Assignment 2: Annotated Bibliography is due June 16, 2020 (final version).
Click on a topic below to expand that section. You'll find the assignment directions; resources to help you find research sources like books, articles, and web sources; and help with MLA format.
Taggett
ENGL 1301
Assignment 2: Annotated Bibliography for Informative Research Paper (paper 3)
Meets all outcomes, MLA format
See syllabus for due dates and point values.
Grading criteria: is the grading rubric in the syllabus.
Annotations are critical or explanatory notes about a text. In an annotated bibliography, they provide brief indications of a source's contents, argument, relevance, strengths, or weaknesses. Annotations often summarize and evaluate secondary sources. Scholars use annotations to supplement a bibliography, to make distinctions between their sources, to organize their research, and to remind themselves what specific sources contain.
Your assignment is to write an annotated bibliography on your possible research topic for assignment 3 that includes at least ten (10) sources (14 max.). You should vary your sources, assessing and only using sources you consider credible, useful and relevant.
Note: Your sources should not be the first sources that you find. An annotated bibliography should be a directed project that reflects your specific approach to your subject. To be most effective, this bib will include sources that will support the argument you are going to make about your chosen topic.
Suggestions: Start early. This assignment is not overly difficult, but it is time-consuming.
- You have to read all these sources, so allow yourself time to do that, so you can summarize effectively and accurately.
- Do not hesitate to ask for help from me or Jane, or from another reference librarian.
- For more information on Annotated Bibliographies, see the appropriate section of D2L covering annotated bibs.
Sample MLA annotatation:
Maak, Thomas. "Responsible Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement, and the Emergence of Social Capital." Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 74, 2007, pp. 329-343. doi:10.1007/s10551-007-9510-5.
This article focuses on the role of social capital in responsible leadership. It looks at both the social networks that a leader builds within an organisation, and the links that a leader creates with external stakeholders. Maak’s main aim with this article seems to be to persuade people of the importance of continued research into the abilities that a leader requires and how they can be acquired. The focus on the world of multinational business means that for readers outside this world many of the conclusions seem rather obvious (be part of the solution not part of the problem).In spite of this, the article provides useful background information on the topic of responsible leadership and definitions of social capital which are relevant to an analysis of a public servant.
(Taken from https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/annot_bib)
Grading Criteria:
- Citations and document are correctly formatted in APA format.
- Summaries seem to represent the source accurately and completely in the author’s own words
- Any direct quotes are quoted and include an intext citation.
- Sources seem credible
- Author also includes how this source will benefit their argument
- There are the required number of sources
- There are few, if any, grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.
Before you commit to your research topic, find background information about it first. That will help you determine if there is enough information on the topic to keep going. It will also give you a general overview to the topic, help you narrow your research topic, and help you understand how more detailed sources fit in to the topic.
Note that Professor Taggett says: "Use encyclopedias and reference books only for background information, as tools to help you define your topic and locate better sources."
So while you probably won't include those sources on your annotated bibliography, it's an important step in the research process you shouldn't skip.
Our pick for starting your research is the Credo Reference database. You'll find over 2 million full text articles from nearly 700 reference books like encyclopedias, dictionaries, and more:
What is a database?
The library databases are online collections of millions of sources, including:
- Academic journal articles (also called 'scholarly' or 'peer-reviewed' journals)
- Magazine articles (also called 'periodicals')
- Newspaper articles
- Electronic books and book chapters
- Images and streaming films
How do you get to the databases?
You must use the library's webpage to access our databases: CLICK HERE TO ACCESS ALL LSC-CYFAIR DATABASES
You can use the databases wherever you have Internet access. If you are off campus or using the wifi on campus, you will see a log in screen after you click on the database name. Type in the library barcode number on the back of your student ID to log in.
If you don't have your library barcode number handy, click on the link below the barcode space that says 'myLoneStar Username & Password Login' and log in with your MyLoneStar username and password. Contact the library if you have trouble logging in.
Which database should you use?
The library provides access to about 100 databases. Some databases are general (you'll find info on almost any topic) and some databases are subject-specific (with source relating just to nursing or the environment, for example).
