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Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography Topics

200+ Annotated Bibliography Topics for Different Categories

21 min read

A Brief Introduction to Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a detailed and extensive list of references. It includes the analysis and explanation of the given citations and references. The format includes the citation, its explanation, analysis, and personal opinion.

By giving a personal opinion, the student explains the reasons why he has chosen the given references and how they influence the research. It is different from writing a simple list of references and it is definitely different from writing an abstract.

Check out the video below to get a better understanding of annotated bibliography:

Finding good annotated bibliography ideas could be hard, but we are here to help you out. Continue reading to find a list of annotated bibliography topics.

Sports Annotated Bibliography Topics

Sports have always been a hot topic for both high school and college students. Since circumstances related to games and sports keep on changing, the student must choose a trending topic. Here are some examples of annotated bibliography topics for sports:.

What are the different types and elements of coaching?
What are the effects of gender inequality in sports?
How do politics affect the quality of sports?
What kinds of issues sports management can have as a result of undue interference?
Explain sports fixing. How does it affect the overall sports scenario?
What are athletes doping? How can it be controlled and managed?
Why is banning athletes using steroids necessary?
What are the benefits of promoting sports in developing countries?
Should sports be compulsory in schools, high schools, and colleges? Explain.
Businesses dealing in sports should be under the state’s law. Explain its pros and cons.

Good Annotated Bibliography Topics For Social Work

Annotated bibliography topics for sociology are incredibly varied, but here are a few to get you started:

The Impact of Social Work on Mental Health: A Systematic Review
How Poverty Impacts Education Outcomes Among Young Children
The Role of Community Parks in Promoting Health
An Exploration of Homelessness Prevention in Urban Environments
The Impact of Social Work on Health Disparities
Exploring Resilience and Coping Strategies of Refugees
The Role of Social Media in Influencing Political Attitudes and Behaviors
An Analysis of Bullying Prevention Programs in Schools
Understanding the Challenges Faced by Adolescents with Disabilities
Exploring the Impact of Social Work on Health

Annotated Bibliography Topics In Healthcare

Healthcare is one of the main subjects for students who are studying to become a doctor or enter the medical field in any other role. Here are some topic ideas:

Explain human cloning and its pros and cons.
What is the paleo diet lifestyle? Explain the health benefits of the paleo diet.
Humans are frugivores as well as omnivores. Explain the claim with evidence.
Explain the beginnings and origins of biology as a separate subject. How did it get its present structure?
Explain biophysics. How is this newly found study discipline changing the face of health technology?
What is food intolerance? What are the main causes of it and how to prevent it?
What are the causes of allergic reactions like an anaphylactic shock? Explain the reasons and the ways to prevent it.
How does telemedicine impact the accessibility and quality of healthcare services?
What are the psychological effects of long-term hospitalization on pediatric patients?
How can healthcare disparities in underserved communities be effectively addressed and reduced?

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Mental Health

Mental health is a critical theme which offers opportunities for in-depth research. Here are some topics:

The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: A Comprehensive Review
The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Adult Mental Health Outcomes
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders
The Role of Nutrition and Diet in Promoting Positive Mental Health
Exploring the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health and Its Impact on Help-Seeking Behaviors
The Intersection of Mental Health and Substance Abuse: A Literature Review
Mental Health in the Workplace: Strategies for Employee Well-being
The Influence of Family Dynamics on Adolescent Mental Health
Comparative Analysis of Mental Health Policies and Services Across Countries
The Connection Between Exercise and Positive Mental Health Outcomes: An Annotated Review

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Psychology

Psychology explores various aspects of human behavior and mental health. It is very common for students of psychology to write detailed annotated bibliographies during their research.

Here are some of the topics related to psychology that can help you out:

Analyze the efficacy of group therapy vs. individual therapy for autistic children.
How does having a child with autism affect a parents’ lifestyle?
How to increase knowledge among teenagers about drug and substance abuse?
Explain the negative effects of depression on young adults and adults. How is depression an unanswered issue in our society?
Explain the biological reasons for condemning stereotypes and depression related to it.
How to identify people with suicidal tendencies and help them with it?
How do veterans go through PTSD and what can we do to prevent it?
The influence of parenting styles on child behavior and mental health
Psychological effects of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic
The role of emotional intelligence in leadership and workplace success

Communication Annotated Bibliography

Great communication is essential for a great and successful business and personal relationships. Here are a few topics to help you get the conversation started:

Explain how advertising works as a mode of communication.
How does advertising influence the consumption of a product in the marketplace?
How does cross-cultural advertising work and what impact does it have on overall advertising efforts?
How does technology influence advertising and communications?
Explain the concept of location-based advertising in communications.
How to use mobile phones in uplifting the promotional efforts of the businesses?
How to measure the level of involvement of the audience in the advertising efforts?
The role of social media in modern communication strategies
Crisis communication: Strategies and outcomes
Interpersonal communication in workplace relationships

Feminism Annotated Bibliography Topics

Feminism is a broad topic and preparing an annotated bibliography about it could be time-consuming. Here some good annotated bibliography topics below:

Explain how women are making their place in the business world. What challenges do they have to face and how do they manage them?
How is the role of a woman revolutionized in our society? How are women filling into more non-mainstream roles?
How does sports management discriminate against women? Besides, also discuss how women are not given leading reporting roles in sports reporting.
What is the role of governments in perpetuating patriarchal structures towards women?
What are the pros and cons of the defunding of Planned Parenthood in America? How has the bill affected women’s lives in the country?
Should women be allowed to compete against men in some sports? Explain the pros and cons.
Women are still kept away from core sports. Why is the decision unfair?
How do feminist movements address economic disparities among women?
What is the role of the media in perpetuating or challenging traditional gender roles in society?
Are there gender biases in the healthcare industry, and how do they affect women's well-being?

Animal Testing Annotated Bibliography Topics

Animal testing is a common and well-known phenomenon in the research world. Medical fields use animals for various testing purposes. However, whether animal testing is legal and ethical or not is still a point of debate for many.

Some of the interesting topics related to animal testing are given below:

How can stem cell research end the need for animal testing?
How do animal testing and trials affect the reputation of beauty brands?
Explain the pros and cons of medicine trials on rats and rabbits.
How do the acquired results compare to the human findings?
Explain some significant benefits and disadvantages of animal testing.
Analyze human testing against animal testing.
What are the origins of animal testing?
Is there a viable alternative to animal testing in pharmaceutical research?
What ethical considerations surround the use of primates in biomedical research?
How do regulatory frameworks differ in various countries regarding animal testing for cosmetics?

Annotated Bibliography Topics For Education

Education is important for kids but like any other field, the educational field also needs advancement.

Below are some easy annotated bibliography topics on education:

What are the effects of the teacher’s teaching methods on the student’s performance?
Benefits of instilling ethics in kids from an early age.
How does racial discrimination affect the educational system in the US?
Common curriculum vs. individual curriculum: Which is more effective and why?
Racial diversity in schools: what are the pros and cons?
What kind of educational practices are more effective for preschool children?
How does education counseling help in better life decisions?
Schooling Vs. Homeschooling: Which is better?
What is the role of mothers in kids’ education?
Prestigious educational institutes help in shaping students’ character. Discuss.

Engineering Topics for Annotated Bibliography

Engineering, a dynamic and ever-evolving field at the forefront of innovation and technology, is ripe for exploration through annotated bibliographies.

Here are diverse engineering topics for your annotated bibliography:

Sustainable Infrastructure Development: Innovations in Green Engineering
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Robotics and Automation
Emerging Trends in Renewable Energy Technologies
Engineering Solutions for Urban Mobility and Traffic Management
The Role of Biomechanics in Prosthetics and Orthopedic Devices
Advancements in Materials Engineering for Aerospace Applications
Environmental Engineering: Strategies for Clean Water and Air Quality
The Intersection of Engineering and Medicine: Breakthroughs in Biomedical Devices
Cybersecurity in Critical Infrastructure: Challenges and Solutions
Engineering Ethics and Its Role in Technological Decision-Making

World History Annotated Bibliography Topics

World history explores past events and societies from around the globe. The subject is as vast and deep as the past, where many aspects can be explored and discussed.

Here are a few annotated bibliography topics to help you out:

The History of the American Revolution: An examination of the events, individuals, and organizations that shaped the struggle for independence.
Native American History: A look at how indigenous peoples have been affected by colonization and modern development in North America.
The African Diaspora: Exploring the history and culture of people of African descent who have settled in other parts of the world.
The Cold War: An exploration into the ideological and geopolitical tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 20th century.
Women's Suffrage Movement: Examining how women around the world fought for their right to vote and the impact it had on society.
The History of Immigration: Understanding how different waves of immigrants have contributed to the culture and economy in their new homeland.
Slavery in America: Exploring the history, economics, and effects of this dark period in American history.
The Civil Rights Movement: Examining the individuals and organizations that fought for civil rights in America during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Industrial Revolution: Investigating how technological advances changed society around the world during this era.

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Criminal Justice

Criminal justice, a dynamic field that explores law enforcement, legal systems, and corrections, offers a rich landscape for research.

Here are some criminal justice annotated bibliography topics:

Police Use of Force: A Comprehensive Analysis of Policies and Outcomes
The Impact of Body-Worn Cameras on Police Accountability and Community Relations
Juvenile Justice Reforms: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Alternative Sentencing Programs
Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System: Diversion Programs and Their Outcomes
Mass Incarceration and Its Socioeconomic Implications: A Critical Review
The Role of Forensic Science in Solving Cold Cases
Reforming the Bail System: Implications for Pretrial Detention and Equity
Community Policing Strategies and Their Influence on Crime Reduction
Intersectionality in the Criminal Justice System: Examining Disparities
Recidivism Reduction: Assessing Rehabilitation Programs and Their Impact on Offenders

Annotated Bibliography Topics Business

Business is the practice of creating and exchanging goods and services to meet individual or organizational needs. Creating an annotated bibliography for business research can be a challenging task, but here are some topics to get you started:

The History of Entrepreneurship: Tracing the development of entrepreneurship from its early days to modern times.
The Rise of E-Commerce: Examining how digital technologies have changed the way business is conducted today.
Globalization and Trade: Understanding how global economic forces have created opportunities for international businesses.
Innovation in Business: Investigating how business leaders have generated creative solutions to challenges in the marketplace.
The History of Business Management: Analyzing the evolution of management theory and practice over time.
The Impact of Technology on Business: Exploring how digital tools and platforms are transforming the way businesses operate today.
Business Ethics: Examining ethical considerations in various aspects of business operations.
Organizational Culture: Investigating how corporate culture shapes the behavior of employees and their attitudes towards work.
The History of Accounting: Examining how accounting has developed over time and its role in informing business decisions.
Marketing Strategies: Exploring different marketing techniques used to reach customers and build brand loyalty.

Religion Topics for Annotated Bibliography

Religion is a complex and often contentious topic. Here are some religion-related topics you might use for an annotated bibliography:

Theology: Investigating the ways in which different religions approach matters of faith, belief, and morality.
Sacred Texts: Examining how sacred texts have been used to shape religious and social norms.
Religious Cults: Analyzing the rise of religious cults in modern societies and their potential effects.
Evangelism: Investigating different strategies used by evangelists to spread their message.
Prayer: Examining how prayer has been used to heal, comfort, and console people throughout history.
Atheism: Exploring the arguments for and against atheism.
Religious Art: Understanding how religious art has been used to express faith through visual imagery.
Interfaith Dialogue: Examining the ways in which different religions can engage in meaningful dialogue.
Religious Conversion: Investigating the reasons why people choose to convert to a different religion.
Religious Education: Analyzing the impact of religious education on children and young adults.

Annotated Bibliography for Ethics and Morals

Studying ethics and morals involves examining and understanding the principles and beliefs that shape our choices and behavior. Here are some topics for ethics and morals:

What are the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and machine learning?
How does morality influence environmental conservation and sustainability efforts?
What are the key elements of ethical frameworks in healthcare decision-making?
What ethical considerations surround genetic engineering and human enhancement?
What are the moral dilemmas involved in end-of-life care?
How can ethics balance the principles of free speech and responsibility in journalism?
What are the intersections and conflicts between religion and morality?
How does business ethics factor into the era of corporate social responsibility?
How does moral philosophy impact political ideals and decision-making?
What role does ethics play in emerging technologies, from biotechnology to AI ethics?

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Nursing

Nursing is a profession that focuses on caring for individuals, families, and communities to promote health and well-being. Here are some topics related to nursing that you can use when creating an annotated bibliography:

The History of Nursing: Tracing the development and evolution of nursing as a profession over time.
Nursing Education: Examining how education and training have changed to meet the needs of modern healthcare.
Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: Understanding how to use research to inform clinical decision making and improve patient outcomes.
Informatics in Nursing: Exploring how technology is being used to improve nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
The Legal and Ethical Implications of Nursing: Examining the implications of laws, regulations, and ethical considerations for nurses.
Nursing Leadership: Investigating how nurse leaders can create a supportive environment for staff and promote quality patient care.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: Examining how nurses can use health education and prevention strategies to improve public health.
Mental Health Nursing: An exploration of the psychological, social, and spiritual needs of patients in a mental health setting.
Cultural Competence in Nursing: Understanding the importance of cultural awareness when caring for patients from different backgrounds.
Pain Management in Nursing: Investigating the use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to manage pain.

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Technology

Technology has become essential to the functioning of the modern world. Technology means the application of scientific knowledge to develop tools, machines, and systems to meet human needs.

Check out some topics related to technology you can use for creating an annotated bibliography:

Artificial Intelligence: Investigating how AI is being used in different industries, from finance to healthcare.
Data Science: Exploring the use of data for predictive analytics, machine learning, and other applications.
Cloud Computing: Understanding the impact of cloud computing on businesses, from scalability to security.
Internet of Things: Examining how physical objects are connected to the internet and how this affects everyday life.
Virtual Reality: Investigating the potential applications and implications of virtual reality technology.
Cyber Security: Analyzing strategies for preventing cyber attacks and protecting data.
Robotics and Automation: Examining the use of robots and automation in manufacturing, logistics, and other industries.
3D Printing: Exploring the uses of 3D printing in science, engineering, healthcare, and beyond.
Blockchain Technology: Investigating how blockchain technology is used to secure digital transactions.
Augmented Reality: Examining the potential applications of augmented reality in gaming, entertainment, and more.
Quantum Computing: Understanding how this emerging technology is changing computing power and speed.

Annotated Bibliography Topics For English

English literature is diverse and includes works from many different eras and cultures. Here are some topics related to English literature that you can use when creating an annotated bibliography

Here are some topics related to English literature:

Romanticism in Literature: Exploring how writers used themes of love, nature, and emotion to create their works.
The Gothic Novel: Analyzing how authors used fear and the supernatural to create an atmosphere of suspense.
Realism in Literature: Examining how writers used everyday life and its difficulties as a source of inspiration.
Modernist Literature: Understanding how different authors employed innovative techniques to break free from traditional conventions.
Postmodern Literature: Examining how writers use playfulness and irony to explore themes of identity, culture, and technology.
Poetry: Investigating different forms of poetry, from sonnets to free verse.
Drama: Exploring the works of playwrights such as Ibsen, Chekhov, and Miller.
Fantasy Literature: Examining how authors use the genre to explore themes of power, identity, and morality.
Science Fiction: Investigating how this genre has explored technology, alienation, and other topics.
Children’s Literature: Understanding how stories provide children with knowledge and understanding of the world.

Critical Annotated Bibliography Topics

A critical annotated bibliography combines the usual elements of an annotation with a critical analysis. Here are some topics you can use when creating a critical annotated bibliography

Gender Equality in Literature: Examining how female writers have been overlooked and underrepresented throughout history.
Race and Representation in Literature: Investigating how different
Feminist Theory: Examining how different feminist theories have shaped our understanding of gender and power.
Marxism: Investigating Karl Marx’s theories of class struggle and the importance of labor in a capitalist society.
Poststructuralism: Understanding how this theory challenges the idea that language is transparent, fixed, and stable.
Structuralism: Exploring how this theory attempts to explain the relationship between human behavior and the underlying structures of society.
Postcolonial Theory: Analyzing the impact of colonialism on non-Western countries and cultures.
Psychoanalytic Theory: Examining Sigmund Freud’s theories about the unconscious mind and its influence on behavior.
Philosophy of Language: Understanding the ways in which language is used to express thoughts, emotions, and ideas.
Cultural Studies: Investigating the ways in which culture, identity, and power interact to shape society.
Environmentalism: Examining how environmental factors affect our lives and how we can work towards sustainability.

Fun Annotated Bibliography Topics

Comic Books: Examining how different authors have used superheroes and other characters to explore cultural issues.
Video Games: Analyzing the storylines, mechanics, and visuals of popular video games.
Anime: Exploring the symbolism, themes, and characters in this popular form of Japanese animation.
Mythology: Investigating the ways in which stories from different cultures have been used to explain natural phenomena.
Urban Legends: Analyzing how these stories have been used to explore themes of fear and societal taboos.
Horror Films: Understanding how different filmmakers have used visual elements, sound, and suspense to create fear.
Musicals: Examining how song and dance can be used to explore themes of love, joy, and tragedy.
Fashion: Investigating the changing trends in clothing styles over time and their representation of identity.
Art: Understanding the ways in which different forms of art have been used to explore social issues.
Food Culture: Exploring how food has been used as a form of expression and communication throughout history.

