Assignment Instructions
There is a wealth of information available in the traditional formats of books, journals, and newspapers. UMUC's library subscribes to many databases that contain such resources, which are available in electronic format.
For this assignment, you will do a search of UMUC's databases for
Five (5) articles in scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals on your chosen topic.
Each citation should be between 250-300 words each. For help with this you should review this source from the UMUC Writing Center:http://www.umuc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/writing-resources/evaluating-sources.cfm. You can also utilize the "Chat with a Librarian" feature. In the top menu under "Resources" click on "Library" and you should see the "Chat with a Librarian" feature on the right.
Select a topic that will form the basis for your Annotated Bibliography and Annotated Webliography (your Annotated Webliography is due in Week 7).
You will choose some topic that deals with some aspect of world history to 1500. This covers a broad area so you can use your imagination. For example, you could cover Egyptian Agriculture, medieval weaponry, Byzantine music, the role of women in Viking society, or Roman gladiators to name a few. If you are unsure whether your topic is acceptable, you should run it by your instructor for approval.
Analytical Annotated Bibliography Components:
First, clearly state your topic. Ensure that it is germane to our course and relevant to the time period before 1500 CE. Then, for each of your five sources:
1. Begin each annotated bibliography entry by identifying the source.Provide a complete citation for the site, including the URL and your date of access.
Note that the required citation style is Chicago Manual of Style. For an example of what elements to include in your citation, go to Course Content and review the resources in the Chicago Style module. In the Sample Citations section, look under Online Journal Articles and note that you need to provide the name of the database you found the article in and your date of access.
2. Provide a brief description of the author's topic, thesis, and methodology. In other words, in what academic discipline does the work fall in (history, literature, social science, women's studies, cultural studies, etc.)? What kind of evidence does the author draw upon?
3. Write a concise outline of the main points in the text.
4. A statement about the author’s goals and his/her intended audience. Are there any clear biases?
5. MOST IMPORTANTLY--Your critical evaluation of the text’s usefulness for the investigation of your topic. What are the strengths of the source? What are the deficiencies or limitations of the source?
6. Did the article help you to further understand the topic? If so, explain how. If not, explain what information might have been helpful?
7. Explain how each of your sources compares to the others. Are there any general trends you see in your selected books and articles?
Useful Hints:
There are numerous websites that will show you how to construct an annotated bibliography. UMUC also has a guide to writing an annotated bibliography (requires Flash Player to view the video)
http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/bibliography_tutorial.cfm.
If your article has an abstract DO NOT CUT AND PASTE IT AND SUBMIT IT. That is plagiarism and will result in an investigation of your paper for a possible violation of the university’s academic integrity policy. Read the article and do your own summary.
This assignment can be time consuming so do not let it get away from you. If you have any questions please email your instructor sooner rather than later. The grading rubric for the Annotated Bibliography is available in the module labeled "Rubrics". You will find a sample Annotated Bibliography in the module labeled "Sample Assignments." You may not use the articles from the sample. Additionally, the sample assignment is meant as a guideline as to what an 'A' paper is and is not intended to be a 'perfect' assignment.