Source Annotation Activity

Finding Popular and Scholarly Sources

Overview
For your future Multimodal Essay, you must incorporate both popular and scholarly sources.
However, before you begin the essay, you need to find those sources and ensure they are credible
enough to be used in an academic college essay. The Source Annotation Activity will get you started
on this process.

Your Task
Find 4 sources to use in your future essay. You should use 2 popular sources and at least 2 scholarly
sources. You need to complete a Source Annotation for EACH of these 4 sources.

Right now, you will analyze the sources you find using the form on the next page. Later, you will
incorporate this research into the essay.

See next page for Source Annotation form to complete for each source:
 SOURCE ANNOTATION FORM

Instructions
Types your answers in the spaces provided under each question. Answer each of the following
questions.

Step 1. Record the publication information you’ll need later to cite your source in a Works Cited page
(or copy and paste the citation using the “citation” tool in the library databases):

Author’s first and last name (or organization’s name):

Title of the article:
Title of journal, magazine, or website where the article is published:
Title of library database (if it is a library source):
Date of publication:
Page numbers (if applicable):
Date you accessed the source:

Step 2. Write a concise summary of the source in which you review the main idea and major
supporting points of the source. Your summary should be in your own words and also include the
author’s name and title of the source:

Step 3: Now that you have written a summary that reviews the main points of the source, write a
response to the source. In other words, do you agree or disagree with the author’s perspective?
Explain.

Step 4. Identify 2-3 interesting quotations from the text. These can be sentences, sections, phrases, or
quotations that the author uses, etc. Copy them here and indicate why you find them interesting (you
might use these quotations in your paper later):

Quotation:

Why this quotation is interesting or important?

Quotation:

Why this quotation is interesting or important?

Step 5. Identify the reasons you plan on using this source in your essay. In other words, what will
this source contribute to your essay? Will you use the sources for background information, to support
your own opinion, or to address a differing opinion or counterargument?