Sources and Research: Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Scholars talk with one another through the articles they publish in special journals.  This project will allow you to learn about how scholars collect, read, organize and analyze sources as you dive deeper into a particular point that interests you.

 

GOALS: Through this assignment you will

  1. Develop skills in searching and finding material in publications scholars use
  2. Develop curiosity about something from your reading of Richmond’s Unhealed History, and learn about it in  a scholarly way
  3. Learn how and why to create an annotated bibliography (by making one!)

 

STEPS:

Part 1: Locate a source from work you have read

  1. Choose a source from Campbell’s “Richmond’s Unhealed History” that holds some interest for you. Locate/check out  the source.
  2. Read the source and locate the part that is referenced in Campbell’s text. Read before and after the quote.  What is the context? What kind of text is it? What can you learn about the publication.
  3. BRING the source to class on 10/10. If the source you choose first is not accessible (if, for instance, it is in a special archive and can’t be accessed by non-scholars) please choose another source that CAN be accessed.

 

Part 2: Search and locate more

  1. On 10/10, we will meet librarian Nick Dease in a library computer classroom, (first floor of library). The goal is to help you become more sophisticated searchers.  Dease will present some information and then you will have the chance to experiment and to ask questions. Consider this: What is interesting you about the first source you looked into?  What do you want to know more about?  FIND two sources that are NOT in Campbell’s book that shed more light on your questions.  At least one of the sources should be a secondary source that was published in a peer-reviewed journal.  *Your ultimate goal is to create an annotated bibliography on a question you develop after looking at the source from Campbell’s book. Use the 3 sources—1 is the one you brought to class on 10/10,  and 2 new ones you have found, one of which is a peer reviewed scholarly article.

TO PREPARE: please read: https://www.bibliography.com/chicago/chicago-annotated-bibliography-entries/

Part 3: Products

1.You should document your search process in your reflection journal, including what you tried in searching that did NOT work, and how you solved your problems.  (This will be writing that you can use in your portfolio.)

 

  1. Create an annotated bibliography entry for the first source you chose (the one from Unhealed History). Create a bibliographic entry for the source. Then include two paragraphs: one of summary and one of evaluation. The summary should tell the author’s credentials,  what kind of document it is (primary, secondary, article, book, online website, etc.) and who published it as well as  What kind of audience and purpose does that particular publication serve? Also include a brief summary of what it says (2-3 sentences). The second paragraph should tell what in the article/text answers the question you were researching.
  2. Bring this draft of your Annotated Bibliography for the first source to class, ON PAPER (printed), so that we can do a workshop ON Oct. 12. You must print because we are going to look at format.
  3. Find two more sources related to the same issue as the first source. Create an annotated bibliography entry for those 2 as well, and then put all 3 into a formal Annotated Bibliography to be turned in for a grade on Oct. 19.

GRADING and Evaluating: Rubric