Annotated Bibliography - Step 1 of your Research Project

Annotated Bibliography

These guidelines will help you complete your research project.  By finding, analyzing, using, and citing a variety of appropriate resources you will be able to write a better paper or project and get a better grade.  This will also prepare you to do academic level research for other classes you will take at NDNU.

Instructions: Include your first and last name, the name of your professor, and the date in the upper left hand corner.  Double space your paragraphs and use Times New Roman, 12 point font.

·      Write 1-2 sentences describing your research topic in your own words.

·      Find four or more sources:

o   At least one peer reviewed article, found using the library databases. 

o   Additional college-level resources of your choice – these can be books, articles, poems, videos, other primary sources, etc.

·      Using MLA style (see examples below), cite each source in alphabetical order by author’s last name or name of organization if there is no author.

·      Create an annotated entry for each source:

o   Write 2-3 sentences summarizing the content of the resource.  What are the main points?

o   Write 2-3 sentences evaluating the author(s). 

Who is the author, what are their credentials as experts on this subject? Are they affiliated with a university or college, what are their degrees, have they published other articles and/or books on this topic? Hint: do a web search for your author to find out more about them.

o   Write 2-3 sentences describing the relevance of this resource to your research.  How will you use it in your paper or project?

MLA Example

Steve Jordan
10/22/12
Prof. Thompson

Give a short description of your topic.

I am writing about what forces created and sustained the Silk Roads and the Sand Roads.  I will be specifically looking at trade, religion, and language.

 Cite correctly using MLA. See libguides.ndnu.edu/ethics_citation for help.

1 1) Liu, Xinru. The Silk Road in World History.  New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

     This book is an examination of the history and influence of the Silk Road.  It describes Rome and China reaching out to each other, the development of empires and religions, the blooming of trade and subsequent wealth creation, and the ultimate withering away of the Silk Road.

Now write about your resource. Give a short summary, evaluate the author’s credentials, and explain how you plan to use the resource in your paper.

     Xinru Liu teaches history at the College of New Jersey and previously served as Senior Researcher at the Institute of World History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.  She has written many books on Eurasia and the Silk Road.

     This book gives me a good background of the Silk Road from its beginning to end, and how religion and trade contributed to its creation. 

     I will use the chapter on Buddhism and the Kushan Empire to discuss the influence of Buddhism on the development of the Silk Road.

2) Rose, Christopher. Minerals, Medals, Faith and Slaves: The Trans-Saharan Commodity Trade. Hemispheres Summer Teachers’ Institute 2003, 9 Jun. 2003. Web. 27 Aug. 2011. <http://www.utexas.edu/cola/orgs/hemispheres/_files/pdf/presentations/Metals_Minerals_Faith_Slaves.pdf>

     In this very interesting and informative paper presented at the Hemispheres Summer Teachers’ Institute 2003, the author discusses the history and impact of trans-Saharan trade, which began in earnest because of the need for gold, to be used as coinage, in the Roman territories of Northern Africa, and the almost desperate need for salt in the sub-Saharan regions.  It describes the impact of this trade not only in terms of commerce but also in relation to the development of empires, cities, cultural exchange, and the spread of Islam.  Finally, the author discusses the reasons for the decline of traditional trade by caravan, such as the end of demand for slaves and the spread of railways.

     The author is the Outreach Director, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin. Hemispheres is a program at UT Austin that works to promote greater awareness at all levels of education in the different regions of the world.

     This paper will help me expand on my section about the importance of cultural and religion in the creation of the Sand Road.  It will also help me write about what forces led to the decline of the Sand Road.

3) Waugh, Daniel C. “The Silk Roads in History.” Expedition, 52.3 (2010): 9-22. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Aug. 2011.

     This article discusses the history of the Silk Road and describes the modern rediscovery of the Silk Roads, which resulted from archeological research.  These routes were the historic pathways of cultural, religious, and economic exchange across Eurasia.

     The author is Professor Emeritus in History, International Studies and Slavic Languages at the University of Washington.  He is the current director of the Silk Road Seattle Project.

     This article includes a timeline that will help me see when key events occurred in the history of the Silk Road.  It also reinforces my thesis that religion played an important role in sustaining and creating the Silk Road.