11 Annotated Bibliography

Description

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to sources (books, articles, websites, films etc.) that used to research a topic that includes a summary and evaluation of each source.

• Divide students into groups (self-select or random group assignment) of 4-6.
• Each group member will be responsible for finding three scholarly articles on the topic that will eventually be combined with the articles found by group members and formatted in one online, collaborative Annotated Bibliography
• Each group member must have different sources
• Articles must be scholarly sources that are at least 4 pages in length, not including the works cited page
• Resource Types can be varied – an instructor could require all to be journal articles or vary the types (e.g., website, book, peer-reviewed article, primary resource). Note the rubric example is built using a variety of content resource types as one of the criteria and can be modified.
• Group members are responsible for reading the sources that the group members find
• Once the group has selected their sources, they should cite them in the citation format indicated (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) and annotate each of them
• Annotations should consist of a minimum of 250 words total (for reference, summary and analysis/reflection)
• Clearly indicate what annotation style references students should use and provide a citation guide link for their reference.
• Summary of the source should provide a brief account of the research article.
• The analysis/reflection should consider the resource’s strengths and limitations, as well as how useful it is to the research topic.

Rubric

Technology Used

To create: Collaborative document, presentation or curation platform of choice (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Zotero). Students can submit as a text-only document or be provided with the option to submit in the format of their choice – text, audio, video.

To submit: Online course assignment submission via link or file within a course Learning Management System.

Facilitation Tips

• Annotated Bibliographies are an effective form of group or individual work
• Excellent preparation for a research project
• Allows students to develop their literature research, writing, critical reading, analysis, thesis development, thorough understanding of sources, and citation management skills
• Readers, researchers, or instructors reading an annotated bibliography will get a snapshot of the important details that they need to know about each source
• Ask students to upload the annotated bibliography to the learning management system (assignment drop box) and ideally, share with other students through an open tool link (etc., Google Doc)
• Be sure to refer to the criteria in the rubric by which the annotated bibliography will be assessed

Example Annotation from Course
REFERENCE: Blanchard, Paula.  Sarah Orne Jewett: Her World and Her Work.  New York: Addition-Wesley Publishing Company, 1994.

SUMMARY: Part of the Radcliffe Biography Series, which publishes the life stories of prominent American women, Blanchard’s book is the definitive biography on Jewett. As her subtitle implies, she not only seeks to illuminate the events of Jewett’s life, but also to contextualize her writings and provide a critical reading of her most famous works. Many of the chapters in Blanchard’s biography are devoted specifically to major texts, such as Deephaven, The Country of the Pointed Firs, and The Tory Lover. Blanchard provides background on Jewett’s writing process (such as where she wrote and the degree of revisions she made) as well as brief literary analyses.

Most of Blanchard’s chapters are centered on key relationships and themes in Jewett’s own life. Blanchard argues that it is only by thoroughly situating Jewett in her historical moment that we can understand her literary work, thereby issuing a critique of scholars who claim we can study Jewett’s canon in isolation.

ANALYSIS & REFLECTION: Particularly useful for my project are the chapters that discuss Jewett’s coterie of literary friends in New England and her close relationship with Annie Fields. In a chapter entitled, “Neither Marrying Nor Giving in Marriage,” Blanchard seeks to uncover Jewett’s own motivations for remaining single, as well as place Jewett’s single status within the scholarly conversation about nineteenth-century unmarried women. She aligns herself with both Carroll Smith-Rosenberg and Lillian Faderman in saying that Jewett’s personal friendships and relationships with women (as well as male family members) were sufficiently fulfilling for her and therefore precluded a desire to marry. I will use Blanchard’s text in my paper to support my argument that unmarried women were deeply enmeshed in their communities, rather than being social pariahs stigmatized as “old maids.” I will also use some aspects of Blanchard’s argument as a point of departure, however, as I disagree with her claim that women’s close female friendships precluded marriage. Rather, I see Jewett’s friendships as helping her craft a meaningful life as a single woman instead of inhibiting her desire or ability to marry.