What Is An Annotated Bibliography

What is an annotated bibliography?
● An annotated bibliography “includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of

the sources.” Annotated bibliographies summarize, assess, and reflect on a
source (“Annotated Bibliographies”, Purdue Owl).
How does an annotation differ from an abstract?
● Annotation summarizes AND evaluates a source, communicating the theme

and discussing the background of the source and/or author. Abstracts are
used only to summarize ("A Complete Guide to the MLA & APA Annotated
Bibliography”, EasyBib).
What does a descriptive annotation usually include?
● Annotations are descriptive and critical; they may describe the author's point
of view, authority, or clarity and appropriateness of expression ("Writing an
Annotated Bibliography”, University of Toronto).
What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography?
● “The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance,

accuracy, and quality of the sources cited” (“How to Prepare An Annotated
Bibliography”, Cornell).
What is a citation?
● “Each listed source, or citation, shares information about the author, title,
publishing year, and other details that serve to credit the original authors
whose work informed your research. These details also help other students
and researchers find and read the source materials” (A Complete Guide to
the MLA & APA Annotated Bibliography”, EasyBib).
What is an annotation?
● “An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation” ("Annotated Bibliographies",

Purdue Owl).
Why include annotations in your bibliography?
● One should include annotations in their bibliography because one can

discover what their source contains, how best to use that information in their
paper, or how to restate their topic into a “working” thesis (“Writing an
Annotated bibliography”, Writing Across the Curriculum).
What should annotations include?
● Annotations should include the main points from the source, as well as the
topics covered, the approach used, and any findings, or a critical evaluation
("A Complete Guide to the MLA & APA Annotated Bibliography”, EasyBib).
How should your sources be organized?
● Sources should be organized in alphabetical order by the first word in each

reference by publication date, or by subject ("A Complete Guide to the MLA &
APA Annotated Bibliography”, EasyBib).
How many words is a typical annotation?
● A typical annotation is 150 words following a citation (“How to Prepare An

Annotated Bibliography”, Cornell).
What type of spacing should you use for your annotated bibliography?
● Double spacing should be used for an annotated bibliography ("A Complete

Guide to the MLA & APA Annotated Bibliography”, EasyBib).
How should you assess the relevance and value of sources?
● To assess the relevance of the source, one should assess the source’s
contribution. Some questions to assess: “Are you interested in the way the
source frames its research question or in the way it goes about answering it?
Does it make new connections or open up new ways of seeing a problem?
Are you interested in the way the source uses a theoretical framework or a
key concept? Does the source gather and analyze a particular body of
evidence that you want to use? How do the source’s conclusions bear on
your own investigation?” (University of Toronto) To assess the relevance, the
questions are as follows: “Why is it of value? what are its limitations? how
well defined is its research problem? how effective is its method of
investigation? how good is the evidence? would you draw the same
conclusions from the evidence” (“Writing An Annotated Bibliography”,
University of Toronto)?
Briefly explain the process for creating an annotated bibliography.
● “First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that
may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Briefly examine and
review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety of
perspectives on your topic. Cite the book, article, or document using the
appropriate style. Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central
theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that
(a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the
intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have
cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic (“How to
Prepare An Annotated Bibliography”, Cornell).
Why should you write an annotated bibliography?
● “To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent

preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is
useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you're forced
to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead
of just collecting information. At the professional level, annotated
bibliographies allow you to see what has been done in the literature and
where your own research or scholarship can fit. To help you formulate a
thesis: Every good research paper is an argument. The purpose of research
is to state and support a thesis. So, a very important part of research is
developing a thesis that is debatable, interesting, and current. Writing an
annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is
being said about your topic. By reading and responding to a variety of
sources on a topic, you'll start to see what the issues are, what people are
arguing about, and you'll then be able to develop your own point of view. To
help other researchers: Extensive and scholarly annotated bibliographies are
sometimes published. They provide a comprehensive overview of everything
important that has been and is being said about that topic. You may not ever
get your annotated bibliography published, but as a researcher, you might
want to look for one that has been published about your topic” (“Annotated
Bibliographies”, Purdue Owl).

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What is an annotated bibliography?

● An annotated bibliography “includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of

How does an annotation differ from an abstract?

● Annotation summarizes AND evaluates a source, communicating the theme

What does a descriptive annotation usually include?

What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography?

● “The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance,

● “An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation” ("Annotated Bibliographies",

● One should include annotations in their bibliography because one can

What should annotations include?

How should your sources be organized?

● Sources should be organized in alphabetical order by the first word in each

How many words is a typical annotation?

● A typical annotation is 150 words following a citation (“How to Prepare An

● Double spacing should be used for an annotated bibliography ("A Complete

How should you assess the relevance and value of sources?

Briefly explain the process for creating an annotated bibliography.

Why should you write an annotated bibliography?

● “To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent

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