Annotated Bibliography and Assessment of Web Sources on Blood Typing

1

Created by Alexis Charles for Bio 521, 2015

Annotated Bibliography and Assessment of Web Sources on Blood Typing

1. Göransson, L, Labedzki , M, Svanholm , K, Sound Propulsion. The blood typing game -
    about. NobelPrizeorg. 2011. Available at:
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/landsteiner/about.html. Accessed December 19,
2014.
Website Title: The Blood Typing Game – About
Contributors and Credibility: The Blood Typing Game as well as the corresponding reading
content is based upon the 1901 discovery of human blood groups by Karl Landsteiner. Nobel
prizes in the category of the sciences are based upon research that is peer reviewed and vetted in
the scientific community. Therefore the actual content is based upon a credible source. The
producers of the game in this case acted as editors who compiled the information working under
Nobel Media AB. The “about us” section of the website claims that the Nobel Media staff is
assisted by advisors who are knowledgeable experts in the Nobel Prize topics such that the
NobelPrize.org website delivers reliable information. Although it’s not ideal that a specific
author or editor and their respective credentials are not listed, the Nobel Foundation is a
respected and trusted institution in the academic and scientific communities.
Sponsor: This website is sponsored by the Nobel Foundation, and Nobel Media AB. The Nobel
Foundation is sponsored by international donors. One of the three sponsors listed (amongst
several partners) is AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca is a global bio-pharmacology company, however
there aren’t any apparent conflicts of interest between bio-pharma and blood typing information.
Appropriate Content: The website is appropriate for secondary school students. While the
game itself might be a little bit morbid, it is engaging and reinforces basic mechanics behind
blood typing.
The most appropriate classes for this module would be AP Biology or IB Biology. The Living
Environment Core doesn’t specifically require the detailed information about red blood cells that
is associated with blood typing. Blood typing is a plausible topic for a regents or introductory
class in high school because it applies to the performance indicator 5.2 Disease as a failure of
Homeostasis.

2

For the most effective experience, the students should have previously studied the components of
blood under the circulatory system and know the role of antibodies with respect to antigens in the
immune system.
This website is engaging because it provides informational tutorials in text with accompanying
pictures and it tests the students understanding of the content with the interactive game.
Summary: This website features an interactive game that involves the different antigens and
antibodies of the A, B, O, and Rh blood groups. The students will understand the relevance of
immune response with respect to blood types and blood transfusions. The key points include
what the different blood types are, which antibodies and antigens are present in each blood type,
how to determine a patient’s blood type, and which blood types are compatible as donors or
recipients in a blood transfusion.
Message of Caution: This is actually addressed by a disclaimer, but it’s one that high school
students could easily miss. Someone with Rh- blood could develop Rh+ antibodies in their
plasma if they receive Rh+ blood in a transfusion. The presence of the Rh+ antigens could
trigger the production of Rh+ antibodies. For the purpose of the game, this is not addressed.
Quality: This website provides accurate information that is clearly written. The design of the
website is organized and appealing, however, it should be easier to find the text-based
component of background knowledge/content without first playing the game. (High Quality)

2. Gersten, T. Blood typing: MedlinePlus medical encyclopedia. Zieve D, Ogilvie I, A. D.
    A. M. Editorial Team, eds. MedlinePlus. 2014. Available at:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003345.htm. Accessed December 19, 2014.
Title: Blood Typing: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
Author/Source Credibility: This article doesn’t list an original poster, but it was updated in
February by a Dr. Todd Gersten who specializes in Hematology. This article lists medical texts
as its sources. The content of the article has also been reviewed and edited by other professionals
and the A.D.A.M. editorial team that is accredited by URAC.
Sponsor: This website is sponsored by the U. S. National Library of Medicine as well as the
National Institutes of Health. These organizations are reputable and hold no apparent conflicts of
interest with respect to this content.

