Preparing this bibliography doesn't require you to make careful judgments about the sources listed in it, but only to ascertain that they are potentially useful to you. From this bibliography you'll begin reading and annotating sources, and during that process, you'll evaluate what you've found and decide whether to draw on it in your research report and your researched argument.
Assignment: Compile a preliminary bibliography for your research project.
The bibliography should include at least 20 plausible sources for your research. Of those, at least 15 must be peer-reviewed scholarly sources. The majority of these should be in academic journals (rather than in books). Format your entries according to MLA guidelines, and arrange them in alphabetical order by author (or by title, when no author is listed). Follow the general guidelines in the handout "Formatting Works
Cited" that's on Blackboard; consult your handbook for detailed information (Ch. 10 in the Writer's Harbrace; Ch. 13 in Brief Thomson). A model bibliography is on p. 234 of the Writer's Harbrace handbook; on p. 241 of the Thomson Handbook.
When creating hanging indents, remember to use automatic formatting; in Microsoft Word, it's Format-Paragraph-Special-Hanging.
Title the text "Preliminary Bibliography for Research on _____" and fill in your research topic. Between your contact information and the bibliography, write your research question(s).
Feel free to email or IM me while you're working on this or any assignment. I try to answer IM messages immediately and email within 24 hours. You may also find this bibliography Q&A useful.
Length: At least 20 entries.
Manuscript preparation: Follow the specifications here.
Due date: The final draft is due in as an email attachment by February 19. Be sure to follow the manuscript guidelines; look at items 17 and 18 for how to prepare the file for email attachment so that I can read it.
Grading: As I grade this assignment, my primary concerns will be whether you have provided at least 20 plausible sources and whether you have followed the directions above. I don't expect precise MLA citation style, but I do expect entries that are a recognizable attempt at MLA. Editing matters; so does the manuscript presentation. If you do the assignment as requested and hand it in on time, you'll get a "C." If you do it well, you'll get a "B." If you do it exceptionally well, you'll get an "A." This assignment counts as 10% of your final course grade .