ENG250 Annotation Journal
Since ENG250 is a research-based composition course, you will be keeping an “Annotation
Journal.” The keeping of this journal will begin this first week and not end until you turn it in the
last week before finals. As a major element of this course, it is heavily weighted (175 points) and
will need frequent attention throughout the semester. At the semester’s end, the journal may then
be kept for research purposes.
The journal will be a collection of annotations you create based on your research and readings
throughout the semester. At its core, an annotation is a short, objective overview of an article that a
researcher uses to guide their decision as to whether they should or should not look deeper into
the article. Every time you are assigned to read an article from my website, you will be expected to
turn in a hard copy of your annotation of the article or articles at the next class meeting. You do
not have to annotate chapters or readings from the text unless specifically told to do so. However,
you will be expected to annotate a minimum number of articles you find in the course of your
research for out-of-class assignments. Annotations from your research will be due at the time you
turn in the major assignment that led you to the articles. Turning these items in late will result in a
loss of points unless you communicate with me beforehand. At the end of the semester, you will
compile the annotations into a single document for final credit. At this point, the document will
have at least 44 entries.
What to include:
Mechanically correct reference—Following the APA style from your texts, cite each article
correctly.
Length—Each entry should range from 100 to 150 words. The citation is not included in
this word count.
Content—Each annotation should cover 5 basic elements. 1) Briefly summarize the article’s
main points 2) Rephrase the article’s thesis statement 3) Address the sources and/or kinds
of evidence used and 4) Describe some of the primary stylistic choices the author uses to
make the argument. 5) Summarize the article’s conclusion if different from the thesis.
Tone---Annotations must have an objective tone. Your job is not to judge but to describe.
75 of the 175 points of your grade for the journal will be credited as you turn in the annotations.
The goal is to help you learn to synthesize information from articles and become more adept at
using research to truly support your points rather than engaging in the act of regurgitation.
The final journal should be professional. Beyond the assigned articles, you will need to include
annotations of credible sources for the three major assignments—2 for assign. #1, 3 for Assign. #2,
and 4 for assign. #3. Once all of your annotations are gathered, you will organize them into 5 to 7
categories. The criteria for each category is up to you. You will then write a 200 to 300 word
introduction for each category explaining why these articles belong in that particular group. The
goal is to demonstrate to me that you can thoughtfully organize this mass of articles in a useful way.
Each category must have at least two entries, but there is no maximum number. Pages should be
numbered and a table of contents provided.
When you hand in your annotations as you read the articles, I will retain the hard copies, browse
them, and file them. It will be up to you to stay organized and keep copies of all your entries,
either electronically or via hard copy.
The final journal will be due April 27th, the Wednesday of dead week.