Continuing Annotated Bibs

1. Continuing Annotated Bibs Tuesday, September 25th

2. Format: Introduction • Your bib needs to have a brief (approx. 1 paragraph) introduction that includes: • Purpose of the bib • Ties your sources together • Describes how your bib will further help you analyze your major/community

3. Sample Introduction: After exploring genres common to the field of psychology through a preliminary genre analysis, I continued analyzing the language and genres of my field by tracing an argument relevant to psychologists. I gathered articles relating to the connection between toddles language training and adolescent learning. I found academic articles relating to this topic, and traced the arguments and patterns common to these articles. Through my research, I have found sources claiming that toddler language training is crucial to adolescent proficiency (Smith; Jones; Meri) and others who claim that toddler language training can have a limited impact on adult learners (Wayne; Emig; Rice). These sources have helped me to identify the various aspects of this issue in relation to the field of psychology. In addition, these articles have helped me continue exploring the genre conventions that I will need to learn as I enter a new community through my major.

4. Annotated Bib: Why should I write one? • To learn about your topic • Learn “what’s been said” • Develop your own point of view • To see what the issues are, what people are arguing about

5. Annotated Bib: Format • Citation (MLA/APA) • Precis • How does this source relate to the others? Include at least one quote in this section. • Citation • Precis • How does this source relate to the others? • Repeat for 10 articles

6. Writing a precis • Name of author, [a phrase describing author], genre and title of work, date; a rhetorically accurate verb (such as "assert," "argue," "suggest," "imply," "claim," etc.); and a THAT clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement) of the text. • An explanation of how the author develops and/or supports the thesis, usually in chronological order. • A statement of the author's apparent purpose, followed by an "in order to" phrase. • A description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

7. Evaluating claims In a second paragraph for each source, explain how that source ties into your topic: You should make clear how this source is relevant to your own research, if that link is not easily obvious to me. For example: “This article is of relevance to my research project in its definitions of motivation and incentives and in its findings about specific incentive programs.” You should evaluate the claims and credibility of the author as necessary. For example, if the author seems to be biased or if you think her interpretation of her data is flawed, you can comment on that in your annotation. Include at least one quote from each source in your discussion. Make connections to your other sources. “This source relates to…”

8. Example, part 1 Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor Books, 1995. Print. Anne Lamott, a professional writer, in her 1995 work, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, asserts that students argue mostly with their own inner critic when writing a paper. She supports this assertion through a variety of anecdotes, in which she uses humor to display students’ insecurities with their own writing abilities. Her purpose was to show that students should be more confident when writing, because they are often their own tough critics. Her intended audience includes writing students and teachers, and she targets this audience by using anecdotes from both the student and the teacher perspectives on writing.

9. Example, part 2 Lamott’s book is relevant to my topic because she focuses on the students’ writing processes as determinants of their confidence with writing. She states, “Students’ lack of confidence with writing often limits their abilities,” meaning that students limit their writing potential when they doubt themselves (89). Lamott argues that writing teachers should work to increase their students’ confidence with writing . This article relates to the claims made by Swales, but he references the discourse communities in which students write, while Lammott speaks more directly about individual students and their writing processes. This article can also be related to Grant-Davie, since he discusses rhetorical situations and their influence on how students might target audiences through their writing.

10. Other reminders • List in alphabetical order, just like you would in a list of Works cited • Double-space the entries • Do not number them • Heading should be in MLA/APA format • Shoot for at least 10 citations • Peer draft this Thursday, Sept. 27th. Final Monday, Oct. 2nd

11. Some details… • Article titles in quotes • Book titles and journal titles in italics • Punctuation goes inside quotation marks: • Devitt states, “Genres are reactions to life,” which means… • Devitt states, “Genres are reactions to life” (234).