Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Genre
The annotated bibliography is an academic genre used by scholars and researchers to document and share useful sources. Essentially, it is an alphabetical list of sources, and each source is accompanied by a brief description. Annotated bibliographies often also come with an introduction or critical preface, which explains the focus or main topic of the sources found in the bibliography.
Purpose
The goals of this assignment are fairly simple. First, you will gain experienceconducting secondary research and composing the annotated bibliography genre. It’s likely that you’ll be asked to write annotated bibliographies for later classes, so it’s a good thing to get some practice now.
Second, through reflecting on the rhetoric and content of a great variety of sources, you will build your own ethos as a problem-solver. Audiences will trust you more when you present your own understanding of others’ writing and research. These sources can be cited in your later projects, and provide a needed context for the problem of oppression that you’ve selected.Writing this annotated bibliography should help you to consider which sources were most useful in understanding the topic you’ve been researching. If someone could only read seven sources to learn about your topic, which would you recommend?
Audience
Your primary audience for this assignment is ENC1102, your peers and instructor; however, additional readers might include other academic researchers or social action collaborators.
Assignment Guidelines
Locate seven sources, representing a variety of angles of vision on the issue. At least three of your sources should be scholarly, peer-reviewed texts. New media and popular texts made be used, provided that they are evaluated for credibility first.Keep copies of all your sources; email yourself to save sources as you work. I suggest taking notes as you encounter each source.
Write an evaluative annotated bibliography with a critical preface. Your critical preface must provide enough information for the reader to see the goal of your research, as well as an overview of the material found in the bibliography. Each annotation must include rhetorical information about the source (such as purpose, audience and genre), a summary of the source’s contents, and your own evaluation of that source for your research purposes. How did each source contribute to your learning about the issue?
Finally, please note that this assignment has a maximum as well as a minimum length; your bibliography must express all necessary information concisely, in such a way that it does not exceed the maximum length.
Examples of evaluative annotations: Allyn & Bacon, 232
Guidelines for the critical preface: Allyn & Bacon, 233
Sample annotated bibliography: Allyn &Bacon, 241-243
Length
No fewer than 1500 words and no more than 2000. Concision and comprehensiveness should be balanced in this genre.
Grading Criteria
In grading this assignment, I’ll be asking the following questions:
Critical Preface:
Does the critical preface explain the significance and purpose of the bibliography? Does it present the research question(s)? Does it provide the reader with sufficient context to understand how these sources view the problem differently? Does it explain and justify the types of sources included?
Evaluative Annotations:
Does each annotation include rhetorical information about its source? Does it summarize the source’s content? Have you evaluated the source for its relevance and usefulness to your research? Is each source appropriate for the research question(s) stated in the critical preface?
Style and Mechanics:
Are your preface and annotations clearly and concisely written? Have you avoided confusing wordiness while still adopting an appropriately formal tone for an annotated bibliography?
Citation and Formatting:
Have you cited sources according to MLA or APA conventions? Are your sources in alphabetical order?
Each bibliographic entry should be formatted according to MLA or APA standards, and should be followed by your annotation of it. See The Everyday Writer MLA or APA chapters for help formatting proper citations.