You chose a topic in your Research Proposal which interested you. A bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, videos, films, websites, etc.) that you've chosen when researching your topic. An annotated bibliography includes a summary and evaluation of each source. These annotations are written in a paragraph form (correctly formatted for the style you're using, refer to examples and Purdue OWL if you aren't sure!) and for the purposes of this class should include the following information:

• BACKGROUND: a comprehensive summary of the work, who wrote it, the publisher (if applicable) and an overview of the topic
• EVIDENCE: thoroughly explains the source is useful to the world (the industry for which it was written, for example), and why it is useful to your specific topic and research
• AUTHORSHIP: Establishes who the author(s) is/are, why they are an authority on the topic, and why or why not this is a credible source

WHAT GOOD IS IT?

The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University (owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/) has a terrific explanation of the value of annotated bibliographies. Here it is, quoted verbatim:

To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you're forced to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead of just collecting information. At the professional level, annotated bibliographies allow you to see what has been done in the literature and where your own research or scholarship can fit. To help you formulate a thesis: Every good research paper is an argument. The purpose of research is to state and support a thesis. So, a very important part of research is developing a thesis that is debatable, interesting, and current. Writing an annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is being said about your topic. By reading a variety of sources on a topic, you'll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you'll then be able to develop your own point of view.

METHOD

You will need to have4sources formatted in MLA. While there are other styles that are used, we are going to work on the basics first.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• LO1: Apply and expand the rhetorical knowledge, critical/logical thinking, reading, and writing skills developed in English Composition I to more complex assignments.
• LO2: Apply conventions of research to composition: defining problems, gathering information, considering multiple viewpoints, evaluating data, analyzing, summarizing, synthesizing, and documenting.
• LO3: Apply genre conventions including structure, paragraphing, tone, mechanics, grammar, syntax, formatting, documentation, and style to complex writing projects.
• LO4: Employ critical and evaluative reading skills in order to synthesize evidence and/or sources in support of a claim, using an appropriate documentation system