Preparing the Annotated Bibliography

During the next two weeks, you will be responsible for independent reading and research for your final paper. On Wednesday, November 14, you will hand in a draft of your annotated bibliography. A revised version of your annotated bibliography will be included with your final research portfolio, which is worth 30% of your course grade.

Preparing your Annotated Bibliography

Your annotated bibliography is an opportunity to show off your current understanding of your topic and the research you have done so far. In addition, your annotated bibliography allows you to do some of the work of summarizing and synthesizing your sources before you begin writing a more analytical essay. As you prepare your bibliography, then, you will be coming up with material and structures that you may use in your research paper.

Elements of the Bibliography

Your bibliography should have a title and a 1-2 paragraph introduction, which should give a bit of background on how your topic is usually viewed and studied, as well as an explanation of how the entries have been classified into at least two categories. Your draft should include a minimum of five relevant sources on your topic.

Each category should have its own heading and entries in alphabetical order. Each entry should consist of the source information in appropriate format (MLA, APA, or CBE), followed by an annotation of the source. The annotation should comment on the content of the source as well as its significance to the topic and your research. Review Chapter 2 of They Say, I Say on the “art” of writing strategic summaries, rather than the typical list summary. That is, summarize in terms of the specific issue your research addresses.
Summarize your sources strategically, emphasizing how the author(s) answer your research questions or contribute to developing your main claim/argument.

Sample entry in MLA format

Bright, Sidney. “Ethical Behavior in Group Work in a College Composition Course: The Devil Never Took the Hindmost.” Journal of Collegiate Ethics 14 (1999): 12-27.

Bright found that her students showed advanced ethical development in social behavior in small groups in class. However, when these same students wrote essays, their ethical development did not appear as advanced. This research is significant because it shows how different contexts shape ethical behavior.

The Longman Handbook explains how to arrange bibliographic entries in MLA, APA, and CBE fomat. Please choose one of these styles to use for your research project, according to the primary disciplinary area of your research:
MLA style is used in the humanities.
APA style is used in social sciences.
CBE is used in natural sciences, physical sciences, and mathematics.

During today’s class, practice writing a bibliographic entry and strategic summary (see pp. 32-33 of They Say, I Say) of at least one source you uncovered from your library research.