3

Recommended Courses: This web-source is best suited for students in an AP biology or IB
biology course. The tone of the writing is clinical, but straightforward.
It’s probably best if students who are researching blood typing have an understanding of the
function of blood as well as its components. Students should also understand the fact that the
body will produce an immune response to an antigen if its respective antibody is already present.
Specific links to information on blood, antibodies, and antigens are conveniently located on the
right hand side of the webpage, so the respective prior knowledge could be easily found from
this link.
The design of the website is clean, but it’s not particularly engaging. There are no images,
diagrams, and it isn’t very colorful.
Summary: This source covers the different blood types, how to test for a blood type, why blood
type testing occurs, and how a blood sample responds to blood type testing,
Quality: This source is very straight forward. The information is clearly and directly worded.
There is also a lot of information collected into a relatively succinct, concise, and organized
fashion. Supplementary information is readily available via conveniently situated hyperlinks.
The information is cited and it comes from a reputable and vetted source. (High Quality)

3. Blood Types. RedCrossBloodorg. 2014. Available at:
    http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types. Accessed December 17, 2014.
Title: Blood Types Chart – Blood Groups Information
Author and Credibility: There is no specific author listed for this particular article. The
information has been presumably arranged and collected by individuals within the American Red
Cross. There are also no sources listed or a date when the information was initially posted or last
updated. The American Red Cross has within its ranks a large number of medical and bio-
pharmacological experts. The American Red Cross is also responsible for the publication of
Immunohematology, a peer reviewed subscription based academic journal. Furthermore, there is
a list of medical experts who work with the American Red Cross. This information can be found
using the following sequence from the home page: Who We Are -> Media Resources -> Subject
Matter Experts -> Blood and Biomedical Services. It’s highly unlikely that the information is
unreliable although it’s not unfathomable that there may be one or more errors.

4

Sponsor: The sponsor of this web source is the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross
is a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to distribute and administer blood transfusions
where needed using donated blood. The information is presented to the reader with the clear
intent to persuade the reader to donate blood. While the information was accurate, it was
presented with a bias, or at least a clear ulterior motive.
Recommended Course: This web source is appropriate for any high school level biology or
living environment course. The information is presented in a clear and straight forward manner
and there is a user friendly navigation panel on the left hand side of the web page to direct the
reader to other informational topics about blood.
Due to the fact that other links about blood are readily available, it would be helpful if the
student already knew about antigens and antibodies.
This website presents multiple useful, clear, and stimulating graphics. The information is
represented in charts or pictorial diagrams, which make the content accessible and engaging.
Summary: This web source provides information on the ABO and Rh blood group systems,
blood donor and recipient compatibility, and the distribution of different blood types amongst
ethnic groups. There are also convent links to pages with information about donating blood, the
composition of blood, and the relationship between rare blood types and diversity.
Misleading Wording: The section about the ABO blood group system describes the four blood
groups using terms such as: only containing a particular antigen or antibody. While this article is
specific to blood typing, the word choice can be misleading to students. There are many antigens
in the blood besides the A, B, and Rh antigens (Medline). These antigens can affect donor and
recipient compatibility in some cases (Medline).
Quality: There are some really effective graphics on this website, but there is an instance of
misleading wording as well as a clear ulterior motive or goal behind the posting of this
information. It’s hard to know exactly where the information is coming from because there is no
author or list of contributors for this specific content. We know that the sponsor is involved in
peer-reviewed publications and employs many experts in the field, but we don’t know who
exactly compiled the information on the website. (Medium Quality)

4. Blood type. Wikipedia. 2002. Available at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/blood_type. Accessed December 20, 2014.

