Annotated Bibliography Instructions

Essay 2 asks that you compose a 5-7 page essay that responds to the following prompt: Both The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Ceremony address many issues that Native Americans confront today, including, but not limited to, the following: cycles of poverty perpetuated by the reservation system, the exploitation of natural resources on Native lands, and the reality of racism from both outside and within Native communities. For this essay, you will select a topic that interests you (it must be an issue that affects Native communities today), and then compose sustained research paper that incorporates the principles of summary/paraphrase and argumentation developed in the first two essay and adds outside research (5-7 pages). This essay must reference at least 4 outside sources. Do not cite either of the novels as sources; you will not be writing about fiction in this assignment.

Before you begin writing your essay, you will need to compose an annotated bibliography, which will help you document your research process and enable you to more smoothly integrate outside information into your essay. The annotated bibliography, must include a minimum of 5 sources (note that this is one more source than you are required to include in the essay itself).

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography provides specific information about each source you have used. As a researcher, you have become an expert on your topic: you have the ability to explain the content of your sources, assess their usefulness, and share this information with others who may be less familiar with them. Think of your paper as part of a conversation with people interested in the same things you are; the annotated bibliography allows you to tell readers what to check out, what might be worth checking out in some situations, and what might not be worth spending the time on. It’s kind of like providing a list of good movies for your classmates to watch and then going over the list with them, telling them why this movie is better than that one or why one student in your class might like a particular movie better than another student would. You want to give your audience enough information to understand basically what the movies are about and to make an informed decision about where to spend their money based on their interests.

What should my annotated bibliography include?

• A bibliography according to the appropriate citation style (MLA).
• An explanation of main points and/or purpose of the work—basically, its thesis—which shows among other things that you have read and thoroughly understand the source.
• Verification or critique of the authority or qualifications of the author.
• Comments on the worth, effectiveness, and usefulness of the work in terms of both the topic being researched and/or your own research project.

Annotated Bibliography Checklist

• Include a 1-2 sentence statement at the top of the page (just below the heading and title) that describes the topic you’ve selected
• Annotate at least 5 sources (you may not cite Wikipedia as a source)
• Include 2-4 sentence annotations for each listing. The annotations should not only explain the source, but should also indicate how that source will help you craft your argument.
• Arrange your citations alphabetically by author’s last name and formatted per MLA guidelines.