Persuasive Annotated Bibliography Topics

Gun Control: Examining the arguments for and against stricter gun control measures.
Climate Change: Analyzing the need for immediate action to address global warming.
Free Speech: Debating whether or not governments should limit freedom of speech in certain contexts.
Income Inequality: Investigating how income inequality has changed over time and what can be done to reduce the gap.
Death Penalty: Examining the arguments for and against capital punishment.
Affirmative Action: Analyzing how affirmative action policies have impacted education, employment, and other sectors of society.
Animal Rights: Investigating whether or not animals should be granted certain rights.
Immigration: Debating whether or not immigration policies should be reformed.
Vaccination: Analyzing the evidence for and against mandatory vaccination programs.
Technology Addiction: Examining how technology has impacted our lives and what can be done to reduce its negative effects.

Annotated Bibliography Essay Topics for Music

Music is a diverse theme to explore. Here are some music related topic for annotated bibliography that explore different types of music, historical times, and cultural influences:

Jazz's Impact on Social Change
EDM Evolution: Comprehensive Bibliographic Review
Women in Music: Gender Representation
Classical Music Influence on Modern Compositions
Hip-Hop: Lyrics and Activism
Music and Technology Intersection
Folk Music Across Cultures
Music in Film: Comprehensive Soundtracks Analysis
Rock and Roll Revolution: Origins, Pioneers, and Impact
Globalization of World Music: Cross-Cultural Influences

What Makes a Good Annotated Bibliography Topic?

When choosing a topic for an annotated bibliography, it's important to consider the scope of the assignment.

A good topic should be narrow enough that you can provide a focused analysis but broad enough that there is ample material available to draw from. It should also be interesting and relevant to your course or field of study.

Additionally, it should be a topic that you are passionate about so that your research is engaging and enjoyable.

Finally, it should be manageable in size. If the task feels too daunting or overwhelming, break it down into smaller components to make it more manageable.

Ultimately, the best topics are ones that will spark your curiosity and motivate you to explore the subject in-depth.

How to Choose the Right Topic for an Annotated Bibliography?

Are you wondering how to choose a good topic to write an annotated bibliography on? When choosing a topic for an annotated bibliography, there are several factors to consider.

Think about the scope of your assignment and what type of information or evidence you want to include in your research. This will help you narrow down your topic and make it more manageable.
Next, evaluate the quality and amount of information available on the topic. You want to make sure that you have access to reliable sources and ample material to draw from.
Finally, consider your interests and passions . A topic that resonates with you will be more likely to result in high-quality research and a successful project.

By considering all these factors, you can find the perfect topic for your annotated bibliography.

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography?

Writing an annotated bibliography can be a challenging and time-consuming task. However, it is also an incredibly valuable tool for expanding your knowledge on a topic. Follow these steps to get started:

1. Select Your Topic: Choose a specific topic that is interesting and relevant to your course or field of study.

2. Research Sources: Gather materials from reliable sources such as books, journal articles, websites, and more.

3. Read & Summarize: Carefully read each source and summarize the key points it makes in your own words.

4. Evaluate Sources: Assess the credibility of each source by evaluating its accuracy, objectivity, and authority.

5. Cite Sources: Properly cite each source using the appropriate citation style guidelines.

6. Compile Annotations: Combine all your summaries and evaluations into a comprehensive annotated bibliography.

7. Proofread & Revise: Take time to proofread your work and make sure everything is accurate and consistent.

By following these steps, you can create an annotated bibliography that is both accurate and informative.

Read some annotated bibliography examples to see how it is done in practice.

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What Is an Annotated Bibliography? | Examples & Format

What Is an Annotated Bibliography? | Examples & Format

Published on March 9, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 23, 2022.

An annotated bibliography is a list of source references that includes a short descriptive text (an annotation) for each source. It may be assigned as part of the research process for a paper , or as an individual assignment to gather and read relevant sources on a topic.

Scribbr’s free Citation Generator allows you to easily create and manage your annotated bibliography in APA or MLA style. To generate a perfectly formatted annotated bibliography, select the source type, fill out the relevant fields, and add your annotation.

An example of an annotated source is shown below:

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Annotated bibliography format: apa, mla, chicago, how to write an annotated bibliography, descriptive annotation example, evaluative annotation example, reflective annotation example, finding sources for your annotated bibliography, frequently asked questions about annotated bibliographies.

Make sure your annotated bibliography is formatted according to the guidelines of the style guide you’re working with. Three common styles are covered below:

In APA Style , both the reference entry and the annotation should be double-spaced and left-aligned.

The reference entry itself should have a hanging indent . The annotation follows on the next line, and the whole annotation should be indented to match the hanging indent. The first line of any additional paragraphs should be indented an additional time.

In an MLA style annotated bibliography , the Works Cited entry and the annotation are both double-spaced and left-aligned.

The Works Cited entry has a hanging indent. The annotation itself is indented 1 inch (twice as far as the hanging indent). If there are two or more paragraphs in the annotation, the first line of each paragraph is indented an additional half-inch, but not if there is only one paragraph.

Chicago style

In a Chicago style annotated bibliography , the bibliography entry itself should be single-spaced and feature a hanging indent.

The annotation should be indented, double-spaced, and left-aligned. The first line of any additional paragraphs should be indented an additional time.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

For each source, start by writing (or generating ) a full reference entry that gives the author, title, date, and other information. The annotated bibliography format varies based on the citation style you’re using.

The annotations themselves are usually between 50 and 200 words in length, typically formatted as a single paragraph. This can vary depending on the word count of the assignment, the relative length and importance of different sources, and the number of sources you include.

Consider the instructions you’ve been given or consult your instructor to determine what kind of annotations they’re looking for:

Descriptive annotations : When the assignment is just about gathering and summarizing information, focus on the key arguments and methods of each source.
Evaluative annotations : When the assignment is about evaluating the sources , you should also assess the validity and effectiveness of these arguments and methods.
Reflective annotations : When the assignment is part of a larger research process, you need to consider the relevance and usefulness of the sources to your own research.

These specific terms won’t necessarily be used. The important thing is to understand the purpose of your assignment and pick the approach that matches it best. Interactive examples of the different styles of annotation are shown below.

A descriptive annotation summarizes the approach and arguments of a source in an objective way, without attempting to assess their validity.

In this way, it resembles an abstract , but you should never just copy text from a source’s abstract, as this would be considered plagiarism . You’ll naturally cover similar ground, but you should also consider whether the abstract omits any important points from the full text.

The interactive example shown below describes an article about the relationship between business regulations and CO 2 emissions.

Rieger, A. (2019). Doing business and increasing emissions? An exploratory analysis of the impact of business regulation on CO 2 emissions. Human Ecology Review , 25 (1), 69–86. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26964340

An evaluative annotation also describes the content of a source, but it goes on to evaluate elements like the validity of the source’s arguments and the appropriateness of its methods .

For example, the following annotation describes, and evaluates the effectiveness of, a book about the history of Western philosophy.

Kenny, A. (2010). A new history of Western philosophy: In four parts . Oxford University Press.

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annotated bibliography for research question

A reflective annotation is similar to an evaluative one, but it focuses on the source’s usefulness or relevance to your own research.

Reflective annotations are often required when the point is to gather sources for a future research project, or to assess how they were used in a project you already completed.

The annotation below assesses the usefulness of a particular article for the author’s own research in the field of media studies.

Manovich, Lev. (2009). The practice of everyday (media) life: From mass consumption to mass cultural production? Critical Inquiry , 35 (2), 319–331. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/596645

Manovich’s article assesses the shift from a consumption-based media culture (in which media content is produced by a small number of professionals and consumed by a mass audience) to a production-based media culture (in which this mass audience is just as active in producing content as in consuming it). He is skeptical of some of the claims made about this cultural shift; specifically, he argues that the shift towards user-made content must be regarded as more reliant upon commercial media production than it is typically acknowledged to be. However, he regards web 2.0 as an exciting ongoing development for art and media production, citing its innovation and unpredictability.

The article is outdated in certain ways (it dates from 2009, before the launch of Instagram, to give just one example). Nevertheless, its critical engagement with the possibilities opened up for media production by the growth of social media is valuable in a general sense, and its conceptualization of these changes frequently applies just as well to more current social media platforms as it does to Myspace. Conceptually, I intend to draw on this article in my own analysis of the social dynamics of Twitter and Instagram.

Before you can write your annotations, you’ll need to find sources . If the annotated bibliography is part of the research process for a paper, your sources will be those you consult and cite as you prepare the paper. Otherwise, your assignment and your choice of topic will guide you in what kind of sources to look for.

Make sure that you’ve clearly defined your topic , and then consider what keywords are relevant to it, including variants of the terms. Use these keywords to search databases (e.g., Google Scholar ), using Boolean operators to refine your search.

Sources can include journal articles, books, and other source types , depending on the scope of the assignment. Read the abstracts or blurbs of the sources you find to see whether they’re relevant, and try exploring their bibliographies to discover more. If a particular source keeps showing up, it’s probably important.

Once you’ve selected an appropriate range of sources, read through them, taking notes that you can use to build up your annotations. You may even prefer to write your annotations as you go, while each source is fresh in your mind.

An annotated bibliography is an assignment where you collect sources on a specific topic and write an annotation for each source. An annotation is a short text that describes and sometimes evaluates the source.

Any credible sources on your topic can be included in an annotated bibliography . The exact sources you cover will vary depending on the assignment, but you should usually focus on collecting journal articles and scholarly books . When in doubt, utilize the CRAAP test !

Each annotation in an annotated bibliography is usually between 50 and 200 words long. Longer annotations may be divided into paragraphs .

The content of the annotation varies according to your assignment. An annotation can be descriptive, meaning it just describes the source objectively; evaluative, meaning it assesses its usefulness; or reflective, meaning it explains how the source will be used in your own research .

A source annotation in an annotated bibliography fulfills a similar purpose to an abstract : they’re both intended to summarize the approach and key points of a source.

However, an annotation may also evaluate the source , discussing the validity and effectiveness of its arguments. Even if your annotation is purely descriptive , you may have a different perspective on the source from the author and highlight different key points.

You should never just copy text from the abstract for your annotation, as doing so constitutes plagiarism .

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How to Write an Annotated Bibliography - APA Style (7th Edition)

What is an annotation, how is an annotation different from an abstract, what is an annotated bibliography, types of annotated bibliographies, descriptive or informative, analytical or critical, to get started.

An annotation is more than just a brief summary of an article, book, website, or other type of publication. An annotation should give enough information to make a reader decide whether to read the complete work. In other words, if the reader were exploring the same topic as you, is this material useful and if so, why?

While an abstract also summarizes an article, book, website, or other type of publication, it is purely descriptive. Although annotations can be descriptive, they also include distinctive features about an item. Annotations can be evaluative and critical as we will see when we look at the two major types of annotations.

An annotated bibliography is an organized list of sources (like a reference list). It differs from a straightforward bibliography in that each reference is followed by a paragraph length annotation, usually 100–200 words in length.

Depending on the assignment, an annotated bibliography might have different purposes:

Provide a literature review on a particular subject
Help to formulate a thesis on a subject
Demonstrate the research you have performed on a particular subject
Provide examples of major sources of information available on a topic
Describe items that other researchers may find of interest on a topic

There are two major types of annotated bibliographies:

A descriptive or informative annotated bibliography describes or summarizes a source as does an abstract; it describes why the source is useful for researching a particular topic or question and its distinctive features. In addition, it describes the author's main arguments and conclusions without evaluating what the author says or concludes.

For example:

McKinnon, A. (2019). Lessons learned in year one of business. Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting , 30 (4), 26–28. This article describes some of the difficulties many nurses experience when transitioning from nursing to a legal nurse consulting business. Pointing out issues of work-life balance, as well as the differences of working for someone else versus working for yourself, the author offers their personal experience as a learning tool. The process of becoming an entrepreneur is not often discussed in relation to nursing, and rarely delves into only the first year of starting a new business. Time management, maintaining an existing job, decision-making, and knowing yourself in order to market yourself are discussed with some detail. The author goes on to describe how important both the nursing professional community will be to a new business, and the importance of mentorship as both the mentee and mentor in individual success that can be found through professional connections. The article’s focus on practical advice for nurses seeking to start their own business does not detract from the advice about universal struggles of entrepreneurship makes this an article of interest to a wide-ranging audience.

An analytical or critical annotation not only summarizes the material, it analyzes what is being said. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of what is presented as well as describing the applicability of the author's conclusions to the research being conducted.

Analytical or critical annotations will most likely be required when writing for a college-level course.

McKinnon, A. (2019). Lessons learned in year one of business. Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting , 30 (4), 26–28. This article describes some of the difficulty many nurses experience when transitioning from nursing to a nurse consulting business. While the article focuses on issues of work-life balance, the differences of working for someone else versus working for yourself, marketing, and other business issues the author’s offer of only their personal experience is brief with few or no alternative solutions provided. There is no mention throughout the article of making use of other research about starting a new business and being successful. While relying on the anecdotal advice for their list of issues, the author does reference other business resources such as the Small Business Administration to help with business planning and professional organizations that can help with mentorships. The article is a good resource for those wanting to start their own legal nurse consulting business, a good first advice article even. However, entrepreneurs should also use more business research studies focused on starting a new business, with strategies against known or expected pitfalls and issues new businesses face, and for help on topics the author did not touch in this abbreviated list of lessons learned.

Now you are ready to begin writing your own annotated bibliography.

Choose your sources - Before writing your annotated bibliography, you must choose your sources. This involves doing research much like for any other project. Locate records to materials that may apply to your topic.
Review the items - Then review the actual items and choose those that provide a wide variety of perspectives on your topic. Article abstracts are helpful in this process.
The purpose of the work
A summary of its content
Information about the author(s)
For what type of audience the work is written
Its relevance to the topic
Any special or unique features about the material
Research methodology
The strengths, weaknesses or biases in the material

Annotated bibliographies may be arranged alphabetically or chronologically, check with your instructor to see what he or she prefers.

Please see the APA Examples page for more information on citing in APA style.

Last Updated: Aug 8, 2023 11:27 AM
URL: https://libguides.umgc.edu/annotated-bibliography-apa

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography: The Annotated Bibliography

The Annotated Bibliography
Fair Use of this Guide

Explanation, Process, Directions, and Examples

What is an annotated bibliography.

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

Annotations vs. Abstracts

Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in periodical indexes. Annotations are descriptive and critical; they may describe the author's point of view, authority, or clarity and appropriateness of expression.

The Process

Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.

First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.

Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style.

Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.

Critically Appraising the Book, Article, or Document

For guidance in critically appraising and analyzing the sources for your bibliography, see How to Critically Analyze Information Sources . For information on the author's background and views, ask at the reference desk for help finding appropriate biographical reference materials and book review sources.

Choosing the Correct Citation Style

Check with your instructor to find out which style is preferred for your class. Online citation guides for both the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) styles are linked from the Library's Citation Management page .

Sample Annotated Bibliography Entries

The following example uses APA style ( Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th edition, 2019) for the journal citation:

Waite, L., Goldschneider, F., & Witsberger, C. (1986). Nonfamily living and the erosion of traditional family orientations among young adults. American Sociological Review, 51 (4), 541-554. The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living.

This example uses MLA style ( MLA Handbook , 9th edition, 2021) for the journal citation. For additional annotation guidance from MLA, see 5.132: Annotated Bibliographies .

Waite, Linda J., et al. "Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review, vol. 51, no. 4, 1986, pp. 541-554. The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living.

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How to Write an Annotated Bibliography, With Examples

An annotated bibliography is a type of bibliography that includes a comment by the author about the source in addition to the source’s publishing information. The author’s notes, or annotations, can discuss anything relevant to the topic, such as the source’s accuracy, the context in which it was written, or even your personal views on the source.

Annotated bibliographies are sometimes a requirement in assignments, so it’s a good idea to learn their rules. Below, we explain how to write an annotated bibliography in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats. We even include an annotated bibliography example for each.

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What is an annotated bibliography?

Annotated bibliographies are a type of bibliography with notes from the author on each source. These notes are called “annotations” and generally run around 50–150 words . The notes themselves have a very specific format, depending on the style guide used, as explained below.

What do annotated bibliography notes talk about?

Annotations in bibliographies can discuss anything relevant to the paper’s or book’s topic or give context to the reader so they can better understand the source. There are no formal restrictions on what annotations can be about, but in general, they usually fall into these categories:

a brief overview of the source
the background of the source’s author
context about how or why the source was written
the accuracy of the source
any biases the source shows
anything the source doesn’t address
elements of the source that are particularly useful, like graphs or charts
your personal views on the source

How to cite sources in an annotated bibliography

Annotated bibliographies cite their sources the same way as any other type of bibliography , including a works cited page or reference list . Simply follow the standard rules for whatever format you’re using when writing the full citation.

