Write an annotated bibliography (MLA format) containing brief evaluations of sources about your approved research topic. Your annotated bibliography must contain no fewer than ten sources, including at least one of each of the following:

An article from a scholarly (peer-reviewed) journal found in the Collin College Library databases
An online resource (NOT Wikipedia)
A book or a chapter from a book
An article from a newspaper or popular magazine
Avoid using your chosen film as a source, as well as general sources like IMDB, dictionaries, and encyclopedias.

Do your best to make sure that the sources you use are as credible as possible. If you are unsure whether a source is credible, refer to the guidelines given in Chapter 17 of Engaging Questions.

As per the department requirements for English 1302, your annotated bibliography must be at least five pages long. Each evaluative annotation should:

Be written in literary present tense (“is” instead of “was”)
Be at least six sentences long
Include a summary of the source’s main idea(s); the genre or type of writing (<link is hidden> newspaper article, journal article, etc.); and an evaluation of the source’s quality and/or credibility.
These are the minimum requirements, but you’ll likely want to include additional information about your sources as well. See the information on what to include in an annotation in Chapter 35 of Engaging Questions.

The proper use of MLA format will be vital to succeeding with this assignment. The annotated bibliography will be formatted in much the same way as a standard works cited page. Each resource should be listed alphabetically in accordance with MLA format. Make sure to use in-text citations in your annotations when necessary, especially when using sources with page numbers.

Other considerations:

Your annotated bibliography should have an original, interesting title; “Annotated Bibliography” simply won’t do.
It should be double spaced and typed in 12-point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins on all sides, and it should not have a justified right margin.
Please be sure to submit your essay as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file.
Your citations should be formatted with a hanging indent with annotations beginning on a new line after each. See this sample to get an idea of how your entries should be formatted: Sample Annotated Bibliography, The Shining (MLA 8).pdfPreview the document
No separate works cited page is needed.
Keep direct quotations to a minimum — aim for seven words or less per quotation. The idea here is for you to interpret the authors’ ideas and put them in your own words as much as possible.
Annotations should focus on what the sources say, not what they talk about. For example, instead of writing that an article “talks about” the negative effects of decriminalizing drugs, write what the article actually says about those negative effects; give examples and sum up main points. If you do this, your readers will have a better understanding of why the source is valuable, and your annotated bibliography will be a much better tool for you as you write your researched argument essay.
Keep in mind that your goal is to gather a good variety of sources that present different perspectives on your research topic. Avoid using several articles from one book or book series, online database, website, or other publication. The more varied your sources, the more broad your understanding of your topic is likely to become.