1102 Annotated Bibliographies
Your annotated bibliography assignment directions are at the bottom of this page. Please read carefully because this research-based task is worth 5% of your course grade.
Overview
Because research is an integral component of your end of unit argument essay, it is vital to start early, find the best sources, and keep track of those sources as you write. This week you will continue the research process by analyzing the research you’ve found using the library databases and the Internet over the past weeks.
Have you written formal annotated paragraphs before? Some of you may have, others may not have. They’re very similar to research papers; in fact, some instructors assign them instead of research papers. That’s how similar the critical thinking should be. An annotated bibliography typically includes an introduction (sometimes in letter form) followed by the list of sources in MLA format. Beneath each source in the list is a paragraph annotating the information within that source.
Annotated paragraphs help students think critically about each individual source and learn more information about their topics. The introduction helps students think critically about their topic as a whole and develop ideas for how they can blend and develop their knowledge into arguments in favor of their thesis idea.
Let’s look at the research you’ve found over the past few weeks. Now it is time to determine its usefulness. You’ll use your bibliography project this week in two ways:
- as a guide for integrating your ideas into your argument AND
- to see how your current working thesis still fits the assigned essay prompt
Starting with the Introduction
Before a student provides a list of research, that student writes an introduction of that research to their audience (classmates, instructor). The introduction might be a paragraph or a page or two–depending on the length of the assignment and the number of sources required.
What’s included in an introduction for an annotated bibliography?
- A description of the essay topic and current working thesis
- A brief description of the research process so far
- Ideas for how
- many of the current sources are relevant to the topic chosen and
- specific sources could be used together to support different elements of the current working thesis
- (And, yes, the sources should be named within this overview!)
For your Annotated Bibliography, you will review your sources and determine the value of the information in each source.
Developing the List of Sources
After the overview is the list of sources, you’ll provide your list of sources. For research papers, this is titled “Works Cited.” For this assignment, the list is titled “Annotated Bibliography.” The list looks just like a works cited list at the end of a research paper. It is alphabetized, reverse indented, and each source is credited using MLA format.
For students writing research essays, there are many benefits to developing an ongoing list of research sources. This keeps students from forgetting a useful source later while drafting. As a bonus, writing out the citations while researching now helps them avoid spending time formatting their works cited list at the very last minute when they must meet their essay’s deadline. Keep this in mind the next time you’re assigned a research essay!
Providing Annotations for the Bibliography’s Sources
An annotation in this sense is a paragraph of notes about the research source. A typical annotated paragraph is concise but complete, 4-6 sentences, and provides all of the information from the list below in the order listed. Direct quotes from the source should be added to the paragraph as part of its supporting details, too.
Annotated Paragraph Content
1. General summary of content2. Claims made within the source3. Reasons provided for the claims4. Evidence offered to support the claims5. The source’s usefulness within your essay
Your direct quote would fit effectively in #2, #3, or #4 above.
Do you notice that the paragraph needs 4-6 sentences and 5 items of information? Plus one quote? It is almost like the annotation content guides the paragraph–one sentence per item of information!
Sample Annotation Content
An annotated source might look like the one below. NOTE: to save space, the citation and annotation are single-spaced, but your annotated bibliography should be double-spaced.
D’Entremont, John. “Review of Disney’s Pocahontas.” Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 5th ed. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, Morton Berman, William Burto, William Cain, and Marcia Stubbs. New York: Longman, 2000. 1161-65.
D’Entremont argues that Disney forsakes history and folklore for corporate profit in Pocahontas: “This [Pocahontas] was hatched in a corporate office by a handful of people with no demonstrable regard for either history or myth. The only pertinent ‘research,’ evidently was market research. This Pocahontas story emerged to serve, not the cultural needs of society, but the financial imperatives of a corporation” (1165). He reasons that the lure of money was enough to rewrite the history and myth of Pocahontas as a story that places the fate of Pocahontas–and by extension, that of Native Americans–in the benevolence of the white settlers, in particular John Smith, who becomes the focus of the film. As evidence, D’Entremont cites how the historical and mythical identities of the characters are severely distorted. Of Pocahontas, he writes, “Far from the lithe supermodel of the film, she was a prepubescent girl of about twelve, who, like all Powhatan girls, went about naked in summer, her head shaved nearly bald” (1163). While this movie’s distortion might seem slight, it is significant for the purposes of an essay about silencing historical women within literature and literary histories because the actual role of Pocahontas in forging a difficult union between whites and Native Americans is reduced to the point of historical nonsignificance in the Disney film. John Smith, not Pocahontas, is their hero set to increase the corporation’s profits.
There’s more than one quote here, which is fine, but you can see that the student’s paragraph is just 6 sentences total–even though the quoted content is multiple sentences, that quote is within a single sentence written by the student.