5

Title: Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
Author Credibility: This article is made up of user contributions. Although there are plenty of
citations for the content on the webpage, anyone can alter the content at any time. The Wikipedia
system does utilize admins and bots to remove “vandalizing” or misleading information, but one
cannot guarantee that the information obtained from Wikipedia is reliable or vetted at any given
time.
Appropriate for Secondary School Students? It’s not appropriate to direct students directly to
Wikipedia because high school students naturally and easily dismiss the low credibility of
Wikipedia. Sometimes, Wikipedia articles have great graphics and images, and the links
provided in the references and external links section can actually lead to good sources, but
students should be discouraged from obtaining information directly from a Wikipedia article.
Furthermore, this Wikipedia article is worded like a textbook. The information isn’t as clear and
direct as it could be.
There are some really nice diagrams and pictures included in this Wikipedia article. It can be
very difficult to track down the source of images on Wikipedia, and diagrams from Wikipedia
should always be referenced with those found in a textbook to check for accuracy.
Misinformation: There can always be misinformation on Wikipedia because of its user
contribution format.
Quality: Low Quality

5. MF Edelson. Blood types. Edelson MF, eds. KidsHealth. 2014. Available at:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/medical_care/blood_types.html. Accessed December 18,
2014.
Title: TeensHealth from Nemours: Blood Types
Author and Credibility: This web article lists that it has been reviewed by Dr. Maureen F.
Edelson in June of 2014. The initial author or source is unknown, but is published under a
foundation involved in scientific research.
Sponsor and Bias: This article is sponsored by The Nemours Foundation, a non-profit
organization that promotes children’s’ health and administers care to children in need. This
organization is involved in the management of multiple children’s hospitals, clinics, and research

6

facilities throughout the Eastern United States9. The article does end by directing its readers to
find out how they could donate blood, so there is some interest on the part of the foundation.
Recommended Course: This article would be best suited for middle school students. This article
is written in simple terms and is intended to be very accessible to a young audience.
The website is visually geared towards children. It has bright colors and important points are
either highlighted in special text boxes or are hyperlinked to more information.
Summary: This article covers the different blood groups, blood compatibility for transfusions,
and the typical applications of blood transfusions. The description of antigen-antibody
interactions between different blood types is rudimentary at best.
Misleading Wording: This article really does a poor job of explaining the function of the RBC
antigens and how they interact with domestic antibodies. It’s clear that the article was intended to
be accessible and easy to understand, but this could be explained in simple terms and a nice
picture would also make the article more engaging. When describing a transfusion reaction, the
words “antibodies immediately set out to destroy” are used. This implies that the antibodies have
a sense of agency or free will within the blood. This can be misleading. It would have been better
to explain that the complimentary shapes between the antigen and antibody leads to clotting.
Overall Quality: Medium – Low. The information isn’t really incorrect, but it’s poorly worded
and sacrifices accuracy for accessibility. The color palette and web design or fun, but this article
could have been more engaging with relevant and informational images.

6. Mayo Clinic Staff. Blood transfusion. Harms RW, Berge KG, Hagen PT, Litin SC, Sheps
SG, Mesa RA, eds. Blood transfusion - why it's done. 2012. Available at:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/blood-transfusion/basics/why-its-done/prc-
20021256. Accessed December 18, 2014.
Title: Blood Transfusion: Why it’s Done – Tests and Procedures
Author and Credibility: This article is credited to the Mayo Clinic Staff. Further investigation
into the Mayo Clinic Staff yields a list of doctors, one who serves as the head of medical content,
and the others who serve as editors as well as a list of specialists. This article also provides
several peer reviewed sources in the reference section.

7

Sponsor and Bias: The Mayo Clinic is a reputable not-for-profit organization involved in
medical care, research, and education. This organization receives funding from advertising and is
engaged in fiscal partnerships with various medical suppliers.
Recommended Course: The wording in the article is clinical, but clear and straight forward.
This source is best applicable to high school students studying introductory or advanced biology.
Relevant prior knowledge would include the study of the human body systems as well as an
understanding of the Living Environment Core performance indicator 5.2 “disease as a failure of
homeostasis.”
A prior explanation of anemia and hemolytic reactions are recommended.
The presentation of the article is minimal and plain with no graphics, sounds, or visual
enhancements aside from the advertisements located on the side of the webpage.
Summary: This source addresses the concerns of a patient who might be scheduled for a
transfusion. It explains why someone would get a transfusion, and the specific types of
transfusions applicable for specific circumstances or needs. The article also explains the risk
associated with blood transfusions. However, there is a link to an article entitled “Is there a
universal blood donor type?” that briefly discusses blood groups and the presence of antibodies
in O- blood10.
Word of Caution: There is no mention of clumping or agglutination on this particular article,
which could be misleading.
Quality: Medium – High

