How to Make an Annotated Bibliography

What is it? A annotated bibliography is a list of sources one has used for researching a topic, BUT it is different from a typical bibliography or works cited page because the annotated bib includes both citations, as well as a written summaries and evaluations.

3 Part Structure For each article you read, you will create an entry that includes three parts: 1. The MLA citation 2. A summary of the article 3. Your evaluation and reflection

Part 1: The Citation The citation for each source must be in MLA format. You will need the following information: a. Author’s name b. Title of Article c. Title of Website d. Publisher e. Date of Publication or last Revision f. Date of access

Part 2: Summary In your summary paragraph, your writing should answer the following questions: What is the point of the article? What topics are covered? What are the main arguments? If someone asked what this article is about, what would you say?

Part 3: Evaluate and Reflect In this paragraph, your writing should focus on questions such as: Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source? Was this source helpful to you? Has it changed your opinion of the topic?

What should it look like? Your Name Teacher’s Name Class Date Annotated Bibliography McGeary, Johanna. “Africa Rising.” Time Canada 30 Mar 1998. MAS Ultra – School Edition. EBSCOhost. 20 May 2006. This paragraph should summarize the article you read. It should tell the main points of the article. Your summary should be brief but it should give enough detail about what you learned from reading the article. The article cited above discusses how many Africans in the country of Mali are taking on a more self-reliant attitude and wanting more of their population to be educated. In order for that to happen, more schools need to be built in their country. Only 46.5% of children in Mali attend primary school. Their literacy rate has increased from 19% to 32%, but 32% is still really low. This paragraph should evaluate the article you read and explain your personal thoughts about it. This is your chance to offer your opinion – either positive or negative about the information you read. You may also want to consider how reliable the information and whether or not it’s believable. The article cited above supports my opinion because they need help with building more schools just like the country of Grimshaw. America could help to get more of their population educated.

Annotated Bibliography Your Name Teacher’s Name Class Date Annotated Bibliography McGeary, Johanna. “Africa Rising.” Time Canada 30 Mar 1998. MAS Ultra – School Edition. EBSCOhost. 20 May 2006. This paragraph should summarize the article you read. It should tell the main points of the article. Your summary should be brief but it should give enough detail about what you learned from reading the article. The article cited above discusses how many Africans in the country of Mali are taking on a more self-reliant attitude and wanting more of their population to be educated. In order for that to happen, more schools need to be built in their country. Only 46.5% of children in Mali attend primary school. Their literacy rate has increased from 19% to 32%, but 32% is still really low. This paragraph should evaluate the article you read and explain your personal thoughts about it. This is your chance to offer your opinion – either positive or negative about the information you read. You may also want to consider how reliable the information and whether or not it’s believable. The article cited above supports my opinion because they need help with building more schools just like the country of Grimshaw. America could help to get more of their population educated. Smith, Trisha. “My Next Article.” Brit Lit Times. 14 March 2014. Pope Publishing Company. 14 April 2014. Continue the annotated bib in the same manner you did above by including the citation and then one paragraph summary and one paragraph reflection. Notice that second and subsequent entries are included in the same document. You don’t start completely over with each article. Also, make sure your articles are in alphabetical order by author’s last name (or title of article if there is no author). That means your articles may be included in your document in a different order from what you read them. MLA Heading on 1st page only! Article #1 Citation Double Spaced Throughout!!! FULL paragraphs for summary and for reflection! Article #2 Citation Do Articles #2 – 5 the same way you do Article #1

Helpful Hints and Reminders 1. Use a website like www. easybib Helpful Hints and Reminders 1. Use a website like www.easybib.com or www.citationmachine.com to help with your citations. 2. Alphabetize your sources by the Author’s last name. Don’t just list them in the order you read them. 3. Double check your heading, margins, spacing, etc. to make sure they are in MLA format. 4. Don’t start a new document for each article! Just drop down to the next line and start with your 2nd article. 5. Both your summary and your reflection should be FULL paragraphs. Don’t skimp on details and/or ideas.

What’s Next? 4. Read! 5. When you finish reading your first article, create a citation (use easybib.com) 6. Write a summary (one paragraph) 7. Write your evaluation / reflection (one paragraph) 8. Repeat with articles #2 – 5 9. Double check MLA and Proofread

PSA: Due 1st Article Due in Class- Tuesday, January 31 (Bring a copy and have it read. We will work on your first annotated bib entry in class. The rest of the assignment will be on your own)

The FULL Annotated Bib is DUE: February 3, 2017