Annotated Bibliography



Annotated Bibliography

The purpose of a bibliographic annotation is to summarize a source’s content and then analyze the text for its strengths and weaknesses in terms of your research.

We will begin this section by reviewing search language (keywords or phrases, connecting words (and, or), truncation in library databases (i.e., using the asterisk “*” in search terms), and more in-depth work with various library resources (catalog, Academic Search Premier, and other major databases). We will discuss how to use these resources; how to evaluate sources for credibility; how to find the books, articles, and other potential sources you learn about; and how to cite these sources.

An annotated bibliography means that you create a list (using MLA format) of possible sources and write a brief but thorough (at least 8-10 sentences total) summary/analysis of each source. (The summary/analysis goes right after or beneath the citation.) This way, you produce a document that gives you a working knowledge of some of the resources out there—and of how they might or might not be helpful. In addition, it will help you generate ideas for your proposal. This list also gives me and others a sense of how thoroughly you have researched potential sources before starting to compose your persuasive piece.

As you read, watch, listen to, or otherwise evaluate each potential source, you will begin to formulate an argument that you can use for your documented argument. Do NOT try to form this argument before exploring a few possible sources; the reason I say this is because you need to become familiar with a variety of perspectives about the issue to see its dimensions and to avoid over-simplifying it or leaving out really important points.

You need to include a minimum of 6 separate sources in your annotated bibliography—only two maximum of which may be websites. (Important note: Online books, articles, etc. from the library databases do not count as websites.)

An annotation consists of three elements:

1. The bibliographic documentation (citation) of the source (refer to RFW). Note: The bibliographic description (citation) of an online article includes the name of the database in which it was found, the date accessed, and the URL of the database (although we will use a shortened version of the URL).

2. A section summarizing the source’s main points (you may include relevant quotations; in fact, I encourage you to do this). Aim for 4-5 sentences.

3. A section analyzing the source’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of your research (again, you may include relevant quotations). Aim for 4-5 sentences.

The entire entry should be approximately 6-9 (or more) sentences in length (yes, for EACH annotation).

Annotations should be thorough. One or two sentences do not make a thorough paragraph. You may single space annotated bibliographic entries and insert a blank line between each one. (Note: Each bibliographic entry includes the citation, the summary, and the analysis.)

The final draft of your annotated bibliography is due in the D2L Dropbox by Midnight Friday, 10/10.

Research Proposal

Well, now you need to get a sense of what you want to write and to whom you want to write it; otherwise, you’ll be lost from the get-go. ( Your proposal should include the following information (which can be revised in the final proposal draft):

• the issue you plan to investigate

• a detailed description of your intended/target audience

• a detailed description of your chosen publication format

• a list of your research questions

• a paragraph describing the research you’ve already done

• a paragraph describing your research plan (i.e., addressing what you want to learn based on what have learned so far (what are the gaps in your knowledge) and how you plan to learn what you need to know)

• a description of the issue’s importance as you currently understand it

For your final draft, revise your proposal to address the issue much more specifically, including in addition to the above elements the following elements:

• an expanded list of research questions

• a list of authors in the field who have written on your issue

• a list of sources you have looked into or plan to read

• a working thesis statement.

(Obviously, some—maybe even most—of this will change as you go deeper into research and writing, so don’t sweat your uncertainty! The point of a proposal is to get you to begin articulating and organizing your research and your persuasive document.) I do expect the final draft to be professional and detailed, however.

The final draft of your proposal is due in the D2L Dropbox by Midnight Tuesday, 10/21.

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