ENGL 106 (Spring 2016)
Annotated Bibliography
Instructor: Sean Mitsein
Writing Assignment: Annotated Bibliography
Description:
An annotated bibliography is a document that is meant to give you a “quick reference guide” for
the information you are in the process of (or planning to) researching for your Documented
Research Project. It is, primarily, intended as a tool to help you keep you source material
organized, and allow your peers/instructor an opportunity to get a “snap-shot” or overview of
your research process - it offers your peers/instructor an opportunity to offer suggestions for
additional resources that are not covered in your research thus far, and the ability to (re)direct
research that is seeming to go off in a potentially unproductive/unuseful direction. For this
assignment, you will write a brief (3-4 page min. suggested) annotated bibliography based on the
topic you have chosen for your Documented Research Project. An annotated bibliography is a
succinct resource guide to direct your topic research. It is designed to give you (and your
readers) a brief documentation of the research you would like to do or have already done. It does
not replace the actual research process; rather, it allows you to evaluate potential sources for later
use. In addition, it provides you with a documented “trail” you can follow when you attempt to
(re)locate sources for further exploration, and is meant to be a written guide for where to locate
the information you intend to include in your Documented Research Project. Furthermore, it
allows your instructor to offer suggestions on the viability and creditability of your sources, prior
to conducting more extensive research, or before you include this information in your
Documented Research Projects; thus, avoiding the situation where you would spend a lot of time
extensively researching unsuitable sources. Within an annotated bibliography, there are two
major components (viz. the bibliography and the annotations). The bibliography portion is a
listing of a text’s publishing information (i.e. Author, Title, Edition, Publication, Printing
Date(s), etc.). You will be using the style format dictated by your discipline for your citations.
For the purposes of this class, the annotation is a set (three) of brief paragraphs which: a) Briefly
summarizes the resource’s topic(s), main points (argument), etc. (this need not be extensive, you
simply need something to distinguish this source from the other sources). b) Evaluates the
source, in terms of the source's credibility. c) Specifically comments on the source’s usefulness
to your research (i.e. how do you plan make use of this source to fulfill your purpose? - be
specific) [This latter requirement makes your bibliography an evaluative bibliography, as
opposed to simply a summarative bibliography]. Thus, you final document will consist of a
citation of the source (in the proper format), a brief summary of the sources main points
(specifically, how this source is unique from the other sources you have researched on the same
topic), an evaluation of the source (i.e. the source's credibility), and a specific indication of
how you intend to use the information in the source (as applied to your argument) for each
source you want to include (please see below for the source requirements)
ENGL 106 (Spring 2016)
Annotated Bibliography
Instructor: Sean Mitsein
Audience:
Remember, the writing you do in this class is considered public writing. Therefore, the audience
for your Annotated Bibliography is the instructor, your classmates, and educated members of the
discourse community surrounding your topic/issue. You will be conducting a peer-review after
each stage of your writing process (draft, revision, and final).
Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to:
• Locate and evaluate source information
• Demonstrate proper citation procedures for bibliographical citations
• Explore possible resources/evidence/examples for your Documented Research Projects
• Familiarize yourself with the various research techniques, methods, and sources available
to you
Process:
1) Locate Possible Sources: You may wish to begin your research process at one of Purdue’s
Libraries. Alternatively, you may wish to do a cursory search on the web to get an idea of
where to begin [Note: looking at the Works Cited page for articles you have already read can
be very helpful in locating other potential sources].
