An annotated bibliography is a list of citations from a book, article, or document. Each quote you note is followed by a short descriptive paragraph called an annotation. A properly reviewed and provided annotated bibliography can tell the reader about the accuracy and quality of the cited sources (the difference between an annotated bibliography and a bibliography is that there is a brief summary or assessment of the citing sources, not just a list of sources.) Write an annotated bibliography will assist you in a research project.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Quotes
Step 1. Review and note citations from books, periodicals, or other sources that may be needed to cover your topic
Those citations will become a list of references that you use. These are expert opinions that are used to support your statements and ideas. Quotations usually include:
- Scientific book
- Scientific articles (for example, in journals or periodicals)
- Scientific abstract
- Website
- Image or video
Step 2. Cite books, periodicals, or other documents using the appropriate (or predefined) style
If you are submitting an article for an academic course, ask your professor what style to use. If you don't know what style to use, then use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style for the humanities or the American Psychological Association (APA) style for the social sciences. The two styles are the most widely used in general. Other styles that are popularly used are:
- Chicago or Turabian style for publishing
- Associated Press (AP) style for publishing
- Council of Scientific Editors (CSE) for science
Step 3. Make sure the citation is structured according to the style used
List of authors; use the full title of the book or article you are citing; affix the full name of the publisher; note the date of publication or date of the most recent revision if sourced on a web page. A proper application of the MLA style would look like this:
Step 4. Arrange citations according to the style used
You wish there was a way to manage your madness after all. Composing your quote will help the reader to process it, sort of reviewing it, if the reader has some further questions. Pay attention if your lecturer has a way of arrangement. Otherwise, structure your citation in one of the following ways:
- Alphabetical
- Chronological (either by date of publication or time period of the subject matter, for example era, decade, and so on)
- By subtopic
- By format (articles, books, media, websites, and so on)
- By language
Method 2 of 2: Annotate
Step 1. Annotate each quote
An annotation is a short paragraph containing a description of a particular source. Annotations help readers put the quote in context. Annotations also help readers determine further citation checks. Annotations are different from abstracts. Annotations provide more contextual information, while an abstract is a summary of the whole.
Step 2. Write annotations assessing the author's background and qualifications
Includes membership in an institution, published work, and critical review. It should be noted that respected authors tend to be frequently cited by other authors and students.
Example: “Currently Head of the Department of English Literature at the University of Cambridge, Professor XYZ earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton in 1984.”
Step 3. Write down the author's tendencies or specialties
This is very helpful in loading information about the author's tendencies, especially if the author admits his inclination towards certain things.
Example: “More inclined to approach the problem from a Marxist perspective, Professor XYZ admits that his methodology lacks a comprehensive lens.”
Step 4. List the main arguments or themes
Provide a brief understanding to the reader about the topic of discussion.
Example: “Marriage and Morals Among the Victorians” is a book of essays depicting 19th-century England, discussing how the broadness of moral sensibility was created by riddles and conventions during turbulent times
Step 5. Outline the topics covered as they will work for your research paper
Answer the question, “Why do I use this source for reference in my research?”
Example: “Himmelfarb describes Benjamin Disraeli at length, digging into his intricate Prime Ministership.”
Step 6. Define the target audience and level of difficulty of the source you are citing
Let the annotation reader know if the source of the citation is academic or not and easy for lay people to understand or not.
Example: "Rorty's discussion of American pragmatism is primarily aimed at niche philosophical communities and is thus difficult to read without the proper philosophical context."
Step 7. Note any special features of the discussion you quoted
Notice if there is a bibliography, glossary, or index in the citation source - this could include your bibliography. Also pay attention to each specific research instrument, test equipment, and so on.
Step 8. Evaluate each source
After summarizing all sources, review the citation sources and consider the following questions:
- What is the use of this resource for my research?
- Is the information reliable?
- Is the information fictitious or objective? Is the information based on fact or opinion?
- Is the source still valid or expired?
Step 9. Study this example
Notice how the quote is first rendered in the MLA style. The annotation follows the quote, briefly describing the quote and placing it in context.
Tips
- Look for sources that have been published by more scholarly university publishers.
- Applying the MLA style requires double spacing in quotes.
