What is an Annotated Bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is a summary and evaluation of a resource. According to Merriam-Webster, a bibliography is “the works or a list of the works referred to in a text or consulted by the author in its production.” Your references (APA) or Works Cited (MLA) can be considered a bibliography. A bibliography follows a documentation style and usually includes bibliographic information (i.e., the author(s), title, publication date, place of publication, publisher, etc.). An annotation refers to explanatory notes or comments on a source.
An annotated bibliography, therefore, typically consists of:
Documentation for each source you have used, following the required documentation style.
For each entry, one to three paragraphs that:
Begins with a summary,
Evaluates the reliability of the information,
Demonstrates how the information relates to previous and future research.
Entries in an annotated bibliography should be in alphabetical order.
** Please note: This may vary depending on your professor’s requirements.
Why Write an Annotated Bibliography
Writing an annotated bibliography will help you understand your topics in-depth.
An annotated bibliography is useful for organizing and cataloging resources when developing an argument.
Formatting Annotated Bibliographies
This table provides a high-level outline of the structure of a research article and how each section relates to important information for developing an annotated bibliography.
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Abstract: Reviewing this section allows the reader to develop a quick understanding of the "why" the study was conducted, the methodology that was used, the most important findings, and why the findings are important.
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| Article Section | Questions for Developing the Annotated Bibliography |
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Introduction (Provides the background and sets the stage for the study) |
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Methodology (The how-to manual of the study) |
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| Findings/Results: This section will include the results of the data analysis. This section often provides graphs, tables, and figures that correspond with the type of analysis conducted. | |
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Discussion and Summary (The researcher provides context and relates the findings to the research questions.) |
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Annotated Bibliography Sample Outline
Author, S. A. (date of publication). Title of the article. Title of Periodical, vol. (issue), page-page. https://doi.org/XXXXXX
Write one or two paragraphs that focus on the study and its findings.