If you need help, Grammarly’s auto-citation feature can automatically create a citation if you’re using one of the ten most popular online source websites: Wikipedia, Frontiers, PLOS One, ScienceDirect, SAGE Journals, PubMed, Elsevier, DOAJ, arXiv, or Springer. Otherwise, feel free to use our free citation generator to create a full citation in whatever style you need.

How to write an annotated bibliography in APA, MLA, and Chicago

How to write an annotated bibliography in apa.

Annotated bibliographies in APA follow the same rules for page margins, font, and line spacing as other pages in the APA format , which you can find in the link.

The annotations for an annotated bibliography in APA, however, follow specific formatting rules:

Annotations appear underneath the source they refer to.
Use an indentation of 0.5 inches from the left margin (1.5 inches from the edge of the page) for all lines of the annotation, just like a block quote.
The first line of an annotation does not get indented any further; use the same indentation as the other lines.
If the annotation spans more than one paragraph, use an extra indentation of 0.5 inches (2 inches from the edge of the page) for the first line of any paragraphs after the first. Again, this follows the same format as block quotes.
Sources are organized in alphabetical order by the creator’s surname, or last name (which comes first in citation entries).

How to write an annotated bibliography in MLA

The MLA format offers guidelines on both the formatting and content of annotations:

Annotations should “describe or evaluate sources.” They should not discuss minor details, cite evidence, quote the source, or re-list the points in the source’s argument.
Annotations can be written in either complete or incomplete sentences.
Place annotations underneath the citation.
Indent your annotation an additional 1 inch from the start of the entry (2 inches from the edge of the page). This differentiates it from the citation’s first indent (1 inch from the edge of the page) and its hanging indent (1.5 inches from the edge of the page).
If the annotation spans more than one paragraph, use an extra indentation of 0.5 inches (2.5 inches from the edge of the page) for the first line of any paragraphs after the first.
Title the page either “Annotated Bibliography” or “Annotated List of Works Cited.”
You can choose whether to organize sources by the subject, date of publication, or alphabetically by author or title.

How to write an annotated bibliography in Chicago

Because the Chicago format is designed to be flexible, its rules for annotated bibliographies are more open-ended than the other formats. Here are the guidelines for how to write an annotated bibliography in Chicago style:

If annotations are short and/or not included for every source, you can place annotations in brackets directly after the full citation, on the same line. If annotations are more detailed, start them on a new line underneath the full citation.
Each line of an annotation is indented an additional 0.5 inches from the start of the entry (1.5 inches from the edge of the page). It should be equal to the hanging indent of the full citation.
Annotated bibliographies may contain an author’s note at the top of the page. This should provide context about why the author chose these sources or how the page is organized.

Annotated bibliography examples

Annotated bibliography example for apa.

Diamond, J. (1997). Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies . W. W. Norton & Company. This book, which won the Pulitzer Prize, attempts to answer the question of why some civilizations succeeded while others faded away into history. Author Jared Diamond emphasizes the environmental and geographical influences on a civilization as factors for success, more than a civilization’s culture or race. While this book proves scientifically that race is inconsequential in the success of a civilization, critics accuse Diamond of reducing the whole of human history down to “environmental determinism.”

Annotated bibliography example for MLA

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies . New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. This book, which won the Pulitzer Prize, attempts to answer the question of why some civilizations succeeded while others faded away into history. Author Jared Diamond emphasizes the environmental and geographical influences on a civilization as factors for success, more than a civilization’s culture or race. While this book proves scientifically that race is inconsequential in the success of a civilization, critics accuse Diamond of reducing the whole of human history down to “environmental determinism.”

Annotated bibliography example for Chicago

Diamond, Jared. 1997. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies . New York: W. W. Norton & Company. This book, which won the Pulitzer Prize, attempts to answer the question of why some civilizations succeeded while others faded away into history. Author Jared Diamond emphasizes the environmental and geographical influences on a civilization as factors for success, more than a civilization’s culture or race. While this book proves scientifically that race is inconsequential in the success of a civilization, critics accuse Diamond of reducing the whole of human history down to “environmental determinism.”

Annotated bibliography FAQs

An annotated bibliography is a type of bibliography that includes a comment by the author about each source in addition to the source’s publishing information. The author’s notes, or annotations, discuss anything about the source that’s relevant to the topic, such as its accuracy, bias, or the context in which it was written.

How does it differ from a regular bibliography?

Just like other bibliographies, annotated bibliographies list the sources cited in the work, along with their publishing details. The difference is that annotated bibliographies also include notes from the author with extra information, whereas regular bibliographies do not.

How is an annotated bibliography structured?

The structure of annotated bibliographies depends on the formatting style: APA, MLA, or Chicago. Although each style has its own formatting rules, in general, the annotation comes after the full citation and is often indented in the same manner as block quotes.

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Annotated Bibliography Samples

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Below you will find sample annotations from annotated bibliographies, each with a different research project. Remember that the annotations you include in your own bibliography should reflect your research project and/or the guidelines of your assignment.

As mentioned elsewhere in this resource, depending on the purpose of your bibliography, some annotations may summarize, some may assess or evaluate a source, and some may reflect on the source’s possible uses for the project at hand. Some annotations may address all three of these steps. Consider the purpose of your annotated bibliography and/or your instructor’s directions when deciding how much information to include in your annotations.

Please keep in mind that all your text, including the write-up beneath the citation, must be indented so that the author's last name is the only text that is flush left.

Sample MLA Annotation

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life . Anchor Books, 1995.

Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of being a writer, the chapters in Lamott's book are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot development to jealousy, from perfectionism to struggling with one's own internal critic.

In the process, Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be both productive and fun. Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her main project seems to be offering the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and struggling with one's own imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a practical handbook to producing and/or publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and its encouraging approach.

Chapters in this text could easily be included in the curriculum for a writing class. Several of the chapters in Part 1 address the writing process and would serve to generate discussion on students' own drafting and revising processes. Some of the writing exercises would also be appropriate for generating classroom writing exercises. Students should find Lamott's style both engaging and enjoyable.

In the sample annotation above, the writer includes three paragraphs: a summary, an evaluation of the text, and a reflection on its applicability to his/her own research, respectively.

For information on formatting MLA citations, see our MLA 9th Edition (2021) Formatting and Style Guide .

Sample APA Annotation

Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America . Henry Holt and Company.

In this book of nonfiction based on the journalist's experiential research, Ehrenreich attempts to ascertain whether it is currently possible for an individual to live on a minimum-wage in America. Taking jobs as a waitress, a maid in a cleaning service, and a Walmart sales employee, the author summarizes and reflects on her work, her relationships with fellow workers, and her financial struggles in each situation.

An experienced journalist, Ehrenreich is aware of the limitations of her experiment and the ethical implications of her experiential research tactics and reflects on these issues in the text. The author is forthcoming about her methods and supplements her experiences with scholarly research on her places of employment, the economy, and the rising cost of living in America. Ehrenreich’s project is timely, descriptive, and well-researched.

The annotation above both summarizes and assesses the book in the citation. The first paragraph provides a brief summary of the author's project in the book, covering the main points of the work. The second paragraph points out the project’s strengths and evaluates its methods and presentation. This particular annotation does not reflect on the source’s potential importance or usefulness for this person’s own research.

For information on formatting APA citations, see our APA Formatting and Style Guide .

Sample Chicago Manual of Style Annotation

Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Roles of the Northern Goddess . London: Routledge, 1998.

Davidson's book provides a thorough examination of the major roles filled by the numerous pagan goddesses of Northern Europe in everyday life, including their roles in hunting, agriculture, domestic arts like weaving, the household, and death. The author discusses relevant archaeological evidence, patterns of symbol and ritual, and previous research. The book includes a number of black and white photographs of relevant artifacts.

This annotation includes only one paragraph, a summary of the book. It provides a concise description of the project and the book's project and its major features.

For information on formatting Chicago Style citations, see our Chicago Manual of Style resources.

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Annotated Bibliography Examples & Step-by-Step Writing Guide

An annotated bibliography is a unique form of bibliography providing a short summary or analysis of sources. While creating an annotated bibliography shouldn’t be stressful, many students might find the process hard. Keep it simple by using this step-by-step annotated bibliography guide for perfect annotations in any style.

Table of Contents

What Is an Annotated Bibliography
How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography Examples

Use an Annotated Bibliography Generator
Abstract vs. Annotations vs. Literature Review

What Is an Annotated Bibliography?

So, the big question in everyone’s minds is, what is an annotated bibliography? An annotated bibliography is a list of citations followed by a brief summary or analysis of your sources, aka annotations. The annotation gives information about the relevance and quality of the sources you cited through a 150-250 word description or interpretation of the source.

Why Write Annotations?

One of the main questions students have is what the purpose of an annotation is. Surprise, it’s not just for your teacher. Annotations help you, too. Many times, you create your reference list as you begin researching your topic. Since you summarize the source in an annotated bibliography, you start to delve into the topic more critically to collect the information for your annotations. This helps you better understand the subject and sources to help you create your thesis .

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography Step-by-Step

The creation of an annotated bibliography is a three-step process. It starts with evaluating sources to find the ones that will genuinely make your paper shine. You’ll then begin writing your annotation for each different source. The final step is to choose your citation style. Now that you know the three-step process, let’s check out each step in turn.

Step 1: Analysis of Sources

When it comes to an annotated bibliography, you have to critically look at your topic’s sources and research. Therefore, you need to look at the author’s qualifications and credentials, along with the date of the study itself. Since new thoughts and literary movements are happening all the time, you want to make sure the analysis and opinions you use are relevant to your topic and current times.

In addition to the author, make sure the publisher or journal where you found the research is distinguished and reviewed by professionals in the field. Research by an unknown or unreputable journal will not make a good source for your arguments or analysis. Other areas you’ll want to be aware of include:

The intended audience
Omissions of facts
Opinions presented as truths

Critically analyzing all these different areas helps you evaluate if a source is credible , helpful to your project or research, and works to answer your thesis.

Step 2: Create Your Annotations

Now that you’ve used your critical academic eye to dive deep into your sources, it’s time to create annotations for them. Annotations aren’t one size fits all. Therefore, there are different ways you can create them, depending on your intent. You might choose to use descriptive, summary, or evaluation in your annotations or a combination of all three. Just remember to always include what your instructor asks for.

Indicative/Descriptive Annotations

Descriptive or indicative annotations do just what they say. They describe the source. Indicative annotations give you a quick summary of the source and argument and describe the main points and even chapters within the source. See how this indicative annotation example in MLA works.

Zachs, Mitch. The Little Book of Stock Market Profits . John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

This book covers a wide variety of strategies used in the stock market throughout the years to improve performance. Insightful chapters within the text include “Understanding the Markets,” “Using Profits to Achieve Your Elusive Goals,” and “The Challenge of Investing.”

Informative/Summary Annotations

Summary annotations simply provide a summary of your different sources. Within them, you describe the main arguments or points along with the various topics covered. This is where you show why this source was essential and made it to your list. See an example of informative annotations at play.

Doerr, John. Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World With OKRs . Penguin. 2018.

This book is written by Doerr, who is the chair of a venture capitalist group. The book describes how a business organization can use OKRs to drive a company’s focus through agility, which leads to explosive growth. These are first-person, behind-the-scenes case studies narrated by leaders like Bill Gates. This book helps guide understanding of the business management strategies that drive the success of large companies.

Evaluation Annotations

Your annotations might stop at summarizing, or you could take it a step further by evaluating the source. To do this, you want to compare and contrast it. Why did this one make the cut? Explain the overarching goal of the source and why it fits into your paper so well. Additionally, you want to look at the reliability of the information and any bias it might have. Dig deep into your source like in this example.

Wilson, John Philip. When the Texans Come: Missing Records from the Civil War in the Southwest. UNM Press, 2001.

Through primary resources like original letters, song lyrics, and casualty lists, the author, a historian-archeologist, provides a fresh narrative of the Civil War. The author dissects primary sources like witness testimony and original newspaper accounts to clearly understand the battles fought within the Civil War. It not only takes you through the major battles but the minor ones happening in the west to provide you a clear picture of the war. While it’s interesting to see the war through fresh eyes, it lacks in some areas due to its overarching look at the entirety of the war.

Combination Annotations

Annotations don’t have to just follow one specific format. You can combine all three types of annotations into your annotated bibliography. For example, you might spend a few lines describing and summarizing the work and end with an evaluation.

Writing Style for Annotations

Just like there are different types of annotations you can create, you can also use different writing styles. Annotations typically follow three specific formats depending on how long they are.

Phrases – Short phrases providing the information in a quick, concise manner.
Sentences – Write out complete sentences with proper punctuation and grammar. Be sure to keep sentences short and concise.
Paragraphs – Longer annotations also break the information out into different paragraphs. This can be very effective for combination annotations.

Step 3: Annotated Bibliography Format

All annotated bibliographies have a title, annotation, and citation. While the annotation is the same for all, the way you create your title and citation varies based on your style. The three main bibliography styles used include MLA, APA, and Chicago.

Get examples of an annotated bibliography in each different style. Find a quick overview of when to use APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.

APA Example

An APA annotated bibliography is used for science and technical papers. It includes an APA citation and APA formatting for headers and title.

MLA Example

An MLA annotated bibliography is the go-to style of high school and college students for language arts and humanities papers. This style uses MLA style citations and formatting like the surname and page number header.

Chicago Example

Chicago style annotated bibliographies are a catch-all type of style with author-date and notes-bibliography citations. The citation used in Chicago style can vary by style, but the annotation remains the same.

example annotated bibliography chicago format

How to Use an Annotated Bibliography Generator

When it comes to creating your annotated bibliography, you can use the annotated bibliography generator at Bibliography.com to make things easier. Get a step-by-step overview on how to create an annotated bibliography using Bibliography.com.

Creating your annotated bibliography through Bibliography.com’s annotation generator is as simple as that.

Difference Between Abstract, Annotation, and Literature Review

The difference between an abstract, literature review, and annotated bibliography can get a bit fuzzy, especially if you are new to the academic writing game. You know an annotation is a brief synopsis of your source. Explore how that differs from an abstract and a literature review.

What Is a Literature Review?

Like an annotated bibliography, literature reviews can be full papers, in their own right, or they can be incorporated into a school paper. Their purpose is to review and tie together previously published research to bolster a writer’s own thesis. The literature review also suggests ways to move the research forward or identifies gaps in the existing literature. Preparing a literature review helps students learn how to find and critically evaluate sources.

Purpose of an Abstract

The difference between an abstract and an annotated bibliography is abstracts are included as part of research papers. Their purpose is to inform an interested researcher about the topic, problem, methodology, findings, and conclusion of the research. This abstract helps students understand whether this source is a good one for their own school paper.

An abstract is written as a summary rather than to serve an evaluative purpose. No added material, such as explanations or further reading, are included in abstracts—usually, an abstract runs between 150 to 250 words. If you’re using APA style to format your research paper, you may need to include an abstract on the page following the title page.

Now that you know the difference between an abstract, annotated bibliography, and literature review, you have all the skills needed to create a perfect annotated bibliography.

Creating an Annotated Bibliography

Creating an annotated bibliography takes more work, but it can make you a better researcher. Just follow the steps for creating annotations and citations per your professor, and you’re ready for that A. Interested in learning more about research papers? Why not check out how to insert citations in Word quickly .

FAQ Annotated Bibliography Writing Guide With Examples

How do you write an annotated bibliography.

To write an annotated bibliography, you need to evaluate your source then write a summary, evaluation, or reflection of the source. Once your annotation is complete, you will create a citation for the source using the rules for APA, MLA, or Chicago style.

What are the 3 parts of an annotated bibliography?

The three different parts of an annotated bibliography include the title, annotation, and citation. The title and citation format will vary based on the style you use. The annotation can include a summary, evaluation, or reflection.

How long is an annotated bibliography?

The length of an annotated bibliography can vary from about 150-250 words. However, some annotations can be shorter for the Chicago style.

What should an annotated bibliography look like?

The look of an annotated bibliography includes a title, citations, and annotation. Each source has a citation and annotation throughout the entire annotated bibliography to provide an overview of the relevance of your sources for your teacher.

What are 3 types of annotations?

The 3 types of annotation include descriptive, summary, and evaluation. You can choose to use one of these or all three in your annotations for your bibliography.

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Annotated Bibliographies

What Is An Annotated Bibliography?

What is an annotated bibliography.

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations (references) to books, articles, and documents followed by a brief summary, analysis or evaluation, usually between 100-300 words, of the sources that are cited in the paper. This summary provides a description of the contents of the source and may also include evaluative comments, such as the relevance, accuracy and quality of the source. These summaries are known as annotations.

