Annotated Bibliography
Purpose: The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to organize your research in a meaningful way. An
annotated bibliography is a tool that helps a researcher compile sources in one location and provides
the researcher with quick access to the information contained in each source.
To complete this assignment, you should have
1. Completed Research Project Part I, Step 1: Choose a Controversial Topic and Develop a Working
Thesis Statement.
Assignment: You have already chosen a topic, reviewed the Overview in Opposing Viewpoints, and
developed a working thesis statement. Now, gather some articles. Still using the Opposing Viewpoints
database, choose the 3 articles that are the most useful in helping you support your thesis and develop
your argument. This should not include the Overview, which is a general summary of viewpoints on your
topic. Rather, you must select 3 articles that have specific viewpoints. When you have found an article
that you wish to use, save the source citation; print, download, or send yourself the article so that you
can return to it throughout this project. Based on the information you learn from your articles, revise
your working thesis statement as needed. To create your Annotated Bibliography following the template
1. cite each source using MLA style guidelines and alphabetize entries.
2. follow each citation with a brief annotation that summarizes and evaluates the source. Your
summary must identify the author’s main point and articulate the main take away for the
audience (approximately 3 to 5 sentences). Then, evaluate the source by commenting on how
this article relates to any of the issues you’ve read about in other sources. Finally, explain how
you might use the source in your Researched Argument Essay (approximately 1 to 2 sentences).
The Annotated Bibliography requires students to
 Evaluate information from multiple sources.
 Develop an arguable thesis statement that presents a claim.
 Draft original, organized work, act on productive feedback, revise, and edit.
 Adapt communication for tone, purpose, audience, and situation.
 Use essential Standard American English conventions—including appropriate sentence structure,
grammar, and punctuation—and formal, academic composition style.
 Use MLA style for document format and source citation.
Grading: The grading for this assignment will account for the inclusion of the required number of
sources from the Opposing Viewpoints database. This assignment will be graded on the completeness
and quality of your citations and annotations and your adherence to MLA formatting and citation
guidelines. Your submission will also be evaluated on the professional presentation of content with
respect to spelling, grammar, and punctuation