Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Annotated Bibliography Assignment 

There are two important components to this assignment: 

One is the bibliographic part, wherein you will need to use the proper MLA format for whatever type of resource you are citing (i.e. book, chapter of a book, journal article, etc.). The second component is the annotation, which is a relatively brief (75-150 words) write-up that includes a summary of the content of the source, an evaluation of the usefulness, and a reflection indicating how this resource suited the research needs in this particular case. 

The English Composition Annotated Bibliography page where this assignment is posted (http://libguides.uakron.edu/EngCompAnnoBib) provides you with an abundance of useful explanatory resources to help you in all aspects of this assignment. 

What NOT to do  

DO NOT copy and paste the abstract of an article from a library research database. Likewise, do not copy a book jacket summary. Just like any paper you write, the annotations should be in your own words. 

Where do I look for information?  

The “Find Resources” portion of the English Composition Annotated Bibliography page has direct links to resources suitable for this project: http://libguides.uakron.edu/EngCompFindResources  An annotated bibliography tests your ability to locate and retrieve appropriate information resources for research, your capability of accurately and concisely summarizing them, and your competency in gauging their usefulness for a specific assignment. 

Keeping Track of Your Research  

For each citation/annotation entry in your bibliography, include the database or web site used to find the information. 

Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of the annotations will be determined by the detail of the summary. 

Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in the bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source? 

Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful? How does it help shape the argument? How can this source be used in the research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic? 

Things to Remember: 

• Format according to MLA o Line spacing should be set at 0” for both above and below the line as well as eliminating extra space between paragraphs 

o Double space throughout o Last name and page number 

• All entries are alphabetized by either the author’s last name or the first word of the title if there is no author 

• Use a hanging indent (copying and pasting sometimes will not allow this to format properly)   Write without pronouns (1st and 2nd person will = failing grade)