Annotated Bibliography

Guidelines for the Annotated Bibliography

DUE: Wednesday, November 14 at the beginning of class! | pdf

The annotated bibliography is worth 7% of your total course grade. Bibliographies will be graded using the grading chart included below.

• Select a minimum of 5 (more than 5 is okay!) different sources of information on your topic, including:

◦     at least 2 news sources
◦     at least 2 scholarly sources
◦     at least 1 internet source

If you are unsure whether a source you’d like to use meets one of these criteria, please ask me.

• Begin with the citation for each source, formatted using MLA Style. For citation help, try the library’s new trial to EasyBib.com, use the MLA Style Guides in the library (see syllabus for call numbers), or the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/
• Underneath each citation, write an annotation for the source. Each annotation must be at least 100 words, though of course it may be longer.
• In your annotation, please briefly summarize the source and provide a brief analysis of how the source relates to your research question.
• Please write in a formal academic style; no first person (“I”) statements. Avoid excessive jargon, and do not use quotations from your sources.
• This guide to creating an annotated bibliography from the City Tech Library may be helpful: http://library.citytech.cuny.edu/research/subjectGuides/annotated/. You may also wish to consult this guide from the Purdue OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/1/
• Please type up your annotated bibliography as a word processing document and either a) email it to me or, b) print it out and bring it to class. Use a standard 12 point font with 1 inch margins. Annotations can be single-spaced.
• I’ll grade your bibliography within a few days after you submit it, so you can use it while writing your research paper outline and draft. Your research paper outline is due on Monday, November 12, and the research paper draft is due on Monday, November 19 at the beginning of class.

As always, please ask me if you have any questions! Remember that my office hours are 11:15am-12:15pm Mondays and Wednesdays (right after class), and am happy to make an appointment to meet with you at other times.

Grading chart for your annotated bibliography:

	Insufficient (0-1 points)	Developing (2-3 points)	Competent (4-5 points)	Excellent (6-7 points)
Research	None of the sources are relevant to the research topic.	Some sources are not relevant to the research topic.	Most sources are relevant to the research topic.	All sources are relevant to the research topic.
Research	All or almost all sources used are not appropriate for the assignment, and contain inaccurate, biased, or outdated information from inexpert authors.	Most sources used are not appropriate for the assignment, and contain inaccurate, biased, or outdated information from inexpert authors.	Some sources used are not appropriate for the assignment, and contain inaccurate, biased, or outdated information from inexpert authors.	All sources used are appropriate for the assignment. They are credible sources, and are accurate, authoritative, objective, and current.
Content development	None or almost none of the annotations include a summary of the source.	Some annotations include a summary of the source.	Most annotations include a summary of the source.	All annotations include a summary of the source.
Content development	None or almost none of the annotations analyze the relationship of the source to the research question.	Some annotations analyze the relationship of the source to the research question.	Most annotations analyze the relationship of the source to the research question.	All annotations analyze the relationship of the source to the research question.
Writing style	All or almost all annotations are unfocused and unclear.	Most annotations are unfocused and unclear.	Some annotations are somewhat unfocused and unclear.	All annotations are clearly presented and fully focused.
Assignment requirements	All annotations are less than 100 words in length.	Some annotations are less than 100 words in length.	Most annotations are at least 100 words in length.	All annotations are at least 100 words in length.
Assignment requirements	One or 2 sources are annotated	Three sources are annotated	Four sources are annotated	At least 5 sources are annotated
Writing mechanics	Most sentences are grammatically incorrect.	Most sentences are grammatically incorrect.	Some sentences are grammatically incorrect.	All or almost all sentences are grammatically correct.
Writing mechanics	All sentences have errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization.	Most sentences have errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization.	Some sentences have errors in punctuation, spelling, or capitalization.	All or almost all sentences are free of punctuation, spelling, or capitalization errors.