Annotated Bibliography and Thesis Statement

Composition II (ENGL 1213): Annotated Bibliography and Thesis Statement

As part of the writing process for the research paper, you will write a thesis statement and conduct research for sources. The thesis statement will organize your paper, and the annotations will demonstrate that you have evaluated your sources and will provide material for your paper. Our annotations are structured paragraphs with required elements that capture essential information about a source.

Assignment Requirements:

Compose a thesis statement for your research paper and at least eight annotations for sources that will be appropriate to use in your paper

Have an arguable, scaffolded thesis statement with three points

Choose a variety of sources that are timely and academically credible

Reference the sources using APA format

Develop the four required parts of the annotation (summary, strengths and weaknesses, credibility, and relevance)

Use correct grammar and mechanics, as well as vocabulary appropriate for a college-level assignment

❗Assignments should be double-spaced and use Times New Roman 12pt

Assignment Context and Outcomes: Assignment designed to

Select appropriate and varied sources for college research,

Synthesize ideas of other scholars,

Apply the principles of evidence-based research processes and methodologies, and

Formulate a writing process that includes planning, drafting, revising, and editing.

Annotated Bibliography and Thesis Statement Rubric

Sample Thesis Statement and Annotation

Thesis Statement: The rapid spread of misinformation online is a critical problem, and both writers and readers need to apply new strategies in order to minimize the proliferation of harmful information.

Annotation:

Shaffer, K. (n.d.) Education in the (dis)information age. https://open.ocolearnok.org/

composition1introductiontoacademicwriting/chapter/66-education-in-the-

disinformation-age-shaffer/

In “Education in the (dis)information age,” Shaffer discusses how misinformation and its tools have grown, given technological advancements, and how writers, including academics and professionals, must adjust their practices in response. His argument centers on the use of the hyperlink to supply correct information, context, and nuance. Shaffer takes a piece of text through several iterations, showing how hyperlinking parts can provide more background information, but also steer the reader to sites with or without potential biases. Shaffer concludes that the hyperlink is a powerful weapon in the fight against misinformation, but a writer or annotator must provide links quickly, be mindful of the links they choose, and contextualize those choices for their audience. The article does an excellent job of providing context about the issue of disinformation, and Shaffer engages the reader using a conversational tone, employing Logos and Ethos appeals, and providing examples to illustrate his observations and argument. I appreciate how he applies his own argument about using hyperlinks to his writing, but this could also be a drawback, since it partially obscures how much research and sourcing the article has and puts the responsibility on the reader to investigate each link. Author Kris Shaffer holds a PhD from Yale University and has more than five years of experience as a data analyst. He has numerous publication credits, including authoring a report to the United States Senate about disinformation, which demonstrates his credibility. This source is relevant to the argument point in my thesis. Shaffer discusses one way to combat misinformation and help shape the discourse around a topic in a responsible way.