Annotated bibliographies are completed before a paper is written
They can be stand-along assignments
They can be used as a reference tool as a person works on their paper

Annotations vs. Abstracts

Abstracts are the descriptive summaries of article contents found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles that are written by the article author(s) or editor. Their purpose is to inform a reader about the topic, methodology, results and conclusion of the research of the article's author(s). The summaries are provided so that a researcher can determine whether or not the article may have information of interest to them. Abstracts do not serve an evaluative purpose.

Annotations found in bibliographies are evaluations of sources cited in a paper. They describe a work, but also critique the source by examining the author’s point of view, the strengths and weakness of the research or article hypothesis or how well the author presented their research or findings.

How to write an annotated bibliography

The creation of an annotated bibliography is a three-step process. It starts with finding and evaluating sources for your paper. Next is choosing the type or category of annotation, then writing the annotation for each different source. The final step is to choose a citation style for the bibliography.

Types of Annotated Bibliographies

Types of Annotations

Annotations come in different types, the one to use depends on the instructor’s assignment. Annotations can be descriptive, a summary, or an evaluation or a combination of descriptive and evaluation.

Descriptive/Summarizing Annotations

There are two kinds of descriptive or summarizing annotations, informative or indicative, depending on what is most important for a reader to learn about a source. Descriptive/summarizing annotations provide a brief overview or summary of the source. This can include a description of the contents and a statement of the main argument or position of the article as well as a summary of the main points. It may also describe why the source would be useful for the paper’s topic or question.

Indicative annotations provide a quick overview of the source, the kinds of questions/topics/issues or main points that are addressed by the source, but do not include information from the argument or position itself.

Informative annotations, like indicative annotations, provide a brief summary of the source. In addition, an informative annotation identifies the hypothesis, results, and conclusions presented by the source. When appropriate, they describe the author’s methodology or approach to the topic under discussion. However, they do not provide information about the sources usefulness to the paper or contains analytical or critical information about the source’s quality.

Evaluative Annotations (also known as critical or analytical)

Evaluative annotations go beyond just summarizing the source and listing out it’s key points, but also analyzes the content. It looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the article’s argument, the reliability of the presented information as well as any biases of the author. It talks about how the source may be useful to a particular field of study or the person’s research project.

Combination Annotations

Combination annotations “combine” aspects from indicative/informative and evaluative annotations and are the most common category of annotated bibliography. Combination annotations include one to two sentences summarizing or describing content, in addition to one or more sentences providing an critical evaluation.

Writing Style for Annotations

Annotations typically follow three specific formats depending on how long they are.

Phrases – Short phrases providing the information in a quick, concise manner.
Sentences – Complete sentences with proper punctuation and grammar, but are short and concise.
Paragraphs – Longer annotations break the information out into different paragraphs. This format is very effective for combination annotations.

To sum it up:

An annotation may include the following information:

A brief summary or overview of the source content
The source’s strengths and weaknesses in presenting the argument or position
Its conclusions
Why the source is relevant in to field of study of the paper
Its relationships to other studies in the field
An evaluation of the research methodology (if applicable)
Information about the author’s background and potential biases
Conclusions about the usefulness of the source for the paper

Critically Analyzing Articles

In order to write an annotation for a paper source, you need to first read and then critically analyze it:

Try to identify the topic of the source -- what is it about and is it clearly stated.
See if you can identify the purpose of the author(s) in doing the research or writing about the topic. Is it to survey and summarize research on a topic? Is the author(s) presenting an argument based on previous research, or refuting previously published research?
Identify the research methods used and try to identify whether they appear to be suitable or not for the stated purpose of the research.
Was the research reported in a consistent or clear manner? Or, was the author's argument/position presented in a consistent or convincing manner? Did the author(s) fail to acknowledge and explain any limitations?
Was the logic of the research/argument claims properly supported with convincing evidence/analysis/data? Did you spot any fallacies?
Check whether the author(s) refers to other research and if similar studies have been done.
If illustrations or charts are used, are they effective in presenting information?
Analyze the sources that were used by the author(s). Did the author(s) miss any important studies they should have considered?
Your opinion of the source -- do you agree with or are convinced of the findings?
Your estimation of the source’s contribution to knowledge and its implications or applications to the field of study.

Worksheet for Taking Notes for Critical Analysis of Sources/Articles

Additional Resources:

Hofmann, B., Magelssen, M. In pursuit of goodness in bioethics: analysis of an exemplary article. BMC Med Ethics 19, 60 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-018-0299-9

Jansen, M., & Ellerton, P. (2018). How to read an ethics paper. Journal of Medical Ethics, 44(12), 810-813. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2018-104997

Research & Learning Services, Olin Library, Cornell University Library Critically Analyzing Information Sources: Critical Appraisal and Analysis

Formatting An Annotated Bibliography

How do I format my annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography entry consists of two components: the Citation and the Annotation.

The citation should be formatted in the bibliographic style that your instructor has requested for the paper. Some common citation styles include APA, MLA, and Chicago. For more information on citation styles, see Writing Guides, Style Manuals and the Publication Process in the Biological & Health Sciences .

Many databases (e.g., PubMed, Academic Search Premier, Library Search on library homepage, and Google Scholar) offer the option of creating your references in various citation styles.

Look for the "cite" link -- see examples for the following resources:

University of Minnesota Library Search

Google Scholar

Sample Annotated Bibliography Entries

An example of an Evaluative Annotation , APA style (7th ed). (sample from University Libraries, University of Nevada ).

APA does not have specific formatting rules for annotations, just for the citation and bibliography.

Maak, T. (2007). Responsible leadership, stakeholder engagement, and the emergence of social capital. Journal of Business Ethics, 74, 329-343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9510-5

This article focuses on the role of social capital in responsible leadership. It looks at both the social networks that a leader builds within an organization, and the links that a leader creates with external stakeholders. Maak’s main aim with this article seems to be to persuade people of the importance of continued research into the abilities that a leader requires and how they can be acquired. The focus on the world of multinational business means that for readers outside this world many of the conclusions seem rather obvious (be part of the solution not part of the problem). In spite of this, the article provides useful background information on the topic of responsible leadership and definitions of social capital which are relevant to an analysis of a public servant.

An example of an Evaluative Annotation , MLA Style (10th ed), (sample from Columbia College, Vancouver, Canada )

MLA style requires double-spacing (not shown here) and paragraph indentations.

London, Herbert. “Five Myths of the Television Age.” Television Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 1, Mar. 1982, pp. 81-69.

Herbert London, the Dean of Journalism at New York University and author of several books and articles, explains how television contradicts five commonly believed ideas. He uses specific examples of events seen on television, such as the assassination of John Kennedy, to illustrate his points. His examples have been selected to contradict such truisms as: “seeing is believing”; “a picture is worth a thousand words”; and “satisfaction is its own reward.” London uses logical arguments to support his ideas which are his personal opinion. He does not refer to any previous works on the topic. London’s style and vocabulary would make the article of interest to any reader. The article clearly illustrates London’s points, but does not explore their implications leaving the reader with many unanswered questions.

Additional Resources

University Libraries Tutorial -- Tutorial: What are citations? Completing this tutorial you will:

Understand what citations are
Recognize why they are important
Create and use citations in your papers and other scholarly work

University of Minnesota Resources

Beatty, L., & Cochran, C. (2020). Writing the annotated bibliography : A guide for students & researchers . New York, NY: Routledge. [ebook]

Efron, S., Ravid, R., & ProQuest. (2019). Writing the literature review : A practical guide . New York: The Guilford Press. [ebook -- see Chapter 6 on Evaluating Research Articles]

Center for Writing: Student Writing Support

Critical reading strategies
Common Writing Projects (includes resources for literature reviews & analyzing research articles)

Resources from Other Libraries

Annotated Bibliographies (The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Writing An Annotated Bibliography (University of Toronto)

Annotated Bibliographies (Purdue Writing Lab, Purdue University)

Annotated Bibliography (UNSW Sydney)

What is an annotated bibliography? (Santiago Canyon College Library): Oct 17, 2017. 3:47 min.

Writing an annotated bibliography (EasyBib.com) Oct 22, 2020. 4:53 min.

Creating an annotated bibliography (Laurier University Library, Waterloo, Ontario)/ Apr 3, 2019, 3:32 min.

How to create an annotated bibliography: MLA (JamesTheDLC) Oct 23, 2019. 3:03 min.

Citing Sources

Introduction

Citations are brief notations in the body of a research paper that point to a source in the bibliography or references cited section.

If your paper quotes, paraphrases, summarizes the work of someone else, you need to use citations.

Citation style guides such as APA, Chicago and MLA provide detailed instructions on how citations and bibliographies should be formatted.

Health Sciences Research Toolkit

Resources, tips, and guidelines to help you through the research process., finding information.

Library Research Checklist Helpful hints for starting a library research project.

Search Strategy Checklist and Tips Helpful tips on how to develop a literature search strategy.

Boolean Operators: A Cheat Sheet Boolean logic (named after mathematician George Boole) is a system of logic to designed to yield optimal search results. The Boolean operators, AND, OR, and NOT, help you construct a logical search. Boolean operators act on sets -- groups of records containing a particular word or concept.

Literature Searching Overview and tips on how to conduct a literature search.

Health Statistics and Data Sources Health related statistics and data sources are increasingly available on the Internet. They can be found already neatly packaged, or as raw data sets. The most reliable data comes from governmental sources or health-care professional organizations.

Evaluating Information

Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources in the Health Sciences Understand what are considered primary, secondary and tertiary sources.

Scholarly vs Popular Journals/Magazines How to determine what are scholarly journals vs trade or popular magazines.

Identifying Peer-Reviewed Journals A “peer-reviewed” or “refereed” journal is one in which the articles it contains have been examined by people with credentials in the article’s field of study before it is published.

Evaluating Web Resources When searching for information on the Internet, it is important to be aware of the quality of the information being presented to you. Keep in mind that anyone can host a web site. To be sure that the information you are looking at is credible and of value.

Conducting Research Through An Anti-Racism Lens This guide is for students, staff, and faculty who are incorporating an anti-racist lens at all stages of the research life cycle.

Understanding Research Study Designs Covers case studies, randomized control trials, systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Qualitative Studies Overview of what is a qualitative study and how to recognize, find and critically appraise.

Writing and Publishing

Citing Sources Citations are brief notations in the body of a research paper that point to a source in the bibliography or references cited section.

Structure of a Research Paper Reports of research studies usually follow the IMRAD format. IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, [and] Discussion) is a mnemonic for the major components of a scientific paper. These elements are included in the overall structure of a research paper.

Top Reasons for Non-Acceptance of Scientific Articles Avoid these mistakes when preparing an article for publication.

Annotated Bibliographies Guide on how to create an annotated bibliography.

Writing guides, Style Manuals and the Publication Process in the Biological and Health Sciences Style manuals, citation guides as well as information on public access policies, copyright and plagiarism.

Academic Skills
Reading, writing and referencing
Annotated bibliography

Writing an annotated bibliography

How to select resources and write an annotated bibliography.

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography reviews the research published on your problem of study. Unlike a literature review, articles are reviewed separately with a full citation, brief summary of their content and a statement on how or why they apply to your research. It is a list of citations, each followed by a short paragraph, of 150 – 200 words, reviewing each source. Depending on your assignment, in this paragraph you may reflect on, summarise, critique, evaluate or analyse the source.

An annotated bibliography may be a component of a larger assignment or it may be a standalone document.

Why write an annotated bibliography?

Depending on your specific assessment, you may be asked to create an annotated bibliography for the following reasons:

To familiarise yourself with the material available on a particular topic
To demonstrate the quality and depth of reading that you have done
To identify range of sources available on your topic
To highlight sources that may be of interest to other readers and researchers
To explore and organise sources for further research, e.g. as the first step toward a literature review

What kind of resources should be studied?

Review recent academic materials such as academic books and peer reviewed journals. Textbooks and web pages are generally not appropriate as the content may be either too broad or unreliable.

The sources you choose will depend on your topic. Choose sources which most closely answer a clearly defined question or problem from a balanced range of approaches, not only those which confirm your current beliefs. Also, include any references which are considered central to your topic.

How to create an annotated bibliography

These are good places to start:

Your lecture notes / references given in class
The Library Guide for your subject
The subject liaison librarian

First, read abstracts or academic book reviews to help you select studies most relevant to your problem, then select the most suitable from those to read in full. Take notes on your selected texts as you read. Pay attention to:

the author’s theoretical approach.
which parts of the topic are covered in this paper.
main points or findings on the topic.
the author’s position or argument.

Record evaluations in your notes; your bibliography should not merely be a catalogue but present your own informed position on the texts and the topic as a whole.

How well does this text address your topic?
Does it cover the topic thoroughly or only one aspect of it?
Do the research methods seem appropriate and does the argument stand up to scrutiny?
Does it agree with or contradict other studies?
List texts in alphabetical order using citation conventions for a reference list.
Create an annotation under each citation: a paragraph summarising each text and explaining how the text applies to your research question or problem. e.g. What aspect of your question/ problem does it address? How fully? Does it provide background information/ theory / useful results? How strong is the evidence? What are its limitations in answering your research question?

Find out what citation style you need to use, such as APA, Vancouver, MLA. Department style guides or detailed assignment briefs often provide information on this. Details of how to cite are explained in re:cite.

Write in complete sentences to create a cohesive ‘snapshot’ of the text and its contribution to your research. Be brief and selective; aim to outline the text in less than 200 words.

An annotation may contain all or part of the following elements depending on the word limit and the content of the sources you are examining:

You might include:

the background of the author(s)
the content or scope of the text
the main argument
the intended audience
the research methods (if applicable)
any conclusions made by the author/s
comments on the reliability of the text
any special features of the text that were helpful (charts, graphs etc.)
the relevance or usefulness of the text for your research
the strengths and limitations of the text

Below is a sample annotation (APA). The superscript numbers at the end of the sentence explain the features or elements covered.

Scoffer, J., Treet, M., Nibbell, A., Tayste, C., & Snacker, A. (2017). Visual priming for chocolate increases chocolate consumption–an attention bias modification study. Journal of Healthy Eating, 38(1), 176-183. 1

The study examines the effect of attention priming on subsequent chocolate consumption within a University context 2 . 120 subjects were primed with presentations of pictures either of shoes or chocolate, then participated in a chocolate search 3 . Findings indicated that the group primed with visual stimuli of chocolate showed significantly higher persistence in the chocolate searching task, consuming on average greater amounts of chocolate 4 . The authors contend that attention to food stimuli could increase risk of weight gain for many individuals 5 . By demonstrating the role of visual attention in subsequent food seeking behaviour and quantity consumed, this study provides evidence that such visual stimuli as web-based or billboard-based advertisements containing images of food may present a health risk to many individuals 6 . Limitations of the study include the lack of a true control since no non-primed condition was included. Another limitation is the use of a highly prized foodstuff, which limits the application of the findings to more everyday foods less closely related to reward 7 . However, the positive finding on the role of visual priming in food seeking and consumption provides useful support for the argument in my research that visual advertising contributes to weight problems, particularly in an obesogenic environment 8 .

1 Full citation

2 Aim and scope of the research

3 Brief summary of methods (where appropriate)

4 Summary of findings

5 Author’s main contention/ argument

6 Usefulness for your research

7 Limitations for your study

8 Reflection on how this work informs your research and how it will be applied.

As you research, keep in mind that annotated bibliographies are often preliminary research for a single, cohesive literature review about a situation or problem. Try to choose sources which together will present a comprehensive review of the issue under study.

Looking for one-on-one advice?

Get tailored advice from an Academic Skills Adviser by booking an Individual appointment, or get quick feedback from one of our Academic Writing Mentors via email through our Writing advice service.

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Research Process :: Step by Step

Introduction
Select Topic
Identify Keywords
Background Information
Develop Research Questions
Refine Topic
Search Strategy
Popular Databases
Evaluate Sources
Types of Periodicals
Reading Scholarly Articles
Primary & Secondary Sources
Organize / Take Notes
Writing & Grammar Resources
Annotated Bibliography
Literature Review
Citation Styles
Paraphrasing
Privacy / Confidentiality

The quality and usefulness of your bibliography will depend on your selection of sources. Define the scope of your research carefully to make sound judgments about what you include and exclude.

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents that follows the appropriate style format for the discipline (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc). Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 word) descriptive and evaluative paragraph -- the annotation. Unlike abstracts, which are purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in periodical indexes, annotations are descriptive and critical.

The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited . The annotation exposes the author's point of view, clarity and appropriateness of expression, and authority.

How do I create an annotated bibliography?

Locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that contain useful information and ideas on your topic.
Review the items. Choose those sources that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.
Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style.
Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope o f the item.

Include one or more sentences that:

o evaluate the authority or background of the author,

o comment on the intended audience,

o compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or

o explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.

The annotation should include most, if not all, of the following elements:

Explanation of the main purpose and scope of t he cited work;
Brief description of the work's format and content;
Theoretical basis and currency of the author's argument;
Author's intellectual / academic credentials;
Work's intended audience;
Value and significance of the work as a contribution to the subject under consideration;
Possible shortcomings or bias in the work;
Any significant special features of the work (e.g., glossary, appendices, particularly good index);
Your own brief impression of the work.

