EN1250 | Project 3 Annotated Bibliography and Proposal 

Overview | Create both an annotated bibliography and research proposal for your project 4 research paper. 

Projected Due Date | 11 April 2025

Objectives for the Bibliography and Proposal. 

  • To summarize and analyze another’s argument concisely and appropriately. 
  • To conduct independent research from a variety of academic sources 
  • To determine the effectiveness and relevance of research to one’s own area of interest. 
  • To apply others’ research to a unique and rhetorically effective position on a topic. 
  • To continue applying elements of argumentation. 
  • To further learn and employ the standards of APA style, both bibliographic and in-text. 

Annotated Bibliography | For the annotated bibliography, please synthesize and critically reflect on at least 5-7 relevant sources that you are planning on using for your research paper. (Note: More than 7 sources may help you write a more complete paper, if all the sources are relevant). In the first assignment, you began using research to inform your writing. Now, you will build upon those foundational research skills to build a unique argument using what others have said before you.

Sources |  Your research paper should use 5-7 sources, and should include a mixture of sources such as books, book chapters, web articles, and research from library databases. At least 3 of your sources need to be academic. In this essay, you will use what others have said to not only support your ideas, but also to frame your argument in a new and different way. At least one of your sources should act as a “naysayer,” providing a platform upon which you can refute counterarguments against your claim. You do need evidence to substantiate your refutation.

In the first phase of this research project, you will complete a bibliographic entry for the most relevant sources on your topic and write a paragraph-long annotation for each.

The format for annotations should be as follows| 

Citation | (Check APA style manual for particulars of each type of source) Author (date) title. source. location. page numbers, etcetera.

Annotation | Each annotation answers the following questions:

  • 1. What is the source’s argument/thesis? 
  • 2. What evidence does the author use to prove/support this argument? 
  • 3. How is the source relevant to your argument?
  • 4. How will the source fit into your essay?
  • 5. Will the source support your argument or act as a naysayer, or both? 

The Research Proposal

Research Proposal | I recommend that you complete your annotated bibliography before writing your research proposal, since the depth of research required for the annotated bibliography will undoubtedly inform the proposal itself. Working from your research, from class discussions, from the course readings, and from your own thoughts on research topics, you will write a proposal for a research-based argument. While some ideas may change between writing the proposal and writing your paper, your proposal should still be a polished document, not a stream-of-consciousness free-write.

Paragraph 1: In the first paragraph of your proposal, introduce your research paper topic and describe what you think at this point the main focus of the paper might be. Include a tentative thesis in this paragraph.

The reason that I’ve asked you to include a thesis at this early date is to encourage you to question/interrogate your subject from the very beginning of your project, so you can approach it from a critical, analytical perspective. Obviously you’ll probably revise your thesis — and maybe your entire approach to the subject — several times over the next few weeks, but this is an important first step in focusing your argument. If you’re having some trouble thinking about how to make the transition from a topic into a thesis statement, I suggest you review the appropriate chapters in the Little Seagull

Paragraph 2: Begin to outline your rhetorical situation: Who is your audience for this paper, and why? What is your purpose for writing this paper? What experience and knowledge do you bring to this project? What do you hope to achieve with this piece of writing? 

Paragraph 3: In the third paragraph, discuss the sources that you intend to use. Here, briefly refer to the sources in your annotated bibliography and point out which sources will be particularly helpful and for what reasons.