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How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is an organized list of sources with critical and explanatory notes provided for the reader. It generally consists of a representative sample of the best material on a specific topic. It often includes books, articles, electronic documents, and government publications. Below you will find guidelines on both researching and preparing an annotated bibliography.

Research Phase

The first step in completing an annotated bibliography is finding appropriate resources that fit your selected topic. Generally, a balanced mix of books, book chapters, journal articles, government documents, and web pages is preferred. However, not all of these materials are acceptable for every assignment. Check the details of your assignment or check with your professor to find out which types of resources can be included in your bibliography.

Research is a central element in creating an annotated bibliography. It is important to find and annotate only the best resources on your topic. Your bibliography will demonstrate the quality of research that you have done. For help with conducting scholarly research consult a librarian.

Preparing the Bibliography

Each entry will consist of the bibliographic citation followed by the annotation itself. An annotation is a short critical description of the item generally consisting of fewer than 150 words. An annotation can include one or two sentences on each of the following areas:

  1. Summarize the main argument.
  2. Assess the accuracy and authority of the work.
  3. Compare the work with another in your bibliography.
  4. Evaluate the usefulness of the work as it relates to your topic.

For clarity, an extensive bibliography can be broken up in to sections. For example, if you are preparing a 30 item bibliography on Capital Punishment, you can organize your entries under the following headings: History, Ethical Concerns, Political Ramifications, and Societal Implications.

The entries should follow a standard bibliographic citation style, such as APA or MLA. For examples of proper citation consult:

Documenting in the APA Style

Documenting in the MLA Style

Ask your professor which style guide should be used.

Examples

Sample entry in an annotated bibliography for a journal article, prepared in the APA style:

Joyce, P. (2003). Pop culture and ESL. ESL Quarterly , 41, 34-51.

This article examines the role pop culture plays in ESL class lectures and discussions. The author, Patricia Joyce, is especially qualified to speak to this phenomena as she is a distinguished professor of Popular Culture at the prestigious Anderson School and has many years experience teaching ESL classes. This article outlines the main arguments of her book, Pop culture and the new American, which is widely accepted as being the definitive work on this subject. However, a discussion of the differences between younger and older ESL students would have rounded out many of the arguments in this article. This article provides a much needed background for many other items in this list, including Michael Becker's article, ESL the myth and Joyce Tanner's article, Pop goes the ESL.

Sample entry in an annotated bibliography for a journal article, prepared in the MLA style:

Joyce, Patricia. "Pop Culture and ESL." ESL Quarterly 41 (2003): 34-51.

This article examines the role pop culture plays in ESL class lectures and discussions. The author, Patricia Joyce, is especially qualified to speak to this phenomena as she is a distinguished professor of Popular Culture at the prestigious Anderson School and has many years experience teaching ESL classes. This article outlines the main arguments of her book, Pop Culture and the New American, which is widely accepted as being the definitive work on this subject. However, a discussion of the differences between younger and older ESL students would have rounded out many of the arguments in this article. This article provides a much needed background for many other items in this list, including Michael Becker's "ESL the Myth" and Joyce Tanner's "Pop Goes the ESL."

Help

Stop at the Reference Desk on the 3rd floor of the Library for in-person assistance, or call us at 920-465-2303 -- Toll Free 1-888-729-4611.

Reference Desk Hours

Other options for contacting us include email.

To learn more about research skills check out Searchpath, the Library's online tutorial.
Here you will find information on everything from finding a paper topic to citation styles.