MLA (Modern Language Association)
- MLA documentation is generally used for disciplines in the humanities, such as English, languages, film, and cultural studies or other theoretical studies. These annotations include summaries and analytical annotations.
- Create a title page and title this assignment as: “Annotated Bibliography”
- Following MLA format, use a hanging indent for your bibliographic information. This means the first line is not indented and all the other lines (within an annotation) are indented five spaces in (you may use the tab, instead of using four spaces –
see pages 478-485 and 296/97).
- Begin your annotation immediately after the bibliographic information of the source ends (see page 297 for an example)
A general
annotated bibliography
is a list of cited sources about a particular topic, in which each citation is followed by a brief annotation, or discussion of the source. The annotation usually consists of just one paragraph, but your instructor may require more.
An annotated bibliography is useful for documenting your research in a specific area, exploring varying viewpoints, summarizing main points from different sources. The format requirement for the annotated bibliography is MLA. An annotated bibliography also helps you to understand the objective of your research
Critical/evaluative annotated bibliography
(see pages 296-97)
Evaluative annotations do not merely summarize. In addition to tackling the points addressed in the summary part of the annotations, take the time to evaluative the researcher’s ideas about the topic.
- Evaluate the source or author critically (biases, lack of evidence, objective, etc.).
- Show how the work may or may not be useful for the audience the topic addresses.
- State how the researcher’s details will be useful and used in your own research. What will it help you to argue or what conclusion can you draw from the specific detail/idea you have decided to use from the reading, as it relates to the research topic. The annotated bibliography for each reading should be between 100-150 words. Correct spacing and Times New Roman -font size 12 are necessary.
Go to the next page to locate your next graded assignment.
Write a critical annotated bibliography for
the THREE of five sources
that will appear in your research paper. Your annotated bibliography must be based on the following sources:
1.
Peer-reviewed article – related to some aspect of College education (Find a connection to the topic of the research)
2.
A
New York Times
Newspaper article you researched that is related to the overall research topic (“The Struggles of Learning”)
3.
How I Learned to Read and Write
by Frederick Douglass
The following is an example of how each annotated bibliography should look before you submit. Your paragraph should be organized and spaced, accordingly. Use the highlighted areas to understand the
three main parts
of an Annotated Bibliography. Please do not highlight your work.
a) MLA article citation
b) Brief summary of article
c) Identify a specific idea/argument from the article and evaluate how you intend to include this specific argument in your paper - (be specific/see example below).
Annotated Bibliography Example
Walker, Barbara G. “The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects.”
PMLA Journal,
vol. 128, no. 1, Jan. 2013, pp. 193-200.
Feminist author Walker provides a guide to the language of symbols which seeks to reacquaint readers with the feminine, or woman-centered, origins of symbols which have often been co-opted historically by patriarchal religious systems and ways of thinking. Organized by type of symbol, and then alphabetically under each type, the dictionary is somewhat difficult to use without the aid of the table of contents or the index; dictionary arrangement throughout would make the text somewhat more friendly. In my research, this paper will be used to discuss how entries often include elucidative line drawings and sketches and references to the bibliography which can be found after the final entry. Walker's work provides a perspective valuable to any balanced discussion of symbolism.