Instructions:

(Topics which I will NOT allow to be discussed based on previous class experiences: religion, genocide, forced sterilization, abortion, and any other human/gay/women's rights issues. I reserve the right to ask you to change your topic if I find it inappropriate. There are plenty of other topics that can be discussed.)

First, ensure that your topic has been approved. If your topic was NOT approved, there will be a comment on your Research Proposal and Preliminary Outline after it is graded. If you need to adjust your topic's scope or choose a different topic, do so before proceeding. If you missed the Topic Proposal, you MUST speak to your instructor before conducting research.

Next, ensure that you have an adequate understanding of the types of sources available (see R1 in A Writer's Reference), source evaluation criteria (R3), and how to navigate library databases. If you are unfamiliar with library databases contact the GTCC libra for help.

II. Locate and Evaluate Sources

Locate AT LEAST FIVE sources of information for your research topic that you will use in a research essay written on that topic. AT LEAST THREE of those sources MUST come from the GTCC library. If you cannot locate enough sources for your first-choice topic, you may either adjust the topic's scope or switch to the alternate topic listed in your proposal.

You must maintain access to any source used. For Web pages, either bookmark the page or save it as a .pdf (Print, and set the printer to .pdf). For library sources, databases often have print, email, and/or save/download buttons. If you cannot actually access the source (it is behind a paywall or held at another library), then you cannot use it. Similarly, you cannot use sources that are "abstract only." The full text is required.

Once you have located sources, you must read/view them enough to be able to evaluate them. Any source used must be credible (and you must be able to establish what makes it credible), relevant to your topic and approach, and current (use your best judgment, but aim for no older than ten years since publication).

III. Write

In a Word document, provide an MLA-format citation (Works Cited entry) for each source. Arrange the elements alphabetically by the first element (typically, the author's last name).Use hanging indents so that every line after the first in each citation is indented. To do this, place your cursor at the beginning of the second line of the citation and press Enter, then Tab.

Next, under each citation write a paragraph as follows:

1. Writethree to five sentencesofsummary. Start by mentioning the type of source (book, article, video, Web page, etc.) and include the source's main point and key ideas. Avoid trying to capture all of the details you will be taking from the source (that is what your notes are for) and try to be objective here. While some sources provide summaries or synopses,these sentences MUST be written in your own words.
2. Next, writeone to two sentencesevaluating the source's strengths. What makes this source credible and trustworthy? Are there any limitations you need to be aware of?
3. Finally, writeone to two sentences evaluating the source's usefulness. How can you use this source in your research essay? What role can it play? Remember, sources can provide definitions or examples or statistics, support for particular points, opposing views for you to challenge, etc.

If you have never written an Annotated Bibliography before, you are encouraged to compare yours to the example provided here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PurwEopC-7BWpwtET-c2o68mRSHC4WXPlUO_RcPe9vQ/edit?usp=sharing)