Research Paper

The Annotated Bibliography

Talk about any controversial topic in the Engineering profession.

1). Write an annotated bibliography

2). Write an problem/solution essay with 1000-1250 words.

3). essay should have 8 or more citations (50% should be scholarly)

Prompt: To prepare for the final research essay, gather 8-10 sources (at least 50% scholarly) on a controversial issue in the profession of your choice. Read and summarize each source following the instructions and example below.

 

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to learn important concepts and tools associated with academic research and to prepare you for the problem/solution essay, which requires you to use multiple sources. The two main course objectives addressed are:

 

  • Course Objective #1: conducting advanced primary and secondary research
  • Course Ojbective #4: evaluating, analyzing, and responding to arguments

 

This assignment is also the first step in:

  • Course objective #3: marshaling evidence
  • Course objective #9: engaging multiple perspectives

 

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources with notes about the source, including how you plan to use the source for your essay. Before you begin writing the problem/solution essay, you need to “do your homework” and find out about the topic (this is part of establishing ethos, or credibility). The annotated bibliography gives you the structure and tools for doing that research and organizing it so that you are prepared to write the essay. You will also harness some of the skills of the previous assignments, but the MAJOR difference here is that you will now be engaging more with the content or argument of the source in hopes to marshal that evidence for your own argument in the next assignment in several ways: (1) establishing the nature and extent of the problem you’ve identified, (2) providing support for your solution, and/or (3) allowing you to understand and address any alternative points of view.

 

Skills & Knowledge:

  • Understand the purpose and components of an annotated bibliography.
  • Familiarize yourself with the library, Galileo, and other research tools.
  • Distinguish between scholarly and non-scholarly sources.
  • Apply knowledge of rhetorical situations to analyze arguments.
  • Evaluate sources for credibility.
  • Learn the difference between primary and secondary sources.
  • Identify the differences among summarizing, paraphrasing, and integrating quotations and practice those skills in your writing.
  • Practice applying MLA style and formatting.
  • Learn the difference between paragraph indents and hanging indents.
  • Use your word-processing software to create hanging indents (which are necessary for both annotated bibliographies and Works Cited lists).

 

Tasks

  • Review and familiarize yourself with the relevant terms in the readings.
  • Attend class to see examples and practice.
  • Gather sources during library workshops (and outside of class as needed).
  • Read and take notes on each source. Identify the author’s thesis and main points.
  • Write a draft of the bibliography.
  • Conduct peer review.
  • Revise bibliography based on feedback from peers.
  • Submit final bibliography.

 

Helpful Resources:

Criteria for Success:

The annotated bibliography will be graded primarily on the quality of the sources you chose for your topic, the clarity and accuracy of the summaries, the accuracy of the integrated quotations, and the formatting.

 

In terms of general requirements, please note the following:

  • You must have 8-10 sources.
  • At least 50% of the sources must be scholarly (peer-reviewed and academic).
  • The other 50% can be non-scholarly sources. They must still be credible, but they do not have to be scholarly per se. For example, newspaper articles, trustworthy web sites, government documents, and trade journals are not scholarly, but they can be credible. Trade journals and professional web sites will be very useful for this assignment.
  • Two of the sources must be from points of view other than your own.
  • Divide the sources into two sections: Scholarly and Non-Scholarly. Within each section, put the sources in ABC order.
  • Use MLA style: heading, title, Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. The only difference is that you generally do not double-space annotated bibliographies.
  • After EACH citation, write an annotation, which will include the following: the name of the author and his/her credentials, a summary of the author’s main ideas with one quotation embedded, a description of how you will use this source for your paper.
  • In the summary, weave in one quotation to practice embedding quotations.
  • DO NOT copy and paste article abstracts from the online databases.
  • DO NOT use primarily direct quotations. Use only one or two. The bulk of the text should be your writing as part of the point here is to practice how to summarize and paraphrase.

 

See the next page for an example of how to format this document and what to include.

 

 

Annotated Bibliography for “Daisy Girl: Guilt or Gilt by Association”

 

Section 1: Scholarly Sources

 

Benham, Thomas W. “Polling for a Presidential Candidate: Some Observations on the 1964 Campaign.” Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 2, 1965, pp. 185-199. JSTOR. EBSCOhost,

 

The Vice President of the Opinion Research Corporation (ORC), Benham presents ORC opinion polls on voter perceptions of the two presidential candidates during the 1964 election. Only 17% of the poll takers perceived Goldwater as “warm and friendly,” strengthening the charge in Johnson’s “Daisy Girl” ad that the senator would attack civilians (185). Also, 44% of poll takers believed that Goldwater’s victory would increase the likelihood of a nuclear war, showing that many perceived Goldwater’s foreign policies as belligerent. Poll takers cited Goldwater’s worst quality as his “acting without thinking,” fearing that Goldwater’s off-the-cuff hyperboles would translate into impulsive decisions in the era of delicate, nuclear diplomacy (198).  This article will help bolster my claim that voter perception is far more important than factual evidence in the outcome of campaigns; this knowledge of a past campaign will help me make my case about the 2012 election between Romney and Obama where perception played a major role.

 

[Note: there will be at least 3 more scholarly sources in this section for this assignment.]

 

Section 2: Non-Scholarly Sources

 

Cummings, Milton C., Jr. The National Election of 1964. Washington D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1966.

 

An NBC news consultant for 15 years, Professor Cummings edits a volume of essays on diverse aspects of the 1964 election, including mass media coverage, the primary elections, and the political strategies of Johnson and Goldwater. Cummings argues that Goldwater’s insistence on transferring nuclear weapons to the control of US military generals cemented the senator’s image as an irresponsible maverick in Cold War diplomacy. Reinforcing his belligerent stance, Goldwater rejected diplomacy with the USSR for a more confrontational approach. Exploiting Goldwater’s unpopular “pro-war” image, Lyndon B. Johnson made speeches to position himself as the antithesis of Goldwater, supporting “measure[s]…that will bring the world closer to peace” (60).  This article further demonstrates the role of the media and campaign strategies in election results.  Once again, the 2012 elections parallel what happened in 1964.  While the previous article will help me discuss voter perception, this article will help me discuss the role of the media in the 2012 elections, which bears many similarities to the 1964 election in terms of amount of coverage and language used about each candidate.

 

[Note: there will be at least 3 more sources in this section for this assignment.]