What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a an organized collection and summary of your research. You prepare each entry as if you were constructing an MLA Works Cited page, but you also write a brief summary of the work you cite. An example might look like this:

Perry, William. Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the

            College Years. New York: Holt, 1968.

William Perry's developmental model suggests that college students move through a series of cognitive stages or positions which indicate how they view their world and where they locate the "origins of knowledge, of value and of responsibility" (Perry 170). Familiarity with this theory does much to change a hostile class situation into a more productive learning environment.. Perry's observations provide college instructors with valuable insight into students' intellectual growth. Presented in Perry's terms, controversial topics may become less threatening, and students may be more likely to enter the world of ideas.

How do I begin to construct an annotated bibliography?

After you choose the text (primary material) or text you will examine as the focus of your term project, you will begin to conduct research using  UTA library resources. After you locate a critical article (secondary material) written about the text (primary material), you will read the article or book to gain an understanding of what the writer has to say about your chosen work. You should take notes, make copies, or email the secondary material to yourself. Later you will need to use the publication information to prepare the MLA citation, and you will use the notes you took on the material to write a brief summary.

What requirements do I have for the annotated bibliography?

For 2350, you are required to include 15 entries in your annotated bibliography. These 15entries must come from several types of material. Try to locate each of these for your annotated bibliography. You may choose any scholarly works to complete the number of entries you need to reach the 15 required number of entries.

No more than two entries may be from the same book.

Your citations must be carefully prepared according to MLA documentation guidelines.

You will write a   3-5 sentence summary for each entry you cite. This annotation should communicate the scope and approach of the cited material.

When is the annotated bibliography due?

Check the course schedule for the exact due date for this assignment.

How will the annotated bibliography contribute to my term project?

Read and carefully review your chosen primary text and prepare a preliminary proposal for your literary analysis of that text prior to beginning your research.  Then all the research you include in your annotated bibliography will be used  to write your Authorial Context Essay, your Textual History, and/or as support material (secondary sources) for you Literary Analysis essay. All of the components of the term project are intended to build upon one another and support the final literary essay. In other words, this is the actual research you will use to complete all the components of your project. Of course, you may find that you will not use all of the entries in future project components, and you will probably come across additional source material during the semester. Your annotated bibliography is the first effort at gathering and understanding secondary material.