How do I write an annotated bibliography?
Answer
What is an annotated bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, which is the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. An annotated bibliography is used to organize ideas and arguments, and it can be used as the outline or foundation of an essay or research assignment.
How is an annotation different from an abstract?
Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in periodical indexes. Annotations are descriptive and critical; they may describe the author's point of view, authority, clarity, or how a source fits into a larger argument or framework.
How do I create an annotated bibliography?
Creating an annotated bibliography requires you to do a few things: locate sources through library research, describe and explain your chosen sources, and analyze the information. Annotations should also be concise and succinct.
First, you need to locate books, articles, or other documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Use the university library to find the required number of scholarly sources for your project. Briefly review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic, and discard any irrelevant sources.
Next, write a reference list entry for each source in alphabetical order. Use the citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) that is required.
Finally, write the annotations under each source as a new paragraph. Remember:
- The annotation is a short summary of the article in your own words.
- Avoid quoting and do not copy the abstract of the article.
- You want to summarize the central theme and scope of the book or article.
You may be asked to include information beyond a summary of the source, such as a short discussion of how the source supports your paper’s topic or your argument. If so, you should include one or more sentences that evaluate the authority or background of the author, comment on the intended audience of the source, compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, and explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.
You can find sample annotations in APA, MLA, and Chicago style on the Purdue OWL website here: Annotated Bibliography Samples.
For more information on citation styles, please see York Library's guide on citing sources.