You don't need to use every database when you're researching. For help choosing which database to try, contact a librarian or try some of the recommended general databases for this assignment:
Academic Search Complete is from a company called EBSCO, which makes a lot of LSC databases. You can search more than one EBSCO database at a time to make your research more efficient.
To see how to search more than one EBSCO database at a time, check out our 1-minute YouTube video.
eBook Central has tens of thousands of electronic books on almost every topic. Remember that you rarely need to read a book cover to cover to use it as a research source! Use the Table of Contents or Search Within features to jump to a specific chapter or page.
JSTOR is all about peer-reviewed journals, so you'll find thousands of journal articles relating to humanities, history, social sciences, and more.
Need newspaper articles? U.S. Major Dailies has the full text of five major national newspapers: New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times.
Need help using the databases?
Databases are great tools for finding credible research sources you can't find on the open web, but databases do not work like Google, which can be frustrating.
Instead of typing in questions or phrases, be sure to search using keywords - one or two words that describe your topic.
For example, if my thesis is 'The federal government should legalize marijuana for all purposes,' the most effective way to search for sources is to type 'federal government and legalize and marijuana', not the entire thesis statement.
If you're using any of the EBSCO databases (like Academic Search Complete or eBook Collection), check out our YouTube playlist that breaks down how to effectively search the database and use database features like limiters and citation tools.
If you run into problems or questions while searching the databases, contact the library: we're here to help you successfully use the databases to find sources!
The library is closed until further notice, but you can still use the library catalog to find electronic books: on your list of search results, simply check the Electronic Resources checkbox in the Format menu and then click Include.
You can also search our eBook databases directly: try using the Ebook Central link in the "Using Library Databases" menu above.
Books are great sources for both background and details about research topics, though the downside is that they can get out of date - check the publication date to be sure you’re using a recent book!
You rarely need to read an entire book cover-to-cover to use it as a research source, so check the table of contents or summary to help figure out which parts of the book is most relevant to your topic.
Search by keyword, or by title or author if there is a specific book you want to find:
Search the Online Catalog
Books, Audio, Movies, Music and More
Want to make your Google searches a little more effective? Try some of these tips.
Type phrases in quotation marks
Useful if you want to find a specific phrase, instead of words separately. Check out the difference in the number of search results when you use quotation marks around a phrase and when you don't:
Limit search results by domain or website
Let's say you're looking for information from a government source or on a university's webpage. Use Google's site limiter to limit your search results to a specific domain (like .gov or .edu), or even a specific website.
Just type site: and then the domain or website in your Google search (without spaces).
In this search, compare the difference in the number of search results when you limit to a .gov domain:
This will also work with a specific website. In this example, I've limited my search to a specific government website:
Limit search results by date
For some research topics, you want to be sure you are using the most current information available. You can use Google's Tools menu to limit your results by date.
After you Google something, click on Tools under the search bar. Two new menu options will open up below.
Click on the Any Time menu to limit to a specific time range or to a custom range you can set yourself.
Annotated Bibliography Resources
- Annotated Bibliographies
This Purdue OWL resource describes what an annotated bibliography is and its format.
- How to Write an Annotated Bib
5-minute video from the UMUC on how to write an annotated bib.
- How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography
Guide from the Cornell University Libraries to writing an annotated bib.
- Writing an Annotated Bibliography
Guide from Skidmore University to annotated bibs.
- Annotated Bibliography Sample
This page from the Purdue OWL has a sample annotation and citation in APA.
- Summarize, Paraphrase, and Quote: When and How
This quick guide tells you the differences between summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting. When you write your annotations, you will want to practice summarizing the source.
MLA Resources
This video walks you through setting up a Word document in MLA format.
- Format an Annotated Bibliography in MLA (slideshow)
- Excelsior OWL: MLA Style
Excelsior College Online Writing Lab's online guide to MLA style.
- Interactive MLA Practice
Try this interactive MLA practice created by CyFair Library to learn and test your MLA skills.
This Google Slides presentation will walk you through setting up an annotated bibliography in a Word document in MLA format.
