Annotated Bibliography
This document will not be a paragraph-based essay. Instead, you’ll have your list of citations,
with each citation “annotated” with one or two paragraphs of relevant material about the source
(see “Organization” below for more detail).
The main goal for this assignment is to help you prepare for writing your research paper.
Looking closely at each source in this way (preparing a citation for it, articulating what the
source’s authors are arguing, and making a case for the relevance and usefulness of that
argument) is important work to develop a well-informed and appropriately framed discussion of
the research questions and problems you’re seeking to answer or address in some way.
Assignment guidelines
This annotated bibliography will also be a version of a rhetorical analysis. That means that you’ll
be evaluating how each author makes their argument. Ask yourself:
What is the author’s main claim?
What evidence do they use for it?
What is the tone/language of the writing? And how does that impact your view of the
author?
Is this source credible? How do you know?
You can find more relevant questions in chapter 9 of the textbook.
Along with those questions, you’ll want to briefly explain how you will use each source in your
eventual research paper. Ask yourself:
Why am I choosing this source?
What will I use it for?
How will it fit into point I’ll be arguing?
This is, of course, tricky considering you haven’t actually written the research paper yet. But
that’s also the point: I want you to begin envisioning your paper before you actually write it. Plus,
doing an annotated bib like this is part of the writing process. The more you write during the
annotated bib, the closer you read each source, and the better notes you take now, the less
work you will have to do on the final publish of the research paper.
Please note that the use of “I” and other first-person pronouns (my, mine, me) is
acceptable, and even necessary, here.
Length
2-3 pages double spaced (~900-1100 words).
Use at least four (4) citations and their annotations. You can use two sources that are not
scholarly, but the non-scholarly sources should be government websites, credible newspaper
outlets, and the like. Basically, this is not a free pass to use History.com or something. If you’re
unsure whether a source is viable, just send it to me and I’ll explain why/why not.
Organization
You will want to list your sources in alphabetical order. You should have a proper MLA
citation. Then, beneath each citation, you’ll need to provide your brief annotation (~1 paragraph
per source).