EN 1201 - College Writing II (Carpenter)

Choose a topic about which to write an argumentative synthesis paper. You must choose a topic you are interested but have never written about before. 

Some broad suggestions include:

• Race and ethnicity
• Gender and sexuality
• Religion
• Multiculturalism and diversity
• U.S. political process
• National/international politics
• Civil liberties
• Criminal justice
• Economic issues
• Advertising and marketing
• Consumerism
• TV and film
• Sports and entertainment
• Youth issues
• Education
• Environmental issues

NOTE: MLA treats quotations and paraphrasing the same. 

(Last name Page)

Example:

(Dorris and Erdrich 23)

No author
Include the title of article or web resource and page numbers if there are any

(Title Page)

Example:

(White  3)
(Tuning Out)

More than two authors

(Last name et al. Page)

Example:

(Burdick et al. 42)

Last name, First name. "Article Title." Journal Title, vol., no. if available, year, pages. Database, if available. Stable URL, if available. 

Example: 

 Borroff, Marie. "Sound Symbolism as Drama in the Poetry of Robert Frost." PMLA, vol. 107, no. 1, Jan. 1992, pp. 131-44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/462806.

In-text citation
(Borroff 133)

Journal article with multiple authors

When a source has more than two authors, include Last name, First name, et al.

 Last name, First name, and First name Last name. "Article Title." Journal Title, vol., no. if available, year, pages. Database, if available. Stable URL, if available. 

Example: 

Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdich. "The Crown of Columbus." PMLA, vol. 120, no. 3, May 1997, pp. 182-44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/462806.

Singh, Balwinder, et al. "Bioactive compounds in banana and their associated health benefits–A review." Food chemistry 206 (2016): 1-11.

In-text citation
(Dorris and Erdich 190)
(Singh et al. 8)
 

Last name, first name. Book Title. Publisher, abbreviated as appropriate, year. 

Example:

Borroff, Marie. Language and the Poet: Verbal Artistry in Frost, Stevens, and Moore. U of Chicago P, 1979.

In-text citation
(Borroff 16)

Book with multiple authors

When a source has three or more authors, reverse the first name and follow it with a comma and et al.

Last name, first name, et al. Book Title. Publisher, abbreviated as appropriate, year. 

Example:

Burdick, Anne, et al. Digital Humanities, MIT P, 2012. 

In-text citation
(Burdick et al. 96)

Chapter in edited book

Last name, first name. "Chapter Title." Book Title, edited by Editor, Publisher, abbreviated as appropriate, year, pp. pages. 

Example:

Bazin, Patrick. "Toward Metareading." The Future of the Book, edited by Geoffry Nunberg, U of California P, 1996, pp. 153-68.

In-text citation
(Bazin 160)

Last name, First name. “Article Title.” Newspaper Title, First name Last name of any other contributors, Version, Numbers, Date of publication, Location.

Example:

Tumola, Cristabelle. “NYC Developers Seek to Justify High Prices with New Amenities.” Metro [New York City], 9 Aug. 2016, p. 4.

In-text citation
(Tumola 4)

Sometimes, websites do not clearly state who wrote the information on the page. When no author is listed, omit the author information from the citation. Start the citation with the title.

 Last name, First name. “Article or Page Title.” Website Title, Name of the publisher, Date of publication, URL.

Example:

White, Lori. “The Newest Fad in People Helping People: Little Free Pantries.” Upworthy, Cloud Tiger Media, 3 Aug. 2016,
www.upworthy.com/the-newest-fad-in-people-helping-people-little-free-pantries?g=2&c=hpstream.

Tuning Out: Americans on the Edge of Politics. Pew Research Center, 9 Jan. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/01/09/tuning-out-americans-on-the-edge-of-politics/.

In-text citation
(White)
(Tuning Out)

WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations. What makes it different from a Works Cited or standard Bibliography is that each citation is followed followed by 1-2 paragraphs which inform the reader about the source. You should reflect on how you plan to incorporate a source into your paper. 

1. The citation

In MLA format. Arranged alphabetically by author's last name.

2. The summary

Provide a brief overview detailing what your article or book is about. You can discuss the authority of the author, the intended audience, or how this fits into the literature in that field.

3. The analysis

Explain why this article or book is important to your argument. Show how it supports and/or refutes your argument. You might also discuss its limitations or biases. Be as specific as possible.

Contact the Library at library@delval.edu to request a new example and citation help!

RefWorks is a new way to collect, manage, and organize research.  You can read, annotate, organize, and cite your research as well as collaborate by sharing collections.

From simple bibliographies to papers formatted with in-text citations or footnotes, RefWorks handles it all. ​To learn more about RefWorks, use our RefWorks research guide.

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