An annotated bibliography is an original work created by you for a wider audience, usually faculty and colleagues. Copying any of the above elements from the source and including it in your annotated bibliography is plagiarism and intellectual dishonesty.

SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY FOR A JOURNAL ARTICLE

The following example uses APA style ( Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 6th edition, 2010) for the journal citation.

Waite, L. J., Goldschneider, F. K., & Witsberger, C. (1986). Nonfamily living and the erosion of traditional family orientations among young adults. American Sociological Review, 51 , 541-554.

This example uses MLA style ( MLA Handbook , 8th edition, 2016) for the journal citation.

Waite, Linda J., et al. "Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review, vol. 51, no. 4, 1986, pp. 541-554.

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URL: https://libguides.uta.edu/researchprocess

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How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

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What's an annotated bibliography?

Jump to: How to write an annotated bibliography | How to format an annotated bibliography

Your sources, explained

Annotated bibliographies contain short descriptions and evaluations of the sources you find related to a particular project or paper. They help us practice critical thinking skills such as summarizing, analyzing, and evaluating information. In an annotated bibliography, you explain to your readers the sources you used to learn about a particular topic or area of research. They can be a great starting point for research because they compile and evaluate the available information on a topic, helping readers (and you!) choose information that is relevant, credible, and useful.

The point of an annotated bibliography is to tell the story of your research. It's a way to prove that you've read and thought critically about the information you've encountered, and to help your readers quickly learn about sources that are important to a particular topic. When you sit down to write a paper after completing an annotated bibliography, you'll have a strong foundation of information on your topic and a plan for how to use that information to support your writing.

How do I get started?

the number 1 in an orange circle with the word

Step 1: Cite

Cite each source as you normally would for a bibliography or references list.
Make sure you're following the citation style requirements of your course, major, or program.

Step 2: Summarize

What's its thesis? What are the major points or pieces of evidence used to support that thesis? What are the authors' main conclusions?
For empirical studies, it might be important to include information about the study's methods and participants.
Annotations are typically brief, so keep your summary short (2-3 sentences).
TIP: How would you describe the source to someone who doesn't know anything about the topic? Approaching a summary in this way can help you determine what's most important to include and what details you can leave out.

Step 3: Evaluate

The authority and credibility of the source and its author(s)
The intended audience of the source (experts, the general public, students, etc.)
The quality of the source's arguments and evidence
How is the information useful, unique, or important? If it isn't, why?
How does the source answer your research questions? Will you use it in your project or paper? Why or why not?

How do I format an annotated bibliography?

Check your style manual.

The manual for your required citation style will likely have guidance on how to format your annotated bibliography. Formatting guidelines for common citation styles at UJ are included here.

Next: Citation Help >>
Last Updated: Jun 5, 2024 11:45 AM
URL: https://libguides.uj.edu/annotated-bibs

How to Write a Research Paper: Annotated Bibliography

Anatomy of a Research Paper
Developing a Research Focus
Background Research Tips
Searching Tips
Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Journals
Thesis Statement
Annotated Bibliography
Citing Sources
Evaluating Sources
Literature Review
Academic Integrity
Scholarship as Conversation
Understanding Fake News
Data, Information, Knowledge

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

UMary Writing Center

Check out the resources available from the Writing Center .

Write an Annotated Bibliography

What is an annotated bibliography?

It is a list of citations for various books, articles, and other sources on a topic.

An annotation is a short summary and/or critical evaluation of a source.

Annotated bibliographies answer the question: "What would be the most relevant, most useful, or most up-to-date sources for this topic?"

Annotated bibliographies can be part of a larger research project, or can be a stand-alone report in itself.

Annotation versus abstracts

An abstract is a paragraph at the beginning of the paper that discusses the main point of the original work. They typically do not include evaluation comments.

Annotations can either be descriptive or evaluative. The annotated bibliography looks like a works cited page but includes an annotation after each source cited.

Types of Annotations:

Descriptive Annotations: Focuses on description. Describes the source by answering the following questions.

Who wrote the document?

What does the document discuss?

When and where was the document written?

Why was the document produced?

How was it provided to the public?

Evaluative Annotations: Focuses on description and evaluation. Includes a summary and critically assess the work for accuracy, relevance, and quality.

Evaluative annotations help you learn about your topic, develop a thesis statement, decide if a specific source will be useful for your assignment, and determine if there is enough valid information available to complete your project.

What does the annotation include?

Depending on your assignment and style guide, annotations may include some or all of the following information.

Should be no more than 150 words or 4 to 6 sentences long.
What is the main focus or purpose of the work?
Who is the intended audience?
How useful or relevant was the article to your topic?
Was there any unique features that useful to you?
What is the background and credibility of the author?
What are any conclusions or observations that your reached about the article?

Which citation style to use?

There are many styles manuals with specific instructions on how to format your annotated bibliography. This largely depends on what your instructor prefers or your subject discipline. Check out our citation guides for more information.

Additional Information

Why doesn't APA have an official APA-approved format for annotated bibliographies?

Always consult your instructor about the format of an annotated bibliography for your class assignments. These guides provide you with examples of various styles for annotated bibliographies and they may not be in the format required by your instructor.

Citation Examples and Annotations

Book Citation with Descriptive Annotation

Liroff, R. A., & G. G. Davis. (1981). Protecting open space: Land use control in the Adirondack Park. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.

This book describes the implementation of regional planning and land use regulation in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York. The authors provide program evaluations of the Adirondack Park Agencys regulatory and local planning assistance programs.

Journal Article Citation with Evaluative Annotation

Gottlieb, P. D. (1995). The “golden egg” as a natural resource: Toward a normative theory of growth management. Society and Natural Resources, 8, (5): 49-56.

This article explains the dilemma faced by North American suburbs, which demand both preservation of local amenities (to protect quality of life) and physical development (to expand the tax base). Growth management has been proposed as a policy solution to this dilemma. An analogy is made between this approach and resource economics. The author concludes that the growth management debate raises legitimate issues of sustainability and efficiency.

Examples were taken from http://lib.calpoly.edu/support/how-to/write-an-annotated-bibliography/#samples

Book Citation

Lee, Seok-hoon, Yong-pil Kim, Nigel Hemmington, and Deok-kyun Yun. “Competitive Service Quality Improvement (CSQI): A Case Study in the Fast-Food Industry.” Food Service Technology 4 (2004): 75-84.

In this highly technical paper, three industrial engineering professors in Korea and one services management professor in the UK discuss the mathematical limitations of the popular SERVQUAL scales. Significantly, they also aim to measure service quality in the fast-food industry, a neglected area of study. Unfortunately, the paper’s sophisticated analytical methods make it inaccessible to all but the most expert of researchers.

Battle, Ken. “Child Poverty: The Evolution and Impact of Child Benefits.” A Question of Commitment: Children's Rights in Canada . Ed. Katherine Covell and R.Brian Howe. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. 2007. 21-44.

Ken Battle draws on a close study of government documents, as well as his own research as an extensively-published policy analyst, to explain Canadian child benefit programs. He outlines some fundamental assumptions supporting the belief that all society members should contribute to the upbringing of children. His comparison of child poverty rates in a number of countries is a useful wake-up to anyone assuming Canadian society is doing a good job of protecting children. Battle pays particular attention to the National Child Benefit (NCB), arguing that it did not deserve to be criticized by politicians and journalists. He outlines the NCB’s development, costs, and benefits, and laments that the Conservative government scaled it back in favour of the inferior Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB). However, he relies too heavily on his own work; he is the sole or primary author of almost half the sources in his bibliography. He could make this work stronger by drawing from others' perspectives and analyses. However, Battle does offer a valuable source for this essay, because the chapter provides a concise overview of government-funded assistance currently available to parents. This offers context for analyzing the scope and financial reality of child poverty in Canada.

Journal Article Example

Kerr, Don and Roderic Beaujot. “Child Poverty and Family Structure in Canada, 1981-1997.” Journal of Comparative Family Studies 34.3 (2003): 321-335.

Sociology professors Kerr and Beaujot analyze the demographics of impoverished families. Drawing on data from Canada’s annual Survey of Consumer Finances, the authors consider whether each family had one or two parents, the age of single parents, and the number of children in each household. They analyze child poverty rates in light of both these demographic factors and larger economic issues. Kerr and Beaujot use this data to argue that.

Examples were taken from http://libguides.enc.edu/writing_basics/ annotatedbib/mla

Check out these resources for more information about Annotated Bibliographies.

Purdue Owl- Annotated Bibliographies
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- Annotated Bibliographies
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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Citation Basics / Annotated Bibliography Format & Examples

Annotated Bibliography Format & Examples

A complete guide to the mla & apa annotated bibliography.

If you’ve just received an assignment that requires an MLA or APA annotated bibliography, you may be wondering where to start. This guide will help answer all of your questions and includes step-by-step instructions on how to do an annotated bibliography in MLA style, as well as an APA annotated bibliography. You will also find sample annotated bibliographies, real-life examples, and opportunities to practice what you have learned.

The MLA ( Modern Language Association ) and APA (American Psychological Association) are not associated with this guide. All of the information provided here, however, offers direction for students and researchers who use these citation styles in their work.

The structures and annotated bibliography templates on this page were created by the in-house librarians at EasyBib.com.

If you’re simply looking for an example of an annotated bibliography (both in MLA format and APA format), scroll down toward the bottom of the page. We’ve included links to visuals for those of you who need help with the structure and styling of an annotated bibliography. If you’re looking for a variety of annotated bibliography topics, and you’re truly searching for the answer to, “What is an annotated bibliography?” then continue reading!

Here’s a run-through of everything this page includes:

What is an annotated bibliography, annotations vs. abstract, why include annotations.

Step 1: Analyze your sources

Step 2: Write the descriptions

Step 3a: Formatting an MLA style annotated bibliography
Step 3b: Formatting an APA style annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography Templates

Using the easybib annotation tool.

A bibliography is a complete list of the sources that were used to complete a research paper or project.

Depending on the style guide you follow, you may also see this called a Works Cited (also called an MLA bibliography) or Reference List (APA format). Each listed source, or citation , shares information about the author, title, publishing year, and other details that serve to credit the original authors whose work informed your research. These details also help other students and researchers find and read the source materials.

When your research is related to a scholastic assignment, you should always verify your instructor’s requirements for the types and number of sources to include, as well as the style you should adhere to when formatting your paper and bibliography.

An MLA annotated bibliography and an APA format annotated bibliography are bibliographies that include a concise explanation, or annotation , of each listed source. Depending on the assignment, this annotation may be solely descriptive, or analytical.

An abstract and annotation should not be confused; they differ in both their substance as well as their placement in a paper.

Annotations:

Usually found in bibliographies at the end of a paper
Are subjective
Purpose is to summarize and evaluate . It should briefly communicate the work’s main point, but also discuss the background of the author or study, and the strengths/weaknesses of the work.

Abstracts:

Usually found in journal databases or the beginning of a paper
Are objective
Purpose is to summarize . It should provide a short overview of the article and communicate the main points and themes.

If you would like to learn more , this link further explores the difference between an abstract and an annotation.

This resource provides additional information on how to write a bibliography with annotations in other formats. You can also take advantage of the plagiarism checker and bibliography tools that come with EasyBib Plus to help you create your reference lists.

Before you learn how to make an annotated bibliography, you may be wondering why you need to.

Sometimes instructors want you to create and include annotations in your bibliography, either as part of an assignment or as an assignment unto itself. Understanding the purpose of this approach to your reference list can help to ensure that you gain all of the benefits that the annotated bibliography process provides.

As a student, this method will help you develop or hone your research skills, providing you with practice not only in locating sources but also in analyzing and evaluating them for relevance and quality.

Your instructor will gain insight into your research abilities, as well, allowing them to assess your work more thoroughly. If you plan to publish your research, this comprehensive approach to detailing your sources will provide readers and other researchers with a substantial directory of resources to evaluate for their own work.

Whether you’re publishing or submitting your annotated bibliography, make sure your spelling and wording is correct! If you need to brush up on any parts of speech topics, check out our interjection , determiner , and adverb pages!

Step 1: Analyze your sources

Each annotation should be a summarization or analysis of your source. If you have been tasked with writing annotations as part of a research paper or project, begin to create both the citation and notes on the source while you identify and analyze your sources.

Not only will this approach help you to hone your research skills and identify sources that are relevant and useful for your topic, but you will also save time. When done in this manner, both your citations and annotations will be nearly complete before you begin to write the body of your paper.

Analyzing your potential sources requires a two-pronged approach that first evaluates the author, publication, and date, and then examines the content.

When conducting your initial assessment of the source, consider some of the following questions to guide your appraisal:

What qualifies the author to write on this subject?
Is the author affiliated with a reputable institution in this field?
Is the author credentialed or otherwise considered an expert in this field?
Is this source current?
Is this the most recent edition?
Is the publisher reputable?
Is the journal reputable?

Once your primary evaluation is complete, you will move on the assessing the content itself. Consider some of these elements as you review each source:

Who is the intended audience?
Is the author presenting her opinion or interpretation as the truth, or stating facts?
What supporting evidence does the author provide?
Did the author perform the research, or curate and present the research of others?
If the author used the research of others, are the sources the author cites credible?
Are there errors or omissions of fact?
Is the author writing objectively and without bias?

Also, consider the value each source provides to you:

Is the information helpful for your particular assignment?
Does it help answer your research question(s)?
Is this source different from your other sources, or does it repeat information you already have?
Is the source providing you with a different perspective on your topic, or changing your beliefs or thinking about your subject?

To make it easier for you to create your reference page, write your notes in the format you will be using when you construct this part of the assignment (for instance, as short phrases or complete sentences). Once you have identified all of the sources you wish to include, you will merely need to insert what you have already written on the page and write your citation, which is explained in the next section.

Click here for additional information and a supplementary annotated bibliography sample. For an MLA bibliography example (with annotations), check out our visual example of an MLA annotated bibliography .

An annotated bibliography entry may be written either as short phrases or complete sentences. Your instructor will advise you of which approach you are required to take.

Annotations should include either:

The main points from the source, as well as the topics covered, the approach used, and any findings.
Or your critical evaluation.
A standard annotation is approximately one paragraph.
Take care not to include any unnecessary details, as the goal is to summarize each source as succinctly as possible and, in some cases, evaluate them.
Your field of study or instructor will determine what format your annotated bibliography will use. In this guide, you’ll find examples of an MLA and an APA annotated bibliography.

Here is an annotated bibliography example MLA annotation for the book The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase by UK author and blogger Mark Forsyth:

The author, Mark Forsyth, examines the rhetorical devices used in the English language, analyzing the patterns and formats that create memorable quotes. He traces the history of rhetoric to the Ancient Greeks, and provides an abridged timeline, following their use and evolution through to modern day. The author also explores the broader subject of persuasion and maps out the role that the figures of rhetoric play in it. In all, he examines over thirty devices, dissecting notable passages and phrases from pop music, the plays of William Shakespeare, the Bible, and more to explore the figures of rhetoric at work within each of them. Thorough definitions accompany this examination of structure to demonstrate how these formulas have been used to generate famously memorable expressions as well as how to reproduce their effects.

Notice how the annotated bibliography MLA entry above is descriptive enough so the reader has an idea of what the source is about with just a single paragraph. For more information on annotations, check out this informative site . If you’re looking to strengthen your writing in general, reading these grammar guides could be a good start.

For guidance on creating entries in MLA format , APA format , and more styles , check out the EasyBib library of resources or try the EasyBib annotation tool—we talk about it below!

Step 3a: MLA annotated bibliography format

The MLA Style Center and the current edition of the MLA Handbook provide the following guidance for formatting an MLA annotated bibliography:

Title your reference page as “Annotated Bibliography” or “Annotated List of Works Cited.”
Place each annotation after its reference.
Annotations should typically not exceed a single paragraph.
Annotations should be indented one inch from the start of your citation.
Double-space all text on the page.
1-inch margins around the page.

Sources in an annotated bibliography can be organized alphabetically by the first word in each reference (as with a normal Works Cited page), by publication date, or by subject.

For a visual example of an annotated bibliography, as well as specific annotation examples, visit the MLA annotated bibliography guide .

If you are required to share your references in a manner other than in MLA bibliography format, the EasyBib style guides can help you with many common styles. While you’re at it, check out their conjunction , preposition , and pronoun pages to help keep your paper in mint condition!

Step 3b: APA annotated bibliography format

The American Psychological Association states that your instructor should set the guidelines for your annotated bibliography, but asks that the bibliography be formatted according to their standard reference page rules (see Section 9.51 of the Publication Manual ). If your teacher has requested an APA formatted annotated bibliography, first ask them for guidelines. Otherwise, here are some quick rules for you to follow:

Double space all text on the page.
Title your page “Annotated Bibliogra phy”. Bold and center the title.
Organize references alphabetically by the first word of each reference.
Only the first line of a ref erence is flush with the left margin. Any other lines after the first line should be indented ½ inch from the left.
Add annotations on the next line after their paired reference.
Fully indent annotations by a ½ inch from the left.
Keep annotations short. No more than one paragraph.

