Handout 6

by .

Mrs. Tarnowski

ENC 1101 and ENC 1102

Course Handout 6

January 4,  2011

The Bibliographic Essay

            The bibliographic essay is a narrative composition that ultimately attempts to reach a reasonable synthesis about the ideas and information offered up by the several sources and information discussed in the composition.  The bibliographic essay’s job might be described as a review the literature.  The primary purpose of the genre is organize a succinct composition that  “discusses … sources and their relevance to your research” (Kirszner and Mandell 343).    In addition to this purpose, the student example in the Wadsworth Handbook demonstrates the all-important element of synthesis as part of the short composition’s conclusion.  However, if the bibliographic essay is merely a series of unrelated annotations, it is incomplete.  The bibliographic essay is usually incomplete unless it compares or evaluates  the sources and ideas, as it goes about achieving its synthesis.

            A great bibliographic essay is like a three-wheeled carriage.  The first wheel is powered with accurate, robust paraphrase; that is, the writer understands the source material well enough express its content fully and robustly in his or her own words.  The second wheel is the relationship among the sources, relationships and connections that the essayist identifies, helping to establish the topical significance for the interested reader.  And the third wheel is graceful, in-sentence attribution (sourcing), that helps document the sources’ relevance and significance. 

             Like any well-crafted composition, the bibliographic essay clearly signals its purpose, fulfils the expectations of interested readers, and demonstrates accuracy and integrity in its use of materials and documentation.

Works Cited

Kirszner, Laurie G,  and Stephen R. Mandell, eds.  The Wadsworth Handbook. 9th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cenage, 2011. Print.