1 of 3

English 100:
Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography

The first step towards writing your research essay in ENGL 100 is the completion of a research
proposal and an annotated bibliography. This is a two-step process. To begin, you should
have a tentative topic (RS + PA) in mind. From there, it is recommended that you 1) collect
your secondary sources, 2) write the annotated bibliography, and 3) complete an academic
proposal to explain your topic.

You may develop a topic related to mythology, or you may come up with your own subject. As
you collect and summarize secondary sources, keep an open mind about potential ideas.

Step One: Annotated Bibliography

Your annotated bibliography should include approximately eight- to ten peer-reviewed
secondary sources. The majority of these will likely be periodical essays.

An annotated bibliography does the following:

 It records the necessary publication data of each source used in a research project in
MLA, APA, or CMS format
 It provides a brief summary of each source
 It evaluates the overall usefulness of each source for a specific research project.
Steps:
1) Select a documentation style for your entries (MLA-Works Cited, APA-References, or CMS-
Bibliography).
2) For each of your approximately 10 entries provide the following:
 properly formatted bibliographical information
 a brief summary of the article or book chapter contents under each entry
 a commentary on the usefulness of each source for your project

Sample
(Remember that there are additional student samples provided)

The student’s tentative topic is an analysis of the film Zombieland (2009). The essay analyzes the
film as a mock survivalist fantasy, the humour being underscored by the main character
Columbus’s “Rules for Survival.” Its prestige abstraction is consumerism.

Sample MLA entry for one of the sources:

Bishop, Kyle. “Dead Man Still Walking: Explaining the Zombie Renaissance.” Heldref
Publications vol. 37, no. 1, Fall 2009, 16-25. MLA International Bibliography,
http://www.tandfonline.com/
Kyle Bishop explains that the zombie’s fame depends less on literary tradition and more on a
“stylized reaction to cultural consciousness and particularly to social and political injustices”
(18). The article accounts for the popularity of the zombie, which has surpassed “many other
tales of terror and the supernatural” (20) by mirroring social catastrophe against a “post-
 2 of 3

apocalyptic backdrop, the collapse of societal infrastructures, the indulgence of survivalist

fantasies, and the fear of other surviving humans” (20). This article is relevant to my research
because it explains the history of the zombie and how the zombie is closer to humans and the
social than other monsters.

Half your grade for this assignment will be based on the research proposal, and half will be based
on the annotated bibliography:

Authors’ names are correctly formatted: /2

Entries are in alphabetical order: /3
Entries are correctly formatted (caps, italics, / 10
quotations marks):
Entries are complete: / 10
Entries include hanging indent: /5
Articles are peer reviewed and substantial: /5
Articles are summarized well: / 10
Summary includes statement of usefulness: /5

The Research Proposal

After completion of the annotated bibliography, you should have a better idea of your research
topic (RS + PA). Completion of a research proposal will help you to test the viability of your
project. A research proposal does the following:
• It states a clearly articulated topic
• It offers a context
• It should include general and specific forecasting
• It may include a tentative thesis (see Roe and den Ouden 87-100 and 122-142).

Sample research proposal:

“We are all orphans in Zombieland”: Post-Apocalyptic Capitalism in Film Commented [NLC1]: Two-part title

Throughout the movie Zombieland (2009), death is portrayed with ghoulish humour, as

the character Columbus provides rules to follow in order to live: “I survive because I play it safe

and follow the rules. My rules” (Zombieland). These rules range from “Rule Number Two,” the

“Double Tap,” which states that “In those moments when you are not sure the undead are really

dead, don’t get all stingy with your bullets,” to “Rule Number Thirty two,” which states, “Enjoy

the Little Things,” such as the perennial quest for the elusive Twinkie in the chaotic midst of

post-apocalyptic American social breakdown. Commented [NLC2]: The first paragraph provides context.
 3 of 3

This paper will analyze Zombieland as a mock survivalist fantasy, the humour being

underscored by Columbus’s “Rules for Survival.” It will explore the riotous, indulgent, Commented [NLC3]: Statement of topic (RS +PA)

commercialist, carnival world that is the United States after the zombie apocalypse, as the

characters, named after cities, travel across the country in search of lost family. First, it will Commented [NLC4]: Specific forecasting: First, second, third . .
.

explore the zombie infection as an expression of capitalist “consumption.” Second, it will

analyze the celebrity cameos in millionaire settings. And third, it will examine the final

confrontation between human and zombie at an amusement park. The paper will argue that

although the film seems lightly satirical of commercial America, it is simultaneously celebratory

of this commercialism. Zombies are meant to be a foil to a vigorous life of consumption. Commented [NLC5]: Tentative thesis.