Adapted from Jenn Courtney and Ron Block's "Annotated Bibliography assignment" from Seminar 1 (prior to fall 2016)
--at least 7 sources: 2 previously researched (10 points each for 2%); and 5 new (20 points each for 10%)
--the entire document is single-spaced;
--the first page will provide two lists (without annotations), organized alphabetically: authors and titles of works previously researched (2 or more) and authors and titles of new works researched (5 or more);
--organize the rest of the annotated bibliography accordingly into two sections: "works previously researched," and "new works researched";
--all entries for each section must be ordered alphabetically;
--use MLA or APA or Chicago for all citations (stay consistent in any case);
--information required in each citation:
author's name (last, first),
title of work (large artifacts like books, films, journals, albums, etc. are in italics, smaller artifacts like journal and magazine articles, poems, songs, blogs, etc. are in quotes)
If a smaller artifact, provide the publication venue in italics (books, films, journals, albums, etc.)
If an academic journal article, provide volume and issue numbers
year of publication
If a book chapter, or journal article and page numbers are available, provide them
indent the second and following lines of each citation--for example:
Anson, Chris. “2013 CCCC Chair’s Address: Climate Change.” College Composition, and Communication. 65:2 (2013): 324-344.
--indent all lines of each entire paragraph of every annotation to follow the indentation of the second and following lines of each citation;
--separate each citation and paragraph of any annotation with a single space (do not indent paragraphs any further);
--summaries for articles should be exhaustive, approaching 250 words for articles;
--summaries for books ought to be 250 - 500 words;
--with at least 7 sources (2 previously researched and 5 new), the annotated bibliography ought to be around at least 8 pages;
--of the 2 previously researched artifacts, strive to include those items that have been most impactful for you as a developing researcher and writer within the world you are researching. Ideally, these ought to be works that you have read, thought about, written about, so that your summaries of these works can be completed without much ado and you can spend your effort on the newly researched items. If appropriate, you may use the assigned readings of this course to populate the 2 already researched artifacts;
--of the 5 new researched artifacts: there should be a variety of significant items of research: academic books, academic journal articles, novels, films, craft books, etc. Ephemeral items (blogs, newspaper or magazine articles, interviews, narratives, etc.) can be included in the bibliography, but these must be beyond this core 5.
Within your Annotated Bibliography, you will include at the very least 7 sources. The annotations should give a summary of the work ranging from 250-500 words.
Keep in mind that you must include at least 5 sources you have not already researched. You are expected to read all the sources you annotate. Summarizing them using online reviews, synopses, AI, etc., will result in a failing grade.
Your Annotated Bibliography should represent a balance of old material that you are synthesizing and new material that is taking you toward a developing perspective, a perspective that you will document in your Research Journal.
If several of your sources are large and complex, then you are likely to not exceed 5 new sources. This may occur with especially rich artifacts that continue to push you to respond at greater levels of depth in your research journal across multiple weeks. If this happens, get into contact with the instructor to get approved to adjust the assignment expectations for you.
Composition studies, a discipline aligned with the social sciences, typically uses APA. Creative writing craft essays and the like use MLA, while many magazines and publishers of nonfiction use Chicago Style. You may use the citation style that seems appropriate to your focus.
Perspectives to consider as you select, read, and annotate entries in the Annotated Bibliography:
The use of research and how research is used might appear significantly different between academic or scholarly writing, nonfiction, fiction, and even poetry. However: All writing employs research.
Research can certainly be an inspiration for writers of fiction and poetry, but many times it comes after the fact: you discover what research you need in the course of composition. Sometimes initial, somewhat broad research will help you get the “feel” of a place, time, voice, etc. Ultimately you will have to discover for yourself what you need to know to make the next move in your project.
Although it is “made up,” fiction must invite the addressed audience to enter into an invented world. "Truth in fiction": The toads may be imaginary, but the garden must be real (Marianne Moore).
Part of the research for creative writers (including the creative nonfiction writer) is to look to published works, as well as craft essays, to serve as models with which such writers are in dialogue with.
Scholars can learn from creative writers in terms of perusing other texts for writing strategies (see Banks and Banks: Fiction and Social Research).
Scholarly writers often have to discover and provide a representative overview of the research that’s been done before (in a particular area). They are expected to enter into dialogue with these sources and offer a new perspective. This is called a "Literature Review," which is the role your Research Journal will serve.
Creative writers also need to enter into a dialogue with other works, although the reader of the text might not be aware of this. While this dialogue is less overt and may be overlooked by readers, it gives the writing depth and amplitude. Notice item 3 above where [Ron Block] began a dialogue with the ghost of Marianne Moore. She was in turn talking back to Yeats, who was talking back to Blake when he said that Blake was “too literal a realist of the imagination.” And so given this succession, it’s no surprise that Margaret Atwood’s book of essays about writing is called Negotiating with the Dead.