Research
Notes for an Annotated Bibliography
& (eventually) a Research-based argument essay
In the space at the top write your topic
title and an open-ended question.
For
example: Dogtown
Stories
How do the stories about
Dogtown reveal a sense of mystery?
On the left side write down the citation information. Use your Compass
(page ___) and/or the library handout entitled “Preparing a Works Cited list
in MLA style”.
For
example: Olson, Charles. The Maximus
Poems. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press, 1985. Print.
Below
the citation information write summary, information,
paraphrases, quotations from the source.
(This
will help you write the summary
part of the annotation.)
For
example, if I’m using the source listed above (poems by Charles Olson) as
part of my research into stories about Dogtown I’d summarize all the poems in the book
that deal with Dogtown.
I’d also write down information and quotations that might help me develop an
answer to the question I’ve posed. (This will
help you with your research-based
argument essay
.)
|
On the right side write down notes that will
help you write an evaluation of the quality and relevance
(importance / significance) of the source.
(This will help you write the evaluation and relevance part
of the annotation.)
For
example:
This source is a poem and so
makes imaginative fictional use of the historical facts. I should compare
Olson’s account with other accounts.
Also write down ideas,
opinions, reactions questions.
(This will help you with
your
research-based
argument essay
.)
It seems important that Olson
puts Dogtown at the center of a creation myth. He seems to use Merry’s story to
contrast human foolishness with the greatness of the earth (represented by
Dogtown’s rock formations). I wonder if other writers handle Merry’s story
similarly or differently? I wonder if Olson uses Dogtown elsewhere in his poem.
Include your name in your notes.
For example:
These notes were prepared by James Cook.
|
Example of a citation with annotation
Olson, Charles. The Maximus Poems. Berkeley, CA: University
of California Press, 1985.
Print. [This is an MLA citation.]
Maximus IV,
V, VI includes a
creation myth set in Dogtown. The “Proem” section of Maximus IV, V, VI deals particularly with the story of James Merry,
who died fighting a bull in Dogtown. Olson describes Merry as “Drunk / to cover
his shame”; after the bull kills him Olson describes him as “in the Sunday
morning sun / like smoked fish.” In the end the earth takes Merry into her,
which connects the creation myth with Merry’s foolish hubris & tragedy. [This is the
summary part
of the annotation.]
Olson’s poem is not an entirely accurate
retelling of the real events, but, to be fair, historical accuracy is not the
poem’s goal. The poem makes mythic and imaginative use of the historical facts
in order to reveal man’s arrogance toward nature. The version of James Merry’s
story told in Dogtown by Elyssa East
is more thoroughly researched. [This is the evaluation* (or critique)
part of the annotation.]
Although most of the poems in the book do not
deal with Dogtown, the “Proem” in Maximus
IV, V, VI presented a version of James Merry’s story that is very
compelling. Like many other Dogtown stories, the story is interesting,
dramatic, and of questionable historical accuracy. James Cook [This is the
part of the annotation where you explain the relevance of the source to your topic.]
[In this case the topic is “Dogtown Stories.” The example above
is 170+ words in length and is “A” quality work. The minimum requirement for
your annotations is 100 words.]
[You group
will hand in double-entry notes and annotated citations of 21 sources. Don’t forget: heading, topic title, alphabetical
order, hanging indentation, double-spaced, twelve point font, MLA format. Also don't forget to write your name at the end of the annotation. See above.]
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