For examples of a properly formatted APA annotation, visit this guide on APA annotated bibliographies .

In comparison to the sample annotated bibliography MLA, the APA sample formats its page elements and references differently.

Students and researchers who type their research notes can save time by using an annotated bibliography template in MLA format while reviewing and analyzing sources. By adding the relevant information into a pre-formatted template, you’ll create a resource that helps you when you begin writing your paper in addition to saving time by completing your references and summaries alongside your research.

Students who prefer to take notes by hand can employ a modified version of this approach, with an additional step required to transfer your handwritten and formatted references from your notebook to populate your reference page.

Bibliography Template for MLA

To create an annotated bibliography MLA template, copy the following details into the program in which you will take notes or hand write it on the top margin of a page in your notebook. For each source, use this template to guide you as you identify the necessary details and insert them into your notes:

Author (Last name, First name).
Title of source.
Title of the container ,
Other contributors (names and roles),
Publication Date,
Location of the source (such as URL or page range).
Summary or Analysis.

The MLA 9 model for MLA works cited entries offers a single format for all source type, and a great deal of flexibility to include the information most relevant to your topic and omit that which isn’t.

Hopefully our visual annotated bibliography example in MLA above has helped. If you still have lingering questions, visit the MLA Style Center online ( linked here ). Also, here’s a guide if you’re looking for more on the related topic of MLA in-text & parenthetical citations .

Bibliography Template for APA

Students and researchers who are still asking themselves how to piece together an annotated bibliography, or still questioning what is an annotated bibliography, could probably benefit from a template, similar to the one above. This one, however, is for those of you who are tasked with creating an annotated bibliography in the style created by the American Psychological Association.

The tricky thing about this specific style though, is that every reference is styled differently. Books, websites, journal articles, newspaper articles, and many others each have their own reference structure.

For most sources though, you should look for the following, basic information:

Type of source
Author (last name, first name)
Title of source/article/web page, etc.
Title of where source was found (e.g., database name, website name, etc.)
Other contributors (names and roles)
Location of the source (such as URL, DOI, or page range)
Summary or Analysis

We understand it can get tricky, and it’s very different from the Modern Language Association’s structure for references. Take a moment to either use the other handy guides on EasyBib.com or use our automatic generator to form your references in just a few clicks. Our tools help take the pain away from having to rack your brain to form references properly. Capitals, lowercase letters, italics, quotation marks, punctuation in the appropriate places, it can all be quite overwhelming. Do yourself a favor, and use the EasyBib automatic citation generator.

Even though there are a lot of different variations, here’s a commonly used structure for sources:

Author’s Last Name, First initial, Middle initial. (Year the source was published). Title of the source . Retrieved from (insert the website address here)

Underneath the reference, include your summary or analysis paragraph.

Hopefully, this page helped answer all of your “What is an annotated bibliography?” questions. If you’re seeking out an annotated bibliography generator, follow the steps above the annotated bibliography examples.

Looking for additional help with other related topics? Don’t forget about the various beneficial guides on EasyBib.com! Our APA in-text citation guide and our APA parenthetical citation guide are two of our most popular pages. Learn the ins and outs of referencing your work in the body of your paper with our thorough, complete, and reader-friendly guides.

If you are creating a bibliography in MLA format, the EasyBib MLA bibliography generator can help save you time formatting your citations and annotations correctly. You can create entries for websites, books, videos, databases, dictionary articles, and many other types of sources.

In addition to forming the citations, you can also enter your annotation text to produce the complete entry for each source. The process for this is simple. You can follow along below to practice creating one:

First, select your source type from among the 50+ available options. For this example, we will use the acting career of Keanu Reeves as our research topic and use the movie Point Break from 1991 as our first source. To cite this film, you would select the option for “Film/Online Video.” As you follow along, pick the option that is suitable for your source if you are using a different example.
Enter the title of your source or, if you are citing a website, you may enter the URL. (Now would be a great time to peek at how to cite websites in MLA ). After you enter the title or URL for your reference, the EasyBib citation tool will scan for titles that match it and provide you with a list of results. Select “Cite this” next to the listing that matches your source.
You will see a citation form. This gives you the option to add additional relevant or necessary information. For our sample topic, we will specifically cite Keanu Reeves as the performer and Kathryn Bigelow as the director.
After entering any additional details, you have the option to expand your entry and include an annotation. To do so, select “Add annotation” at the bottom of the page, and a text box will open up.

Then, type your summary or analysis into the text box. If you took notes during the research stage using the format of your paper, this might be as simple as copying and pasting your already written summary or critique. Once you have entered all of the necessary information, select “Create citation” to generate the complete entry. You can then copy and paste this into your MLA bibliography.

Here’s what it’ll look like:

Point Break . Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, performance by Keanu Reeves, 20th Century Fox, 1991.

Reeves’ role as rookie FBI Agent Johnny Utah in Point Break marks the turning point in his Hollywood film career. While he’d risen to fame due to the success of the Bill and Ted franchise, his status today as an action star began when Point Break provided him with the material to establish himself as capable of portraying more than the lovable but unserious characters of his previous starring roles. In a parallel arc, director Kathryn Bigelow’s career also sees a shift beginning with Point Break , establishing her within the traditional action genre as a serious director capable of creating high-action and visually memorable films. While Point Break leaves plenty to be desired in terms of dialogue, it afforded Bigelow and Reeves the opportunities to showcase themselves and their talent in new ways that still echo in their work today.

Works Cited

Harner, James L. On Compiling an Annotated Bibliography . 2nd ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2000.

MLA Handbook . 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . 7th ed., American Psychological Association, 2020.

“What Guidance Should I Give My Students for Preparing an Annotated Bibliography?” The MLA Style Center , The Modern Language Association, 4 Nov. 2016, style.mla.org/annotated-bibliographies/.

Visit our EasyBib Twitter feed to discover more citing tips, fun grammar facts, and the latest product updates.

Published October 18, 2015. Updated July 25, 2021.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and is the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

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An annotated bibliography is a list containing complete information of sources, such as journals, books, and reports, cited in the text. In addition, it provides a brief description of each source in about 100–150 words. The annotation can explain the topics covered in the source or evaluate the source. The main objective of giving the annotation is to provide the reader the importance, accuracy, and value of the source.

An example of an annotated bibliography in APA style is given below.

Lim, L. (2014). Ideology, rationality and reproduction in education: A critical discourse analysis. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 35 (1), 61–76. https://doi:10.1080/01596306.2012.739467

Lim (2014) focuses on issues of power and ideology dominant in curricular discourses of rationality to study a discourse analysis of the goals of one of the most important curricula in the teaching of thinking. He proves that political and class commitments are reproduced in the forms of thinking that are valued in societies. Through his research, Lim asserts that such curricula engage in making our understanding of what thinking and rationality are. It must facilitate the social reproduction of a specific proportion of the middle class.

If you want to evaluate or provide a description of a source you are citing, you can create an annotated bibliography. Write your annotation in 100–150 words and add it below the source for which you are providing your annotation. Remember, your annotation should provide the reader the importance, accuracy, and value of the source. Below are the guidelines and rules to be followed while writing an annotated bibliography for APA style:

Order your reference entries in alphabetical order, similar to how you would order entries in the reference list.

If you want to add an annotation to an entry, add it as a fresh paragraph below the reference entry. The annotation is indented 0.5 inches from the left margin. However, the first line of the annotation is not indented.

To format the annotated bibliography, follow the recommendations given below:

Set the left, right, top, and bottom margins to 1 inch.

Give double-line spacing.

Title the page “Annotated Bibliography.” Set it in bold.

The title should be aligned to the center of the page.

As you format reference entries, left-align all references in the annotated bibliography section. If any entry runs over more than a line, indent the subsequent lines 0.5 inch from the left margin.

Arrange all reference entries alphabetically according to the surname of the authors.

Provide your annotations below the reference entry for which you want to give your annotation. Indent annotations 0.5 inches from the left margin.

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What is An Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, websites, etc.) with short paragraph about each source. An annotated bibliography is sometimes a useful step before drafting a research paper, or it can stand alone as an overview of the research available on a topic.

Each source in the annotated bibliography has a citation - the information a reader needs to find the original source, in a consistent format to make that easier. These consistent formats are called citation styles. The most common citation styles are MLA (Modern Language Association) for humanities, and APA (American Psychological Association) for social sciences.

Annotations are about 4 to 6 sentences long (roughly 150 words), and address:

Main focus or purpose of the work
Usefulness or relevance to your research topic
Special features of the work that were unique or helpful
Background and credibility of the author
Conclusions or observations reached by the author
Conclusions or observations reached by you

Annotations versus Abstracts

Many scholarly articles start with an abstract, which is the author's summary of the article to help you decide whether you should read the entire article. This abstract is not the same thing as an annotation. The annotation needs to be in your own words, to explain the relevance of the source to your particular assignment or research question.

Annotated Bibliography video

MLA 9th Annotated Bibliography Examples

Ontiveros, Randy J. In the Spirit of a New People: The Cultural Politics of the Chicano Movement . New York UP, 2014.

This book analyzes the journalism, visual arts, theater, and novels of the Chicano movement from 1960 to the present as articulations of personal and collective values. Chapter 3 grounds the theater of El Teatro Campesino in the labor and immigrant organizing of the period, while Chapter 4 situates Sandra Cisneros’s novel Caramelo in the struggles of Chicana feminists to be heard in the traditional and nationalist elements of the Chicano movement. Ontiveros provides a powerful and illuminating historical context for the literary and political texts of the movement.

Journal article

Alvarez, Nadia, and Jack Mearns. “The Benefits of Writing and Performing in the Spoken Word Poetry Community.” The Arts in Psychotherapy , vol. 41, no. 3, July 2014, pp. 263-268. ScienceDirect , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2014.03.004 .

Spoken word poetry is distinctive because it is written to be performed out loud, in person, by the poet. The ten poets interviewed by these authors describe “a reciprocal relationship between the audience and the poet” created by that practice of performance. To build community, spoken word poets keep metaphor and diction relatively simple and accessible. Richness is instead built through fragmented stories that coalesce into emotional narratives about personal and community concerns. This understanding of poets’ intentions illuminates their recorded performances.

*Note, citations have a .5 hanging indent and the annotations have a 1 inch indent.

MLA 9th Sample Annotated Bibliography

APA 7th Annotated Bibliography Examples

Alvarez, N. & Mearns, J. (2014). The benefits of writing and performing in the spoken word poetry community. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 41 (3), 263-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2014.03.004 Prior research has shown narrative writing to help with making meaning out of trauma. This article uses grounded theory to analyze semi-structured interviews with ten spoken word poets. Because spoken word poetry is performed live, it creates personal and community connections that enhance the emotional development and resolution offered by the practice of writing. The findings are limited by the small, nonrandom sample (all the participants were from the same community).

APA 7th Sample Annotated Bibliography
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A Guide to Annotated Bibliographies

What is an annotated bibliography.

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources on a single topic, with an annotation provided for each source. An annotation is a one or two paragraph summary and/or analysis of an article, book, or other source. Generally, the first paragraph of the annotation provides a summary of the source in direct, clear terms. The second paragraph provides an analysis or evaluation of the source, taking into consideration the validity, audience, holes in the argument, etc.

The sources are typically listed in alphabetical order. They can sometimes be organized by subject, but the entries in every group should be listed in alphabetical order.

For each source, provide the bibliographic citation (the citation as it would appear in a Works Cited or References page) in your chosen citation style.

Note: Always check with your professor to see exactly what they want included in your annotations. Also, check with your professor on the length of each annotation. Always get specific guidelines.

Why write or use annotated bibliographies?

Writing an annotated bibliography gives a researcher a way to organize their sources as well as aiding other researchers interested in the same topic. Composing annotations also helps you look at your sources more carefully and critically. When you are researching a topic, browsing through another writer's annotated bibliography can help guide your research. Reading annotated bibliographies is a great way to see if specific sources are useful.

What types of annotations are there?

There are three main types of annotations, and the different kinds of information can be combined, such as the summary and evaluation or evaluation and reflection, etc.

The summary—This type of annotation provides a summary of the source. The summary often begins by describing the source's purpose, then describes the method the source author(s) used in their argument or study, and ends with providing the main finding(s) or conclusion(s).

The evaluation—This type of annotation examines the source’s strengths and weaknesses. It may also state why/how the article is useful or interesting and who it would be useful for (someone new to the topic, someone knowledgeable about the topic, graduate students or professional, undergraduates, etc).

The reflection—This type of annotation states how the source informed (or did not inform) your research. It may also state how the source helped shape your argument and/or how it changed your view on the topic.

Check with your instructor on the kinds of information they want your annotations to include.

How should you write an annotation?

Annotations should be brief.
Use clear, direct language.
Consider launching the annotation with a statement that describes the source author's purpose. This statement can prepare readers to interpret the source author's thesis, conclusions, or findings more easily.
The summary of the source should not just describe what the article is about. It should provide the source's specific conclusions or findings. (Compare: "The researchers discuss the positive impact of student-teacher relationships" versus "The researchers showed that strong relationships between students and teachers were associated with better learning and behavior outcomes for students.")
Omit references to background material and previous works by the author.
Mention only directly significant details.

Sample Annotations

The first is an example of an annotation done in two paragraphs and written in complete sentences. This type of annotation is the most thorough. The first paragraph summarizes the source’s argument, and the second paragraph evaluates the source. The second annotation is more informal and written in phrases. It gives a basic summary and evaluation. The third is similar to the second in that it provides summary and evaluation, but it is written in full sentences. These are only three examples of the many different forms an annotation can take. Always check with your professor for guidelines on length, style, and content. Note the use of the third person and the use of the source author’s name only once in the beginning.

Bedrosian, Margaret. “Grounding the Self: The Image of the Buddha in Gary Snyder’s Myths & Texts.” South Asian Review 17.14 (1993): 57-69.

Bedrosian states that Gary Snyder has internalized both Buddhist and American Indian myth and lore as a way through which he can apply their truths to contemporary American culture and society, as he does in his collection Myths & Texts. Snyder restates the Buddhist four noble truths for modern man’s needs. This didactic element gives bare directions in poems such as “For The Children.” At other times his poetry reads like a Zen koan designed to puzzle and shock one into enlightenment. Snyder blends myth into his texts as a way to help modern American culture by infusing it with new “cultural options.”

This article is a very thoughtful examination of Snyder’s collection Myths & Texts, yet it is hard to judge the objectivity of the author since she taught at the same university in 1993 that Snyder does now. However, this article contextualizes Snyder’s work in both the Buddhist and American Indian traditions that he draws from and reinvents.

Elkin, P.K. The Augustan Defense of Satire. Oxford: Clarendon, 1973.

Excellent look at Augustan satire from many different angles. Places Augustan satire firmly in context through a thorough discussion. Focuses on the attacks upon and defenses of Augustan satire. Moves quickly and sensibly through the argument; rules the defense as inadequate based upon modern notions of satire. Provides an extensive, useful bibliography. Immensely helpful to any scholar of the Eighteenth century and/or satire.

Ronald, Kate and Hephizbah Roskelly. “Untested Feasibility: Imagining the Pragmatic Possibility of Paulo Freire.” College English 63.5 (May 2001): 612-32.

Ronald and Roskelly expand upon the possibilities that lay within Freire’s pedagogy. They make a comparison between Freire and the North American pragmatists. Discourse and action are inter-related, and process is communal, not solely individual. They expand on the idea that experience is a source of knowledge and action is a way of knowing. Freire’s four pragmatic principles of literacy and education are clearly laid out. This article fits in as a way to understand the practical applications of Freire’s pedagogy. While this article spends a lot of time on North American pragmatists, it does break down Freire’s pedagogy very well.

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Annotated Bibliography in APA Style

What is an annotated bibliography.

An annotated bibliography is essentially a list of citations to books, articles, and other documents, e-resources--(websites for example), and media (film, music, television.) Following the citation is a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph of the work. These paragraphs are the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to help you manage your research and also to inform your professor of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

Example Annotated Bibliographies

Example of a book citation with annotation.

Liroff, R. A., & G. G. Davis. (1981). Protecting open space: Land use control in the Adirondack Park. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.

This book describes the implementation of regional planning and land use regulation in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York. The authors provide program evaluations of the Adirondack Park Agency's regulatory and local planning assistance programs.

Example of a Journal Article Citation with Annotation

Gottlieb, P. D. (1995). The "golden egg" as a natural resource: Toward a normative theory of growth management. Society and Natural Resources, 8, (5): 49-56.

This article explains the dilemma faced by North American suburbs, which demand both preservation of local amenities (to protect the quality of life) and physical development (to expand the tax base). Growth management has been proposed as a policy solution to this dilemma. An analogy is made between this approach and resource economics. The author concludes that the growth management debate raises legitimate issues of sustainability and efficiency.

