USE PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS BY N. GREGORY MANKIW

Annotated Bibliography Assignment

What is an annotated bibliography? Cornell University defines one as, "...a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation."

What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography? The purpose is to explain to the reader the relevance and quality of the sources used in a research assignment.

Assignment Steps

Step One: Choose a Chapter of the Book and a topic from that chapter that interests you.

Example: Chapter 10 - Externalities

Step Two: Formulate a research question based on your topic.

A research question should lead to an argument. It is not a yes or no question.

Example: Because of the large positive externalities, what should be done to encourage more people to get more education or training beyond high school?

Step Three: Research 4 sources related to your question. You may use:

1. visual work (graph, video, map, artwork, cartoon etc.)

**include a copy with your completed paper as an Appendix

2. written, primary source (electronic or print)

3. entry from a database (e.g. EBSCO, JSTOR etc.) and not a common knowledge source

4. website

Step Four: Assess your sources and their information and then write thesis.

The thesis is the answer to your research question. It is one sentence.

Remember that you are not writing a report, you are trying to prove something.

Thesis Example: The best way to encourage people to obtain more education or training beyond high school would be for government to pay for it.

Step Five: Write the source annotations. Each of the elements below is required for each of the four sources.

A. Chicago\MLA\ style formatted bibliography citation (You must be consistent and use the same style across all sources.

B. Provide one paragraph per source that provides a summary (main points/thesis) of the source, evaluates the authority/background/POV (Point of View) of the author, and explains how helpful (or not) the source was in answering your research question (effectiveness, usefulness of the source, connection to the subject).

C. Provide two pieces of data or facts to provide evidence to support your thesis.

Step Six: Write an abstract for this proposed paper.

An abstract is one page that summarizes the argument that you would make in a full paper. It should include your question (context), thesis, and a brief description of your findings.

The abstract should not contain: background information, abbreviations, slang, first or second person, quotations or footnotes.

USE PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS BY N. GREGORY MANKIW