sources I used for the GMO controversy.

McCoy92. "American Society for Mechanical Engineers Logo." July 1, 2012 via Deviant Art. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial. 

[1] Keim, B., 2015, "Monsanto's Newest GM Crops May Create More Problems Than They Solve", Wired, "http://www.wired.com/2015/02/new-gmo-crop-controversy/", [accessed 09/03/2015].

This article discusses the issues involved in Monsanto bio-engineering seeds to resist weed killer. The audience is consumers in America because Monsanto is a major seed company in America. The author highlights how creating herbicide resistant seeds can cause more problems, like soil erosion and the development of pesticide resistant weeds referred to as super weeds. By adding interviews from different specialists who have research the effect of these seeds as well as explaining Monsanto's vision for their creations, the author is able to prove his stance that these tools can be detrimental to the environment. This article will benefit me in the future when opposing the position of genetic engineering. 

[2] Edwards,M., 2013, "Monsanto's Controversial Past", Nation of Change, "http://www.nationofchange.org/blogs/martin-edwards/monsanto-s-controversial-past-1385076006", [accessed 09/03/2015]. 

The author of this article is explaining Monsanto's history. He states that genetically modifying products is no new practice for them and that essentially this was expected from the company. His audience is those in opposition to Monsanto. He provides examples on how Monsanto has been corrupt since their founding in 1901 and even explains the harm that comes from genetically modified organisms. By researching the products used by Monsanto, the author is able to support his argument on the risks of their products. He utilizes various scientific sources as well. Edwards disagrees with the practices of Monsanto and he clearly explains that in his article. In the future, this article can be used to support the opposition to genetic engineering and Monsanto. 

[3] Noussair, C. and Robin, S. and Ruffieux, B., 2004, "Do Consumers Really Refuse to Buy Genetically Modified Food?", The Economic Journal, 114, (492), pp. 102-120.

The purpose of this article is to explain French consumer's reluctance to buy genetically modified food. The audience is the people of France because this experiment was conducted in the French market. Through a survey, the authors of this article were able to determine the percentages at which French consumers were willing or not willing to pay for foods containing or not containing GMOs. They found a less than half unwilling to buy products with GMOs, almost half indifferent and about 25% willing to buy products with GMOs if they were inexpensive enough. This article will provide evidence for supporting the idea the this is a global debate, rather than just a debate within America. 

[4] Taxler, G., 2006, "The GMO Experience in North and South America", The International Journal of Technology and Globalization, 2, (1/2), pp. 46-64. 

This article discussed the distribution of crops containing GMOs in the Americas. The audience is mainly people in either North or South America who are concerned with GMOs. In addition, this article discussed the benefits of genetically modifying crops. The author states that these engineered seeds cause farmers to use conservation tillage as well as use less pesticides on their crops. In the future, this article can be used to support the use of genetically engineered seeds because it explains the benefits instead of the risks. 

[5] Hansen, F., 2015, "GMO Foods: We Still Don't Know if They're Safe", The Adrenal Fatigue Solution, http://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/gmo-foods-still-dont-know-theyre-safe/?utm_content=buffer9bcf8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer, (accessed 09/05/2015). 

The authors conveys both sides of the argument in this blog post. By remaining unbiased, the author intends to inform readers about the pros and cons of genetic engineering. The audience is people who want to educate themselves on GMOs. Through research and facts, the author is able to support both sides of the argument. However, in the end, she does explain that despite the benefits, genetically modified products can still be detrimental to one's health. In the future, this article can serve as support to either side of the argument. It contains facts and unbiased information. 

[6] Lipton, E., 2015, "Food Industry Enlisted Academics in GMO Lobbying War, Email Shows", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/us/food-industry-enlisted-academics-in-gmo-lobbying-war-emails-show.html, (accessed 09/05/2015). 

This article explains the debate between Monsanto and consumers. The audience is anyone in America concerned about GMO labeling. In this article, the author highlights Monsanto's attempts to remove GMO labels on their products. In addition, the author provides examples from specialists about the detriment and risks of GMOs to our environment and self. The author explains how Monsanto wants to persuade the public with research; however, he says many people will not believe them. In the future, this article can be used to highlight Monsanto's corrupt business practices and serve as evidence in the debate against genetic engineering.

[7] Purcell, A., 2015, "GMOs: Are We Crossing the Tipping Point?", Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-purcell/gmos_b_7547414.html, (accessed 09/09/2015). 

This article explains how even big business are attempting to avoid products with GMOs. The audience would be anyone who is a customer of various chains, like Pizza Hut, Chipotle and Taco Bell. In addition, it explains the reluctance of consumers to support companies who have ties with Monsanto, like Starbucks. The author consecrates her point that many consumers do not want products with GMOs by including examples of other countries who aren't in support of genetic engineering. In the future, this article will provide concrete evidence that this is a global issue, not just a national issue. In addition, it will demonstrate that not only consumers are concerned with GMOs.

[8] Olster, M., 2013, "GMO Foods: Key Points in the Genetically Modified Debate", Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/02/gmo-foods_n_3693246.html, (acceessed 09/09/2015).

This article provides the key points in the debate of genetically modifying organisms. The author provides explanations and examples of both sides of the debate. Because this is a quick reference guide, the author easily describe the subtopics of the debate. The audience would be anyone who is trying to understand each side of the debate as well as what the issues within the debate actually are. This article will be useful in generalizing the debate and giving an overview of what's actually being talked about.

[9] McAuliff, M., 2015, "House Votes to Ban States From Labeling GMO Foods", Huffington Post, 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gmo-labels-food_55b12fabe4b08f57d5d3f393, (accessed 09/09/2015).

This article presents an interesting side of the debate. Rather than the consumer's perspective, the author presents the government's perspective. By explaining how the government has found a way around food labeling, the author suggests that government isn't concerned with the well being of consumers; just like major companies that genetically modify their products. This article mainly describes what laws are involved in this issue as well as the role of government in this particular debate. In the future, this article will provide a new perspective on the debate as well as what laws are actually involved.

[10] Kloor, K., 2012, "GMO Opponents are the Climate Skeptics of the Left", Slate, http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/09/are_gmo_foods_safe_opponents_are_skewing_the_science_to_scare_people_.html, (accessed 09/09/15).

This article is contains the opposition to the GMO debate. Instead of stating reasons why GMOs are bad, the author present arguments for why those reasons are wrong. He provides counter arguments for most of the reasons why people are against GMOs in the first place. By providing examples and research, the author is about to consecrate his position. In the future, this article will provide a viewpoint on the other side of the argument as well as evidence for why some claims may or may not be true.

Although I couldn't find an example of an annotated bibliography, I did find a style guide for ASME citations with examples under each type of source citation.


Reflection: Nick's blog was done in the same citation style as mine. I learned by comparing ours that we both have the same annotations, so I feel better about my bibliography. I think  next time, though, I can shorten my summaries a little bit because they are pretty lengthy. I'm excited to read Nick's paper because genetic engineering is so interesting to me. Mika's post taught me about the controversy in China. I like how he is doing a topic from somewhere else in the world because it is different than what we are used to. Also, his annotations looked really well  written and provided a good example of an annotated bibliography.