Choose a topic for a five-page research paper. Compile a bibliography of four or five carefully annotated items. You will not have to write the paper. This assignment is designed to sharpen your research and evaluation skills. Include at least one book and one encyclopedia entry in your bibliography. For each item, read the questions below and write an annotation explaining the resource and how it will support your thesis. Include your thesis statement above the bibliography.

Questions to use as you compose the annotation for each item in your bibliography:

• How/Where did you find the book/article and why did you select it?
• What is the main thesis of the book/article? Summarize its conclusions in a couple of sentences.
• Who is the author? Has s/he written other articles or books?
• Does the article or book include a substantial bibliography? If so, did the bibliography lead you to additional discoveries? Give an example.
• For journal articles: What kind of journal is the article published in? Popular or scholarly (peer-reviewed)?
• For books: You might want to find a book review (if available). Cite the review along with the book [e.g., "Reviewed in Theological Studies 67. 2 (June 2006): 411-14."]. How did the review help you assess the book?
• Did the book/article help you in trying to narrow the focus of your research? If so, how?
• Did the book/article assume a substantial knowledge of the field or topic's background, or did it summarize this for the reader?
• Is the book/article exclusively about your topic or were only parts of it relevant for you? (Were other passages helpful or educational anyway?)
• What is the scope of the book/article? Does it present a broad overview? Does it zero in on a very specific topic?
• If you included an older book/article (e.g., from the 1970s or earlier): why did you select it? Was it the only one available? Was it cited (critiqued, praised) in more recent publications?

Cite your sources according to the guidelines of a style manual (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). See http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/sources/ for examples and pick one citation style.