Touchstone 2.2: Create an Annotated Bibliography
Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the course material, help you refine skills, and demonstrate application of knowledge. You can work on a Touchstone anytime, but you can’t submit it until you have completed the unit’s Challenges. Once you’ve submitted a Touchstone, it will be graded and counted toward your final course score.
Touchstone 2.2: Create an
Annotated Bibliography
ASSIGNMENT: Using your research question, working thesis, and outline from Touchstone 1.2, create an annotated bibliography that provides a synopsis of your sources and an explanation of how you will use them.
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the Touchstone.
As this assignment builds on Touchstone 1.2: Write a Research Question, Thesis, and Outline, that Touchstone, as well as Touchstone 2.1, must be graded before you can submit your annotated bibliography.
Sample Touchstone 2.2
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
1. Annotated Bibliography
Make sure to:
❒ Alphabetize the entries, according to APA style.
❒ Include the required bibliographic information in APA format for each entry.❒ Include 3-4 sentences for each entry that provide a short summary of the source and how you plan to use it to support your argument.❒ Include at least seven entries in your annotated bibliography, all of which must be credible, academic sources.❒ Choose your own sources, but use no more than three websites (there is no limit on the number of online journals used).❒ Thoroughly check the formatting requirements for the different source types.❒ Indicate the required sources (book, peer-reviewed journal, newspaper/magazine, and credible website) by including the source type in parentheses after the relevant entry.
2.
Reflection
❒ Have you displayed a clear understanding of the research activities?
❒ Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses?
❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?
B. Reflection Questions
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.
- Accurately recording bibliographic information is essential and saves you time, as you can transfer this information to the References page of your drafted essay. Each source entry should include a brief summary of the source as well as 3-4 sentences describing how you intend to use that source to build or support your argument. Discuss how your annotated bibliography meets these criteria. (2-3 sentences)
- Which strategies were most helpful for you when searching for credible sources? (2-3 sentences)
- What difficulties did you face while searching for credible sources? How did you overcome these difficulties? (2-3 sentences)
C. Rubric
Advanced (90-100%)Proficient (80-89%)Acceptable (70-79%)Needs Improvement (50-69%)Non-Performance (0-49%)
Annotated Bibliography
Fulfill all annotated bibliography requirements and include usable notes on sources.Meets all source criteria, thoroughly and effectively summarizes the core ideas for all sources, and effectively explains how each source will be used to support the argument.Meets all source criteria, effectively summarizes the core ideas for all sources, and effectively explains how each source will be used to support the argument.Meets the majority of source criteria, summarizes the core ideas effectively for the majority of the sources (one or two source summaries may lack detail), and explains how the majority of the sources will be used to support the argument (for one or two sources, the explanation of support is unclear).Meets some source criteria, summarizes the core ideas for some sources (many summaries are absent or lacking in detail), and explains how some of the sources will be used to support the argument (for many of the sources, the explanation of support is unclear or absent).Meets few or none of the source criteria, summarizes few or none of the sources (or the summaries are all lacking in detail), and does not explain the connection to the argument.
Quality of Sources
Choose reputable, academically appropriate research sources.All sources are credible, relevant, and properly formatted as exemplified in the course instructions.Majority of sources are credible, relevant, and properly formatted as exemplified in the course instructions.Some sources are credible, relevant, and properly formatted as exemplified in the course instructions.Majority of sources are not credible, relevant, or properly formatted as exemplified in the course instructions.Sources do not adhere to the quality standards taught in this course, or there are minimal sources present.
Style
Establish a consistent, informative tone and make thoughtful stylistic choices.Demonstrates thoughtful and effective word choices, avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a wide variety of sentence structures.Demonstrates effective word choices, primarily avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a variety of sentence structures.Demonstrates generally effective style choices, but may include occasional redundancies, imprecise language, poor word choice, and/or repetitive sentence structures.Frequently includes poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures.Consistently demonstrates poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures.
Conventions
Follow conventions for standard written English.There are only a few, if any, negligible errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.There are occasional minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.There are some significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.There are frequent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.There are consistent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.
Reflection
Answer reflection questions thoroughly and thoughtfully.Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; consistently includes insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses, following or exceeding response length guidelines.Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes multiple insights, observations, and/or examples, following response length guidelines.Primarily demonstrates thoughtful reflection, but some responses are lacking in detail or insight; primarily follows response length guidelines.Shows limited reflection; the majority of responses are lacking in detail or insight, with some questions left unanswered or falling short of response length guidelines.No reflection responses are present.
D. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:
Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
Acceptable file formats include and x.
E. Additional Resources
The following resources will be helpful to you as you work on this assignment:
- Purdue Online Writing Lab’s APA Formatting and Style Guide
This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation types.
- Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style
This page on the official APA website addresses common questions related to APA formatting. The “References,” “Punctuation,” and “Grammar and Writing Style” sections will be the most useful to your work in this course.
- APA Style: Quick Answers—References
This page on the official APA Style website provides numerous examples of reference list formatting for various source types.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE AND SCORING
Logan Stevens
English Composition II
December 12, 2019
Annotated Bibliography
Brown, M., & Funk, C. (2008). Food security under climate change. Science, 319
(5863), 580-581. doi: 10.1126/science.1154102
The authors claim that developing regions of the globe are likely to face serious food
insecurity as climate change affects crops. These regions are particularly
endangered because they are distinctly vulnerable to the demands of Western
markets (the desire for mono-cropping corn, for example, in order to feed cattle) and
lacking in the kinds of agricultural technology that help farmers cope with
environmental effects on crops. Brown and Funk claim that investing in local food
economies—including sustainability, agricultural technologies, and emergency
plans—will help these areas of the globe acquire enough food in the face of climate
change. change. This source will be useful to my paper as it provides a big picture
example of the related effects of factory farming and the coming dangers of climate
change that push us to change our eating and food production habits, so I can use this to
discuss both my argument and the counter-arguments.
Comment [SL1]: Good adherence to APA
formatting here.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE AND SCORING
(Peer-Reviewed Article)
Cook, C. (2004). Diet for a dead planet: How the food industry is killing us. New
York, NY: New Press.
Cook argues that our current food system is destroying us in several ways. For
example, we have pesticides and antibiotics that are used in industrial agriculture,
as well the significant ecological damage of industrial food production, the stripped
nutrients that we now find in our food, and the social justice issues of farm worker
and immigrant labor. This book will be useful to the conclusion of my essay when I
encourage readers to take action beyond just purchasing choices.
(Book)
Davis, C., & Lin, B.H. (2005). Factors affecting U.S. beef consumption.
Retrieved from
https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=37389.
This government website provides information on beef consumption in the United
States. It breaks down beef consumption by geography (highest in the Midwest and
lowest in the Northeast), by percentage eaten by rural or urban consumers, and by
race and ethnicity. This information establishes context for the topic and will be useful
in the introductory paragraphs of my essay to inform readers of the popularity of
eating beef in America.
(Credible Website)
Lappe, A. (2010). Diet for a hot planet: The climate crisis at the end of your fork. New York,
NY: Bloomsbury.
In this book, Lappe describes the effect of industrial food production on global climate
change. She traces food from planting and animal husbandry to harvest and production,
Comment [SL2]: Good. You summarize the
main points made by the source and explain how
you plan to use this information in your
argument.
Comment [SL3]: This source sounds like it’s
very wide-ranging, and you do a good job of
focusing on a single aspect which will be useful in
your conclusion.
Comment [SL4]: Excellent. It can be very
difficult to find credible web sources, but this is a
very useful and appropriate source.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE AND SCORING
ultimately arguing that we need to take a more local and sustainable approach to food
production. This book will be very useful to my essay because of the focus on climate
change and the discussion of animal production in particular. These ideas will support the
part of my thesis that focuses on consuming beef that is locally sourced.
(Book)
Palmer, B. (2010). Pass on grass: Is grass-fed beef better for the environment? Slate.
Retrieved from
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2010/12/pass_
on_grass.htm
Palmer compares the environmental impact of both grain-fed, factory-farmed beef
and grass-fed, free-range beef. Some controversial evidence exists that grain-fed
beef might be better in some ways; however, the expenses of grain, issues of
monocropping corn and soy, and excess manure suggest that grass-fed is
environmentally better. Palmer also emphasizes that however the cow is raised,
“eating beef will never be the greenest thing you do in a day” (para. 2). This source
will be useful to my essay because it tends to favor grass-fed beef while highlighting
the negative environmental impacts of all beef, which will help me evaluate the
environmental consequences of eating beef and discuss alternative actions.
(Magazine)
Pollan, M. (2002). An animal’s place. The New York Times. Retrieved from
Pollan, a well-respected food journalist and activist, engages with the ethical
arguments of vegetarianism, admitting that animals feel pain and fear, and that they
Comment [SL5]: Good. This is very specific and
clearly demonstrates how this source will help
you develop your argument.
