annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography Assignment:

An annotated bibliography is basically a works cited page with notes about the sources. This assignment will help you gather and evaluate the sources that you will use for the final research paper. The annotated bibliography should contain your primary sources (science fiction sources, including Butler’s novel Fledgling) and preliminary secondary sources (sources that will support your analysis of the underlying social message(s) in the primary sources).

Primary Sources:

The number of primary sources is up to you (2-3 is a good number), but at least one of them needs to be Octavia Butler’s Fledgling. The other science fiction primary sources can short stories (you can use any story from The Wesleyan Anthology that you haven't already used for an essay), novels, movies, or TV shows. Just keep in mind that all the primary sources need to be science fiction.

Secondary Sources:

I am requiring 3-5 secondary sources for the final paper. At least one out of the 3-5 secondary sources needs to be an outside “scholarly” journal article found through your own research (not from the class readings). Please refer to the link to the "What Is a Scholarly Journal Article" tutorial found in the Course Resources Module. The rest of your secondary sources can also be scholarly journal articles or they can be credible popular sources such as a magazine article or a newspaper.

Instructions on Accessing the Library Article Database:

Please click on the NSCC Library Resources tab to start researching secondary sources. This will take you to a library welcome page. Click on the upper tab, marked “Articles.” This should take you to the library article databases. If that doesn’t work, you can take a more roundabout way. Click on the “library website” link in the middle of the welcome message. Then click on “Articles and Reference” on the left hand toolbar. This will also take you to the library article database. Once there, you can choose from among many databases. I suggest that you start with the following: Academic Search Premier and Proquest Direct. If you are in the link class (or even if you aren’t), you might want to look at PsycARTICLES or Psychology and Mental Health. Once in the database, many of them allow you to limit your search to academic articles, which will be useful.

Formatting Your Entries:

The format for the annotated bibliography is similar to the works cited page which means that you will need to also use the MLA Works Cited Guide in the Course Resources Module. In addition, I've included three more links in the Course Resources Module on Annotated Bibliographies: "Annotated Bibliography Introduction," "Annotated Bibliography Breakdown," and "Annotated Bibliography Samples," so please do refer to these.

Annotating your Entries:

In your annotation, please include the following three elements:

1) A brief summary (4-8 sentences) of each source and how the source relates to your topic.

2) A note about whether the source is a primary or secondary source.

3) A note indicating which secondary sources are scholarly and a brief explanation supporting your evaluation of the source as an academic one. Also, for the non-scholarly but credible secondary sources, a brief explanation supporting your evaluation of the source as a credible one.

Special Requirement for students in the linked class with Psychology 222:

You will need three (not just one) academic secondary sources, and your academic sources must fulfill the criteria outlined in the assignment for the annotated bibliography in the Psychology 200 class.

In essence, you can turn in a modified version of the annotated bibliography for this class that you turned in for Psychology 222. Here are the modifications you will need to make:

1. Change the formatting from APA to MLA.

2. Include the primary sources.

3. Condense the annotations for each source to 4-8 sentences.