essay

Research essays are wonderful texts that arise out of a very specific process of inquiry. Rather than writing a research essay for our academic inquiry unit in WR 323, we are going to practice the earlier steps in a research project. This will allow you to engage a scholarly conversation around a topic in which you are interested, think through your ideas, and practice for research you may do in the future. For our second writing project, then, you will prepare a five-source Annotated Bibliography and short Synthesis Essay around a focused topic about which you are curious. Many students choose to pick a topic that is related to their major so that they can use the research sources and knowledge gained from this project for a current or future project for another class, but you are free to choose any focused topic about which there are sufficient library resources to complete the project.  Part I. Annotated Bibliography An annotated bibliography is a genre used to engage with a research idea. It consists of bibliographic information about sources (articles, book chapters, interviews, etc.) accompanied by summary and evaluation of each source. An annotation should establish the contributions, quality, and relevance of your five (5) chosen sources. The sources should include at least three (3) *peer-reviewed* journal articles or book chapters; other sources may be newspaper/magazine articles or other reliable, non-peer-reviewed sources. All five sources must be credible, appropriate to the focused topic, and of high academic quality. (No Wikipedia articles or .com web pages, for example.)   Annotations should be approximately 150-200 words each and should contain the following: 1. Correct and complete bibliographic information in MLA documentation format, or, if appropriate, APA documentation format. The library has a wonderful feature that will generate your citations for you right from the listing for your source!  2. A brief summary (2-4 sentences) of the source, including the author’s credentials and the the thesis or argument.  3. A sentence connecting the source with other entries in your bibliography by discussing similarities and differences in content and/or approach. 4. A sentence or two describing the source’s usefulness, strengths, and weaknesses as well as its value for your research. The entries should be arranged alphabetically and properly formatted.  Part 2: Synthesis Essay A synthesis essay is (much!) shorter and more informal than a research paper. It states and rationalizes a purpose for the research and pulls together your thoughts on what you’ve learned.  The synthesis essay should be approximately 500 words and should include the following:  1. One paragraph explaining your research purpose, including your interest in and connection to the topic, what larger questions you have about it, and how you might use the information you learned from your sources later (perhaps in a future class, or an initiative you plan to undertake).  2. Two to three paragraphs of your own thoughts, analysis, and reflection. These thoughts are based upon—but independent of—the information presented in the annotated bibliography. (Please do not summarize your sources in the synthesis essay!) 3. One paragraph that rationalizes why the writer chose the five sources in the annotated bibliography from among the multiplicity of available options and then concludes the synthesis essay with final thoughts on the topic.  For both parts of this assignment, utilize a consistent tone that is appropriate to the topic and project, write in clear and vivid prose, adhering to standard written English, and present the work with genuine inquiry, curiosity, and integrity. Keep your audience – the fellow members of our WR 323 class – at the forefront of your mind as you write. Present the information in the way you think will be most engaging to your classmates. 

First Drafts should be complete by Friday at 4pm of Week 5. **This draft should have a minimum of TWO sources/annotations and at least a couple of sentences for the synthesis and reflection component.