Comment [SL6]: You don’t have to include
specific quotations in your annotated
bibliography, but sometimes it can be helpful to
do so when there’s something specific that you
want to use in your paper. Well done.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE AND SCORING
deserve to be treated humanely. He extends this discussion to the ethical conflicts
surrounding factory farming and the negative treatment of animals. Pollan
ultimately rejects vegetarianism and calls, instead, for an early version of
“locavorism,” sourcing one’s food from environmentally responsible and humane
producers who are also geographically close. This article will be useful to my essay
because Pollan’s perspective is foundational to my argument that it matters how
our food is produced and that when it comes to beef, specifically, we should aim for
the most sustainable methods if we’re going to eat it at all.
(Newspaper)
Ruechel, J. (2006). Grass-fed cattle: How to produce and market natural beef. North
Adams, MA. Storey Publishing.
This book is a guide for raising grass-fed cattle. It is useful for describing the health
benefits of grass-fed beef in particular, as well as the more positive environmental
impacts as compared to grain-fed, factory-farmed beef. This source will be useful
to my essay because it provides factual data and statistics that will support my
argument that grass-fed beef is better both for consumers and the environment.
(Book)
Sager, G. (2008). Where’s your beef from?: Grass-fed beef: Is it green, humane and
healthful? Retrieved from: http://www.life.ca/naturallife/0812/grassfed_
beef_green_humane_healthful.html
This article compares the differences between grass-fed and grain-fed beef. It
highlights the health benefits of grass-fed over grain-fed, discusses that grass-fed
does not equal organic, and describes the negative global impact of grass-fed
Comment [SL7]: Very good.
Comment [SL8]: Good. This looks like the
credible source with solid evidence and you
clearly demonstrate how you plan to use it to
support your argument.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE AND SCORING
beef—particularly that raised outside the US. This source will be useful to my
argument since it presents a wealth of data and discusses the complexity of the
topic. I will also be able to use this source to present the opposing viewpoints to
my argument.
(Credible Website)
Comment [SL9]: This looks like an interesting
source. It appears to be credible and fact-based,
but be very careful using sources that focus on
presenting a certain perspective; these can often
trade in biased or less credible information. The
information you reference here seems clear and
unbiased, but make sure to vet your sources very
carefully.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE AND SCORING
Reflection Questions:
1. Accurately recording bibliographic information is essential and saves you time, as you
can transfer this information to the References page of your drafted essay. Each source
entry should include a brief summary of the source as well as 3-4 sentences describing
how you intend to use that source to build or support your argument. Discuss how your
annotated bibliography meets these criteria. (2-3 sentences)
My annotated bibliography meets all of these requirements because I have summarized the
source and explained how I am going to use it within my Argumentative essay. I think this is
an important step before drafting the essay, because I’m finding I take less time gathering
information since I’m explaining the validity and usefulness of each source.
2. Which strategies were most helpful for you when searching for credible sources? (2-3
sentences)
I found it extremely helpful to look at, not only when the source was published, but whether
or not the information was going to help support my claim or not. On top of that, cross-
checking the information to make sure it is valid. This helped me find sources that I could
utilize fully, instead of pulling one detail from each.
3. What difficulties did you face while searching for credible sources? How did you
overcome these difficulties? (2-3 sentences)
I was able to find a lot of sources that could only provide a small piece of support toward my
claim. It was a bit more difficult to find sources in which I could use more than one point. I
tried to make sure that I was searching for a clear and consistent group of sources to ensure I
didn’t need more than the few sources I found.
Sophia Pathways for College Credit – English Composition II
SAMPLE TOUCHSTONE AND SCORING
Annotated Bibliography Rubric and Feedback
Rubric
Category
Feedback Score
(acceptable, needs
improvement etc.)
Annotated
Bibliography
You have exceeded the required number of
sources. You summarize them very clearly, and
you provide information about how you plan to
use them to support your thesis statement.
18/20
Quality of
Sources
All sources appear to be credible and relevant to
your topic. You’ve formatted this effectively as
well.
13/15
Style Your word choices are consistently effective. You
do a good job of avoiding redundancy and
imprecise language.
5/5
Conventions You adhere well to all of the APA formatting
requirements and your use of English
conventions is consistent throughout the
touchstone. Well done.
5/5
Reflection You answer all of the questions thoroughly,
providing insights, observations, and examples in
your responses. You consistently exceed the
length guidelines for your responses.
5/5
Overall Score and Feedback: 46/50