2) Create The Citations: You will cite all of your sources using the proper citation format, as
dictated by your field of study. Your bibliography needs to have one complete citation per
source. As per the documentation guidelines listed in the relevant section of your textbook or
Purdue’s OWL website, be sure to include the entire title of the work (including sub-titles)
•
If your source has more than one reference you want to use, you must create a separate
citation and annotation for each reference (e.g. if you are using a book comprised of
several different articles, you need to complete a separate citation and annotation for each
article you want to use)
3) Create Your Annotation: Remember your goal is simply to “note” the relevant information
in the source (it is not meant to be a substitute for the actual text, or more extensive research)
[note: remember, you want to focus on the information that is different/unique from the rest
of the other sources you are using (i.e. all of your sources will, in some way, deal with your
topic; however, you want to focus on the specific information that makes that particular text
helpful - this could be a specific set of statistics, a unique/particular point of view, a focus on
a particular/unique aspect/area, etc. that the other sources you choose do not cover or cover
in a different way]
Each entry should include the following elements (paragraphs):
•
Summation of the source [focus on what is unique about the source]
ENGL 106 (Spring 2016)
•
•
Annotated Bibliography
Instructor: Sean Mitsein
A brief evaluation statement(s) [is this a “scholarly” source or not]
How the work is relevant to your research [How, specifically, do you intend to use the
source (e.g. as evidence to support a claim, as a counter-argument, etc.)]
4) If you have any questions, or are finding it difficult to locate sources, be sure to ask
someone for help.
• The reference desk at Purdue’s Library has trained staff that can help you if you have
questions.
• Do not be afraid to collaborate with your peers (be they from this class or not). Often
times, they may have experienced the same difficulties or can give you some thoughts on
how/where to find the information you are seeking. Additionally, just talking with your
peers can often times "flesh out" thoughts that you may not have consciously thought of
or didn't see the merit in previously.
• Do not be afraid to e-mail your instructor if you have exhausted all other approaches.
Assignment Criteria:
•
Your Annotated Bibliography must contain a minimum of ten citations You should
include at least the minimum number of sources for each source type (e.g. you need to
include at least 3 Academic Journal Articles):
Type of Source
Minimum
Number of
Sources
Comments:
Academic Journal
or Periodical
articles
3
Books/Volumes
2
Government
Document
1
Reference Works
1
Popular News
Source
1
Internet Website
1
Multimedia, Video,
Audio Source, or
Interview
1
These articles must be from a peer-reviewed or refereed journal (i.e. an “Academic
Journal”). [Note: if you are using a scanned electronic copy (i.e. there exists a print
version somewhere and this is a copy), you can treat it as a “print” source. If, however, the
article comes from an online-only publication, there is often a specific method of citing this
material that is different from the "print" version - we will discuss these differences in
class].
Can be paper, electronic or microform [Note: if you are using an e-book, there is often a
specific method of citing this material that is different from the "print" version - we will
discuss these differences in class].
Government documents are published by official government sources. In the US, they will
often be published by the Government Printing Office (GPO). If you are searching online,
these documents can often be found on sites that end in “.gov” (although, you may also find
these through the library or other publishing databases, e.g. LexisNexis, EBSCO,
SpringerLink, etc.).
The citation must be for a academic reference work. (e.g. The Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
8 Volume Set, or a Medical/Law Dictionary).
[ Note: "General" encyclopedias and/or
dictionaries (e.g. the Encyclopedia Britannica, the OED, etc are not considered valid
sources for the purposes of this assignment)].
Print Newspapers, Internet News Sites (e.g. CNN Online, The New Your Times Online,
The Wall Street Journal Online, etc.) [Note: If a news source has both print content and
online content, be sure you are using the correct citation for the version of the source you
are using], Television or Radio news program transcripts, News Magazines (e.g. Time,
NewsWeek, etc.).
The Internet source you choose should be considered a scholarly resource, if at all possible
[note: if you wish to use web-sites that are not considered "scholarly" sources (e.g.
WikiPedia or various manufacture/organization web-sites comes to mind), you must clearly
indicate that this source is of a dubious/questionable/potentially biased nature].
Videos, Audio, Interviews, Video/audio taped lectures, etc. [Note: If you are using a video
from YouTube or other popular video archive, consider the credibility of the source]. [Note
2: If you would like to use a entertainment movie, you will have to make an argument for
why/how this pertains to your project]
ENGL 106 (Spring 2016)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Annotated Bibliography
Instructor: Sean Mitsein
All sources must be on you pre-selected topic [Note: rarely will you find the "perfect"
source, the one that deals specifically with your exact topic/viewpoint/etc. It is
perfectly acceptable - in fact necessary - for you to find various sources each dealing
with only one aspect of your overall issue/argument. Additionally, please do not rule
out sources that offer parallel information to the information you are seeking (e.g. an
essay that offers statistical data for a different geographical region than the one you
are seeking information for, but you are able to draw from their similar
circumstances—note, this can be tricky, because you will eventually have to defend
how you feel these circumstance are indeed similar enough for the data to be
considered relevant)].