What you will hopefully find at the end of this assignment is that you have a better understanding of the arguments used within the research you’ve found and some great ideas about how to apply your expanded knowledge of your topic within your argument essay. The effort you put in this week will improve the quality of your ideas and save you time drafting and revising in upcoming weeks!
Page Layout Example
Right Justified Surname Page Number
Left Justified Heading beginning with Student NameInstructor NameCourse TitleDate
Introduction
The paragraphs that introduce the annotated bibliography will begin with a description of the narrowed essay topic and current working thesis statement you’ve chosen. Following this information, you’ll share some information about how your research process is going and what else you’d like to learn before arguing for your thesis idea. Conclude the introduction with an overview of the sources in the annotated bibliography by sharing how these sources are relevant to your topic, which ones have the best information, and how you’ll use the ideas you’ve learned from these sources to support your ideas throughout your essay.
Annotated Bibliography
First of the alphabetized citations. Remember to reverse indent the citations so the first line is all the way to the left and the remaining lines are indented.
Annotation paragraph for the source above. The first line is indented. For content, first should be an overview or general summary of this source. Next are the specific ideas or claims made within this source. Then, provide the reasons the author gives for these ideas or claims. Finally, give an example or two of the evidence the author gives in support for the claims. Students typically use direct quotes when sharing the specific ideas or claims and/or when giving an example of the evidence used in the source. End your paragraph with a brief thought of how this source would be useful to your own essay’s argument.
Second of the alphabetized citations. Remember to reverse indent the citation so the first line is all the way to the left and the remaining lines are indented.
Annotation paragraph for the source above. The first line is indented. For content, first should be an overview or general summary of this source. Next are the specific ideas or claims made within this source. Then, provide the reasons the author gives for these ideas or claims. Finally, give an example or two of the evidence the author gives in support for the claims. Students typically use direct quotes when sharing the specific ideas or claims and/or when giving an example of the evidence used in the source. End your paragraph with a brief thought of how this source would be useful to your own essay’s argument.
Third of the alphabetized citations. Remember to reverse indent the citation so the first line is all the way to the left and the remaining lines are indented.
Annotation paragraph for the source above. The first line is indented. For content, first should be an overview or general summary…
Additional Information
Sample Student Annotated Bibliography: https://mswestrickswebsite.weebly.com/1102-student-samples.htmlOnline Writing Lab at Purdue University: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/1/Cornell University Library: http://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography
NOTE: The information above provided a general introduction to standard annotated bibliographies that, as mentioned, can be used in lieu of a research essay. Because we’re using this research-based task as preliminary work for your own essay, we’ll modify the details slightly.
Annotated Bibliography DirectionsRequirements
- Introduction: The intro should be 1-3 paragraphs within 200-300 words and must refer to at least 4 sources by title and author.
- Sources: The list must contain 10 scholarly sources in full MLA format.
- Annotations: Provide annotated paragraphs for your 5 most informative sources in the list.
- Page Layout: Use MLA format to set up your document.
Notes about Grading
This task is an important one for your essay and to practice your research skills. I am looking for accuracy in using MLA format, a useful and varied list of scholarly sources found in the library databases and online, and well-written and reasoned explanations of how these sources help you better understand your topic and develop your argument. This research-based task is worth 5% of your course grade.
Grading Rubric
- Introduction paragraph(s), 10 points total
- 10 full citations: .5 points each, 5 points total
- Citations in accurate MLA format: .5 points each, 5 points total
- Heading, page layout, and direct quotes are in MLA format: 10 points
- Annotated Paragraphs have 4-6 sentences each: 2 points each, 10 points total
- All paragraphs contain direct quotes from their sources: 10 points
- Paragraph 1 has complete content in the correct order: 10 points
- Paragraph 2 has complete content in the correct order: 10 points
- Paragraph 3 has complete content in the correct order: 10 points
- Paragraph 4 has complete content in the correct order: 10 points
- Paragraph 5 has complete content in the correct order: 10 points
Avoid Academically Inappropriate Sources
There will be a 5-point deduction for each academically inappropriate source used in this assignment.
Examples of sources to avoid:
- Sources that sell essays 123helpme.com, Gradesaver.com, Writemyessay.com, EssayExamples.com, Wehelpstudentscheat.com
- Blogs or social media sources that are not created by literary experts SocialMediaInfluencerBlog.com, Weheartshakespeare.com, MyPoePage.com, FanofFaulkner.com, IntroductiontoLitProject YouTube Video, Teacher Lecture Video
- Sources that summarize literature and describe its components to help students understand what they’re reading CliffsNotes.com, SparkNotes.com, LitGuides.com, GradeSaver.com
- Sources created by other students TeenInk.com, MiddleSchoolProject Prezi, HSEnglishCapstoneBibliographyProject.com, ENGL1102CollegeGroupProject.com
- Sources that just offer quotations BrainyQuote.com, QuoteFinder.com
