An annotated bibliography is a list of sources in which each item has been supplied with a brief description explaining its content and significance. It helps the reader determine the usefuless of a source and lays the groundwork for future research.
It is useful to look at other annotated bibliographies before producing one yourself. These can be located on the library catalogue.
A bibliography—sometimes called “works cited”, “works consulted”, or “references”—usually appears as an alphabetical list of sources at the end of a written work (eg. book, book chapter, or article). It identifies the sources the author used in their research and writing, which may include books, journal articles, reports, interviews, web sites, video or audio recordings, etc.
Entries are arranged alphabetically by author, or title (if there is no author). Each entry includes the appropriate bibliographic information: author, title, edition, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, and anything else required by the citation style you have chosen.
An annotated bibliography is a listing of sources related to a particular topic, arranged either alphabetically, chronologically by publication date, geographically, topically, or according to some other criteria, such as format. It may consist of only one kind of item (for example, only books) or there may be a variety.
Your bibliography should provide good examples of the types of sources available, giving researchers concise, accurate information about the literature on a particular subject. Because of this, you will need to make clear whether your bibliography is a comprehensive survey of available resources, or only a sample.
Each entry begins with a bibliographic citation, set out in an approved citation style. The citation is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph called the “annotation”. The average annotation is 100–200 words long, but some may be no more than a couple of sentences. Your lecturer or department will specify which citation style you should use and how long your annotations should be.
Annotated bibliographies often exist as separate, complete documents, but they may be appended to another work. They do not replace the works cited, references, or bibliography at the end of the work.
Some places you might look for material to include in an annotated bibliography include:
If you are having trouble finding material, ask a librarian for help. Every subject also has a Subject Librarian, who can help you identify and access relevant sources. There are also tours and classes available to help you improve your research skills and knowledge of the libraries.
The entries in your bibliography should be ordered alphabetically by the author of the item. If there is no author, use the title instead. For web pages where the individual author is not identified, give the name of the sponsoring organisation or institution as the author.
Citations are constructed according to the style guide your School or Programme has approved for your study. Some common citation styles are APA (American Psychological Association), Chicago, Harvard, and MLA (Modern Language Association). Each style differs from the others—sometimes only very subtly! Check with your lecturer, tutor, or supervisor to find out which style is approved for your bibliography. They may be able to provide you with a style guide.
The Library holds a number of referencing guides and manuals of style, in print and online. Some of these can be found in the Reference collections at each library; others are in the main collection.
The annotation may immediately follow the bibliographic information on the same line, or it may be separated from the citation by one or two lines, possibly with a paragraph indention. It is better to write the annotation immediately after reading the work. If you take notes you will find yourself having to reread the work later. Notes that appear clear at the time can be quite unclear later, especially if you have read a number of related items in between.
A book containing a collection of essays may only have one relevant essay. In this case, comment on the essay, rather than the entire collection.
For all annotations you should discuss the author’s authority: their credentials, experience, and qualifications to write about this subject.
There are two kinds of annotation, although most of the time annotations will be a combination of both kinds.
A descriptive or informative annotation gives full bibliographic information and a summary of an item’s contents, scope and significance, highlighting the main focus and major arguments. Include and appraise significant features of the work, such as illustrations, statistics, glossaries, appendices, or a good index. Describe the intended audience of the work, and note whether it is an overview of the topic or is focused on presenting a single aspect. If the work is influenced by a particular theory, you should note and explain this. For an annotation of this type you should avoid your personal opinions.
An evaluative or critical annotation is a critical appraisal of an item’s contents, scope, significance and limitations, especially in relation to the purpose of the bibliography. You should evaluate the content, highlighting the major findings, and comment on the following areas:
If you are particularly critical of a work, you may have to explain and justify its inclusion in your bibliography.
An annotation has a number of similarities with a book review, but:
You may be asked to produce a bibliographic essay, which is also sometimes called a “research review” or “literature review”. A bibliographic essay evaluates your bibliography’s entries, compares and contrasts them, and groups the entries according to themes, emphases, trends, and schools of thought. You may find subheadings to be a useful way to organise a bibliographic essay.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th ed. New York: The Modern Languages Association of America, 1999.
The guide on MLA documentation style. Covers issues such as research and writing, spelling, punctuation, use of numbers and quotations, the format of research papers, and documentation. Guides the researcher and writer through the process of selecting a research topic to submitting the completed manuscript. This revised edition of the Handbook includes an updated and expanded discussion on the use of electronic resources in research and their citation.
University of Chicago. Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
A reference tool for writers and editors, proof-readers, indexers, designers, and publishers. Initial chapters cover manuscript preparation, editing, proofing, copyright law, the publishing agreement, and author and publisher responsibilities. Also includes material on electronically published books and journals. Further chapters on grammar and usage, punctuation, spelling, quotations, illustrations, tables, and indexing. Also includes chapters on the humanities style of documentation and the author-date style with a range of examples including citation of new electronic formats. An appendix provides an overview of how publications are designed and produced, including treatments on typesetting, page layout, binding, and printing. Includes an appendix with key terms. Concludes with a bibliography and index.
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (5th ed.). Washington, DC.: American Psychological Association.
Indispensable guide for students, teachers and researchers in a range of social sciences including psychology, nursing, criminology, sociology, and business. Sets out in detail the requirements for the preparation and submission of manuscripts for publication. Guidelines are also provided on how dissertations can be readied for journal of manuscripts for publication. Guidelines are also provided on how dissertations can be readied for journal publication. Discusses some specific rules for usage and grammar but does not address general problems of writing and language. This edition has updated its instructions on the preparation of abstracts, guidelines for reducing bias in language and its guidelines for the construction of tables and submitting papers electronically. The Manual has also updated and clarified the formats for electronic and legal referencing, and added new material in the statistics section. Special aids allow one to locate references easily - checklists and cross references facilitate ease of use. A detailed table of contents includes lists of tables and figures. The bibliography includes a helpful section on suggested reading. Appendices include a checklist for manuscript submission.
