Annotated Bibliographies
So you’ve been assigned an annotated bibliography . . . what does that mean?
An annotated bibliography is a descriptive list of resources (books, articles, films, sound recordings, Web sites, etc.) focusing on a common theme. Each entry in an annotated bibliography has a full citation and an annotation.
A citation provides information about the author, title, date, source, and publisher of the item. Citations should be formatted according to one of the style manuals: MLA, APA, CBE or Turabian. See Citations Styles for more information.
An annotation is a concise and informative description (usually 2-4 sentences) that summarizes and evaluates the contents of a resource. An annotation usually strikes a balance between summary and evaluation by addressing some of the following:
- Describe the contents of a resource
- Evaluate the usefulness of the item for a particular project
- Highlight strengths or weaknesses
- Discuss the reliability of the author or source
- Critically evaluate the content for accuracy, bias and coverage
Example citation and annotation in MLA:
Miller, Jonathan and Borin Van Loon. Darwin for Beginners. New York: Pantheon
Books, 1982. In this fresh approach to the history of Charles Darwin, the authors
present biographical, social and historical facts about Darwin’s life and theory in
the fashion of a graphic novel. Clearly written as an introduction to the topic, this
book does not give the depth or detail of more lengthy books on the subject.
However, with its novel presentation, it is a superb book for audiences curious
about the man who kicked off one of civilization’s biggest controversies.
Atkinson, Kate. Behind the Scenes at the Museum. New York:
St. Martin’s Press, 1996. This novel relates the drama of one family through the
eyes of a young British girl. An alternating plot line makes for an interesting,
though sometimes confusing read. Using minute details and obscure references,
Atkinson shows off her truly witty and clever writing skills.
Example citation and annotation in APA:
Miller, J. and Van Loon, B. (1982). Darwin for beginners. New York: Pantheon Books.
In this fresh approach to the history of Charles Darwin, the authors present
biographical, social and historical facts about Darwin’s life and theory in the fashion of a
graphic novel. Clearly written as an introduction to the topic, this book does not give the
depth or detail of more lengthy books on the subject. However, with its novel
presentation, it is a superb book for audiences curious about the man who kicked off
one of civilization’s biggest controversies.
Atkinson, K. (1996). Behind the scenes at the museum. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
This novel relates the drama of one family through the eyes of a young
British girl. An alternating plot line makes for an interesting, though sometimes
confusing read. Using minute details and obscure references, Atkinson shows off
her truly witty and clever writing skills
Further Reading about Annotated Bibliographies
Harner, James L. On Compiling an Annotated Bibliography. New York:
Modern Language Association of America, 2000.
