RJA #12a

Annotated Bibliography Part III

-"Eating Disorders in Athletes." FAQs.org. World of Sports Science. Web. 16 April 2010.

To begin with, there is no listed author for this website, which leaves me a little hestitant of the quality of information. FAQs.org seems to be a general knowledge page to give a basic summary or run-down on specific topics. Here, the site gave a pretty good idea of what an eating disorder is, and, more importantly, reasons why athletes are more susceptible to them. I liked that it talked about the personality of athletes and how that can be a contributing factor to their vulnerability to the illness. Another good part is that it addresses sports, such as gymnastics and running, who specifically have a higher incidence of eating disorders and why. The audience appears to be for anyone interested in the topic, with the information remaining objective throughout. I thought this source was of some use to me. It gave me good evidence and quotes for some of the key arguments within my paper.

-"Eating Disorder Statistics." South Carolina Department of Mental Health. Web. 16 April 2010.

Again this site did not have an immediate author. However, the information is provided by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, which supports its' credibility. The page bullets specific data and results regarding eating disorders. The main headings it includes statistics for are the prevalence of eating disorders, treatment, age most affected, racial and ethnic groups affected, and famous individuals who have struggled with either bulimia or anorexia. The audience is for anyone interested, and the site remains very objective. I like that the site bulleted each of their statistics. This made for easy and accessible data. I believe this site was of use to me, especially in trying to find the prevalence of the illness. I got some good information from here.

-"Eating Disorders." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. Columbia University Press, 2007. Infoplease.com Web. 22 February 2010.

The information provided within this article has immediate credentialing because it is from the Columbia Encyclopedia. This source served as my reference article. As a whole, "Eating Disorders" summarized the basic information about the illnesses. The article talks about the definitions for the most common disorders, anorexia and bulimia, and who is most affected. It also talks about what some researchers believe regarding whether the disorders are caused by imbalances within the brain or from societal pressures. The audience is very broad, providing knowledge to anyone looking for it. As an encyclopedia article, the information is objective. I did not get much use out of this source. However, for basic knowledge it was a good place to start.

-Johnson, Craig, Powers, Pauline, and Dick, Randy. "Athletes and Eating Disorders: The National Collegiate Athletic Association Study." International Journal of Eating Disorders Vol. 26, Issue 2 (1999): 179-188. Web. 15 April 2010.

This source was an article from the International Journal of Eating Disorders. There are three authors, all of whom have a list of credentials. Immediately this article appears very reliable given both the author's credibility, as well as, the source it is published within. "Athletes and Eating Disorders" is summarizing the method, results, and discussion of a study they performed with the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This was an excellent, well researched source that provided statistics to an in-depth study looking directly at athletes and eating disorders. The material is definitely reliable and the audience is for any researcher interested in the study. They presented their objectives and findings objectively. This source was of great use to me and very interesting!

-Quinn, Elizabeth. "Eating Disorders in Athletes." About.com Guide, 13 February 2008. Web. 13 April 2010.

At first glance, I could not find any credentialing for the author, Elizabeth Quinn. However, after closer look I found a link that provided more information on the author. Quinn is a sport's psychologist and fitness consultant, which gives validity to her article. This article provides an overall look at athletes and their connection to eating disorders. She further discusses the "female athlete triad" which is of prominent importance to the topic. Finally, there is a section about warning signs and getting help. The information provided seems to be both objective and reliable. I found a few good pieces of evidence from this website.

-Thompson, Colleen. "Athletes." Mirror-mirror.org, 28 August 2009. Web. 8 February 2010.

Although the author does not provide any credentialing of her own here, she does provide a list of references at the end of the page. This shows the article was probably researched to provide credible information. This source was a little unique in that it provided examples of athletes who have personally struggled with eating disorders. The stories gave a more personal touch to the article, however, it in turn may not be as objective as the others. Various statistics were also provided throughout, which provided me with some good quotations throughout my paper. I found this source useful.

-Waltz, Vicky. "Athletes and Eating Disorders." BU Today. 17 December 2009. Web. 15 February 2010.

This article I found from BU Today was one of the best I found. It began with the story of one of the universities best athletes, David Proctor, and his struggle with anorexia. The article then follows with discussions of why athletes may succumb more easily to the illness than average individuals. Throughout Waltz provides a few quotes from qualified individuals, which aids in providing credibility to her article. I found some great information in this article and thought it was an interesting read.