More Examples

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Adapted from Olin & Uris Libraries, Cornell University, Cornell, NY https://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography This link opens in a new window

Looking for tips and tricks to help you write an annotated bibliography?

Check out these resources:

Academic Support Video

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How to Build an Annotated Bibliography Entry This link opens in a new window
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Helpful Library FAQs

Where can I find an example of an annotated bibliography?
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Annotated Bibliographies (OWL at Purdue) This link opens in a new window
How to Prepare and Annotated Bibliography (Cornell) This link opens in a new window
How to Write an Annotated Bibliography (Skidmore College) This link opens in a new window
How to Write an Annotated Bibliography (UMUC) This link opens in a new window
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Beyond Plagiarism

Best Practices for the Responsible Use of Sources

Writing an Annotated Bibliography

Unlike a regular bibliography, which is simply a list of source citations, an annotated bibliography contains annotations (notes):

What a source argues
What kinds of evidence the source uses
Your evaluation of how you might use the source

Annotated bibliographies are useful ways of keeping track of both primary and secondary sources, though the information you include for each kind of source may differ. In writing an annotation, you should try to put the ideas of the text you are reading into your own language, which you may then re-use in your eventual paper (with citations, of course!).

Each annotated bibliography entry is usually a half-page to a page long. It is a synthesis of the process outlined in Section 1. Your entry should include the information below. These questions will look familiar to you since they summarize the techniques you learned in Section A:

Bibliographic Citation

Make your life easier by putting this citation in whatever form you will eventually need for your bibliography ( See Module II ).

Brief Summary

Rather than narrating what happens in the text itself (“First the author writes about X, then Y”), you should focus on the overarching ideas in the text (“The author explores X question and comes to Y conclusion”).

Primary Sources:

A description of the text.

What does it focus on?

Who wrote it?

When was it produced/published?

Who is its audience?

Secondary Sources:

The text’s central argument and what kinds of evidence it uses to prove it.

What topics are covered?

What is the point of this book or article?

Why does its argument matter?

Now that you’ve discussed what your source says, you need to consider how the author says it – the specific methods she uses and whether they are effective.

What do you find interesting about this text?

What makes it unique?

What does it suggest about the historical moment in which it originated or was used?

How does this source compare to other sources in your bibliography?

How strong is the source’s argument?

How well does it prove that argument?

Is the source persuasive?

Is the use of evidence convincing?

What are the gaps in the source – what does it leave unaddressed?

Discuss how this source might relate to your research.

Is this source useful to you?

Why or why not?

How does it fit into your research?

What sort of research questions can the source help you address?

Has this source shaped or changed the way you think about your topic?

If it has, how?

What sort of research questions can the text help you discuss?

What arguments can this source serve as evidence for?

What room for further research does this source create – that is, what does it leave unaddressed that your essay could discuss?

A good annotated bibliography will help you to get to the point of the text you have read, and give you a clear reminder of how this text relates to your big research question(s).

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Writing annotations.

Introduction
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Formatting Citations
Sample Annotated Bibliographies

An annotation is a brief note following each citation listed on an annotated bibliography. The goal is to briefly summarize the source and/or explain why it is important for a topic. They are typically a single concise paragraph, but might be longer if you are summarizing and evaluating.

Annotations can be written in a variety of different ways and it’s important to consider the style you are going to use. Are you simply summarizing the sources, or evaluating them? How does the source influence your understanding of the topic? You can follow any style you want if you are writing for your own personal research process, but consult with your professor if this is an assignment for a class.

Annotation Styles

Combined Informative/Evaluative Style - This style is recommended by the library as it combines all the styles to provide a more complete view of a source. The annotation should explain the value of the source for the overall research topic by providing a summary combined with an analysis of the source.

Aluedse, O. (2006). Bullying in schools: A form of child abuse in schools. Educational Research Quarterly , 30 (1), 37.

The author classifies bullying in schools as a “form of child abuse,” and goes well beyond the notion that schoolyard bullying is “just child’s play.” The article provides an in-depth definition of bullying, and explores the likelihood that school-aged bullies may also experience difficult lives as adults. The author discusses the modern prevalence of bullying in school systems, the effects of bullying, intervention strategies, and provides an extensive list of resources and references.

Statistics included provide an alarming realization that bullying is prevalent not only in the United States, but also worldwide. According to the author, “American schools harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million victims.” The author references the National Association of School Psychologists and quotes, “Thus, one in seven children is a bully or a target of bullying.” A major point of emphasis centers around what has always been considered a “normal part of growing up” versus the levels of actual abuse reached in today’s society.

The author concludes with a section that addresses intervention strategies for school administrators, teachers, counselors, and school staff. The concept of school staff helping build students’ “social competence” is showcased as a prevalent means of preventing and reducing this growing social menace. Overall, the article is worthwhile for anyone interested in the subject matter, and provides a wealth of resources for researching this topic of growing concern.

(Renfrow & Teuton, 2008)

Informative Style - Similar to an abstract, this style focuses on the summarizing the source. The annotation should identify the hypothesis, results, and conclusions presented by the source.

Plester, B., Wood, C, & Bell, V. (2008). Txt msg n school literacy: Does texting and knowledge of text abbreviations adversely affect children's literacy attainment? Literacy , 42(3), 137-144.

Reports on two studies that investigated the relationship between children's texting behavior, their knowledge of text abbreviations, and their school attainment in written language skills. In Study One, 11 to 12 year-old children reported their texting behavior and translated a standard English sentence into a text message and vice versa. In Study Two, children's performance on writing measures were examined more specifically, spelling proficiency was also assessed, and KS2 Writing scores were obtained. Positive correlations between spelling ability and performance on the translation exercise were found, and group-based comparisons based on the children's writing scores also showed that good writing attainment was associated with greater use of texting abbreviations (textisms), although the direction of this association is not clear. Overall, these findings suggest that children's knowledge of textisms is not associated with poor written language outcomes for children in this age range.

(Beach et al., 2009)

Evaluative Style - This style analyzes and critically evaluates the source. The annotation should comment on the source's the strengths, weaknesses, and how it relates to the overall research topic.

Amott, T. (1993). Caught in the Crisis: Women in the U.S. Economy Today . New York: Monthly Review Press.

A very readable (140 pp) economic analysis and information book which I am currently considering as a required collateral assignment in Economics 201. Among its many strengths is a lucid connection of "The Crisis at Home" with the broader, macroeconomic crisis of the U.S. working class (which various other authors have described as the shrinking middle class or the crisis of de-industrialization).

(Papadantonakis, 1996)

Indicative Style - This style of annotation identifies the main theme and lists the significant topics included in the source. Usually no specific details are given beyond the topic list .

Example:

Gambell, T.J., & Hunter, D. M. (1999). Rethinking gender differences in literacy. Canadian Journal of Education , 24(1) 1-16.

Five explanations are offered for recently assessed gender differences in the literacy achievement of male and female students in Canada and other countries. The explanations revolve around evaluative bias, home socialization, role and societal expectations, male psychology, and equity policy.

(Kerka & Imel, 2004)

Beach, R., Bigelow, M., Dillon, D., Dockter, J., Galda, L., Helman, L., . . . Janssen, T. (2009). Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English. Research in the Teaching of English, 44 (2), 210-241. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27784357

Kerka, S., & Imel, S. (2004). Annotated bibliography: Women and literacy. Women's Studies Quarterly, 32 (1), 258-271. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/233645656?accountid=2909

Papadantonakis, K. (1996). Selected Annotated Bibliography for Economists and Other Social Scientists. Women's Studies Quarterly, 24 (3/4), 233-238. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40004384

Renfrow, T.G., & Teuton, L.M. (2008). Schoolyard bullying: Peer victimization an annotated bibliography. Community & Junior College Libraries, 14(4), 251-275. doi:10.1080/02763910802336407

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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?

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 an Annotated Bibliography

Formatting Annotated Bibliographies

Use 1-inch margins all around
Indent annotations ½ inch from the left margin.
Use double spacing.
Entries should be in alphabetical order.

Structure of an Annotated Bibliography

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.

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.

Article Section	Questions for Developing the Annotated Bibliography
Introduction (Provides the background and sets the stage for the study)
Methodology (The how-to manual of the study)
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.
Discussion and Summary (The researcher provides context and relates the findings to the research questions.)

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.

Two or more sentences that outline the thesis, hypothesis, and population of the study.
Two or more sentences that discuss the methodology.
Two or more sentences that discuss the study findings.
One or more sentences evaluating the study and its relationship to other studies.

Sample Annotated Bibliographies

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Writing an Annotated Bibliography

In an annotated bibliography, there are two main parts: the bibliography and the annotations.

For the bibliography , you will first need to determine what citation style is most appropriate to cite the bibliographic information for your sources.

There are also several different types of annotations to choose from when writing your annotated bibliography. Here are some basic types of annotation styles:

Summary annotations There are two kinds of summarizing annotations, informative and indicative.

Summarizing annotations in general have a couple of defining features:

They sum up the content of the source, as a book report might.
They give an overview of the arguments and proofs/evidence addressed in the work and note the resulting conclusion.
They do not judge the work they are discussing. Leave that to the critical/evaluative annotations.
When appropriate, they describe the author’s methodology or approach to material. For instance, you might mention if the source is an ethnography or if the author employs a particular kind of theory.

Informative annotation Informative annotations sometimes read like straight summaries of the source material, but they often spend a little more time summarizing relevant information about the author or the work itself.

Indicative annotation Indicative annotation is the second type of summary annotation, but it does not attempt to include actual information from the argument itself. Instead, it gives general information about what kinds of questions or issues are addressed by the work. This sometimes includes the use of chapter titles.

Critical/Evaluative Evaluative annotations don’t just summarize. In addition to tackling the points addressed in summary annotations, evaluative annotations:

evaluate the source or author critically (biases, lack of evidence, objective, etc.).
show how the work may or may not be useful for a particular field of study or audience.
explain how researching this material assisted your own project.

Combination An annotated bibliography may combine elements of all the types. In fact, most of them fall into this category: a little summarizing and describing, a little evaluation.

Steps to Writing the Annotation

The RADAR Framework can help you remember what kinds of questions you should be asking about an information source as you evaluate it for quality and usefulness in your research.

Step 1: Cite the source properly.

Step 2. Use RADAR: Relevance to explain how this source is related to your topic. Does it answer your research question? What does it add to your research so far?

Step 3. Use RADAR: Rationale to explain who the audience is for this source. What sort of language is used to talk about the topic?

Step 4. Use RADAR: Authority to talk about the author's credentials, affiliation, and relationship to the discipline or topic discussed in the source.

Step 5. Use RADAR: Accuracy to state whether other experts of scholars support this source's claims or not. Is there a shared expert opinion on this source?

Step 6. Use RADAR: Rationale to state whether the source presents obvious bias. Are they implying something not backed by evidence? Do they make statements not clearly linked to the evidence or data presented?

RADAR Handout

Evaluative Annotated Bibliography Tutorial

Reading a Scholarly Article

A scholarly paper can be difficult to read. Instead of reading straight through, try focusing on the different sections and asking specific questions at each point.

What is your research question?

When you select an article to read for a project or class, focus on your topic. Look for information in the article that is relevant to your research question.

Read the abstract first as it covers basics of the article. Questions to consider:

What is this article about? What is the working hypothesis or thesis?
Is this related to my question or area of research?

Second: Read the introduction and discussion/conclusion. These sections offer the main argument and hypothesis of the article. Questions to consider for the introduction:

What do we already know about this topic and what is left to discover?
What have other people done in regards to this topic?
How is this research unique?
Will this tell me anything new related to my research question?

Questions for the discussion and conclusion:

What does the study mean and why is it important?
What are the weaknesses in their argument?
Is the conclusion valid?

Next: Read about the Methods/Methodology. If what you've read addresses your research question, this should be your next section. Questions to consider:

How did the author do the research? Is it a qualitative or quantitative project?
What data are the study based on?
Could I repeat their work? Is all the information present in order to repeat it?

Finally: Read the Results and Analysis. Now read the details of this research. What did the researchers learn? If graphs and statistics are confusing, focus on the explanations around them. Questions to consider:

What did the author find and how did they find it?
Are the results presented in a factual and unbiased way?
Does their analysis agree with the data presented?
Is all the data present?
What conclusions do you formulate from this data? (And does it match with the Author's conclusions?)

Review the References (anytime): These give credit to other scientists and researchers and show you the basis the authors used to develop their research. The list of references, or works cited, should include all of the materials the authors used in the article. The references list can be a good way to identify additional sources of information on the topic. Questions to ask:

What other articles should I read?
What other authors are respected in this field?
What other research should I explore?

From USC Libraries Evaluating Information Sources: Reading Scholarly Articles Guide

Helpful Links for Annotated Bibliographies

Annotated Bibliography Sample from Purdue OWL
Informative and Critical Annotation Sample
Indicative, Informative, Evaluative and Combination Annotation Sample
The UNC-Chapel Hill Annotated Bibliography Handout
Note Taking For Annotated Bibliographies

Elements in an Annotated Bibliography

Bibliography according to the appropriate citation style (MLA, APA, CBE/CSE, etc.).
Explanation of main points and/or purpose of the work—basically, its thesis—which shows among other things that you have read and thoroughly understand the source.
Verification or critique of the authority or qualifications of the author.
Comments on the worth, effectiveness, and usefulness of the work in terms of both the topic being researched and/or your own research project.
The point of view or perspective from which the work was written. For instance, you may note whether the author seemed to have particular biases or was trying to reach a particular audience.
Relevant links to other work done in the area, like related sources, possibly including a comparison with some of those already on your list. You may want to establish connections to other aspects of the same argument or opposing views.

Annotations vs. Abstracts

How to Read a Scholarly Article

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article Tutorial Not sure where to start when reading a scholarly article? Check out this tutorial!
Guide to Scholarly Articles This research guide provides in-depth information on reading articles and writing summaries of them for your annotated bibliographies!
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What is An Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations for books, articles, and/or documents that you have read in pursuit of your research. Each citation is followed by a brief (at least 100 words) paragraph that describes and evaluates the source.

Annotated bibliographies are useful tools for gathering and condensing information about the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources you're planning to cite in your paper/project/presentation.

NOTE: An annotated bibliography IS NOT a required element of this course's assignment, however at least creating a spreadsheet outlining the key points of the articles researched for your position paper can be key to highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of your arguments. It's a good way to keep all the information straight without having to reread everything.

What Should Each Citation Include?

1. The full citation for the source (or whatever citation style is required for the assignment).

2. A paragraph that includes: a. A brief summary of the source – its main point or argument, written in your own words. b. A description of the authority or background of the author(s). c. A description of how this source compares and/or contrasts with other sources you have read on this topic. d. An explanation of how this source contributes to answering your research question.

3. All of this needs to be written in your own words, to convey your own understanding of the source. If you simply copy or lift language (or cut and paste) from the source or its abstract, you have failed.

Example 1: Fullard, D. (2005). Biodiversity Education at a Natural World Heritage Site: Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. Roots 2(1): 3. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, in Cape Town, is the first botanical garden to be recognized as a natural World Heritage Site. The Kirstenbosch Environmental Education Program supports the World Heritage Convention’s mission to encourage participation of the local population in the preservation of their cultural and natural heritage. The program’s stated mission is to inspire and enable people from all walks of life to take responsibility for their environment. Learners/youth from the disadvantaged areas and under-resourced schools of the Cape Flats in the Western Cape participate in a curriculum-linked, gardenbased and outreach greening program which cover a wide variety of themes, learning program and activities. The article does not describe and specific outcomes or how program successes were measured and evaluated. Example 2:

Kletou, D., Hall-Spencer, J. M., & Kleitou, P. (2016). A lionfish (Pterois miles) invasion has begun in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Biodiversity Records 9( 46) . 1-7. doi:10.1186/s41200-016-0065-y This article discusses the recent invasion of the lionfish in the Mediterranean Sea and offers reasons for the sudden increase in the species' presence. The study concludes that growth of the lionfish population can be controlled by encouraging commercial fishermen and divers to capture the lionfish to be sold on the market. While the article provides data and graphs that forecast the decline of the lionfish with a commercial fishing intervention, the methodology is incomplete. The researchers do not fully explain how they obtained these results. The article does not address external factors that may derail the fishing plan proposed by the authors; for example, the researchers do not consider the population growth rate of the lionfish or how aggressive the fishing rate needs to be to control the population in a timely manner. Although the introduction is helpful in providing a framework for why the lionfish invasion is a concerning issue, the discussion lacks depth in addressing other issues that may arise.

(Source: University of West Florida LibGuides: EVR 2001: Introduction to Environmental Science. https://libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=436278&p=3891645)

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100 Hottest Annotated Bibliography Topics

Updated 30 Aug 2024

Both college and university students frequently receive assignments that require them to create annotated bibliographies. Although basically, it is an extended version of the usual bibliography, this type of bibliography is often more time and energy-consuming because students need to list sources and write short summaries and assessments for each of them. In order to write it really well, it is important to define your topic clearly.

