An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of your research sources (“bibliography”). After each source, you write an “annotation” – that is, a brief summary and a brief response to the source.
What is it for? The annotated bibliography provides important information about your research including:
• Credibility (how reliable is the source?)
• Relevance (how will you use the information in your assignment?)
• Your response to the article/source
How to write one?
• – Begin with a full citation (author, title of article, title of source, date of publication, etc.)
• – Write a “They Say” summary of the main arguments of the article (2-3 sentences).
• – Write an “I Say” response to the article AND/OR a short critique or evaluation describing the article’s credibility) (2-3 sentences)
• – Explain how you will use this source in your letter (1-2 sentences).
At least two of the articles must come from the Seneca Library databases.
Below is a sample. Note that it begins with the citation of the source. After the citation, the first three sentences summarize the article. The next three sentences evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the article and provide an “I say” style response. The last sentence explains how it will be used in the writing assignment.
Warner, J. (2016, June 16). Why Can’t My Students Write [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/why-cant-my-new-employees-write.
In a blog written for other post-secondary educators, John Warner argues against that college students are not being trained to write for real-world rhetorical situations. Instead, they are taught formulas that help them score high on standardized tests and other assessments in the classroom. These formulas mean that students arrive in the workplace without any practice writing for real audiences in real situations.
I disagree with Warner’s argument. Although he is a credible source on the matter, as a writing instructor and novelist, he overlooks the importance of learning fundamental building blocks upon which later experiences can be built. These building blocks may be formulaic, but they are critical to a writer’s success. Warner’s analogy of riding a bicycle is compelling, but it is misleading, because riding a bike is a relatively simple skill, whereas writing is complex and progressive. Moreover, Warner does not reference any studies to support his views, nor does he provide concrete examples to illustrate his proposed solution.
