Cover letter 1 While working on this annotated bibliography, I found that the hardest part was paraphrasing the

information because there is just so much available. The MLA format is just a guideline so I did not have trouble inserting my citations into correct form, but I did take a little time to decipher which citation was needed for which source. Reading the new concept was not difficult because I have prior knowledge of vitamins and supplements due to the usage of several supplements in my life. I did find it quite odd how there actually are several sources that discuss the harmful effects and overdosing of vitamins. I figured this argument would have been harder to find credible sources that have actual facts about the disadvantages of supplements, but it turns out that I was able to find several articles with credible sources on this subject. Paraphrasing this broad information was difficult because there is so much information in the two written book sources. I will be able to grab several excerpts from each book to help develop an argument that I will be able to support. Surprisingly, the research part of this project was one of the easiest. In our library, I was able to find the two books and the article easily by searching in our catalog here at UNC charlotte for just a moment. We have many sources about supplements and it has made the research process a lot easier than it would have been. I was then able to read certain excerpts from each chapter and read summaries given within the book to paraphrase all the information. I found that the chapter headings were an easy way to help paraphrase because each chapter was given a specific category that the author was going to discuss. My annotations could be improved by adding more detail so that I can have an official subject for each source. This will allow me to make an easier argument because I will be able to grab quotations and certain excerpts from each source and add them in the specific areas that I am discussing in my argumentative essay. The more the detail, the easier I will be able to argue because I will know the exact argument of each source. I thought that in this topic I was able to easily find credible sources. This is because the subject I am researching is a much thought-after topic in the science world. This is due to the great importance that has been implemented recently on the correlation of health and supplements. Being able to find credible sources will help me form a correct, non-biased argument that I will actually agree with. I did a good job explaining why the source is credible so that the reader will also agree with my thought process of determining if it is a credible source. The best annotation that I have so far is the first one. I found that it was easier to paraphrase because it had its on description within the preface along with very descriptive chapter headings.

Gaby, Suzanne K., Adrianne Bendich, Vishwa N. Singh, and Lawrence J. Machlin. Vitamin Intake and Health: A Scientific Review. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1991. Print. This book is an analysis of research that focuses primarily on human studies, covering both studies of supplementation and epidemiological studies associating dietary intake of vitamins with health status. The introduction discusses nutrient intake and general mechanisms of vitamin function. Chapters two through ten review the health implications of the status and or the intake of individual vitamins. Chapter eleven reviews studies using multivitamin supplements. This source must be extremely credible because the book is two-sided. It not only leads an argument based on more than one scientific research about the benefits, but it also brings up questions in research about the prolonged use of supplements. Just by reading through the chapters, the demeanor of the authors is portrayed as scientifical and non-biased. This will be a great source to get multiple point-of-views.

Jacobs, Elizabeth T., James R. Marshall, John A. Baron, Maria E. Martinez, and Tim Byers. "Dietary Supplements and Cancer Prevention: Balancing Potential Benefits Against Proven Harms ." Oxford Journals. Ed. Oxford Press. NCI, 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Sept. 2012.

This source is eight pages of scientific research and write-up that includes the benefits and harms of vitamins. He not only talks about what the many benefits of taking vitamins and minerals are, but also how prolonged se can harm users. I will be able to use this source in different parts of my paper such as the benefits and also where I discuss the harms of prolonged use. It will provide confirmation to both sides of the argument and will help decipher the truth of the facts. A reason this source will be credible and will be put to good use is because there are several authors and so many resources used in this research that the validity of this research over others is more likely. The fact that the authors have given points to both sides of the argument also shows how they are unbiased on the issue. Biased is a huge problem with the validity of the facts due to the researchers tendency to sway data toward their own favored side.

Lloyd, Janice. "Study Flags Risk of Daily Vitamin Use Among Older Women." USA Today News Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Sept. 2012 <http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/medical/health/medical/womenshealth/story/2011-1010/Study-Vitamins-may-boost-death-risk-in-older-women/50722104/1>. This source is a news article describing the research published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Within the article, this table is included: Among the findings: Use of multivitamins, vitamin B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper were associated with increased risk of death. The link between supplement intake and death risk was strongest with iron. Calcium supplements were associated with reduced risk. The article also includes the following research: "Out of 15 studied supplements, seven are associated with increased total mortality risk," I will need to validate this source and also will get better facts from reading the actual research since this is a middle-man source. Seaman, David. "Do Dietary Supplements Really Increase Mortality?." Dynamic Chiropractic. Ed. Ramon G. Mcleod, Peter W. Crownfield, Brenda Duran, and Kathryn Feather. MPA, 29 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. This article is an article that clears up a myth that a previous study granted true. The previous study had come out and said that the use of the vitamins decreased the risk of heart attack by 50%. The author of this article had suspicion and ended up testing their experiment. The media reported that multivitamins will increase mortality and vitamin E/selenium will cause prostate cancer. These results, although not true, caused much Controversy and fear in the public. This article will be good use because I can use it as a source to identify that not all scientific experiments are always true, and I can identify that there are discrepancies in this inquiry. The article then shows the actual results that was either, misread, or biasedly skewed by the first researchers. The Archives Study reviewed that over the time period that the percentage of people that died not taking supplementation were very close and sometimes even the same percentage of people who had taken vitamin supplementation. I will be able to use this source easily because it is scientific results that are quite abnormal and will provide a counter-point to the beneficial arguments. After researching the author, David Seaman, I can conclude that I will be able to use this source because of credibility. I was able find many other essays and works and also that he has his master in nutrition.

Somner, Elizabeth. The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. New York:

HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. Print. This book answers questions such as which vitamins and supplements are important and what their purposes are and even the correct dosages that are recommended. Supplement deficiencies are discussed and how they affect you. This book has a complete section that discusses the importance of supplements in the prevention and treatments of disease which will pose a counter argument that supplements could not possibly create harmful long-term effects. This source is surely credible because the author is backed by fact from scientific research developed by The Health Media of America group. All of the facts and opinions in this book are created non-biasedly backed up by scientific research. "Vitamins and Supplements: Ten Dangers That May Surprise You." Consumer Reports 12 July 2012: 18-23. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. This is an article from The Consumer Reports magazine that brings up the question of harmful effects of vitamins and minerals. Questions such as overdosing are discussed and unlike the normal understanding of vitamins, one of the paragraph titles is, Its Surprisingly Easy to Overdose on Some Vitamins. This article is written and published by Consumer Reports magazine that is a trusted review magazine so you know this article is credible. This article will contradict the other sources I have so far by discussing the topic of overdosing and harmful effects that vitamins are not often affiliated with. This will add another source that will test the knowledge of themselves and the other sources I have listed due to the fact that they have contradicting ideas. This will help me had counter parts and not have just one biased opinion.