Assignment: Annotated Bibliography 1
“An annotated bibliography provides specific information about each source you have used. As a researcher, you have become an expert on your topic and have the ability both to explain the content and to assess the usefulness of your sources for those not in the know. Think of your paper as part of a conversation with others interested in the same things you are; the annotated bibliography allows you to tell readers what to check out, what might be worth checking out in some situations, and what might not be worth spending the time on. It’s kind of like providing a list of good movies for your classmates to watch and then going over the list with them, telling them why this movie is better than that one or why one student in your class might like a particular movie better than another student would. You want to give your audience enough information to understand basically what the movies are about and to make an informed decision about where to spend their money based on their interests” (“Annotated Bibliography”).
Essentially, this assignment consists of two elements that will be blended together:
· A References page in APA format that lists all of the research sources you have found and evaluated thus far for your final paper
· A 5-6 sentence-long mini-evaluation immediately following each of these source’s citation that shows how and why this source will be useful to your final project (or not). This evaluation should include your interpretation of the source’s thesis or overall focus and its main points (think about what is MOST important in the source).
Assignment Requirements
Annotated Bibliography 1 will have at least 4 sources listed.
Remember, this is just an assignment to demonstrate the range of research you’re doing for your final essay. The Annotated Bibliography is a snapshot of where you are in the research process at this particular point in time.
Research Resources
These are tools to help you as you start researching for your essay. These can help you save a lot of time in the research process!
Research Magic: “Ctrl F”
(unless you LIKE spending 1000 hours reading 100 articles for a 10-page paper–in that case, ignore this link)
Citation Magic: Info about Zotero
(again–unless you really, really LOVE the stress of figuring out citations. Plus, Zotero is FREE.)
Research Template Magic
–in case you need an easy way of collecting information AND building your research sandwich
Integrating your Research Magic
–just an example on how to build the research sandwich
