Assignment Directions
This unit, you have 1 assignment to complete. Select the button below to access detailed instructions for this assignment and to submit your work.
Annotated Bibliography
Overview
Create an annotated bibliography of four sources that could be used for your research project, including at least two articles from scholarly journals.
Grading
This assignment is worth 210 points (21%) of your final course grade.
Earning the maximum possible score on this assignment will require students to:
Step 1: complete all assigned essay components and answer reflection questions in the initial submission (earning up to 85% of the possible points)
Step 2: revise and resubmit the essay and complete revision reflection questions (earning up to 15% of the possible points)
To see required components and associated points in the assignment rubric, please view this assignment through the Assignments area of the classroom and scroll to the bottom.
Due Dates
The deadline for initial submission of this assignment is the end of Unit 4 (Tuesday, 11:59 PM Eastern).
The revision and revision reflection will be due seven days after receiving feedback on your initial submission or as specified by your instructor.
Connection to other Course Assignments
The annotated bibliography is part of your research project, which examines a current issue or event in the news from the perspective of your field of study.
The annotated bibliography builds on your work from the first few weeks of class selecting an appropriate topic and then developing a more focused research question.
The annotated bibliography contributes to the research project by helping you collect and analyze your sources.
As you complete the tasks required for this assignment, you will be working toward several of the course outcomes:
Identify valid and reliable sources that can be used in the composition of a research paper (Course outcomes 1 and 2)
Explain the nature of selected sources and their relevance of sources to the research paper (Course outcome 2)
Set up an annotated bibliography in APA format (Course outcome 5)
Demonstrate accurate grammar and mechanics in writing (Course outcome 5)
Step 1: Initial Submission (earn up to 85% of the possible points for the assignment)
Your initial submission should include all of the following components:
Sources
Four sources related to your research question, including at least two from scholarly journal articles. All four sources should be high-quality sources that you can use in your research project. Refer to Unit 3: Selecting Sources Wisely. You may decide to use some or all of the sources that you posted in Week 3, Discussion 1: Identifying and Evaluating Sources.
Content and Organization
Include your name and a title that reflects your topic at the top of the first page.
Following the explanations in the unit 4 learning resources [The Annotated Bibliography (videos) and the Sample Annotated Bibliography], create an annotated bibliography of four sources. For each source, include:
Reference citation in APA format
Annotation of 150 ±25 words, formatted in a single paragraph, with
summary
evaluation
use
You may (but do not have to) use CiteFast to create your reference citations. If you use CiteFast, be sure to check for accuracy and make any necessary corrections.
Language Choices
As a writer, you are free to decide how you use language, keeping the following in mind:
style: your language choices should result in a consistent writing style that is purposeful and aligned with your goals
readability: your language choices should ensure that your ideas are clear and easy to follow
When composing your assignment, think about the conventions for academic writing, including:
punctuation: this includes things such as recommended use of commas, colons, and apostrophes.
word-level accuracy: this includes things such as capitalization, spelling, word-tense, and usage.
sentence-level accuracy: this includes things such as sentence boundaries, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
Take time to review your language choices after you’ve drafted your assignment. Think about your goals for the style of this writing and your own writing habits (like using “text-speak,” omitting capitalization, or writing sentence fragments). Revise as necessary to accomplish your style and readability goals.
Reading your writing aloud is a helpful technique when reviewing your language choices for style and readability.
Length and Format
Each annotated bibliography entry begins with a reference citation in APA format, followed by a single-paragraph annotation of 150 +/- 25 words (125-175 words each). The entire completed assignment should be at least 600 words.
Order the references alphabetically, according to the first words of the reference citations.
Incorporate these elements of APA style:
Use one-inch margins.
Double space.
Use an easy-to-read font between 10-point and 12-point.
Format reference citations with a hanging indent.
A title page is not required, but make sure you include your name and a title that reflects your topic at the top of the first page.
Reflection Questions
The reflection questions are to be answered separately. Post these in the “comments” box when submitting your assignment. You can number your answers or write them in paragraph form. Be sure to address all four questions.
Aside from simply meeting the requirements, what were your personal goals for this assignment?
When reviewing your language choices, what choices did you make to approach your goals for staying within or moving beyond conventions for academic writing? To what degree did the Grammar Lab content impact the choices you made?
What parts of your work on this assignment are you most proud of?
What challenged you in this assignment and/or where do you need additional support from your instructor?
Step 2: Revise and Resubmit (earn up to 15% of the possible points for the assignment)
Students who want to earn the up to the maximum possible score can choose to complete the following revision and revision reflection components of the assignment.
Revise your assignment based on feedback from your instructor, your peers, and/or your own writing goals. In your revision, track the changes from your first draft so that your instructor can easily identify where you made revisions. Submit your revised essay as a file in this assignment folder.
Use strikethrough to indicate areas that should be deleted.
Use bold-face to indicate areas where you are adding content.