the
university writing center
"because
writers need readers"
| Writing an Annotated Bibliography | |||
|
An annotated bibliography is a list of cited sources about a particular topic, each followed by a brief paragraph that discusses aspects of the source. An annotated bibliography is useful for documenting your research in a specific area, exploring varying viewpoints, and summarizing main points from different sources. There are two parts to every entry in an annotated bibliography: the citation and the annotation. |
||
| The Citation: | |||
| The citation includes the bibliographic information of the source. The documentation style required for this information depends upon your particular academic field and will usually be assigned by your professor (some common styles include MLA, APA, CBE, IEEE and Chicago). Follow the instructions for the assignment, and the guidelines in the appropriate documentation handbook. Citations are organized alphabetically. | |||
| Sample Journal Citation in MLA format: | |||
Gilbert, Pam. “From Voice to Text: Reconsidering Writing |
|||
|
|||
|
|||
| The Annotation: | |||
| The annotation is a brief paragraph following the citation. | |||
| Purpose of the Annotation: | |||
The annotation of a source can serve several different purposes. Your professor may require your annotations to do some of the following
The length of an annotation depends upon the assignment. Shorter annotations will most likely cover only main points and themes; longer annotations may require a more in-depth description, discussion, or evaluation of the source. Consult the specific requirements for your assignment. |
|||