Download Annotated Bibliography: Evaluating Sources for a Research Paper on Arthurian Legends and more Lecture notes Autobiography Writing in PDF only on Docsity!
Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a formatted list of researched sources that includes a brief evaluation of each source. These descriptive paragraphs, or annotations, are usually less than 150 words in length and are meant to demonstrate the accuracy, quality, and relevance of the sources in relation to the topic being researched. Unlike abstracts, which are purely descriptive summaries, annotations not only summarize the information after each work cited or each reference, but they also analyze the content’s perspective, credibility, and relevance. Composing an annotated bibliography, therefore, encourages the researcher to critically examine each of his or her sources for central themes, intended audience, the authority and background of the author, and areas in which the text supports, contradicts, or illuminates the research topic. This process of critical thinking also helps the writer clarify the focus of the research topic as he or she evaluates and refines a list of sources to support a strong thesis. The citation style used in an annotated bibliography should be consistent with the style used in the rest of the research paper. Usually, this is either MLA or APA format but may vary according to instructors’ preferences. Individual instructors should be consulted for their specific formatting requirements. For further assistance, Germanna students are also welcome to make an appointment with Tutoring Services for an individual tutoring session or to stop by the Writing Center. On the reverse side of this page is a sample MLA annotated bibliography.
Provided by the Academic Center for Excellence 1 Annotated BibliographyRevised August 2016
Annotated Bibliography Bibliographyin MLA citationstyle.
Discuss andevaluate the author’scredentials and/oraffiliations. Analyze ifthey take away fromthe author’s credibility.
Bell, Kimberly. "Merlin as Historian in Historia Regum Britannie ." Arthuriana , vol. 10, no. 1, Spring 2000, pp. 14-26. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27869518. In this article, Kimberly Bell argues that Merlin’s role in Geoffrey’s HRB is to alert readers to the ficticious nature of the text, thereby calling the legitimacy of historical works into question. This article was published in Arthuriana as part of a special Merlin issue. Although I do not plan to discuss the metafictional function of Merlin within the HRB, Bell’s article not only provides an aspect of the scholarly conversation surrounding Merlin, but it also provides a detailed analysis of the language Merlin employs in his prophecy. The article also includes a discussion of the connection between Merlin’s transportation of Stonehenge to Geoffrey’s borrowing of material from other cultures to construct his own version of the history of the British people. Malcor, Linda. “Merlin and the Pendragon: King Arthur’s Draconarius.” Arthuriana, vol_._ 10, no.1, Spring 2000, pp. 3-13. Project Muse , doi:10.1353/art.2000.0005. Linda Malcor, an American scholar of the Arthurian legend with a doctorate in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA, argues that the dragon and sword imagery in Merlin legends suggests that Merlin was a warrior before he evolved into a prophet or a magician. Malcor discusses the symbolism of the serpent and dragon in Christian iconography as well as Roman military standards. She also explains that dragons and serpents had the same meaning during the Middle Ages and argues that Merlin “is firmly attached to the warrior image of the dragon” (7). This article is useful in drawing a parallel between the Merlin in HRB and the Merlin in VM: one is connected to dragons; the other is a former warrior.
Make sureto explain how thesource is useful toyour paper.
Provided by the Academic Center for Excellence 2 Annotated Bibliography
Notice howthe length of theparagraph varies foreach source.
Thesources should belisted in alphabeticalorder.
Write aparagraph about whythis source is an importantresource for the paper.This paragraphshould be in the same“hanging indent”format as the Works Citedpage.
Evaluatethe source’s credibilityand/or intendedaudience.
