This assignment asks you to produce a working annotated bibliography of at least 12 sources. You will annotate all of the sources, and offer expanded annotations for 6 key sources that you are most likely to use for your Critical Voices in Conversation (CVC) essay, which you can think of as a source dialogue that you orchestrate.
I will grade the bibliographies in equal parts on your correct use of MLA citation conventions for works cited entries, on the quality, relevance, and variety of your sources, and on how clearly your annotations fulfill their task of describing, summarizing, and evaluating each source. By “variety,” I simply mean that many projects call for productively different kinds of sources. Think of the BEAM method, aside from the “Exhibit” source, which is assumed and does not need to be included in the bibliography. That leaves “Method,” Background,” and Argument.” Your bibliography should include at least 4 “Argument” sources that relate more directly to the conversation that you are entering about your chosen “Exhibit.”
Your Annotated Bibliography should contain the following:
- Before the bibliography itself, please offer a 1-2 paragraph reflection on the research process, noting how your research has shaped your approach to your chosen text. Which sources are you most excited about? Are there any sources that you were having trouble finding? What sources might you still need to look for? This assignment is a check-point, but it is not the end of research. Research projects are always growing and shifting and changing.
- A correct MLA bibliography entry for 12 sources that you have consulted. Please refer to this resource for help with MLA style. Please double-check any entries that are aut0-generated as these are often full of errors.
- A cohesive 5-7 sentence paragraph for 6 of your sources that:
- Introduces your source (1 sentence), offering a more detailed verbalization of the MLA entry noting what kind of source this is (e.g. a book, an article from a respected peer-reviewed journal, an author interview, and so on). Please also make sure you indicate what kind of source this is according to the BEAM methodology.
- Succinctly summarizes your source (3 sentences) focusing on those aspects of the argument or information that will be most relevant to your project.
- Offers a statement of value for your source (2 sentences) in which you respond more subjectively–and, if fitting, analytically–to the source and the potential value it might hold for your project.
- A brief annotation for the remaining 4 sources similar to those examples found in 5.3.2 in the MLA Handbook (130). These annotations only need to be a single, informational sentence (a briefer version of the summary portion of the more expanded annotation).