AWR 201 Dr. Barbara Jolley
Annotated Bibliography—Peer Review Guidelines
Note:
Use these guidelines to self-check your own Annotated Bibliography as well as the ones your
classmates prepared. Your response to your classmates’ Annotated Bibliographies should be in
the format of a paragraph that address the aspects of Annotated Bibliography provided below.
Citations:
1.
Check the overall format of the Annotated Bibliography. Does it conform to MLA style?
If not, give suggestions for improvement.
2. Check the citations using Purdue OWL or MLA (linked within Resources) on Blackboard.
You don’t have to comment on each citation; however, please, do comment if some do
not follow MLA (you don’t have to correct the citations; just suggest the “the following
citations need to checked using MLA site or Purdue OWL).
Entries:
1. Does the annotated bibliography have the required number of sources? (8-10). If not,
please point it out.
2. Are all the sources acceptable secondary sources that are clearly related to the student’s
proclaimed research topic (no primary texts, no Cliff Notes, no Spark Notes, no Enotes,
no Master Plots, no general or encyclopedias, either physical or online)? Again, please
check whether the sources listed above are included. If so, suggest that they be
eliminated and replaced with the legitimate, scholarly, peer-reviewed sources.
3. Are the sources organized in alphabetical order, according to the author’s last name?
Point out if there are discrepancies that need to be corrected.
Content of the Annotations:
1. Does every entry have a summary paragraph that summarizes the work accurately?
2. Does the summary provide some context for the source (what kind of source is it?
who is the author/authors?). If not, please suggest that it be included.
3. Does the summary present the central claim/thesis/focus of the source? If not
suggest that it be done.
4. Does the summary describe how you intend to use the source in your final essay
(reflection): to supply a definition? To support a specific argument? To provide
background context? As an example of something? As a counter-argument?.
Again, please make sure that you look for one of these aspects in the reviewed
summaries of the sources.
5. Has an attempt been made to connect some sources, such as pointing out similarities or
differences or how one source expands or comments upon a point made in another
source? This may be only in a couple of sources. Indicate such connections by crossreferencing the sources (i.e., give a brief reference, such as “see…(followed by a last
name of the author and the title of the source); there is no need for full citation here;
provide similar information in the source to which you referred).
Research Overview:
1. Research Overview: Provide a title: Your Research Paper Topic: Research Overview.
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AWR 201 Dr. Barbara Jolley
2. At the start of your annotated bibliography, you should remind me of your topic, central
question, and research problem. This can be drawn from your prospectus or be based
on the three-step topic formula.
3. Follow this up with a brief statement of your current hypothesis (e.g. “in my final essay, I
plan to argue/show…) and a brief statement on what the evidence has revealed to you
on the whole so far.
4. The overview should be approximately 0.5-1 page in length. You will likely write this part
after the bibliography and annotations.
Note:
The Research Overview should be your first page and precede your Annotated Bibliography.
However, if, at the time of our peer review session, your research overview is not ready, please
don’t worry. Skip this portion of your review in your responses to your classmates. However,
please use all the points in the guidelines above to self-review after preparing your final draft.
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