essay writing

Essay 3: Proposal and Annotated Bibliography

To prepare you for the next assignment, you’ll need to do some research. One of the more useful tools in conducting research is the annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography combines the citations found in the References list at the end of documents in MLA format. Topic: Select one of the articles assigned for reading about the challenges of our digital lives:

• Boyd, “Wikipedia as a Site of Knowledge Production”
• Carr, “Is Google Making us Stupid?”
• Kuperberg, “Deactivated”
• Tugend, “Multitasking Can Make You Lose…Um…Focus”
• Weiss, “Should Gamers be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing?”

Construct a research project on a specific area that you find interesting in the article. One of your sources will be the article you choose. Purpose: An annotated bibliography is an organizing tool that is helpful when working on a research project. An effective annotated bibliography is used to compile research sources in one location and provide the researcher with quick access to the information contained in each source.
Audience: This assignment should be directed at your scholarly peers, and you may assume that they have only a casual familiarity with your topic or issue. Content/Subject: Your annotated bibliography will consist of the sources that you have deemed relevant to your topic and/or question(s) of inquiry. While you may encounter sources that are not relevant or do not fit the scope of your project while researching, for the purposes of this assignment, you will only include the ones that you find useful and relevant.

• Proposal: State your thesis statement or research question in no more than 2 sentences at the beginning of the document.
• Cite
  each source in proper MLA format. The citations should be organized in
  alphabetical order by author just as in an MLA Works Cited page.
• Follow
  each source with a brief annotation that summarizes the source (approx.
  1-2 paragraphs). You may quote from the source, but do not copy and
  paste the abstract. The annotation should be in your own words.
• In one paragraph, explain the source’s relevance and importance to your issue.

Constraints: The annotated bibliography is a fairly rigid genre. Your citations must adhere to MLA format. This will be one of the central components of the grade for this assignment. Failure to follow MLA format exactly will harm your grade. Specific guidelines to follow when completing this assignment are:

• Research Requirement
  • 6 Essays or Articles as follows:
    • 1 of the Essays listed above
    • 3 Essays or Articles from Reputable Sources
      • You may use 1 additional essay from the text book or assigned readings
    • 2 Essays or Articles from a Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Source
• Adherence to MLA format for all citations
• Sources in alphabetical order according to author
• Thoughtful and complete annotations
• Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling

Sample Annotated Bibliography

– Alternative Formats

SUBMIT Essay 3

Before you submit, make sure your formatting is correct, that you have proofread and spell checked the draft, that your draft meets all minimum requirements, and that you have cited any references correctly. Upload only a .doc or .docx file (NO GOOGLE DOCS): any file that is not readable will be an automatic zero. Essays not meeting minimum word count (sans quotations, heading, and citation page) will not be graded. Essays turned in without a Works Cited page will get an automatic F. Cite your sources.