A bibliography is an organized list of resources ( books, articles, electronic resources etc. ) used in the research process. Every item noted in a bibliography includes a citation (an author (if available), title and publication details of the source).
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to resources ( books, articles electronic sources etc.). Each citation is followed by a brief (approximately 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. This informs the reader of the relevance, accuracy and quality of the works cited.
Annotations may be descriptive or evaluative.
A descriptive annotation may summarize:
An evaluative annotation provides both a descriptive and critical evaluation of the source. The evaluative annotation usually begins with broad comments about the focus of the source then moves to more details. Evaluative annotation may include:
Strategies to Define the Scope of your Bibliography
It is important that the scope of sources cited and described in your bibliography are well-defined and sufficiently narrow in coverage to ensure that you're not overwhelmed by the number of potential items to consider including. Many of the general strategies used to narrow a topic for a research paper are the same that you can use to define the scope of an annotated bibliography. Examples include:
IV. Assessing the Relevance and Value of Sources
All the items you include in your bibliography should reflect the source's contribution to understanding the research problem or the overall issue being addressed. In order to determine how you will use the source or define its contribution, you will need to assess the quality of the central argument within the source. Specific elements to assess include an item’s overall value in relation to other sources on the topic, its limitations, its effectiveness in defining the research problem, the methodology used, the quality of the evidence, and the author’s conclusions and/or recommendations.
With this in mind, determining whether a source should be included in your bibliography depends on how you think about and answer the following questions related to its content:
V. Format and Content
The format of an annotated bibliography can differ depending on its purpose and the nature of the assignment. Contents may be listed alphabetically by author or arranged chronologically by publication date. If the bibliography includes a lot of sources, items may also be subdivided thematically, by time periods of coverage or publication, or by type. If you are unsure, ask your professor for specific guidelines in terms of length, focus, and the type of annotation you are to write.
Introduction
Your bibliography should include an introduction that describes the topic or subject area covered by the bibliography, explains the method used to identify possible sources [such as databases you searched], the rationale for selecting the sources, and, if appropriate, an explanation stating why specific types of sources were deliberately excluded. The introduction's length depends, in general, on the the complexity of the topic and the variety of sources.
Citation
This first part of your entry contains the bibliographic information written in a standard documentation style, such as, MLA, Chicago, or APA. Ask what style is most appropriate, and be consistent! If you are not assigned a preferred citation style, choose the type you are most familiar with or that is used predominantly within your area of study.
Annotation
The second part should summarize, in paragraph form, the content of the source. What you say about the source is dictated by the type of annotation you are asked to write [see above]. In most cases, however, your annotation should provide critical commentary that examines the source and its relationship to the topic. Things to think critically about when writing the annotation include:
Length
Annotations can vary in length, from a couple of sentences to a couple of pages. However, they are normally about 300 words. The length will depend on the purpose of the annotated bibliography [critical assessments are generally lengthier than descriptive annotations] and the type of source [e.g., books generally require a more detailed annotation than a magazine article]. If you're just writing summaries of your sources, the annotations may not be very long. However, if you are writing an extensive analysis of each source, you'll need to devote more space.
How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography - A guide to annotated bibliographies from the Olin Library Reference, Research & Learning Services at Cornell University.
OWL - Annotated Biliography Sample - Sample annotations from the Online Wrting Lab at Purdue University.
Writing an Annotated Bibliography - University of Toronto - A guide from the University of Toronto on how to write an annotated bibliography.
An annotated bibliography is a list of resources with citations related to a particular topic or arranged thematically that include a brief descriptive or evaluative summary. The annotated bibliography can be arranged chronologically by date of publication or alphabetically by author, with citations to print and/or digital materials, such as, books, newspaper articles, journal articles, dissertations, government documents, pamphlets, web sites, etc., multimedia sources like films and audio recordings, or documents and materials preserved in archival collections.
In lieu of writing a formal research paper or in preparation for a larger project, your teacher may ask you to develop an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography may be assigned for a number of reasons, including: 1) to show that you understand the literature underpinning a research problem; 2) to demonstrate that you can conduct an effective and thorough review of pertinent literature; or, 3) to share sources among your classmates so that, collectively, everyone in the class obtains a comprehensive understanding of key research about a particular topic.
On a broader level, writing an annotated bibliography can lay the foundation for conducting a larger research project. It serves as a method to evaluate what research has been conducted and where your proposed study may fit within it. By critically analyzing and synthesizing the contents of a variety of sources, you can begin to evaluate what the key issues are in relation to the research problem and, by so doing, gain a better perspective about the deliberations taking place among scholars. As a result this analysis, you are better prepared to develop your own point of view and contributions to the literature.
In summary, a good annotated bibliography...
In addition, writing an annotated bibliography helps you develop skills related to critically reading and identifying the key points of a research study and to effectively synthesize the content in a way that helps the reader determine its validity and usefulness in relation to the research problem or topic of investigation.
Types
NOTE: There are a variety of strategies you can use to critically evaluate a source based on its content, purpose, and format. A description of these strategies can be found here.