Assignment: Assemble an annotated
bibliography which provides a thorough overview of a specific topic in
your major or discipline. Remember that the overarching goal for your
major project is to address a current problem that does not have a
solution, so choosing a subject that has been settled or is generally
unremarkable will give you little to build upon for the later phases.
Annotated bibliography entries combine a complete bibliographic entry
for each source in a discipline-specific format (usually MLA or APA;
consult the instructor if you’re thinking of working with a different
style guide) with a brief but insightful annotation providing commentary
on the source. We’ll be using the Purdue OWL model for annotations for
this class, which sets three specific goals for an annotation: summarize the source, assess the source’s value for academic writing, and reflect on the usefulness of the source to your own work.
Summary is not difficult, but the other two parts give many students
trouble: writing a good annotation often requires the ability to see the
bigger picture of how specific sources fit into the overall landscape
of knowledge on the topic. Students who struggle with this assignment
typically do so because they overload their annotations with too much
summary and not enough of the other two elements.
The skill of finding sources via research, evaluating their
credibility and usefulness, and conveying that information to scholarly
peers is used throughout academia; annotated bibliographies are known by
various names depending on the discipline, such as “literature reviews”
or “state of the subject reports.” Expect to spend plenty of time
applying information literacy strategies from the Wake Tech Libraries’
Research Guide on Fake News as you judge what your fellow professionals
should know about your chosen topic.
Your annotated bibliography must be at least 900 words long.
The final length depends on the topic you’re researching: if a topic
doesn’t have much written about it, the content will be necessarily
shorter, and that may prompt you to consider adjusting your topic. On
the other hand, a topic that’s extensively covered doesn’t necessarily
require documenting every piece of available writing: the goal is to
guide your colleagues researching the same general subject to the best or most important
sources and providing valuable advice on what to look for as well as
what to avoid. Avoid popular sources such as blog posts and other
webpages found via casual Google search: your audience is professional
and scholarly in nature, and the sources you direct them toward should
be likewise. Use peer-reviewed sources when available, located via
publications within your discipline and through academic resources such
as library collections and databases.
Submit your annotated bibliography as a Word (.doc[x]) or Adobe
(.pdf) file only to the assignment link no later than the end of the day
(11:59pm Eastern) on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. Format your document
according to your chosen style (again, either MLA or APA, unless you
have cleared a different style with your instructor first). As with all
assignments, a 48-hour late window is provided: submissions up to 24
hours late are penalized 10%, and submissions 24 to 48 hours late are
penalized 20%. Work is not accepted past 48 hours after the deadline, or
in alternate file formats or through non-Blackboard channels, for any
reason.
Suggested Reading: The Purdue OWL’s pages on annotated bibliography (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/index.html)
are obviously the first and most important resource; there’s also a
sample student annotated bibliography on their site, demonstrating both
the format and the expected type of content.