Annotated Bibliography - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/
Definitions
A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, Web
sites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. Bibliographies
are sometimes called "References" or "Works Cited" depending on the style format
you are using. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic
information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).
An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an
annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of
each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your
annotations may do one or more of the following.
Your annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even
others. If you're doing this for a class, you should get specific guidelines
from your instructor.
Why should I 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.
Format
The format of an annotated bibliography can vary, so if you're doing one for
a class, it's important to ask for specific guidelines.
The bibliographic information: Generally, though, the
bibliographic information of the source (the title, author, publisher, date,
etc.) is written in either MLA or APA format. For more help with formatting, see
our MLA handout. For APA, go here: APA handout.
The annotations: The annotations for each source are written
in paragraph form. The lengths of the annotations can vary significantly from a
couple of sentences to a couple of pages. The length will depend on the purpose.
If you're just writing summaries of your sources, the annotations may not be
very long. However, if you are writing an extensive analysis of each source,
you'll need more space.
You can focus your annotations for your own needs. A few sentences of
general summary followed by several sentences of how you can fit the work into
your larger paper or project can serve you well when you go to draft.
A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, Web
sites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. Bibliographies
are sometimes called "References" or "Works Cited" depending on the style format
you are using. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic
information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).
An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an
annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of
each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your
annotations may do one or more of the following.
- Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source.
What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What
topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would
you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary
is.
For more help, see our handout on paraphrasing sources. - Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to
evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in
your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or
objective? What is the goal of this source?
For more help, see our handouts on evaluating resources. - Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you
need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How
does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your
research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?
Your annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even
others. If you're doing this for a class, you should get specific guidelines
from your instructor.
Why should I 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.
Format
The format of an annotated bibliography can vary, so if you're doing one for
a class, it's important to ask for specific guidelines.
The bibliographic information: Generally, though, the
bibliographic information of the source (the title, author, publisher, date,
etc.) is written in either MLA or APA format. For more help with formatting, see
our MLA handout. For APA, go here: APA handout.
The annotations: The annotations for each source are written
in paragraph form. The lengths of the annotations can vary significantly from a
couple of sentences to a couple of pages. The length will depend on the purpose.
If you're just writing summaries of your sources, the annotations may not be
very long. However, if you are writing an extensive analysis of each source,
you'll need more space.
You can focus your annotations for your own needs. A few sentences of
general summary followed by several sentences of how you can fit the work into
your larger paper or project can serve you well when you go to draft.