*Main Notes: The Writer is writing this annotated bibliography in the preparation of an argumentative essay that will then be based on the information he/she gives in the annotated bibliography.
*The DON’Ts for this essay include citing biblical or other sacred texts as a reason for not carrying out capital punishment
*Remember the essay must have 5 main sources – and only two can be websites.
*Give proper MLA format in-text citations. You can paraphrase but don’t forget to give credit to author (cite the name of author and page number)
*Italicize book titles, magazines Newspapers, Journals and any others.
*Article should be put in quotation marks
*Another Major DON’T is – writing a paragraph that basically just summarizes your source and is just a bare citation.

Each entry in your Annotated Bibliography should contain three parts:

1. Proper MLA Citation of Source: See the library’s online MLA Guide at http://lib-serv.tccd.edu/resources/documents/MLA.pdf for more information.

2. Summary of Source: In one paragraph that is at least 150 words, summarize the relevant points in the source. You should not summarize everything the author says in the work. Instead, focus on what you found relevant in the work, summarize this information, and discuss how and why it will be helpful to you as you write your essay. Although you can include quotations in your summary, you must include in-text citations. Excessive quotations (i.e., quotations that take up the majority of the summary paragraph) are not acceptable. Paraphrasing is acceptable as long as you include an in-text citation after each paraphrase.
3. Analysis of Source: In one paragraph that is at least 150 words, analyze the reliability of your sources by answering the following questions. Do not include the following questions in your bibliography. Instead, answer them in paragraph form.
Is the source timely and/or current (i.e., has it been published in the last five years)? If not, how and why is this source still relevant to your essay?
Is the writer an authority on the issue? If so, describe what makes him/her an authority. If not, describe why the author’s viewpoint is still important.
Is the source of the article (the publishing press or database) reliable? How so? What makes this source reliable?
Does the author seem to have a bias toward any particular viewpoint or does he/she seem objective? How so?
Does the information seem well-researched and supported? How so?
The works that you use for your Annotated Bibliography and Argumentative Research Essay should be a variety of types of sources. Below is a list of possible types of sources.
Journal Articles (print, online, or accessed through database)
Books (print or online)
Magazines (print, online, or accessed through database)
Newspapers (print, online, or accessed through database)
Websites (Be sure to evaluate the credibility and reliability of websites before you use them. As I stated earlier, even though MLA no longer requires the web address to be included, you must, for the purposes of this class, cite the URL, which is the web address that appears in the “address” line of your web browser.)

*First, by doing this assignment, you will create a useful list of the sources that you will use in your Argumentative Research Essay in the same format that they will appear in your Works Cited. Second, and more importantly, creating the bibliography allows you to think deeply about the reliability of your sources and how you will be using them in your Argumentative Research Essay. You will need to have at least five sources in your Annotated Bibliography and Argumentative Research Essay. Only two of these sources can be websites, and the websites must be proven reputable sources. Even though MLA no longer requires the web address to be included in a citation entry, you must, for the purposes of this class, cite the URL (the web address that appears in the “address” line of your web browser). The Annotated Bibliography must be at least 1,500 words, excluding the MLA citation.

Category: Essays