annotated bibliography for the ap

by

or the Advocacy Project, your annotated bibliography will include annotations for four new sources that you plan to use extensively in the AP.

Your annotated bibliography should be submitted as an MS Word file, following MLA citations. Follow the formatting of this sample annotated bib: Sample Annotated Bibliography

You may also want to revisit AGWR pages 241-242 (“Annotate Your Sources and Create an Annotated Bibliography”).

Guidelines

Researchers annotate, meaning they write concise, critical evaluations of) the sources they plan to use in their work. Annotations assess the credibility of a source by examining its author, use of evidence, argument or subject matter, purpose, and connection to your own research agenda. They can help you rigorously evaluate your sources and organize your research so you can integrate evidence effectively in your compositions. Building an annotated bibliography of sources is therefore an essential component of the Research Project. Follow the steps below to select and evaluate sources for your Advocacy Project Annotated Bibliography:

Your paragraph-long annotation should aim to include the following (use your judgment to determine the order):

  • provide an account of the author’s profession (e.g., “Journalist Sam Lebovic argues that…”) and/or particular area of focus (e.g., “In his capacity as Legal Director of the ACLU, David Cole argues that…”) Note: if you are evaluating a scholarly source, such as a peer-reviewed article, make sure you identify the discipline of the scholar(s). Are they working within the discipline of Economics, Psychology, Mechanical Engineering,, Earth Systems Science, and so on?
  • identify the genre of the source? Is it an op-ed, a news article, a scholarly article, a government report, a blog entry, or something else?
  • summarize the author’s main argument, point, or findings
  • describe the key pieces of evidence the author uses to advance his or her claims, using key phrases from the source (integrate quotations; do not quote entire sentences)
  • describe the purpose of the article/source and how that purpose connects to your project
  • if applicable, address how you intend to use the source in your AP.