Step 1
Find four sources related to your topic based on the list below. Look through more than four to find sources that you think would work for your essay. You’ve already done some research when you chose your topic and wrote your Request for Topic Approval, so you may already have an idea about some sources to use here.
Your four sources should include the following:
Two sources from the VSCC Library databases
One online source that is credible/academic (.edu or .gov are safe bets)*
*You can alternatively seek out a newspaper or online news source that is credible
One source of your choice that meets the requirements (e.g., another academic journal article, a TV show episode, a personal interview, etc.)
Your sources should be varied, scholarly, and meet high standards of quality.
Step 2
Once you have found the sources you plan to use, read/watch/listen to them all. You may want to write summaries as you go, but the evaluation sections are best written after you have a feel for all the sources you gathered.
Step 3
Write the Annotated Bibliography, starting with a header and heading in MLA format. Create a title (something like Your Topic: Annotated Bibliography). Then begin listing sources with their annotations. This list should be in alphabetical order in MLA format. The order is determined by the first word of the Works Cited entry (the author’s last name or title of the work if no author is listed).
For each source:
Create a full MLA citation with a hanging indentation.
After the citation should be the following:
A summary, about a paragraph long, that details the major points/key issues discussed in the source and notes the position the writer takes on the issue.
A separate mini-paragraph that evaluates the quality of the source, including
the credibility of the author and source;
any bias in the source;
other aspects of evaluation that are relevant, such as language in the source and date of publication (being obsolete or timely);
the usefulness of the source: in other words, how you may be able to use it in your upcoming essay and how it relates to other sources in the list.
Step 4
Complete the assignment, review it against these instructions, edit, proofread, and submit to the dropbox.
NOTES TO CONSIDER
Many instructors strongly recommend that you use Noodle Tools to create your Annotated Bibliography and export it to save as a Word document. For more information, refer to this NoodleTools Guide.
You should not make any position statements about the topic in this essay. Your Annotated Bibliography should not be persuasive, take a position, or provide an opinion about the topic. It is an informative paper that introduces your audience to your sources, discussing their quality and the issues they raise.
The summary and evaluation paragraphs should use first-line indentation, as usual for paragraphs. Summaries are written in the third person with present tense verbs. Evaluation paragraphs can be written in the first person (I will probably use this in my essay because . . . ).
Criteria for Success
To succeed, your Annotated Bibliographies should:
include sources that are appropriate, credible, balanced, and timely;
follow MLA formatting guidelines;
summarize sources succinctly, objectively, and in your own words;
evaluate sources for usefulness, stance, and credibility; and
be consistent in content, sentence structure, and format.
This assignment is worth 50 points. See the Annotated Bibliography rubric for specific grading criteria.
