This document provides instructions for an annotated bibliography assignment in an English 102 course. Students are asked to write annotations for 7 sources they may use in an upcoming research paper on a social crisis linked to a particular place. Each annotation must include an MLA citation, a 5-7 sentence summary of the source, and commentary on how the source could be used rhetorically. The annotations will help students prepare for their research paper by exploring sources on their topic. The assignment is due by October 13th and will be graded using the attached rubric focusing on the summary, response, and rhetorical discussion for each source as well as proper MLA formatting.

1. ENGL102 FA17- C.J. Hill
Unit 2 Assignment Instructions
Annotated Bibliography
The most time-consuming part of writing a research paper is not actually writing the
paper, but the research and planning that goes into it. This is why, in English 102, we
have an entire unit dedicated to the research and planning process in order to prepare for
the research essay that is to come in Unit 3.
In a matter of weeks, you will be assigned a research paper in which you are to select a
social crisis (either in the past or the present) that you can pinpoint to a particular place.
In this paper, you will have to include research both on the crisis and on the place where it
takes place in order to carry out an argument for how the environment plays a part in the
crisis itself.
So, for the major assignment due this unit, you are to create an annotated bibliography
that includes 7 reliable sources that you may possibly use in your upcoming research
essay. Of these 7 sources, you must include at least one book, two peer-reviewed
articles, two reliable online articles, and two reliable sources of your choosing.
This assignment requires:
• At least 7 MLA citations followed by a paragraph (5-7 sentences) of summary and
commentary
• Conscious thought and effort put toward the overall goal of composing the Unit 3
Research Essay
• Active participation in Library Week and completion of involved assignments
Audience:
• Write your annotations toward an audience of your instructor
Format:
• Write in standard edited English and adhere strictly to MLA 8 formatting, which is
detailed in the worksheet provided on Bb Learn in the Unit 2 folder
Assessment:
• This assignment is graded by the attached rubric
Final drafts are due on Friday, October 13th 11:59 pm
There is no rough draft possibility for this assignment
“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.”
--Zora Neale Hurston

2. ENGL102 FA17- C.J. Hill
UNIT 2: Annotated Bib Rubric
Note: Annotations should be between 5 and 7 sentences to be considered complete.
Bibliographies are evaluated by the least successful entry. Put another way, there should be
no slack on one annotation simply because the majority of the annotations convey full effort.
The slacked annotation is the one that will be focused on in grading.
Writer's
Evaluated
Response
30 pts
Summary of
Source
30 pts
Rhetorical
Information
25 pts
Format
15 pts
A
90-100
Total
Points
The source is fully
responded to by
hitting on all 3
criteria: the source’s
strengths and/or
weaknesses, its
usefulness, and how
the source may be
used in the proposed
research essay.
The argument or
topic of the source
is fully detailed
without
overwhelming the
full annotation.
The purpose and
audience for the
source is
thoroughly
discussed and
explored.
Rhetorical terms
are
used/implemented
correctly (pathos,
ethos, logos).
MLA 8 formatting
is used exactly with
no errors.
B
80-89
Total
Points
Only 2 response
topics are evaluated.
The summary is
present and well
balanced, but is
not clear/detailed
enough for a
reader to glean
the meaning of
the source.
True effort is put
into evaluating the
source’s rhetoric,
but there are some
consistency/logical
errors.
MLA 8 formatting
is used with only a
few errors.
C
70-79
Total
Points
Only 1 response topic
is evaluated.
The summary of
the source is
either very bare
or overtakes the
true purpose of
the evaluative
annotation.
There is a short
statement as to the
source’s uses of
rhetoric. Rhetorical
terms are not
referred to or are
used incorrectly.
MLA 8 formatting
is loosely followed
with several
distracting errors.
NC
No Credit
There is no
discussion from the
writer evaluating the
strengths and/or
weaknesses of the
source, its
usefulness, or any
discussion on how it
could be used in the
proposed research
essay.
There is no
summary of the
source.
There is no
discussion of the
source’s uses of
rhetoric.
MLA 8 formatting
is not followed in
any way.