You may wish to include sources you end up not using in your documented research
paper [Note: in your section/paragraph explaining how you intend to use the information,
clearly indicate that you do not intend to use this source, and indicate why you do not
think this source will be useful. Of course, you should not use this option for all your
sources, or even the majority of them].
It may be to your advantage to include sources from the opposing view (i.e. goes
against what you are arguing) [Note: recall the notion of dissoi logoi, as discussed in
class].
You may use no more than two citations for any one source (e.g. You cannot use two
articles from any one text, particular web sites, etc). [Note: part of the reasoning behind
this assignment is to help you familiarize yourself with all of the different potential
sources for information out there. Increasingly, in this modern technological age, students
are reluctant—whether this be a matter of convenience, ignorance, or some other
reason—to seek out information from/in mediums other than what is accessible through
their personal computer. This assignment, in some ways, is designed to force you to
explore other options (e.g. to force you to go into the library). Additionally, this
requirement is meant to encourage you to explore multiple/various view-points (including
view-points that may be contrary to your own) on any given issue/point (i.e. this is your
opportunity explore those "complicating"/"problematizing" aspects of the issue you are
researching. Very little, if anything, in academia has only one point of view, you should
strive to discover/understand what these multiple view-points are].
Your sources should be of an academic nature (scholarly sources) [Note: if you wish to
use information that is not from what is generally considered a "scholarly source"
(WikiPedia or various manufacture/organization web-sites comes to mind), you must
clearly indicate that the information/source is of a possibly
dubious/questionable/potentially biased nature].
You should summarize the entire article from the World Wide Web sources, not just a
single page (e.g. the home-page)
You may eventually need to turn in a copy of any original sources you use [i.e. a
photocopy to the title page of the book and a copy of the article (or first page, if the
article is greater then one page in length), a printout of the web site, etc. So, always keep
a copy of the original source information [Note: In the case of material you check out
from the library (e.g. books, journals, etc.) that is too long to feasibly copy the entire
source, you should at the very least copy those pages you find most relevant to your
argument, or contain specific quotes you intend to use (e.g. you may wish to copy a table
that has specific information you will use, or a page that has a particularly good quote.
ENGL 106 (Spring 2016)
Annotated Bibliography
Instructor: Sean Mitsein
Note. it is always a good idea to write the citation for where you got the information from
on the top of the first page, for future reference].
Cautions:
•
•
•
•
Avoid Procrastination! Researching sources is a lengthy, but not difficult, process. You
will want to give yourself plenty of time to do a thorough job [Note: I cannot emphasize
this enough. An annotated bibliography is NOT the type of assignment you can put off
until the last minute].
In your summation, give a brief, but thorough description of the main points (you do not
have to describe all of the details). You should focus on what differentiates one
particular source from the other (i.e. what is unique/different about that particular source).
Avoid making statements, in your evaluation, that do not specifically address how the
source will be useful to your research (i.e. “this source has a lot of information” is not an
useful/acceptable evaluation – you need to state specifics. Likewise, “this is a good
source” is equally unacceptable – you need to state specifically why is would be useful).
Avoid mistaking the author of an anthology, journal, web site, etc. as the author of a
given article; these are not always one and the same.
Due Dates:
•
•
•
Mar. 9th, Due: Annotated Bibliography (First Draft)
Mar. 23rd, Due: Annotated Bibliography (Revision)
Apr. 1st, Due: Annotated Bibliography (Final Version)
Note: For Draft and Revisions, be sure to bring TWO copies of your printed work on the due
date. You will be conducting a peer review at these stages. Your Final Draft submission will
include all copies of your drafts, and all peer-reviews you have received.
Evaluation Criteria:
(See Annotated Bibliography Rubric)