The annotated bibliography is the second phase of your three-part research project. In the first phase, you composed an exploratory research paper, in which you identified a topic and explained the key issues at stake within it. This second phase of the project asks you to delve deeper into a more specific aspect of your research topic, with the goal of crafting a well-researched and logically grounded persuasive essay (the third and final phase of the project).
To begin, you will first need to consider what stance you will take in your persuasive essay. What more information do you need to learn about your topic to best support the stance you will take in that persuasive argument? What details will you need to include to provide evidence for your claims or to provide fair and balanced counterarguments? Use these questions to advance your research and find at least five “new” sources (sources not included in your exploratory research essay) to include in this annotated bibliography.
Elements of the annotated bibliography (each element explained in detail below):
Introduction (1-2 pages)
Annotations for five “new” sources (approx. 5-10 pages total; 1-2 pages for each annotation). Each annotation should include:
A bibliographic citation in MLA 8 style
A summary of the source
An evaluation of the source, including its context
A reflection of the applicability of this source to your research project
Introduction: Identify the argument you will be making in your persuasive essay and explain what is at stake in this argument (in other words, state the significance or your answer to the “so what” question).
Annotations:
Bibliographic citation: Use MLA 8 style to craft a citation for your source. Follow the guidelines defined in our textbook (link: https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/csu-fyw-rhetoric/chapter/9-5-mla-citation/). You may also find it helpful to consult the Purdue OWL’s citation guide (link: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html).
Summary: Provide a neutral and objective overview of the thesis and main points of the source.
Evaluation of the source and its context: Consider the rhetorical context of the source (including author(s) and publisher) to determine and explain how reliable this source is and what biases it includes. (Note: these biases may be political, but many sources will not be political in nature. Rather, a bias may be constituted by the author(s)’s discipline: think about the differences you’d find in articles on COVID from a medical doctor vs. an epidemiologist vs. a psychologist.)
Applicability of the source: Explain the value of this source within the context of your research and the argument you expect to take in your persuasive essay. Also explain how this source connects to other sources listed on the annotated bibliography and/or that you referenced in your exploratory research essay.
Formatting:
Format your document according to MLA guidelines (link: https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/csu-fyw-rhetoric/chapter/4-2-formatting-your-manuscript/), including header, page numbers, double spacing, etc.
Sources should be listed in alphabetical order according to the bibliographic citation.
Citations should be formatted with a hanging indent.
Annotations should be written in standard paragraph style.
Use of first person is acceptable, particularly in the introduction and the applicability sections.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|