MLA ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT

Definition: An annotated bibliography is a compilation of sources that a researcher finds useful for or related to a particular research project. Each entry in the compiled list is made up of the correct bibliographic entry (the references entry-for MLA style) and a short paragraph that summarizes and evaluates the source, called the annotation.

Objectives:

To locate and become acquainted with sources for your research paper
To create a summary of selected sources
To evaluate sources
To follow the MLA format for creating correct works cited entries
To know how to write an annotated bibliography (a common college assignment)

Rationale behind this assignment:

--- This encourages you to begin now to collect and evaluate your sources for the research paper. The most-heard comment that students make about the research paper is this: "Next time, I would begin right away to find my sources."

---Before you have the pressure of a fast-approaching due date for the paper, you can take the time to assess your sources and make sure that you have strong and reliable sources. Doing an annotated bibliography helps you ensure the authority of your research paper because you will by carefully examining your sources in this assignment-to be sure that they are credible and scholarly enough to include in the essay. It gives POWER to your argument to have experts figuratively standing behind you.

---As you are reading and getting an overview of your sources for this assignment, you can highlight especially dazzling lines that you may want to quote in your research paper and note important ideas that you will want to paraphrase in support of your thesis.

*(Note: After you hand in the final draft for this assignment, you are definitely allowed to add to your references list because, sometimes, you find additional sources later in the writing process. Also, you do not have to use all of the sources that are in your annotated bibliography in your research paper. In fact, you are only required to use a minimum of six sources in your research paper though you can use as many as you need.)

Guidelines for each entry:

1. Compose the correct MLA bibliographic citation. (You may wish to use web software, such as "Easy Bib" or "Noodlebib" ("or Noodle Tools). There are free apps for citations, such as refme.com. The new MS Word also has a "References" option, which is limited, however, and does not include correct citations for database sources.

2. At the beginning of your annotation paragraph, provide at least one sentence about the type of source you are annotating. For example, is it a book, a database journal article, a newspaper article, or an article on a web page? Be sure that you find at least half of your sources from the HCC databases.

3. Give a clear and concise overview (not a complete summary) of the contents. This part should only be about 2 - 3 sentences. Use your own words! Though you may be tempted, you must never copy from the abstract of an article. You may need to copy a few words from the source, but if you do, you must put the copied words inside quotation marks with the appropriate in-text citation.

4. At the end, write just one sentence to explain the probable audience for this source and if you think it is biased or not.

5. Finally, offer at least one final sentence that describes why this source is useful or not useful for this research project (your project). You can include sources that you won't use, but let readers know that.

Specific Requirements:

1. Arrange the sources in alphabetical order as they would appear on your References page.
2. Write in third person (except for your last sentence, the evaluation sentence).
3. Have at least 10 entries. Each of the entries is on its own page.
4. Double-space the entire assignment.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Correct MLA documentation form for works cited entries
• Completeness of annotations (at least five sentences)
• Evidence of understanding of the sources
• Evidence of strong and reliable sources
• Adherence to guidelines and requirements (see above)
• Well-edited, standard English

TWO SAMPLE ENTRIES FOR AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY-

a database source and a book-are on the pages that follow:

After you've reviewed a scholarly source, the annotative bibliography should do the following:

1. Summarize: What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? What are the main arguments? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say?

2. Assess: After summarizing a source, you will then need to evaluate it. In what way is this source useful? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? How do you know? Is it this source biased or objective? How do you know? What is the goal of this source?

3. Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Popenoe, D. (2009) "A world without fathers." The Wilson Quarterly, 20 (2).

This academic journal article from one of the HCC library database Academic OneFile is informative and scholarly. David Popenoe first discusses the statistics of children growing up in single mother homes. He goes on to discuss the psychological damage and resulting behavior issues caused by the absence of a father. This article supports the idea that fatherless children are less successful than those raised in traditional families. Some ideas linked to fatherlessness are that the child is at higher risk of depression, delinquency, and low academic achievement. Though it has a negative point to make, it does not seem biased to me because it is backed by solid research. Fatherlessness is linked to many social and economic issues involved with divorce and separation and the effects they have on family life, specifically for the children involved. This article will be very useful for my paper since the negative effects of fatherlessness is the subject of my research.

Wildavsky, A. (1995) But is it true? A citizen's guide to environmental health and safety issues.

Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Aaron Wildavsky, author of this book, is a professor of political science and public policy at Berkeley. He turned his students loose to research both the history and scientific status of major environmental issues: DDT, Alar, Love Canal, asbestos, the ozone hole, global warming, acid rain. The results are described in this book, a commentary on science and public policy, intended for the general public. The book is an excellent resource for a more complete discussion of these issues than is usually provided. For example, the author devotes 25 pages to the history of the DDT ban, 20 pages to Alar, and so on. Wildavsky concludes that nearly all environmental claims have been either untrue or wildly overstated. The book raises questions and provokes thought on controversial issues that directly relate to my research paper thesis statement.