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Annotated Bibliography
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There are multiple methods academic writers can use to help them gather and track the research they conduct as they write their essays. One method is to have multiple texts or internet tabs open while writing the essay. This is not an effective method because it has a high potential for mistakes. The other, and more significant issue, is that the writer’s thesis is already set and the writer is therefore limiting his/her research to frantically fit the research to the ongoing essay. The thesis is a flexible idea that should be set in stone only after the writer has completed rest of the essay. A better alternative to this chaotic mode of research is to create annotated bibliographies. As a research method, the annotated bibliography has multiple benefits to the academic writer:
1. It starts with a citation in the style used for the essay--very useful when the writer needs to copy and paste the citation into the final reference page.
2. The summary required forces the writer to read the entire article. By reading the entire article, the writer opens him/herself up to ideas. He/she has leisure and opportunity to not only read and digest the article, but (if he/she is an active reader) to pose questions and arguments as he/she reads. Doing so shows the writer potential strengths and weaknesses of his/her thesis, as well as potential strengths of his/her antithesis. In short, reading the article gives the writer opportunities to test and develop his/her ideas in the research process. This results in a stronger and tempered thesis. It also increases the likelihood of a strong source integration because the writer will have absorbed and merged the source’s ideas with his/her own.
3. The reflection required forces the writer to engage in metacognition--thinking about thinking. It’s a process that makes the writer reflect on questions like “Why this article?” and “How does this help the ongoing development of the thesis?” Rather than citing things blindly or for the frantic purpose of getting something into the essay, this part of the annotated bibliography creates an intentional and purposeful citation. This has the added effect of enhancing the writer’s assertive voice and credibility.
Therefore, the annotated bibliography is an excellent and useful tool for the writer to have as a part of his/her academic writing process.
Use the following format:
A. MLA header
B. Title: short statement of the essay’s topic
C. MLA-style citation of the source. Consult https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ instead of using EasyBib or any other citation generator.
D. Write a one-paragraph summary of the article. Cite paraphrases and direct quotes.
E. Write a one-paragraph response to the article. Agree or disagree with the writer’s points. Analyze something you found interesting about it. Explain how it affects the ongoing development of the thesis.
F. Optional but helpful: a list of quotes that might be useful to include in the essay
When searching for credible sources, use the academic research databases through the WU Mabee Library ( www.washburn.edu/mabee/ ) . Select Academic OneFile. Make sure to check “Full text articles.” The source must come from an article found through the WU Mabee Library research databases. Do not do a general Google search . Still have questions? Ask beforehand instead of asking for revisions later. Non-credible sources will not count for credit.
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