7. Zimmer, C. Why do we have blood types?. Pacific standard: the science of society. 2014.
Available at: http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/transfusion-health-blood-
types-87441/. Accessed December 19, 2014.
Title: Why Do We Have Blood Types?
Author Credibility: Carl Zimmer is a science journalist. He did not go to college to study
science and he did not pursue a master’s of science. He is a writer who happened upon the field
of scientific journalism and learned to write about science by fact checking and conversing with
researchers who were happy to explain their findings12. He writes for the New York Times, has
published books on life-science subject matter that are deemed reliable by respectable
universities, and has published journals in several respected science publications.

8

Sponsor: The parent company of the Pacific Science Magazine is the non-profit Miller-McCune
Foundation. Both the publication and its parent organization are predominantly focused on social
and behavioral sciences, but aim to make significant findings from scientific research accessible
to a larger audience.
Recommended Class: This article is appropriate for any high school biology or living
environment course, depending on its intended purpose.
Plenty of stimulating stock images
There are some juicy details in the history discussion
Summary: This article covers the history behind the science of blood typing. This is useful for
incorporating science history as well as nature of science elements. There’s also a good
description of the antigens on the surface of red blood cells and a clarification that the antibodies
are located in the plasma of the blood. He also discusses how old blood groups are and that some
blood types are shared with closely related monkeys.
Misleading Phrases? At one point he describes O as being the universal donor blood type
without specifying that O- is the universal donor.
Quality: There are no citations, but this author has a history of writing scientific content that is
education friendly and accurate. The writing style is very clear and engaging. The article has a
personal feel to it as opposed to the clinical textbook approach that many other sources take. It
also includes the history of the science and notes the many failures experienced by several
doctors and biologists that led to the knowledge of blood typing we have now. High Quality

8. Gross, DA. Your blood type is a lot more complicated than you think. Smithsoniancom.
2014. Available at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/your-blood-type-lot-more-
complicated-you-think-180951669/. Accessed December 20, 2014.
Title: Your Blood Type is a Lot More Complicated Than You Think
Author and Credibility: Daniel A. Gross is a freelance journalist and public radio producer. He
doesn’t write exclusively about scientific content.
Sponsor: The Smithsonian Institute, America’s National Educational Facility – There are no
perceivable conflicts in interest with respect to this topic14.
Recommended Course: This article is appropriate for any high school biology or living
environment course, depending on its intended purpose.

9

Summary: This article explains that there are many more antigens that could impact donor and
recipient compatibility than are typically discussed. This also mentions the process involved for
finding new important blood antigens.
Causes for Concern: The paragraph about rare blood types and the Rh null blood type is not
worded clearly. More detail describing the Rh null blood type and the Rh “system” as he puts it
would have been helpful.
Quality: This article doesn’t go in depth as far as scientific detail, but it discusses a topic that
might be useful to students studying blood type. The article itself isn’t particularly engaging.
There are no embellishments of color, pictures, and diagrams. The writing style is casual and
unintimidating and it comes from a very reputable sponsor and website. Medium to High
Quality

