Writing an Annotated Bibliography
THE ANCIENT GREEKS: THEIR INFLUENCE ON MODERN SOCIETY
Due date: by midnight June 8 on Turnitin.com
Number of sources: 5 minimum (at least 1 print source)
GOAL:
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To create an annotated bibliography of sources that deal with the influence of the
Ancient Greeks.
OBJECTIVES:
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To learn what an annotated bibliography is and what its purpose in research is.
To conduct research using print and non-print material on a given area of influence.
To review MLA citations.
To learn how to write an annotation for a source.
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THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (source Purdue Online Writing Lab put in citation
later)
DEFINITION: A bibliography is a list of sources.
DEFINITION: An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation.
DEFINITION: An annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the
sources.
Each annotation you write will consist of the following:
1. The full MLA (Modern Language Association) citation for the source using Son of
Citation Machine.
2. A 50- to 75-word annotation that will include the following:
o Summary/evaluation: What is the point of this book, article, web page, video,
etc.? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this source is about, what
would you say? How valuable would the source be, given your topic of research?
Since this is an MLA-style paper, follow these rules for formatting your bibliography:
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Header with page number and last name (Top of Page, Plain Number 3)
Heading with name, teacher name, class and grade level, due date in European style
Times New Roman 12, double-spaced for citations.
Times New Roman 12, single-spaced for annotations.
See the sample on the next page.
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Writing an Annotated Bibliography
Bibliography
(The Hero in Classical Greek Literature)
Smith, Jane. “The Role of the Hero and the Development of Suspense in Homer’s Odyssey.”
Modern Philology 36.2 (Summer 2004): 45-73.Print.
This article surveys prior concepts of ancient Greek heroism in literature and situates
the hero of Homer’s poem The Odyssey, Odysseus, in this context. This article is useful in that it
explains that Homer’s poem The Odyssey was spoken or sung and then written in order to
provide Greek society with a model of behavior. This article is also helpful because it has a
bibliography of additional sources that would prove useful in further research on this topic.
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Writing an Annotated Bibliography
Here are some possible areas of research:
1. Mathematics
2. Sciences (including medicine)
3. Law
4. Government
5. Performing arts (drama and music)
6. Visual arts (painting and sculpture)
7. Architecture
8. Military
9. Seamanship
10. Trade
11. Religion (This would be factual and related to the mythology you have studied.)
12. Literature (This would include Homer and other writers of myths and stories, often in
epic poem form.)
13. Philosophy
14. Sports (Olympics)
You may also combine related fields:
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Math and science
Government and law
Visual Arts and architecture
Literature and performing arts
Military and seamanship
Literature and religion
Religion and philosophy
You may also focus on an individual such as a particular Greek mathematician or on a certain
author like Homer.
Continued on the next page…
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Writing an Annotated Bibliography
Tips for getting started:
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When using books, start with the index. If you’re not finding what you need, you
probably are using the wrong key words.
o For example, if you’re researching math, you might not find entries just for
“math”. However, you will probably find entries for mathematicians’ names.
o To find the names of mathematicians, use a search engine like Google, then go
back to the book and look for the names in the index.
When using a search engine like Google, the key words you use in your search are
important. Over the last ten years, Google has gotten much better at predicting what
you’re looking for as well as giving you sources that might be useful.
o If you’re looking for Ancient Greek mathematicians, that’s all you need to type:
 “list of Ancient Greek mathematicians”
o If you’re looking for a particular mathematics, you’ll need to be more specific.
You can even ask the question specifically:
 What different mathematics did the Ancient Greeks invent (create,
develop, etc.)?
o Be careful when using search engines. Stick with academic sources that are
developed by experts. Do NOT use sites by students or fans of the Ancient
Greeks. If you’re not sure, ask your teacher.
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