Later this semester, you will be asked to produce a researched argument essay that addresses and takes a position on a controversial or multi-sided issue relevant to your professional field of interest. You began working on this assignment when preparing the topic proposal and will continue working on it when developing your evaluative annotated bibliography.

An evaluative annotated bibliography focuses on a research topic by listing pertinent references and by providing sentences that discuss and assess the resources identified in those references. Your evaluative annotated bibliography should focus on six sources you plan to use in the researched argument essay—at least two of those sources must be peer-reviewed journal articles. Your other sources may be books or book chapters; professional association, government, or trade journal articles; documents from reputable websites; or articles from credible news publications. Place the reference for each source at the beginning of its annotated bibliography entry, and then craft paragraphs about the source that do the following.

• Summarize the source’s main argument, main point, central themes, or key takeaways.
• Evaluate the source. That is, assess its quality by weighing its strengths and limitations.
• Comment on how the source corresponds with your research aim.

When writing an annotated bibliography entry, be sure to connect these elements together in a cohesive manner so the text is reader friendly.

Formatting Guidance

Follow the guidelines below when formatting your annotated bibliography. The APA annotated bibliography sample provided herein, which is adapted from Hacker and Sommers (2018, p. 358), provides additional formatting guidance.

• • Use one-inch margins and double-spacing.
• Provide an APA title page at the start of the document. See this handout for a sample.
  • Number all assignment pages, beginning with the title page. Place the page number in the upper right corner of the header area. See this handout for an example.
  • List your informative title at the top of document page two. See the sample annotated bibliography provided herein for formatting guidance. Note: “WRIT 201 Evaluative Annotated Bibliography” is not an informative title. Here is an example title that identifies a research focus: “Transferability of Writing Skills: Annotated Bibliography.”
• Use APA style when citing and referencing sources.
• List annotated bibliography entries in alphabetical order using first authors’ last names.
  • List the word count in brackets after each annotated bibliography entry (see sample). 
  • Do not use a citation generator to format your document’s citations or references.
• Do not provide a separate APA reference page at the end of the document.

Source Selection Guidance

Carefully consider the quality of sources for your assignment. Use the following criteria, adapted from Pace University (2024, Evaluate & Select Sources), to evaluate source quality.  

• Purpose:
  • Why does this information exist: to educate, inform, persuade, sell, entertain?
  • Why was this information published in this particular type of source (book, article, website, newspaper, etc.)? 
  • Who is the intended audience—the general public, students, experts—and is the purpose clear?
  • EXAMPLE: A scholarly article's format is structured and standardized in order to share original research with experts and early career researchers in the field of study.
• Relevance:
  • Does the information in this source answer your questions or support your argument?
  • How detailed is the information?
  • Is the information too general or specific, or is it too general and vague?
  • EXAMPLE: You find a newspaper article on your topic. But it is only three paragraphs long and explains a specific event briefly, so it will probably not provide enough details.  
• Objectivity:
  • Do the authors present the information thoroughly and professionally?
  • Do they use strong, emotional, manipulative, or offensive language?
  • Does the source present fact or opinion?
  • Does it offer multiple points of view and critique other perspectives respectfully, or is it biased?
  • Does it omit or make fun of important facts or perspectives?
  • EXAMPLE: An online magazine article suggests that it has the truth about a topic and that others are trying to hide it from the public. This source seems manipulative, does not provide any other points of view, and focuses solely on the author's opinions. 
• Verifiability:
  • Do the authors support their information with factual or research-based evidence?
  • Can you verify the credibility of the sources used: for example, do the authors cite or link to other sources?
  • Can you find the original source(s) of the information or verify it in other sources?
  • What do experts say about the topic?
  • EXAMPLE: You find an article about a new study that disputes current knowledge about heart disease. The article links to the original study, meaning you can read it to check the conclusion. You can also search to see what other experts are writing about it. 
• Expertise:
  • What makes the authors, publishers, or sponsors of the source authorities on the topic?
  • Do they have related education, or personal, or professional experience?
  • Are they affiliated with an educational institution or respected organization? 
  • Has the source been reviewed by an editor or through peer review?
  • EXAMPLE: A journalist interviews an expert in artificial intelligence (AI) for an online magazine article. The journalist is not an expert in AI, but their expertise is in investigating, communicating, and asking questions of the AI expert who is educated and trained in that area. 
• Newness:
  • When was the information in the source first published or posted?
  • Are newer sources available that would add important information to your understanding of the topic?
  • Is your topic in an area that requires current information, or could information found in older sources still be useful and valid?
  • EXAMPLE: You are writing about the most effective treatments for anxiety and depression, and you find an article from 2002. You have two choices: locate a recent article about current treatments or contextualize the information in your paper as an older treatment. 

Do not use anything from Wikipedia or course sharing websites (e.g., Chegg, Course Hero) in your assignment, and remember that using generative artificial intelligence (e.g., ChatGPT, QuillBot, the paid version of Grammarly) to produce assignments/parts of assignments is prohibited and violates academic integrity policy.

Length

Each annotated bibliography entry should be roughly 175-250 words long, excluding the accompanying APA reference for the source.

