Week 6: Assignment Directions
English 1B
Preparing an Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is essentially a Works Cited page with short explanatory notes that follow each source. Each note is about the contents of the source (usually a 5- 7 sentence paragraph). It differs from a summary in that it requires you capture, in just a few words, the key ideas of an entire article, chapter, or a book. Annotated bibliographies are especially helpful if they focus on information/issues relevant to your essay. For this annotated bibliography, choose a topic from the approved list of supernatural beliefs. Look for articles written by both believer and skeptics. Within those articles, identify factors of argument, like you did in your Toulmin analysis (claims, reasons, evidence, assumptions, appeals, fallacies, etc.).
The paragraphs that follow each of your citations should clearly identify any factors of argument the authors employ (claims, assumptions, fallacies etc.), and it should provide some assessment of how those factors contribute to the success or failure of their arguments. Your annotated bibliography should include at least five credible sources (one needs to be a journal article).
Due: May 12th – Submit on-line on Canva
Point Value: 100 points
Length and Format
3 to 5 Pages, Times New Roman 12 point font, MLA Annotated Bibliography format (make sure your margins, tabs, and spacing are correct)
Suggested Strategy
Annotate (note issues) five of your best sources (pick the sources with the most relevant information about your topic). Identify specific factors of argument we have discussed in this class (claims, support, fallacies, assumptions, implications, consequences, benefits etc.).
Make sure to correctly identify each source. Is it a journal article, a magazine article, newspaper article, chapter in a book etc? Cite each source correctly as you would in a Works Cited page (Use the “Cite” button in Saddleback databases to help you correctly cite a source or use Citation Builder help with sources that are not Saddleback database sources).
Don’t forget to list your sources in your Works Cited in alphabetical order, using the authors’ last names (or, title of article if there is no author).
After each citation, compose a paragraph that includes summary, paraphrase, and quotes of factors of argument you identified in the source (see sample in graphic above).
What kinds of information do want to identify in your paragraph annotation? You want to identify and note examples of the following:
Claims
Historical Information
Context Information
Qualifiers (found in the main claim)
Support
Logos- Evidence
Facts and Stats
Reasons- answer the because question
Theories (Scientific hypothesis)
Pathos- Appeals to Vanity, Fear, Humor, Hope
Personal Anecdotes or narratives
Ethos- Expert Opinion
Moral Arguments
Warrants
Assumptions
Fallacies
Counter Arguments
Implications and Consequences
Make sure to include the author’s name and page number in every sentence that identifies a specific idea from your source, a paraphrase or quote (just like you would in an essay). This will save you time and heartache later).
Success with each annotation for your bibliography requires the following:
Correctly identifying the source and citing it like you would on a Works Cited page
Correctly formatting and source citation. Focus on title, margins, indenting, and citing ALL the words and ideas that are not your own (so pretty much everything since you are primarily noting from your sources).
Condensing the original text with precision and directness
Focus on identifying factors of argument in each source and citing the specific examples of those factors (for example, identifying the main claim and noting a direct quote of that main claim or identifying a piece of hard evidence and then noting that specific evidence in paraphrase or identifying an assumption or fallacy made by the author and then noting that assumption or fallacy as a direct quote or summary).
Preserving the tone of original tone of each source. Be objective, don’t change words to inflict a bias.
Identifying exceptional phrases for quotation and limiting quotations as summary
Using appropriate active verbs (signal verbs) as analysis to introduce summary, paraphrase, and quotes (asserts, observes, argues, claims, theorizes, reports, submits etc.).
