Annotated Bibliography (Due Monday,Feb. 6 th ) Purpose: inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. –Part One: list citations (in MLA format) to: General Reference Encyclopedias Books Articles Primary Documents –Part Two: Each citation is followed by a brief paragraph about the source. Descriptive Evaluative

Part One: List of citations In MLA format: consult Noodle Bibs or Diana Hacker’s MLA website. –Author last name, Author first name. Title. Publisher: City, year. Make sure to list them in alphabetical order.

Part 2: Information to Include In your descriptive paragraph to follow, answer the following questions about your source: –Describe the content (focus) of the source Is it factual? Is it an editorial? Is it more for general information or does it have a more specific focus/purpose? –Describe the usefulness of the item Why will this source be of use to you? –Discuss any limitations that the item may have, e.g. grade level, timeliness etc. When was it written/how current is it in relation to your topic? Can you understand it? Does it only provide one viewpoint? –Evaluate reliability of the item How do you know it is a “good” source?

Sample annotated bibliography The sample below is a purely fictional entry. The author and book do not actually exist. Williams, Jacob. “Fidel Castro.” The Encyclopedia of Political Biography. New York: Morrison & Gevertz, Inc., –This source offers a concise but clear biography of Fidel Castro. The entry here goes beyond a simple listing of key events in Castro’s life. Instead, the author, Jacob Williams, takes a critical stance, praising Castro’s intellect and leadership skills while also questioning his political ethics. This source will be useful because it is not just a list of facts but offers some more insight into the effectiveness of Castro as a leader. This source is very reliable because it was published by a publishing house with a proven reputation. Because Williams had a clear point of view, I found that his statements gave me something to think about and something I could really respond to.

Printing from Noodle Tools Make sure you put it into a world document Create a space between your citation and your annotation by going to “Annotation Spacing” and clicking on “Annotations start on new line” Add a space between sources

Thesis Let the thesis come to you from your research. Every strong paper starts with a clear and compelling thesis statement that answers a question. Your thesis statement should be: –A strong statement of your position on your topic –Arguable-not simply a statement of fact –A reflection of your beliefs about your topic’s importance in history –A focus and purpose for your research