9 Application: Writing an Annotated Bibliography and Report
Assignment Description
Students will choose a topic related to the class prompt and locate six varied primary/secondary, scholarly/popular/trade sources concerned with their issue. They will write a 4-5 sentence anntotation for each source that summarizes the text’s primary claims and strategies, situates its credibility and bias, and reflects on what they can use the source to understand about their field. Their annotations should then be gathered into an annotated bibliography and formatted according to MLA guidelines.
Students will then compose a 1-2 page (400-500 words) report of their research that describes their issue, the kinds of sources/conversations they found, compares and evaluates specific texts or groups of texts, and synthesizes overall themes. Their overview should include quotations, paraphrasing, and summary. Remember, a report should offer your reader information about your topic and about sources related to it; a report might take a stance but it only does so after offering nuanced, thoughtful, respectful, and critical discussion of multiple perspectives and various sources.
Please note that sources can be of any multimedia type ranging from scholarly sources to news articles to YouTube videos to archival documents to Tweets and social media posts. The more variation, the better because the goal is for students to practice asking and answering: What kind of source is it? What are its affordances? What are its limitations? And to also practice exposition and synthesis.
Prompt Suggestion I: In Unit 1, you told us a story about why you chose your current major and lifepath. In Unit 2, please identify an issue (i.e. a problem or a topic of debate or discussion) related to your current career trajectory. For example, if you are studying nursing, you might consider researching vaccine hesitancy or healthcare deserts in Texas. If you are studying English, you might consider researching book banning or pandemic-related literacy rates.
Step 1: Understanding the Assignment
- Find and read model annotated bibliographies and reports to understand what they “look like.” Student samples are available in “Supporting Resources” section of this OER. Your model essay doesn’t have to be exactly the same topic as your essay; it just needs to be the same genre and perhaps inspiring to you in some way. Reading more than one might help you generate even more ideas.
- Fill out this Genre Features Chart to help you understand the pieces the text should have: This is available under Canvas FYC Course Materials / English 1023 Composition II / Additional Documents.
Step 2: Prewriting
Complete the Looping Brainstorming Activity below to generate research topic ideas related to your chosen field of study.
- Set a timer for five minutes. Then, write continuously in response to the class prompt without stopping, even if nothing specific comes to mind. After 5 minutes, review your freewrite, highlighting anything interesting. Then, reset the timer and continuously write again, focusing only on the ideas you highlighted in the first rewrite. Repeat this process several more times, or until you settle on a topic that you are interested in researching. Also, feel free to take breaks between each round of timed writing, particularly if you are struggling to identify a focus.
- Once you have identified a topic, generate research questions or theories related to your chosen field of study. The looping activity can help you begin do this. Start by circling or underlining the buzzwords or buzzphrases that appear in your prewrite. These can be your first search terms. Be sure to save any relevant sources you find that you are most interested in exploring further. It can be helpful to keep a GoogleDoc of links and descriptions. See the following helpful links for assistance with writing research questions and generating search terms.
- Once you have gained exposure to a variety of sources, select six primary/secondary and scholarly/popular/trade sources that you believe may inform the research questions or theories related to your topic. Your instructor may have specific guidelines for what kind of sources you should have so be sure to check assignment descriptions.
- Closely read each sources, identifying key information
- Then, complete the Synthesizing Sources Worksheet to compare and contrast your selected sources, and synthesize themes
Step 3: Outlining
Complete the following to build a framework for your Annotated Bibliography Report:
- Using your completed Synthesizing Sources Worksheet graphic organizer, complete the following to assist you in writing the report portion of this assignment.
| What is the overall topic? | Give a brief overview of your topic, including background, definitions, theories, or any other explanation that best explains the origins of this topic.
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| What is your issue regarding this topic? What is your research purpose/goals? | Explain your purpose/goals and issue regarding this topic, specifically including research questions and/or theories that may help your reader better understand your source selection choices in relation to your topic.
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| Did you find texts making similar statements or sharing similar findings? How were they similar? | Briefly discuss information and/or sources.
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| Did you find texts that disagreed with each other or had different information? What did they say differently? | Briefly discuss information and/or sources.
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| Overall, which sources / information best informs your research question? What did you learn from them? | Briefly discuss information and/or sources.
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| Overall, which sources / information did you find to be limited? Are there any gaps in the sources you found (i.e. do they address part of your question, but not another part)? Are there questions you’d like to ask now that you’ve done this research? | Briefly discuss information and/or sources.
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Then:
- Review the Sample Annotated Bibliography making note of the format and layout for the annotated bibliography element of your assignment.
- Create bibliographic entries for each of your sources in MLA format.
- Put your bibliographic entries in an alphabetical works cited list.
Step 4: Drafting
Drafting your annotations
- Complete the attached Annotation Worksheet to begin drafting the annotation entries for each of your sources.
- Write entries for each of your sources, using the responses from the worksheet. Keep in mind that each entry should be 4-5 sentences or 150 words.
Drafting your report:
Using your prewriting and outline assignments, complete the following to begin drafting your Annotated Bibliography Report:
- Open with a summary that offers an explanation of your topic, including background, definition, and/or descriptions. Explain why this topic matters to you.
- State your research questions regarding your topic and what you hope to learn or achieve by asking these questions.
- Explain what you learned from specific sources in reference to your questions and which sources helped you the most. Explain which sources you found to be less effective or relevant and why.
- Explain what you found to be missing from your research, and what you hope to learn in the future. Include properly cited text evidence to support.
- Remember, this portion of the assignment should not be a discussion of each source independently. It should synthesize your research with written observations that reflect your complete understanding of the topic, and a thorough analysis of your selected sources collectively.
A note about genre and voice
In Unit 1, you wrote in a flexible, personable genre that encourages emotion, lyricism, and opinion. You told a story to tell your audience something about yourself. In an annotated bibliography and report, you are writing to give your reader important information about an important topic and about specific sources. What, then, should your voice sound like? How can you best offer readers clear explanations, nuanced perspectives, and respectful evaluation?
Step 5: Peer Review
After being assigned a peer review partner, drafts. Complete the Annotated Bibliography Report – Peer Review Worksheet, providing meaningful feedback.
Helpful Tips
- Cite evidence from the writer’s draft when offering constructive criticism, including highlighting effective elements.
- In addition to completing the handout, it may be helpful to also communicate the feedback orally to the writer, as well as making notations within the draft.
- As you will also be receiving peer feedback, remember to ask your reviewer to clarify comments, as well as provide support for effective and ineffective elements when critiquing your draft.
Step 6: Revising
Revise your Annotated Bibliography Report draft using the following checklist. Make note of any meaningful peer feedback you received, as well as effective strategies found through reading other student drafts.
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Step 7: Polishing
Review your Annotated Bibliography Report checking for minor errors or distractions before submitting your final draft.
Helpful Resources:
- Library: Tools for Academic Writing: Annotated Bibliography. library.park.edu/writing/annotated-bib.
- LibGuides: Annotated Bibliographies: A Step by Step Guide: Home. libguides.lmu.edu/c.php?g=324075&p=2173677.
- Annotated Bibliographies – Purdue OWL® – Purdue University. owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/index.html. Accessed 9 June 2024.
- Writing Resources | Write Site | Texas Woman’s University. twu.edu/write-site/writing-resources.