ENG 112

Remember that when you begin to research and write about a topic, you are entering into an ongoing scholarly conversation that includes many different voices. The more you learn, the more weaknesses you’re going to find and questions you’re going to have. 

Some questions to ask yourself as you read different voices and opinions, or different sets of information:

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of this argument?

• Where there is disagreement, what is the relative authority/credibility of the dissenting voices?

• Is this conversation changing over time? Should it be?

• Is there room for divergent thinking in this conversation? Should there be?

• What roles are privilege and bias playing here, and what roles have they played historically in this field of study? Does that change things?

Always remember that scholarly conversation is ongoing and continual. It will never be finished. It will always be dynamic, meaning that it changes and evolves as society and technology change and evolve. 

• An annotated bibliography is a list of citations of books, articles, and documents.
• Each citation is followed by a brief paragraph that evaluates a source (otherwise known as the annotation – usually about 150 words).
• Depending on the purpose of your bibliography, some annotations may summarize, some may assess or evaluate a source, and some may reflect on the source’s possible uses for the project at hand. Some annotations may address all three of these steps.
• Consider the purpose of your annotated bibliography and/or your instructor’s directions when deciding how much information to include in your annotations.

• First, use SPCC Library resources to locate and record citations to books and articles that may contain useful information on your topic.
• Use abstracts &/or reviews to briefly examine and review the items.
• Then choose the books and articles that will work best for your topic & parameters of the assignment. 
• Cite the book or article using MLA or APA style
• Write a concise annotation for each book or article.
• Please keep in mind that all your text, including the write-up beneath the citation, must be indented so that the author's last name is the only text that is flush left.
• Include the following information (unless assignment parameters differ):
  • Give a brief summary of the article (3-4 sentences).
  • What is the main point of the article?
  • How will this article specifically help you write a paper on this topic?
  • What type of audience is this article written for (i.e. professionals, the general public, both)?  How did you determine this?
  • Compare or contrast this work with another you have included in this bibliography.

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Books, 1995.

Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its

insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of being a writer,

the chapters in Lamott's book are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything

from plot development to jealousy, from perfectionism to struggling with one's own

internal critic.

Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. Henry Holt and Company.

In this book of nonfiction based on the journalist's experiential research, Ehrenreich attempts to

ascertain whether it is currently possible for an individual to live on a minimum-wage in America.

Taking jobs as a waitress, a maid in a cleaning service, and a Walmart sales employee, the author

summarizes and reflects on her work, her relationships with fellow workers, and her financial struggles

in each situation.