Guidelines for Annotated Bibliography (English 1010)

By 12 Noon on Friday, September 27 (Fall 2013) or Friday, February 14 (Spring 2014), each person in the Research Paper Project group will post two sources. 

Follow the instructions below:

1. In the subject line of your email, write “Annotated Bibliography” and your group number. (Refer to the Project Groups list to see your group number)

2. As an attachment, include your annotated bibliography, including your two entries (PER PERSON): be sure there is a brief explanation (the annotation) for each entry/source (two-three sentences) of the importance of this source to your research and the idea you’ll take from this article, blog, book, etc. Review the posted Sample Annotated Bibliography for examples. 

3. Email your completed annotated bibliography to: nstampley@altamahatech.edu by the due date and time.

Remember – there are two parts to every entry in an annotated bibliography: the citation and the annotation.  You will not receive full credit if both components are not present. 

The Annotation: What is it?

An annotated bibliography is a list of cited sources about a particular topic, in which each citation is followed by a brief annotation, or discussion/reflection of the source.  It is useful for documenting your research and summarizing main points from various sources. It will only add to your knowledge, so embrace it!

The annotation is a brief paragraph (in this case, 2-3 sentences) following the citation.

English 1010, your annotations should do the following:

* assess the usefulness or relevant application of the source (Why is this important to your research? What idea will you take from this article, video, blog, book, etc.? )

Sample Annotated Bibliography (English 1010)

SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (MLA)

The focus of the following sample annotated bibliography entries is the use of reading and literature in the composition classroom.

——————————————————————–

George Hollway

Ms. Stampley

English 1010

27 September 2013

Annotated Bibliography

Gilbert, Pam. “From Voice to Text: Reconsidering Writing and Reading in the English

Classroom.” English Education 23.4 (1991): 195-211. Print.

Gilbert provides some insight into the concept of “voice” in textual interpretation, and points to a need to move away from the search for voice in reading. Her reasons stem from a growing danger of “social and critical illiteracy,” which might be better dealt with through a move toward different textual understandings. Gilbert suggests that theories of language as a social practice can be more useful in teaching. Her ideas seem to disagree with those who believe in a dominant voice in writing, but she presents an interesting perspective.

Greene, Stuart. “Mining Texts in Reading to Write.” Journal of Advanced Composition 12.1

(1992): 151-67. Print.

This article works from the assumption that reading and writing inform each other, particularly in the matter of rhetorical constructs. Greene introduces the concept of “mining texts” for rhetorical situations when reading with a sense of authorship. Considerations for what can be mined include language, structure, and context, all of which can be useful depending upon the writer’s goals. The article provides some practical methods that compliment Doug Brent’s ideas about reading as invention.

More Examples:

Note: The focus of the following entry is gun control.

StyleJohnson, Jaime. “Gun Control: Your Only Means of Defense.” Researcher’s Special

               Journal (1999): 254-325. Print.

The author researches several federal and state firearms regulations and their effect on the everyday citizen. By testing his hypothesis that firearms regulations have an inherent effect on everyday citizens, findings yield in support of the hypothesis. In contrast, Baker cited in an earlier study the complete opposite.

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

This video gives a clear overview on how (and why) you should write an Annotated Bibliography. Again, this is specifically for English 1010…so pay attention. 🙂

Research and Documentation: The Process from Beginning to End

Research and Documentation

Writing a Research Paper can be quite tedious, but with proper preparation, it can also be extremely informative to you, the writer, as well as to your reader. This Prezi covers a few of the key areas to pay attention to during the research, writing and documentation process; it was created specifically to help guide the students in English 1010 (Fall 2013, Spring 2014).

Adapted from “Writing a Research Paper in 15 Easy Steps,” by Nancy McEnery and Linda Dillon