Research Step Two: The Annotated Bibliography in Mla Style

For this research step, you will choose three or more of your sources to annotate, or write short, descriptive summaries of (NOT including Freakonomics). To format the annotated bibliography, first give the Works Cited entry, followed by the annotation (summary). Your Annotated Bibliography should look like a Works Cited page in which each entry is followed by a double-spaced, paragraph-long summary of the source. Research Step Two: The Annotated Bibliography is due Thursday, May 21.

What should be included in each entry?

* First, explain the type of source you are annotating: (e.g., "In this book..." or "In this article, published in the New York Times...")

* Then, give a brief summary of the source, describing its main points/arguments ("In this article, Smith argues that becoming a vegetarian is beneficial because it helps us sustain the earth as well as our bodies...")

* Make it clear how the source is relevant to your own research ("I will present Smith's research as one of three arguments as to why everyone should consider becoming a vegetarian; his claims will be used in my section on the environment.")

You may choose to evaluate the claims and credibility of the author as necessary (Is he or she biased?) You don't need to include information that is of no possible relevance to your work. You may choose to quote or paraphrase.

Your annotated bibliography will look something like this:

Works Cited

Smith, John A. "Vegetarianism: The Future for Our Earth?" Food Science Magazine 51 (1999): 45-68. In this scholarly article, Smith builds an argument as to why each person should consider adopting a vegetarian lifestyle. Although Smith briefly discusses the health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, the bulk of his article addresses how being a vegetarian is helpful to the environment as well as to people and animals. I will use this article to help strengthen my own argument for vegetarianism by including Smith's arguments into my section on how vegetarianism promotes sustainability of the earth.

(Begin second citation here)