Writing a researched argument is like participating in a conversation. You are joining a community of scholars who are engaged in a conversation related to your topic. You have to begin your research project with an investigation into what other scholars have said (directly or indirectly) about your topic. In the end, your paper is aimed at addressing an unanswered question or a gap that your research has identified. An annotation is a close-reading reflection on a source.
While all of the sources you select for your paper can be accessed electronically, they cannot be general websites. For example, the following source is not acceptable:
“Doctor Faustus: Scene 13”, LitCharts, https://www.litcharts.com/lit/doctor-faustus/scene-13. Accessed 18 May 2020.
For this research assignment, each of your sources must have an author or authors. Here is an acceptable example:
Broes, Arthur T. “Chaucer’s Disgruntled Cleric: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” Publications of the Modern Language Association of America (1963): 156-162.
Annotated Bibliography Format
Begin with an introduction that comments on the scope of existing research on your particular topic. What have others said? Then you should state the major question that existing research has not considered or has not answered adequately. It is this question that will drive your thesis and your research paper. Your thesis for the research paper should be framed to respond to the question or gap you have raised. It can be the same thesis you framed when you completed the summary/critique activity, or it could be a revision. However, the revised thesis that you submit here should be the final thesis that will govern your essay. Highlight and underline your thesis statement (one sentence).
You should provide in MLA format the names of authors, titles, dates of publication, and other information of the eight sources, followed by a four-part annotation of each source. Example:
1. hooks, bell. Outlaw Culture. New York: Routledge, 1994.
Source Genre (e.g., refereed journal article, textbook, etc)
Summary: A one-paragraph summary of the source. Include and highlight at least one direct quote from the source that directly or indirectly supports your thesis.
Assessment: What makes the writer of your source an authority on this topic/subject? For example, you may explain why bell hooks is a qualified and reliable authority on the subject of popular culture.
Reflection: How does this source align with your research? (2-3 sentences)
NUMBER YOUR SOURCES FOR EASY TRACKING
Source #1: (list it in MLA format)
Source Genre
summary
assessment
reflection
Source #2: (List it in MLA format)
Source Genre
summary
assessment
reflection
And so on . . .
NOTE:
You may use as many sources as you like, but eight is the required minimum.
Only authoritative sources, please. How do we know if a source is authoritative? Review “Authoritative References” by R.C. Maher (PDF document located in course files).