Assignment Percentage

This assignment is worth 20 percent of your course grade.

Audience

The audience for this assignment is your instructor and your classmates (your classmates will read the draft annotated bibliography during peer review). Use language that is appropriate for communication with an instructor and other professionals.

Course Outcomes

This assignment will contribute to students meeting the following course outcomes:

• Consider and successfully address audience, purpose, context, and genre.
• Refine strategies for writing, including planning, organizing, drafting, editing, and reflecting.
• Revise documents until they are effective, clear, complete, concise, and correct.
• Demonstrate a systematic approach to research as a process of gathering, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing sources to explore the perspectives surrounding a complex issue.

Submission Specifications and Due Date

• Bring an electronic copy of your evaluative annotated bibliography (a complete draft) to class on XXX for peer review.
• Save the final copy of your assignment as a PDF, and upload it to Canvas by 8:00 a.m. on XXX. Name the file Annotated Bibliography – first and last name (e.g., Annotated Bibliography – Sally Student). Final versions of assignments that contain editing marks will receive zeros.

References

Hacker, D., & Sommers, N. (2018). A writer’s reference (9^th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Pace University. (2024, September 26). The research process. License: CC-BY-SA-4.0. https://libguides.pace.edu/researchprocess/evaluateandselectsources

Earlier this semester, you produced a topic proposal and evaluative annotated bibliography focused on a controversial or multi-sided issue relevant to your professional field of interest. The researched argument essay marks the confluence of your research efforts: it should take a position on the issue you have identified, use appropriate evidence from at least six sources to support viewpoints—including two or more peer-reviewed journal articles[1]—and follow APA referencing and formatting conventions. You will find sample researched argument essays in your textbook.

Carefully consider the quality and reliability (trustworthiness) of sources when preparing your assignment. Do not use anything from Wikipedia or course sharing websites (e.g., Chegg, Course Hero) in your assignment, and remember that using generative artificial intelligence (e.g., ChatGPT, QuillBot, the paid version of Grammarly) to produce assignments/parts of assignments is prohibited and violates academic integrity policy.

Length

The researched argument essay should be 1500-1750 words long, excluding the APA title page and end-of-text reference list.

Assignment Percentage

This assignment is worth 30 percent of your course grade.

Formatting Guidance

Follow the guidelines below when formatting your researched argument essay.

• • Use one-inch margins and double-spacing.
• Provide an APA title page at the beginning of the paper. See page four of this assignment sheet for a sample.
  • Number all assignment pages, beginning with the title page. Place the page number in the upper right corner of the header area. See page four of this assignment sheet for an example.
  • List your informative title at the top of document page two. Note: “WRIT 201 Researched Argument Essay” is not an informative title. Create a title that identifies your topic, stance, or research focus.
  • Indent all paragraphs.
  • Use APA-style headings to organize the document. Headings should be descriptive and reflect the content discussed in the various sections or paragraphs of the paper. Refer to your textbook or the APA Style website (https://apastyle.apa.org/) for further information about APA headings.
  • Use APA style when citing and referencing sources. Do not use a citation generator to format your document’s citations and references.
  • Place APA-formatted references on a separate page at the end of your paper. Every reference list entry should have an accompanying APA in-text citation. Refer to your textbook or the APA Style website for guidance on documenting sources.
  • State the word count at the end of the paper (e.g., Word count: 1500).
  • Do not use a citation generator to format your document’s citations and references.

Course Outcomes

This assignment will contribute to students meeting the following course outcomes:

• Consider and successfully address audience, purpose, context, and genre.
• Refine strategies for writing, including planning, organizing, drafting, editing, and reflecting.
• Revise documents until they are effective, clear, complete, concise, and correct.
• Demonstrate a systematic approach to research as a process of gathering, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing sources to explore the perspectives surrounding a complex issue.

Audience

The audience for this assignment is your instructor and your classmates (your classmates will read the draft researched argument during peer review). Use language that is appropriate for communication with an instructor and other professionals.

Submission Specifications and Important Dates

• Meet with your instructor in ENGR 104 for 15 minutes on XXX or XXX.
  • Bring a completed paper copy of your “Conference Preparation Form” (worth 5 daily work/participation points) to the meeting. Partially completed forms will receive 0 points.
• Upload a complete working draft of your essay to Canvas by 8:00 a.m. on XXX for instructor feedback (the instructor will give 20 minutes of feedback per draft researched argument). Name the file Researched Argument Draft – Your Name (e.g., Researched Argument Draft – Sally Student). The draft is worth 5 daily work/participation points, but partially completed drafts will receive 0 points and will not be instructor reviewed.
• Bring an electronic copy of your complete working draft to class on XXX for peer review.
• Bring an electronic copy of your complete draft to class on XXX for peer review.
• Save the final copy of your assignment as a PDF, and upload it to Canvas by 8:00 a.m. on XXX. Name the file Researched Argument – your name. Final versions of assignments that contain editing marks will receive zeros.

Reference

Bullock, R., Brody, M., & Weinberg, F. (2017). The little seagull handbook with exercises (3^rd ed.).              W.W. Norton & Company.