Writing & Research Methodology

English 8125 CRN 17939

Annotated Bibliography:

Due: Start of class 2/25
Worth: 20%

For this project you will compose an annotated bibliography of 15-25 texts (books count as 5 and this cannot be all books) on the topic/related to of your final project. This should include a mix of research studies on the topic or using your project method(s) (at least 8) and other types of text. The research studies will include a critique of the research along with regular annotated biography information. You may submit this on paper or some electronic form (I recommend a website or blog). You may find pages 48-55 on the Hughes and Hayhoe book helpful.

More details:

The annotated bibliography should start with an overview paragraph, summarizing your bibliography, discussing your topics, and presenting your goal/reason behind the work. You may choose to organize your bibliography into topic-based sections with texts organized alphabetically within that or simply alphabetically. If you have a few distinct topics (say research method and topic area: ethnography and first year writing), you should organize by topics.

For each entry, provide one paragraph of summary or what Hughes and Hayhoe call the descriptive annotation. Do not include the author’s abstract. This should be in your own words (besides the occasional acceptable quotes). Then your second paragraph should be evaluative where you discuss the authority or background of the author, the strength of the article and findings, connections and comparison/contrast to other sources (especially in your bibliography), holes and gaps (which your research may fit nicely into) and additional questions it raises, and a general  critique of the text. You may also discuss how this text fits into your project and the general topic. If this is one of your eight research texts in the biography include a third paragraph critiquing the research including the methods, ethics, method of inquiry, rigor of research, results, ethos, research question, method selection, analysis, and more.

Finally, conclude the bibliography with a conclusion paragraph (or two). Summarize what you found. You may discuss what sources are the most helpful—whether it be due to quality or because they provide the perfect launch for your own research. If you see gaps or holes, bring these up and possibly call for research in these areas.

If you do a blog, which I recommend for those with technological literacy, you may find it easier to combine the introduction/conclusion into one post. You can post each bibliographic entry as a separate post and link between posts when you see connections.