An annotated bibliography is like a bibliography or Works Cited page, only instead of just giving a simple entry according to MLA format, you add 2-3 sentences explaining what this source is, outlining the main points made in the source, and stating how you intend to use it in your paper. So after each entry (all of which should be alphabetized and in proper MLA format) you give me a quick rundown on how this article fits into the big picture of your research paper. Be sure to type your thesis at the top of the paper so I know what the big picture is. The goal of an annotated bibliography is to help you begin to synthesize all the research you’ve done with your own argument–to have a brief sketch of what others have said on your topic and how it all fits together with your ideas. If you take this assignment seriously, it should get you on the right track for your paper.
You should have at least five entries on your annotated bib. Make sure that they are current, relevant, and peer-reviewed sources from the library’s databases.
Samples:
It’s probably easier to show this than explain it. Here are some sample bibliography entries for a paper about using social medial in higher education:
Thesis: Undergraduate students at rural universities often are not the “digital natives” that commentators have claimed they are, and can benefit from instruction in social media as well as traditional classroom content areas.
Prensky, Marc. “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1.” On the Horizon, vol. 9, no. 5, 2001, pp. 1-6. This is the article that first set out claims that college students are all “digital natives.” I will disagree with this claim and analyze how Presnky’s focus on upper-middle-class, white, suburban students should cause us to question whether his results are universally applicable.
Reynol Junco, C. Michael Elavsky, and Greg Heiberger, “Putting Twitter to the Test: Assessing Outcomes for Student Collaboration, Engagement and Success.” British Journal of Educational Technology, vol 44, no. 2, 2012, pp. 273-287. This article describes the authors’ experience using Twitter as a communication tool with and among their students. They demonstrate higher levels of student engagement resulted from having instructors and students interact on Twitter. I will use this to show that social media can be a valuable educational tool, when students are adequately trained on what it is and how to use it.
