ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) Choose a topic. You will be doing a research paper over a contemporary, arguable issue. For this reason all newsworthy topics are fair game except abortion, capital punishment, gun control, school prayer, gay marriage, and anything else where at least one side of the issue is full of prejudice and faith assertions. Topics such as this are not arguable because nobody will ever, realistically, be able to sway an audience to their side of those issues. Eventually your "topic" should be narrowed to a thesis, which means you must be for or against something specific related to your topic, for instance, a bill that has been proposed in congress or the state legislature. Expect to write a compare/contrast style, persuasive essay (also known as an "argument") when you are done with your research.2. Go to the library and look up books, journal articles, and magazine articles pertaining to your topic. No more than three sources may come from the internet, and all internet sources must come from an address ending in .edu or .gov. Any other internet sources must be approved. 3. Using the attached example, compile an annotated bibliography of ten sources. Notice the example includes a "rationale." This is where you explain what kind of information you were looking for when you started your research, and should justify why the sources documented are on this particular bibliography.

1) All documentation, including the paper itself, must appear in proper MLA style (examples attached). The bibliographic entry itself should have the correct punctuation and order, according to the MLA guidelines. For help with any aspect of a MLA research paper, link from our homepage at www.oocities.org/vpaenglish.

2) Entries must appear in alphabetical order.

3) Summaries must be at least three or four sentences.

4) Have the bibliography typed and ready to turn in by the end of the day on Monday, April 20 or Tuesday, April 21. Because this is the first step in a process that must be done in order, absolutely no late work can be accepted. The annotated bibliography is worth an "essay" grade, as will the ensuing paper. If you do not turn it in, you may not proceed with the paper; therefore, the annotated bibliography is actually worth more. If you choose not to do the research project, a loss of two test grades will ensure a drastically lowered grade in this course. Therefore, do it all and do it well. You will get specifics on the paper when you have done the bibliography. Just know you will shape this information into a paper with a thesis, or "take." Explore one aspect of a broad subject. Look for an angle that is interesting, new, and specific.