Works Cited
1) Göransson, Lina, Mirek Labedzki, and Sound Propulsion. "The Blood Typing Game -
    about." NobelPrize.org. Ed. Karin Svanholm. Nobel Media AB, 22 Dec. 2011. Web. 19 Dec.
    2014. .
2) Gersten, Todd, MD. "Blood Typing: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." MedlinePlus. Ed.
    David Zieve, Isla Ogilvie, and A. D. A. M. Editorial Team. U.S. National Library of
    Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 24 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
    .
3) "Blood Types." RedCrossBlood.org. American Red Cross, 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.
    ."Blood Type."
4) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, June 2002. Web. 20 Dec. 2014.
    .
5) "Blood Types." KidsHealth. Ed. Maureen F. Edelson. The Nemours Foundation, 01 June
    2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
    .
6) Nemours. "Medical Specialties & Services." Medical Specialties & Services | Nemours. The
    Nemours Foundation, 2014. Web. 20 Dec. 2014.

10

   . This link provided information about the
   activities and many branches of The Nemours Foundation.
7) Mayo Clinic Staff. "Blood Transfusion." Blood Transfusion - Why It's Done. Ed. Roger W.
   Harms, Kenneth G. Berge, Philip T. Hagen, Scott C. Litin, Sheldon G. Sheps, and Ruben A.
   Mesa. Mayo Clinic, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. .
8) Mesa, Ruben A., M.D. "Blood Transfusion." Universal Blood Donor Type: Is There Such a
   Thing? Mayo Clinic, 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. .
   This source is available as a link at the bottom of the Mayo Clinic article on blood
   transfusions.
9) Zimmer, Carl. "Why Do We Have Blood Types?" Pacific Standard: The Science of Society.
   Pacific Standard Magazine, 05 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
   .
10) Zimmer, Carl. "A Note to Beginning Science Writers." CarlZimmer.com. Carl Zimmer,
   2013. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. . This page was posted on
   Carl Zimmer's professional webpage (the Science Journalist) and contains his personal
   description of his fields of study in higher education.
11) Gross, Daniel A. "Your Blood Type Is a Lot More Complicated than You Think."
   Smithsonian.com. The Smithsonian Institute, 5 June 2014. Web. 20 Dec. 2014.
   .
12) Smithsonian Magazine. "About Smithsonian.com." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian
   Institution, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. . The "About
   Us" page was consulted to confirm the sponsor, and the basic aim of the sponsor regarding
   the article by Daniel Gross.

 Sources Consulted Prior to and alongside Research to Re-establish Background Knowledge on
                                              Topic.

11

19. Abe, Yuko, Gen Tamiya, Tomohiro Nakamura, Yutaka Hozumi, and Tamio Suzuki.
"Association of Melanogenesis Genes with Skin Color Variation among Japanese Females."
Journal of Dermatological Science 69.2 (2013): 167-72. Pubmet.gov. Japanese Society for
Investigative Dermatology, Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Dec. 2014.
. This research article was referenced to
provide some insight on the relationship between melanogenesis and genetics.
20. Goldberg, Deborah T. AP Biology. 4th ed. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series,
2010. Print. Pages 111, 232, and 274. These pages were consulted previously to provide a
foundation of background information on the topic.
21. Hine, Robert, BSc, MSc, and E. A. Martin, MA, eds. Dictionary of Biology. Comp. Tim
Beardsley, Lionel Bender, Belinda Cupid, John Clark, H. M. Clarke, E. K. Daintith, Malcom
Hart, Robert S. Hine, Elaine Holmes, Anne Lockwood, J. V. Neal, R. A. Prince, Michael Ruse,
Brian Stratton, and Elizabeth Tootill. 6th ed. Oxford; New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print. Pages
85-87. The entries on blood and blood typing were consulted previously as a source of
background information to aide in understanding and evaluating the content of the web sources.
22. Silverthorn, Dee Unglaub, Ph.D. "Chapter 24: The Immune System." Human Physiology: An
Integrated Approach. 4th ed. San Francisco: Pearson/Benjamin Cummings, 2007. 796-800. Print.
I consulted the pages about the role of antibodies in the blood in immune response, blood groups,
and blood transfusions to supplement my understanding of the material.