Note Cards and Annotated Bibliography Neville HS 2015-2016
Othello Note Card and Annotated Bibliography
Related Terms
Primary Source: The work you are writing about. In this case, your primary source is Othello.
Secondary Source: Expert and other related sources that you use to give authority and variety to your writing. For this paper, our secondary sources are scholarly articles related to Shakespeare’s Othello. These are required. However, you may use other expert source material in addition to your required sources. You may NOT use reference sources such as Ask.com, Shmoop, Sparknotes, etc. Check with me if unsure about extra sources.
Annotated Bibliography: A bibliography—a compilation of bibliographic information on published works—that contains critical evaluations following each source. Each evaluation contains a) a complete paraphrase of the sources’ primary points as they are relevant to your topic, and b) brief commentary concerning how the source may be of use to your writing on the primary source. THIS ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY WILL COVER SECONDARY SOURCES ONLY.
Note Card: A document—index cards or formatted entries on paper—in which you provide the bibliographic information for your primary and secondary sources as well as specific quotes or paraphrases as you plan to use them in your paper. Each note card should be dedicated to a SINGLE specific quote or piece of information from a single source and how it may fit into a paper, and are organized by SUBTOPIC. Once your note cards are complete, you should be able to use them to organize your paper’s main points. Example:
NOTECARDS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY TASK SUMMARIES
1. Create your note cards, compiling your AL notes and organizing them according to the topics your paper will cover. Logically, you must first have an idea for what topics your paper will cover.
Due Date: February 9.
2. Create an annotated bibliography wherein you assess your sources and discuss their relevance to your topic. You have been given a model annotated bibliography to use as a guide to MLA formatting. As well, pages 100-109 of your “Big Book” contain guidelines to formatting both in-text parenthetical citations as well as bibliographic entries such as appear on an annotated bibliography or the Works Cited page of a research paper.
Due Date: February 16.
NOTE CARD GUIDE
Review your Actively Learn annotations on secondary sources. Not all original annotations will be used, and not all note cards will be used in your final paper. You should have more than you need, and plenty to choose from! Remember that secondary source material should comprise no more than 30% of an average research paper. Using the notecard sheets provided, complete these by the given due date. For each secondary source, you should have at least 10 note cards. This is the “lite” version of your average research paper requirements.
Ways to choose information to include in note cards:
1. Choose material that supports existing ideas.
2. Choose material you wish to build ideas upon.
3. Choose material that contains essential background information.
4. Choose material that clearly defines terms.
5. Choose material that you wish to disagree with.
Your notecards require you to include material you wish to quote directly. While you may include longer quotes on your notecards as part of your study of expert source material, remember that your actual paper may not use direct quotes that exceed 7 words, and all quotes must be integrated into original writing. Choose quotes wisely.
ANNOTED BIBLIOGRAPHY GUIDE
We have done one bibliography already. Please refer to that guide for details concerning overall formatting and purpose of a bibliography. Because this bibliography focuses exclusively on secondary sources, here again are the requirements for writing critical summaries of secondary sources:
Writing Critical Summaries of Secondary Sources
Keep your critical summaries to ONE medium-to-long paragraph (7-12 sentences). Critical summaries are formal, and should follow all rules for formal writing. This means no “I” or “you,” as well as avoiding slang, contractions, and passive voice. Refer to your “Big Book” guides on writing style and punctuating titles! Refer to your model bibliographies for examples of critical summary writing.
Annotations include the following content, following the SEEC formula, much like a body paragraph. FOLLOW THIS MODEL EXACTLY, IN THIS ORDER:
1. State the central position of the article. This is a summary of what the article is about, and the focus of your annotation.
2. Explain the main arguments. What topics are covered? Paraphrase key examples. Unlike evidence-based ESSAYS and research papers, you should NOT use direct quotes in an annotated bibliography. You must be able to put it into your OWN WORDS to demonstrate understanding.
3. Paraphrase evidence that explains how the source relates to your topic. How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Assess its usefulness: Is the information directly relevant, or is it merely related? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?
4. Connect your source DIRECTLY to your topic. Ultimately, how does your source you shape your argument? How could you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?
EACH NOTE CARD SHEET SHOULD CONTAIN THIS INFORMATION! You must have 10 cards (5 sheets) per secondary source (30 in all).
RESEARCH TOPIC: ______
Subtopics: 1)______2)______3)______