Overview

An annotated bibliography is a combination assignment: it blends MLA reference citations with paragraphs–or annotations–that help you, and your readers, make sense of the sources you cite. For this assignment, you will be asked to create annotations that summarize, assess, and reflect upon sources related to your research topic (See Assignment Guide). This process serves two purposes: it provides you with a broader perspective of your research topic, and it prompts you to develop your own point of view: your thesis.

Expectations

The annotated bibliography is a very valuable first-step in the research writing process, since it helps you:

Collect and organize source material

Practice MLA formatting

Think carefully and critically about source content

Evaluate source reliability and credibility

Determine source usefulness

Synthesize multiple sources

Decide if you need more sources

Develop a working thesis

Requirements

Length/Sources:

This assignment requires 5 reliable and credible sources with annotations. The minimum word count is 750 words total, with 150 words per source annotation. *If the minimum word count is not met, your assignment will be returned with no grade and a resubmission will be required.

Organization
Each of the five sources should include an annotation with the following four components: a citation, a summary paragraph, an assessment paragraph, and a reflection paragraph.

Check out the table below for more information about the required content and conditions of each component:

Component

Content

Conditions

Reference Citation

Including a properly formatted citation can help readers access the same information you accessed (e.g. author, title, publishing date, etc.), if they are interested in learning more about the source and/or your topic.
*Think of this as pointing readers in the right direction.

Be sure to use MLA style for your citations.

You’ll need to pay attention to how you order the identifying criteria and include a hanging indent for any line after the first line.

Summary

*Think of this as presenting readers with “the big picture.”

In this paragraph, you will provide a thorough overview of the source, including the main claim/thesis, the topics covered, important supporting points, and any other information readers need to understand the overall gist of the source.

Be sure to use summary here, with no direct quotes.

You’ll want to stick to third-person language in this section (no “I, me, we, you, us, our”).

Assessment

*Think of this as providing readers with proof that the source is, or is not, useful.

In this paragraph, you will evaluate the source, noting whether it is useful, and why. You can discuss reliability and credibility, author expertise, date of publication, bias or objectivity, and intended audience. You can also compare/contrast this source with other sources that you have collected, if you find that analysis helpful.

Be sure to use paraphrase here, with no direct quotes.

You’ll want to stick to third-person language in this section (no “I, me, we, you, us, our”).

Reflection

*Think of this as presenting readers with your perspective.

In this paragraph, you will share how this source impacts your writing process. Did this source cause you to change your stance? Did you learn anything new or interesting about your topic? How might you use this source in your future essay?

You can feel free to use first-person language here, since you are sharing your own insights about this source and its relationship to your research topic. Be sure to stick to “I, me” language, though, as you don’t want to make assumptions about your readers.

Document Formatting: MLA formatting: Heading (name, assignment name, course name, date), original title, header (page numbers), line-spacing (double-spaced), 1”margins, and 12-point font size, Times New Roman or sans-serif font.

Genre/Style: Formal analysis following a guided format–see organization and example.

Source(s) Selection: While we encourage you to acquire sources from Gale’s Opposing Viewpoints, you may access credible, scholarly sources from other resources. Tertiary sources, such as online encyclopedias, dictionaries and Wikipedia, are not scholarly sources, and should not be cited within your work; however, they may offer helpful foundational information as you develop your understanding of an issue. For more information, please review Berkley University’s resource on scholarly and popular sources: “Evaluating Resources.”