Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
An Annotated Bibliography is a list of sources on a particular topic that have each been summarized. This is an academic project that is commonly assigned prior to the completion of a larger research project. As such, the sources that are listed in your Annotated Bibliography should be the same sources that are used and cited in your final essay. To be successful in this assignment, students must be able to read and summarize the sources they collect. We will also introduce the following skills:
· researching the library, scholarly databases, and Internet for sources
· gather sources that pertain to your topic into one list
· indicating how each source will be used or related to your argument (thesis)
· documenting sources using MLA works cited entries
· evaluating sources for credibility and bias
Purpose of the paper: To collect and organize sources that relate to a common theme, to connect those sources to each other and your argument as a whole, and to evaluate the strength of the sources to determine their usefulness.
Audience: An academic audience that includes the authors of the sources and others interested in the issue upon which you are focusing.
Strategies:
· Focus on a narrowly defined and arguable topic.
· Collect trustworthy sources such as journal articles, news articles, and magazine articles that are relevant to the topic you have chosen.
· Organize your sources alphabetically by the author’s last name.
· Read and Annotate each source carefully, making sure to note all information that is essential to retaining the overall meaning of the original text.
· Document all sources using MLA works cited entries.
· Summarize each source accurately, making sure to mention only the most important information in the text. DO NOT include small details that will not affect the overall message of the text.
· Write the annotation paragraphs in a style that is clear, readable, appropriate to audience, and free from distracting errors in spelling, grammar, and usage.
Content
Your Annotation Paragraphs should include:
1. A summary of the text made up of:
a. an opening sentence naming the author and alluding to who that person is or what type of source this is,
b. the thesis/argument/ purpose of the source (may also be in the first sentence),
c. A summary of the logical progression of the source (how does its author get from a to b?),
d. The best examples or evidence provided in the argument that serve as support for its thesis.
e. The author’s conclusion, which will probably include a suggestion of some sort.
2. An evaluation (your critique of the article) which answers questions such as:
a. Is the author a credible/authoritative source of information and why?
b. How did the author build ethos?
c. Was the logos for the argument convincing?
d. What types of pathos did the author invoke?
e. How effective was the author’s argument?
f. Did any fallacies compromise the effectiveness of the author’s argument?
g. Did the author successfully address counterarguments?
h. Be sure to point out holes in all of the above categories as you see them.
Length should be 3-7 sentences.
Format
Annotated Bibliographies are alphabetized lists made up of multiple entries, each one separate from the others. For each source that you list in your paper, you must include its reference information as well as a paragraph of annotation. Reference information is listed exactly as it would be on a Works Cited page for an MLA paper. The annotation paragraphs that follow the reference information should be indented half an inch to the left of the margin of the second line of the Works Cited entry. All subsequent lines of the paragraph should be aligned with the margin of the second line of the Works Cited entry.
You should read, list (MLA Works Cited Entry style), and annotate no fewer than three recent sources and no more than four. As with other essays written in this class, please follow MLA guidelines for citation and format. Your Annotated Bibliography must be no fewer than two full pages, but no more than six.