At this point in the research process, you have identified a research question that has guided your inquiry so far this semester. An annotated bibliography is an important genre in academic research because it helps you to keep track of the sources that you’ve found for your research project and evaluate the sources based on your research question. Annotated bibliographies may take different forms depending on the context. For this class, the annotated bibliography has two parts: the introduction and the source annotations.
Directions: Part 1: The Annotated Bibliography Introduction provides background information about your research topic, research question, and research process. An effective introduction will help your reader understand what you’ve been researching this semester, how you’ve been conducting research, and how you plan to use the sources you’ve found in your final research paper. Please note that the Critical Introduction is not the same document as your research plan (Writing Project 1), and it is not the introduction to your research paper.
Your annotated bibliography introduction should address the following questions:
What topic have you been researching this semester? Why is this topic significant?
What is your research question?
How did you investigate your research question? What search strategies did you use to locate sources (e.g. where did you look, what keywords did you use, what successes or challenges did you have?)
What types of sources did you find?
Based on your research, what is your tentative thesis, claim, or position?
How do you plan to use the sources you’ve found to support your tentative claim (e.g. what sources will you use to provide background information, to support your claim, refute your claim, etc.)?
What additional materials do you think you will need for your argumentative research paper?
Part 2: The Source Annotations provide a list of the sources you’ve found. You must include at least five sources for this assignment, and at least three of the sources must be peer-reviewed. Each entry should include a complete MLA or APA citation followed by a critical annotation (100-200 words). The annotation should summarize the source and evaluate the source based on its currency, authority, and relevance to your research project.
Your source annotations should address the following questions:
What is the complete MLA or APA citation for the source?
What is the source (e.g. is it for a scholarly or public audience, is it a book, journal article, blog post, website, video, etc.)?
Who created the source (e.g. who is the author, publisher, or organization)? How does the creator information impact this source’s appropriateness for your own research project?
What is the purpose of the source (e.g. is the purpose to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to sell, etc.)?
How would you summarize this source for someone who is not familiar with it?
How current is the source (e.g. when was it published, does the source reflect the most current understanding of the topic)? How does the currency impact this source’s appropriateness for your own research project?
How does the source relate to your own research project and your tentative claim?