Annotated Bibliography (8-10 sources, citation and paragraph each)

Content: We will be making a shorter version of the evaluative annotated bibliography described in Chapter 12. You will have an annotated bibliography entry for each article you use in your research paper. Each item on the annotated bibliography will contain the works cited information followed by a three-part brief paragraph that includes, in this order (perhaps three sentences for each bullet).  Key Features:

• A few sentences about the rhetorical context: Is it a news article or an opinion piece? Is it a report of a scholarly study? Describe the source. Who is the intended audience? Is there any bias, and if so what? Who is the author? What are his or her credentials or expertise?

• A few sentences that summarize the article. Include the thesis and major supporting points.

• A few sentences about why this source seems valuable and how you might use it.

Format: Arrange the bibliography items in alphabetical order, just like a works cited list. While the works cited list is double spaced, the annotated bibliography is single spaced, with double spacing between entries.

Below is an example:  If I were writing a paper on self-esteem in humans, I might have an item like the following on my annotated bibliography:

Mohanti, Ranjani Iyer. “What to Do with Our Failed New Year’s Resolutions.” The

Christian Science Monitor 27 Dec. 2010 – 3 Jan. 2011: 13. Print.

This is an opinion article published in a respected, unbiased news magazine. The Monitor is published weekly and carries national and international news stories and articles about politics, business, and culture. Its readers tend to be educated people with broad interests.  Ranjani Iyer Mohanti is a writer and publisher based in India. Her articles have also appeared in The International Herald Tribune, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. In the article, Mohanty explains the Zeigarnik (Z-) effect, named after Bluma Wulfovna Zeigarnik, a Russian psychologist and psychiatrist who found that people tend to move on from the successes in their lives, but remember and dwell on the unfinished business or failures. This is often true for failed New Year’s resolutions and explains why some makers of resolutions become discouraged and choose not to make them anymore. Mohanty suggests that we can take the nagging memories of unfinished tasks and turn them into positive motivators. The article is useful for my paper because it explains the Zeigarnik (Z-) effect and its impact on human behavior and self-esteem.Although New Year’s resolutions are not the subject of my paper, the psychological research that Mohanty cites can be applied to other situations that involve self-esteem, its causes and effects.

Research Paper:  (7-8 pages of paper, plus audience and purpose paragraph, outline, and works cited page using 8-10 sources)

The research paper will be an argument. It may take a stand on an issue, propose a solution to a problem, examine in depth the causes of a situation, or evaluate a program or system.

Key Features of an argument are (See Chapter 10)

·  A clear and arguable position

·  Necessary background information

·  Good reasons

·  Convincing evidence

·  Appeals to readers’ values

·  A trustworthy tone

·  Careful consideration of other positions

Choose a topic that can be narrowed to fit the requirements of the paper. Choose a topic that interests you. Have your topic approved before you begin in earnest. Find information using the Sinclair Library databases, books, periodical articles, and reliable internet sources. As you will learn in our research segment, do not merely start with Google. The preferred variety of sources will include journal, magazine, and newspaper articles from Sinclair Library databases; a book; a reference book; and one or two websites. Don’t use all web sources. Don’t use all short articles. Don’t use all books.

Research Paper Steps: These steps count for part of your course grade.

1.  Teacher approval of your subject

2.  Attendance at library instruction and workday

3.  Annotated bibliography

4.  Tentative thesis statement and outline (a brief)

5.  Analysis of audience and purpose (paragraph)

6.  Outline in MLA style

7.  Completed works cited page (6-10 sources, demonstrating variety, in MLA or APA style)

8.  Electronic submission to Turnitin

9.  Labeled and annotated photo copies or printouts of articles used (only if requested)

10. Full, PC-printed draft with documentation  

11. Revised research paper

12.Timely completion of all the steps

Audience and Purpose Paragraph:  (3/4 – 1 page)

This paragraph, which will precede your research paper, is the product of thinking you have done using the Audience and Purpose Analysis Worksheet (posted online). In this paragraph you will describe the audience to whom you are addressing the research paper, some common ground you find between yourself and your audience, the source of some differences between you, your purpose in writing to this audience, and your strategy for persuading them.

This paragraph is not part of the research paper itself, and would not be read by the audience. Neither is it a summary of the paper. Instead, it analyzes your audience and describes your purpose and plan.  This kind of thinking is essential for successful persuasive writing, and the paragraph will help me evaluate your research paper.

Research Paper Outline:  (1 page, double spaced)

Use formal outline format. The following is a sample. Parts are moveable.

I.  Problem: (name the specific problem)

A.  Terms defined

B.  Example(s) of the problem

1.

2.

C.  Seriousness of problem (effects)

1.

2.

3.

D.  Causes of problem

1.

2.

3.

II.  Suggested solution (your thesis): (full sentence here only)

A.  Explanation/details

B.  Steps

1.

2.

3.

C. Reasons why this solution should be tried (evidence is not shown in

the outline)

    1.

    2.

    3.

  D. Counterargument + Refutation

  E. Counterargument + Refutation

  F. Overall benefits.

Topic: Abortion

Question: How old should you be to get an abortion without parents authorization?