Annotated Bibliography

As the beginning stage of your research paper this semester, you will complete an annotated
bibliography. Its purpose is to prepare you to write by helping you explore and find your focused
topic for the argumentative research proposal. To complete your annotated bibliography, you
will need to review various sources relevant to the topic of your choosing (related to our course
“theme” for the semester).

This assignment is intended to immerse you in research and ultimately help you develop a
strong research question to guide your essay. This is a process of inquiry and discovery in
which you explore the complexity of your chosen issue and allow your thinking to evolve. As you
begin this process, you will likely have many questions and avenues to explore (i.e. you will start
broad); by the end, I hope that you have some clarity and a more precise focus as you move
into the early stages of thesis development for your argumentative essay.

You will locate, read, and evaluate various sources from multiple genres, cite them in APA
format, and explain how each source fits within the context of your research. Keep in mind that
this may mean that, by the end of this exploration, some of the sources that initially seem
promising may not fit within the context of your research at all. (This also means you will very
likely have more research to do after this project ends and your research essay begins.)

This process will require you to read each source rhetorically, questioning the author’s purpose,
audience, and chosen genre. It is highly unlikely that you will ultimately use each of these
sources as support in your essay; to determine this, however, you will need to read and explore
what is available, considering opposing viewpoints and multiple approaches to addressing the
topic you have chosen.

In your bibliography, you will gather and report on resources from each of the following
categories of publications (for a total of 15 annotations):

(1) scholarly journals articles [3 sources from this category];

(2) educational, professional, and/or government websites [3 sources from this category];
(3) newspapers, magazines, and/or popular books [3 sources from this category];
(4) credible videos (Ted Talks, documentaries, etc.) [1 source from this category]; and
(5) credible source types of your choosing (an interview or survey you conduct, a textbook,
additional sources from any of the previous categories listed above, etc.) [5 sources from this
category].

*All sources must be credible based on the criteria presented in class.

Assignment Submission Requirements

● 15 entries, around 200 words each.

● An appropriate number of entries from each of the designated categories.

● APA format.

● Evaluative annotations (not simply summaries).

● Follow the general layout of the examples provided.

Content Development Guidelines
Be sure to include the strategies and elements described below as you develop your
bibliography entries.

● Citation. Each annotation begins with the full citation for the resource in APA format.

● Briefly summarize each source. Next, each annotation should briefly describe the
information in the resource—what are the key arguments, points, and contributions to the
conversation about the subject? What perspective or viewpoint does it represent? Report on
any conclusions made by the authors.

● Evaluate each source. Each annotation should then evaluate the resource by analyzing the
strengths and limitations of the text—how well does it address its goal? its audience? what
makes this source appropriate/credible? authoritative? is it recent enough? Discuss the
reliability of the text, and highlight any special features of the text that were unique or helpful
(charts, graphs, etc.). Consider details such as the background of the author(s), the content
or scope of the text, the anticipated audience, and the research methods (if applicable).
Your findings can be positive, negative, or mixed. Essentially, you want to determine: is this
a credible/reliable enough source to use as support in a scholarly essay?

Hints and Tips

This section provides you with specific guidance on how to make your bibliography successful.
Carefully consider each of the following in your bibliography.

● Use this process to explore. Remember, you don’t have to use these sources in your
essay (though you certainly might). The goal of gathering sources at this stage is to deepen
your understanding of one (or maybe even two) possible topics. It’s okay to start broad and
seek out research sources that help develop and evolve your understanding of your topic.
Use this process to start with questions rather than answers and figure out what
conversations are taking place, where there is debate, and where you might stand in terms
of forming an argument around a topic.

● Use a critical eye. Choose only the best sources of information. If you find a source that’s
questionable in terms of its credibility, you can still evaluate it, but you might ultimately
decide when writing your essay that you want to find a more reliable source from which to
draw similar information. Use this bibliography as a chance to practice your information
literacy skills and truly assess the trustworthiness and ethos of the different source types
you encounter along your journey. Use the “RADAR Framework” to help guide you.

● Practice being concise. Annotations are most useful to outside readers when they are
efficient. Therefore, each of your annotations must be brief, only around 200 words. That
means you must choose your words carefully. Every word should contribute meaning to
your annotation. (That is difficult to accomplish.) Be as specific, concrete, and detailed as
 possible. These entries are meant to help you with your research, so keep that in mind as
you decide how to summarize and evaluate the resources you find. Obviously, such
summaries are meant to pull out the most pertinent information and to help you decide if the
resources are useful according to your needs for your research paper. That means you
shouldn’t try to include every last detail, only the stuff that matters.

● Maintain professionalism. Although the main purpose of the bibliography is to assess

resources for your own research needs, keep in mind that annotated bibliographies, in
general, are often very useful for others who are doing research on a similar topic as you.
Thus, you should maintain a professional and academic (3rd-person) tone throughout.

*See sample provided

Effective Summary 30 pts

Writer successfully and briefly described the information in each source in an
objective way—what are the key arguments, points, and contributions to the
conversation about the subject?

Critical Evaluation 30 pts

Writer successfully evaluated each source by summarizing the strengths and
limitations of the research as well as the overall credibility. Writer's findings can be
positive, negative, or mixed. Criteria from class materials for assessing credibility
(e.g. RADAR Framework, Caulfield method, CRAAP Test, etc.) were well utilized.

Editorial Professionalism 20 pts

15 entries from appropriate categories; directions followed fully and completely;
revision efforts made; entries were in third person, proofread, and concise.

Correct APA Citations & Formatting 20 pts

Writer followed the overall format of the sample provided. Proper APA format was
used for each entry. Formatting was consistent throughout.
100 points Total