Animals and Scientific Research, Annotated Bibliography Example

Botting, Jack H. and Adrian R. Morrison. “Animal Research Is Vital to Medicine.” Scientific American February 1997: 83-85.

In this article, the authors Jack H. Botting and Adrian R. Morrison talk about the progress in medical science that occurred as a result of experiments on animals. The authors also address the common misconceptions among those who oppose experiments on animals. In addition, the authors also make an effort to counter some of the claims put forward by the opponents of animal research. This article is important because it will help me demonstrate the benefits of experiments on animals and has been authored by professional scientists.

Mukerjee, Madhusree. “Trends in Animal Research.” Scientific American February 1997: 86-93.

This article by Scientific American’s staff writer Madhusree Mukerjee talks about several changes that have taken place over the last few decades to improve treatment of animals subjected to scientific research. This article addresses both the reforms the scientific community has adopted itself as well as the regulations that have been introduced in response to public pressure. This article is important because it will help me demonstrate that measures have been taken to improve the wellbeing of test subjects during experiments on animals.

Vernon, Jamie L. PETA Should Rethink Its Campaign Against Animal Research. 30 June 2011. 15 March 2013 <http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2011/06/30/peta-should-rethink-its-campaign-against-animal-research/#.UURUeBwyzTd>.

PETA is one of the most outspoken organizations against any form of activity that cause some form of suffering to the animals and not surprisingly, the organization also opposes experiments on animals. In this article, research scientist Jamie L. Vernon suggests PETA takes more practical approach to the issue because in most cases, experiments on animals are carried out because there are no alternatives available. Vernon assures PETA that scientists experiment on animals only as a last resort and spare no effort if there are alternative available. This source is credible because it is published on Discovery Magazine’s website which is a credible journal and moreover, the author is also a research scientist by profession.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Animal Testing. 16 March 2013 <http://www.aspca.org/aspcakids/real-issues/animal-testing.aspx>.

This webpage is maintained by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) which provides related information on animal testing including statistics. This source is mostly informational rather than persuasive and serves as an effective source to support the thesis because as the name suggests, the organization works for the welfare of the organization. The fact that it acknowledges the measures that have been taken by the scientific community to ensure humane treatment of animals helps strengthen support for experiments on animals for scientific reasons.

University of Oxford. Research using animals: an overview. 16 March 2013 <http://www.ox.ac.uk/animal_research/research_using_animals_an_overview/index.html#aarent_animals_too_different_from_humans_to_tell_us_anything_useful>.

University of Oxford is U.K’s premium center of learning and one of the most accomplished universities in the world. On this webpage, the university explains why it maintains animal research facility, the measures it take to minimize suffering and maximize welfare of test subjects, and how standards and regulations have contributed to better treatment of animals used for scientific experiments. This source is credible because it is one of the world’s premium center of learning and the information on the webpage supports my argument that regulations and the scientific community take every measure to minimize animal suffering and only engage in experiments on animals when no other alternatives are available.