Annotated Bibliography

A bibliography is a list of sources used for researching a topic ( this is our Works Cited page, under MLA formatting ).  An annotated bibliography takes the listing of sources quite a bit further.

The annotated bibliography summarizes and evaluates sources for the purpose of establishing a deeper understanding of the material and its usefulness to the project at hand.  Instead of merely collecting information, researchers begin to understand what has been/is going on in the literature regarding their topics—t o see what has been established and, perhaps, where their own research might fit into this growing body of knowledge.  An annotated bibliography is an excellent tool for understanding and evaluating research and applying it to your writing.

Your annotated bibliography will ask of you three things

· Summary— what is the point of the source?  What is it about?  Is it argumentative, informational, or both?  What are key concepts and how are they developed?

· Assessment—is this source useful to your work?  Is it credible or do bias and/or other detractors from credibility exist?

· Reflection—how will this source fit into and help develop your essay?  Is the source helpful?  Why or why not?  Has this source changed the way you approach further research and/or your essay?

Develop your responses to each section in block paragraph format (see example below).  Each paragraph should range in word count between 50-100 words.

Note: each section has its own paragraph and that they are indented. The source citation begins each entry and only the first line is left-justified.  Use double-spacing with a return separating the source and each of the paragraphs.

Your annotated bibliography must contain fourteen entries, distributed in the following ranges:

a. Internet— 1 - 4 sources

b. Academic Journals, Articles, and/or Periodicals— 4 - 7 sources

c. Academic Books— 1 -7 sources

d. Biblical— 1 source

e. Original Research— 1 source

The grading rubric for the assignment can be found in the Additional Resources area.