Last updated 7/2320 Article Response Assignment (Spring 2020) For each reading, I’d like you to produce a thoughtful reflection of the themes of the article/essay at hand. Essentially, you will be producing a critical review of the article that includes a summary and evaluation of its ideas. This process is often referred to as annotating a source. Each separate annotation should take the form of a short essay. These usually run about 2 ½ to 4 pages, with the longer ones often focused more deeply in the evaluation section on issues they see with what is being said in the article. PREPARATION Before writing anything, read through the selected article with a pen, pencil, and/or highlighter. (Personally, I like using two or three pens with different color ink.) Mark up the article as you go through it. Look for statements that seem to imply purpose, points, and claims. Try to follow the argument being made as best you can, but remember that even the best scholars are often stymied by a piece of scholarship, especially if it is outside their field. Do your best to understand the article and try to take away some knowledge of the discussion. You might also note passages that seem particularly insightful, confusing, unsupported, or dumb. THE TRAAP TEST At this stage, you might also think about your article with relation to the TRAAP Test, as you consider Timeliness, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. (You’ll revisit some of these again as you progress with this assignment.) Last updated 7/2320 Timeliness: How current is the source and the information it presents? (Note that literary scholarship usually doesn’t go out of date, but newer research might give you a better sense of the state of scholarship on your topic now and offer more recent approaches to the article/topic.) Relevance: Is the source and the information it presents pertinent to your current project? (Responses to this can vary and may change as you develop your concept of your project.) Authority: What can you discover about the creator of your source? Does the creator have a credible background to write on the topic? Also, are they presenting fresh ideas or merely reporting them from other sources? (Often a brief biography of the creator is included in the source, but databases don’t always carry this over. You might try Googling the creator. If they are an academic, they’ll usually have a faculty profile, a page on Academia.edu, ResearchGate, or Linkedin, or, possibly a personal webpage or twitter feed.) Accuracy: How reliable, trustworthy, and correct is the information presented? This might be hard for you to judge. If you have a source that covers a topic you have some familiarity with, this will work better; however, if you select a source that covers a topic that is unfamiliar to you, then you might have difficulties here. Ask for help from your instructor and/or the librarians, if you need it, or pick another source that might be more accessible to you and your experiences. Purpose: Last updated 7/2320 What is the reason for the creation of this source? Is this a high school student paper, an undergraduate student paper, a graduate student work, a conference paper, a book review, a peer-reviewed article, a chapter in a book, etc.? Also, as you read, do you notice any intentional or unintentional biases that the creator may have? Do also consider whether the publisher of the work has any biases as well. You might try Googling the publisher or journal website for more information on this. Last updated 7/2320 SETTING UP THE ANNOTATION Now you’re ready to begin your annotation. Set up your document in proper MLA Page Format with a page header/number, heading, and creative title, as you normally would. Save the file with your last name first AND an abbreviated form of the assignment title. (For example, my first one might be labeled Torregrossa Article Response 01.) Start your response by devising a citation for the piece. This should be included after your title (a creative on if possible) but before your annotation and set as a hanging indent. If your article came from a database (like those from our library), often the citation is ready made for you, but do check it for formatting errors and correctness. Remember, we are using MLA Documentation Format from 2016 as presented in the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook. ANNOTATION OPENING PARAGRAPH To begin your annotation, introduce the article and its creator. State both the title of the article and the name of its creator in the paper. This sets up the topic to be discussed. Be advised that you might need to do some research on the creator’s background to assess their authority. Most academics have faculty pages at the schools they work at, some have profiles on Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and/or Academia.Edu, and a few will even have their own webpage or social media page. You want to learn their position/rank and background as a scholar AND as a person qualified (or not) to write on the subject of the article at hand. (If you are lucky, the article itself might include a brief biography.) Then, review your earlier markings on the article to determine the main idea (or ideas) you feel the creator of the article is trying to get across to you. Ask yourself, what is the creator promoting as an argument based on his subject? Be aware, this may or may not be what the creator is claiming as his Last updated 7/2320 purpose in presenting the work to you. You’ll want to summarize this aim as you see it in your own words. You might also briefly explain their points and some of the claims being made but don’t let this section overwhelm the rest of the annotation. Lastly, there should be NO quotations from the article in this section. Next, evaluate whether or not the creator is successful in achieving his implied goal. (Essentially, can you accept his argument or not?) This would become your purpose in writing the response. Basically, tell us whether you are for or against the piece or somewhere in the middle. You should also include a plan for development explaining the points you want to develop about the article; remember, these are NOT the points that the article makes but the points YOU want to make with regards to its argument. ANNOTATION BODY PARAGRAPHS (AT LEAST 2 BUT 3 ARE BETTER) This section should resemble a series of body paragraphs that each both summarize and response to the article, being clear throughout that you are commenting on the ideas of a particular critic. Use transitions and topic sentences to set up your points (at least 2 and no more than 4) about the article. Remember that, in an essay, each paragraph focuses on one point made in the article. Be aware, however, that you don’t need to cover everything mentioned in the article. Concentrate on the central ideas and/or the ideas most relevant to your current project. Opening Section of Each Paragraph As with a regular essay, begin with a transition and topic sentence linked to your purpose and one of the points being made by your article. Proceed to your discussion of its relevant claims. Last updated 7/2320 Summary Section Be sure in each paragraph to back up your points about the article with supporting claims and specific examples from the work. (This is the summary part.) Here’s where you display and prove your understanding of the article. Think about the following: What things does the creator say or comment on? What evidence does he use? You should draw directly from the article in this section, being sure to include in-text references by page numbers for anything you summarize and/or paraphrase. Response Section Following your summary, if anything sounds particularly smart or stupid, that’s worth noting and having you respond to it directly. (This is the response section. The purpose is to get you to engage in a conversation with the writer and his ideas. Think in particular about areas of the overall argument that have value for your work and/or that you take issue with. Essentially, how does this article expand, reinforce, and/or challenge your preexisting ideas about the topic(s).) Again, you want to prove your interpretation of the article. You should use some quotes here (don’t forget to cite the page numbers), being sure to integrate them properly (think of the quote sandwich model: introduce, quote, and explain the significance). You might also draw on your own experiences here with the subject as you respond. Finally, you don’t have to like the article or praise it; often, the best responses are critical of the article and tear it to shreds. As with any claim being made, be sure to present your response through explanation and presentation of specific evidence. Last updated 7/2320 ANNOTATION CLOSING PARAGRAPH Finally, as with any essay, conclude your response with a brief closing. Sum up your assessment of the article and the points you made about it. Remind us of what you thought about these ideas. Lastly, consider any final remarks worth noting. Do email the instructor with any questions on this document. 
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