Annotated Bibliography
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Your project begins with your annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography is a descriptive list of sources. The purpose of this for our projects is to explore the major literature associated with your topic and to refine your specific proposal.

Format:

  • Project formatting:
    • Layout: 1" margins with 1/2" paragraph indentation, single-spaced (with one space between entries), 12-point Times Roman font.
      • Note: Microsoft's default margins are 1.25" — you must change this (from the "File" menu, select "Page Setup...").
    • All printed pages must be stapled (neatly, in the upper-left corner).
    • Document format: Word or WordPerfect (or 'RTF') only.
    • File name: Course number and your last name(s). Examples — 4113Smith.doc, or 3122Smith_Jones.wpd.
  • The top of your first page begins with a working title followed by "Annotated Bibliography", your name(s) in alphabetical order, the course number. Do not use a separate title page.
  • You must cite a minimum of eight references (in addition to class readings).
    • Note: this is an absolute minimum for submission. Simply meeting the minimum does not earn you full or partial credit.
    • Note: these must be relevant references (not just any you can find right now). You must use at least half of them in your final project. You will lose 1 point for each reference, beyond half, not used in your project.
  • You must use the APA citation style.
  • List your references alphabetically by author (or by organization when there is no specific author noted).
  • Each reference must include 1) a brief description of the literature, and 2) a discussion of why it is relevant to your work.
  • While you may use a broad spectrum of relevant material for the project itself, the references in the annotated bibliography should be limited to MAJOR academic literature in the field (not just ANY literature—CQ and National Journal are acceptable, but no newspaper or magazine articles!). Use your texts as guides.
  • Finally, the bibliography should help direct and focus your research. To that end, you must include a concluding paragraph that 1) summarizes what you learned from your literature search; and 2) develops some thesis or hypothesis to pursue in your research.

Click here f or a SAMPLE of what your Annotated Bibliography should look like.

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This is what your annotated bibliography should look like:
Annotated Bibliography
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