The topics that professors of US colleges provide are often quite broad. Therefore, it is up to students to narrow their individual annotated bibliography topics in scope to choose the most relevant sources. Here are some recommendations on how to choose worthy topics and write a paper that will impress your professors. Need your paper done in a short period of time? Speak with one of our professional essay writers today.

Definition & Purpose of Writing

Before discussing annotated bibliography ideas, let’s clarify its definition and how it differs from a simple bibliography. Bibliographies known as References or Works Cited, depending on the chosen formatting style, only list sources used in a paper. In contrast, annotated bibliographies have more broad purposes as they list and describe and/or evaluate all sources to which students refer in their research papers or other kinds of essays . Don't forget: the struggle is not necessary for the learning process - just buy assignment online and enjoy your college days!

Although annotated bibliographies are often presented at the very end of papers, they should be completed long before paper drafting after reference pages. Students may prepare them with different purposes in mind. Here are some goals students may pursue:

Topic clarification – annotated bibliography may help clarify topics, narrowing scopes from general subjects to precise questions that may be effectively addressed in works of a requested length.
Thesis statement development – based on the current state of research, students elaborate their thesis statements, making them arguable and persuasive.
Collecting relevant evidence – upon reviewing relevant sources, students collect evidence they need to make strong arguments in their research papers.
Identifying most promising research areas – annotated bibliographies clarify what has already been done; what research and conclusions are still to be made.
Critical review of existing research – students critically assess existing studies, revealing unspecified biases or limitations.

Disregarding the exact purpose of writing this paper type, one always gains advantages from this kind of work. They enable students to collect the most relevant information along with presenting it in a form that can be quickly reviewed in the future.

What is an annotated bibliography essay?

It is important to distinguish annotated bibliographies from essays as the first are created at the preparation stage for essay or research paper writing. Usually, they require neither introduction nor conclusion, but in some cases, both may be included. If your instructor demands you to write an annotated bibliography essay, keep the introduction and a conclusion rather brief. In the introduction, identify your topic clearly, specify your intentions for an annotated bibliography essay.

Annotated Bibliography Topics List

Here are some topics for annotated bibliography that we’ve prepared for your convenience. They are divided into categories by subjects. Among the presented topics, there are several rather broad, but depending on your paper length, feel free to narrow the scope of your chosen topic. Mind that there are dozens of options for individual approach! Do you need help with your research? Expert research proposal writing services is here.

Annotated bibliography topics related to politics and political science

How has politics changed due to modernization lately?
How has terrorism affected US politics?
Does the increasing focus on presidential candidates suggest that American political parties are becoming weak? Explain why.
Religion and politics: how religion shapes the United States political space?
How American foreign policy affects political decisions in neighboring countries?
Politics and business: how US political decisions affect business worldwide?
Political decisions and their consequences: how will cutting off Huawei from American technology affect the United States and/or European consumers?
Is a balance of power still achievable in today’s US politics?
As there are only two political parties, how democratic is American society, given that other democracies worldwide allow citizens to choose among dozens of parties?
How has American politics changed due to new social media development and popularity?

Annotated bibliography topics for education

Teacher classroom practices and student performance: effects of particular practices on students’ educational outcomes.
Which educational practices are developmentally appropriate for early childhood education?
Ethics and politics in early childhood education.
Racial disparities and the American classroom: how racial discrimination affects racial minority students, white students, or learning altogether?
Home-schooling versus traditional educational classroom: which one is better?
Is measurement-driven instruction still relevant today?
A common curriculum versus individual curriculum: which one is more beneficial for students? Discuss why.
Who should determine what students learn, schools, parents, or government?
Race and education: multiculturalism versus color-blindness and their impact on racial bias.
Racial color blindness and its implications for American classroom.

Annotated bibliography topics for psychology

How biological processes determine human behavior?
Is alcoholism a disease that can be cured with psychological interference?
Is psychotherapy effective?
Should there be any academic instruction for preschool children?
Can an individual’s intelligence increase with age?
Positive psychology and its daily life applications.
Behavior predictions in personality and social psychology.
Internet, its implications on personality and social psychology.
A social constructivist approach and language learning.
Statistical methods used in psychology.

Annotated bibliography topics examples for healthcare

Discuss differences between Medicaid and Medicare.
Can all United States citizens have equal access to healthcare?
Implications of abortion illegal status: impact of lack of abortion clinic access on women’s health and welfare.
Veterans’ healthcare: health-related quality of life.
Modern technology, healthcare: how has US healthcare within the last twenty years due to technology innovations.
Big data analytics in healthcare.
Transcultural nursing.
Workplace stress in nursing.
Evidence-based practice in healthcare as well as nursing.
Role of emotional intelligence in healthcare along with nursing practices.

Criminal justice annotated bibliography topics

Which one is more serious: street crime or white-collar crime?
Can arrests reduce domestic violence?
How should juveniles be treated by the US criminal justice system?
Is the US criminal justice system racially biased?
Discuss the school-to-prison pipeline concept; its effects on racial minorities.
Is the death penalty an effective crime deterrent?
Discuss the death penalty in relation to women, the mentally disabled, the US constitution.
Does policing in racial minority communities differ from policing in white communities. Discuss how exactly.
Are there any biological determinants of criminal behavior?
How social factors promote crime?

Annotated bibliography topics for ethics, morality

Animal rights in the Information Age.
Should rich nations financially support poor nations?
Surrogate motherhood: pros and cons.
How important is morality? Should it be enforced by law in the United States?
Teen pregnancy: it's short-term as well as long-term implications.
Ethics and morality in American high schools.
Adolescent marriages.
Moral responsibilities of rehabilitating criminals.
Is advertising ethical? Discuss moral implications of advertising.
Ethics and morality in business.

Society, social issues annotated bibliography topics

Homelessness in the US; its impacts on particular territories; for instance, New York homelessness issue.
Drunk driving, its implications, as well as effective deterrents.
Obesity as a social issue. What social factors contribute to obesity?
The vaccine war: should vaccination be compulsory?
Capital punishment is a US social issue.
Consumer culture and people’s supermarket choices.
The mainstream culture concept. Mainstream culture effects on cultural minorities.
Women’s bodies objectification: who is there to blame?
Success in today’s society: meaning, ways of achieving it.
Society and gender: are women less privileged in modern American society than men?

Annotated bibliography topics examples for technology, social media

Do modern social media help solve problems in the United States or other countries worldwide? Discuss how exactly.
Do socials create problems in the US?
What effects do media have on children's experiences? Does childhood now differ from childhood 20 years ago?
How media contribute to ever-increasing globalization?
How modern social media affect American values?
Is privacy possible in the Information Age?
How media images impact youth behavior?
The political power of social media.
How communication technology and social media changed PR practices?
Government transparency enabled by social media technology.

Technology, genetic engineering annotated bibliography topics

How can human cloning affect modern society? Is it good/ morally acceptable or not?
Law effects on human cloning: what legal regulations should governments worldwide introduce?
Modern reproductive technologies and religion: how faith affects decision-making?
How can human cloning be used as a means against genetic diseases?
How can genetic engineering be regulated?
Genetic engineering as a means to resolve health-related issues.
Funding genetic engineering projects: which projects should be prioritized?
Does genetic engineering change human life value perceptions?
Genetic engineering ethical implications.
The spirit of invention versus public opposition to genetic engineering.

Technology, healthcare topics

What effects does telemedicine technology have on healthcare quality?
Addressing mental health issues with technology: integrating smartphone technology.
Healthcare information technology and physicians’ experiences/responses.
Healthcare information systems: how have they changed within the last several decades?
Improving the quality of healthcare with technology: innovations in surgery.
Digitization of healthcare through mobile technology.
How can speech-recognition technology be applied for healthcare purposes?
The problem of donor shortage and organ replacement technologies.
Funding priorities impact technology developments that bring direct medical benefits to US citizens.
Costs and benefits of health information technology.

Sport annotated bibliography topics

Should adolescents become engaged in professional sports?
The political side of the Olympic Games in modern society.
Should there be a more scientific approach to Yoga practices?
The influence of chess in relation to pre-school children.
How to obtain statistics of injuries in team sports.
The ways of treatment of the most frequent knee traumas.
The psychological effect of motivation in sports.
Does aggression have a place to be in a sports competition?
The comparison of long-term and short-term training sessions.
How should unintentional mistakes be analyzed in sports.

Annotated bibliography topics for nursing

What are the dangers of nursing burnout?
Should the nurses be allowed to share their life experiences with the patients?
The motivational factors in ER nursing challenges.
The dangers of biostatistics collection.
The most common epidemiology precautions since 2010.
Are the works of nursing theorists of the past still relevant today?
Should the non-traditional nursing practices be approached more seriously?
The ways how the typical nursing environment can be improved.
The roots of antibiotic resistance in schoolchildren.
The stress and the nursing responsibilities: analysis and prevention.

Medical annotated bibliography topics examples

The causes of ADHD in children and the attitudes.
The causes of autism: analysis of the social stigma.
The challenges of the paramedical team in rural areas.
The logistics and the distribution of the medical equipment.
Should people receive more information about the creation of vaccines?
The pharmaceutical risks when providing medical instructions.
The herbal medicine solutions vs their chemical counterparts.
The HIV rates among African-American college students.
The most successful medical initiatives of the 2000s.
The behavioral rules of taking one's child to the medical appointment.

Annotated bibliography topics for business

How does racial discrimination affect modern business opportunities?
The challenges of expanding business initiatives in the Middle East.
Should business ethics and politics be separate or can they work well together?
The role of females in the business environment.
Should prestige and fame be the leading factors to business success?
The educational practices that make the business accessible.
The Nordic practices, which are common for Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
How should business ethics be formed for finance-focused companies?
The role of social media and blog posts for business.
How can the basic knowledge of Psychology help entrepreneurs get rid of stress and anxiety?

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Structure & Formatting Rules You Should Follow

No matter what your topic for annotated bibliography is, you should follow a certain structure and format the information you present in accordance with particular requirements. Although APA and MLA are the two most frequently used formats, annotated bibliographies follow different formatting styles. Therefore, before writing, you should clarify this aspect with your professor.

Usually, all annotated bibliographies contain two major parts: a reference and an annotation. In your reference part, you should specify usual information about a source: author, title, year, place of publication. As for annotations, there are several approaches to their content that will be discussed a bit later.

Mind that your choice of proper formatting style also depends on subjects. For instance, when preparing annotated bibliography for humanities or arts, you should follow MLA. In contrast, psychology or sociology papers often demand students follow APA formatting requirements. While these styles are quite widespread, with others like CSE, which is used in physics or chemistry papers, Bluebook citation style , used in law assignments, or IEEE, which is applied in IT papers, and AMA, used in healthcare works, students are less familiar.

Luckily, EduBirdie provides its customers with free access to IEEE bibliography generator as well as Turabian bibliography generator . Please, feel free to use them to create references that are often presented before annotations.

How do you write an annotated bibliography in Harvard style?

While writing an annotated bibliography in Harvard style, include a reference that follows this referencing style and annotation that briefly summarizes the content of the source, explains its relevance to your research paper, establishes its credibility, critically assesses the conclusions presented in the source. Limit your descriptions to 100-200 words unless your professor specifies otherwise.

Harvard Annotated Bibliography Essay Example:

Atkins, M., Hoagwood, K., Kutash, K. and Seidman, E., 2010. Toward the Integration of Education and Mental Health in Schools. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research , 37(1-2), pp.40-47.

This particular review focuses on the children's mental health services with a focus on schools by providing crucial ecological models. The article shows that mental health can and should be provided for the healthy functioning of students. The authors provide statistical information and details that help to see things through the lens of various educational reforms and conceptualization. Focusing on strong research points like health promotion and analysis of the outcomes, this research provides important results in terms of emotional and behavioral needs of not only school children but the parents as well.

Note: Remember that you should always consult with your academic counselor regarding the rules and specifics of an annotated bibliography in Harvard style because your length and requirements for the annotation may differ depending on your course and the style of your original research work. One thing that will always remain there is the necessity of citing your source according to the Harvard formatting rules.

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How do you write an annotated bibliography in mla style format.

According to the 8th edition of the MLA Citation Guide, the annotated bibliography will remind you of a Works Cited page but will include an annotation after each source that you cite. It will also have a short summary with the critical evaluation of each source.

Here is how it is written:

Cite each source using MLA style.
Provide a description of the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology.
Identify the intended audience.
Explain the author’s expertise, point of view, and any bias if it is relevant.
Make a comparison to other sources dealing with the same topic.
Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic.
Analyze both strengths and weaknesses of each source.
Identify the list of conclusions of the author.

One of Annotated Bibliography examples in MLA:

Pisano, Gary. "Seven Strategic Thinking Methods in Online Business Environment."

Business Manager , vol. 34, no. 7, May 12, 2007, pp. 36-39. Gary, the instructor at the Harvard Business School and Professor of Business Administration, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development, provides a detailed explanation of how the strategic thinking methods help to determine the clues in the modern business environment where most things happen digitally. He uses specific examples depending on the scenario he is placed in and provides various methods of meeting the challenges and setbacks in online business. The article clearly illustrates his expert knowledge and provides high accessibility in terms of style and vocabulary used, making a perfect example for making business matters accessible for a broad audience.

How Do You Write an Annotated Bibliography in APA Style Format?

According to APA 7th Edition Guide, the crucial components of an annotated bibliography example must include a brief summary with analysis or annotation for each entry. You must include:

Create your APA Title page
Pages must be numbered starting with your title page.
APA formatted reference list must start on its own page.
The references must be centered and bolded at the top of the page.
Your entries must be listed in alphabetical order.
Annotations must start under its associated reference.
All annotations are indented 0.5 inches from the left margin of the page.
The entire document is double spaced without extra space between entries.

For example:

Turner, T. (2019, June 11). How to make acoustic waves affect the brain positively.

Engineering Weekly Journal , 45-49. Engineering Audio Portal Rutgers University Library Archive. https://vmpa.camden.rutgers.edu/ This article provides important information regarding the positive effects of acoustic waves used by music producers and TV show producers to improve cognitive functions of the brain and the overall performance of a person. Each strategy used is accompanied by helpful real-life examples and statistical information that is helpful for any application. The data that has been provided is analyzed well and assists in similar analytical work.

How Do You Write an Annotated Bibliography in Chicago Style Format?

Speaking of Chicago Manual of Style rules for an annotated bibliography, follow this formatting and always double-check in case your instructor for the course or a specific assignment has different instructions:

The text in your bibliography essay example must be double-spaced in Times New Roman, font 12pt unless specified otherwise.
Numbering should start on the first page of your writing, which means that it is NOT the title page.
The text should start at the top of the page.
Your Reference List entries must have a hanging indent. For example, if you are using MS Word, Click on Format, then Paragraph, then Special, and choose a Hanging option.
There should be 1 inch (2.54cm) margins on all sides of your page (top, bottom, left, and right).
Indent each paragraph with the help of the TAB key.

Sample Annotated Bibliography:

Kerry, Donald, and Roger Mills. "Child Violence in Middle School Environment, 1994-2004." Journal of Family Psychology 34 , no 2 (2009): 331-347.

The acknowledged sociology experts Kerry and Mills provide extensive research on child violence and the causes of bullying in middle school across the country during the period between 1994-2004. Turning to various surveys, interviews, and reports of school counselors, the report provides sufficient statistics for any research work. The research also has an analysis of poverty and income in terms of demographic factors and the aspects of psychological pressure, which is also essential for the report.

Annotated Bibliography Styles

Annotated bibliographies can be divided into three distinct groups by style:

Summarizing
Summarizing annotated bibliography

Annotated bibliographies belonging to this category can be further subdivided into those that describe sources, indicating overall information about the content and those that inform readers, providing more detailed summaries of reviewed sources. For instance, informative annotations of academic articles will clarify the sources’ hypotheses, methods, results, and limitations among other important features.

Evaluative annotated bibliography

These annotations aim at assessing the quality of sources and arguing regarding the relevance of given sources to the conducted research. Students writing them should also specify any limitations they find that were not acknowledged by authors. Writing such annotations, students need to read sources critically, which suggests that the quality of their pre-writing research increases significantly.

Mixed annotated bibliography

As evident, these annotations require students to prepare summaries as well as assessments. Usually, students present a brief source summary in the first paragraph of annotation. The assessment follows in the second paragraph. Students may clarify how they should use the reviewed sources in their papers in the third brief paragraph.

College-level annotations are often short. It is enough to write 100-200 words for each source. Although longer annotations are also possible, especially when tasks demand students evaluate sources, it is important to clarify this aspect with your professor before completing assignments.

What should be included in an annotated bibliography?

In their annotations, students should summarize sources’ content, provide an assessment of ideas presented in sources, and explain how reviewed sources will be used in the paper. The exact content of annotations depends on the requested style. Therefore, it is important to clarify this aspect with professors.

How to Choose Good Topics

When choosing among annotated bibliography topics, consider your paper length. The longer your assignment is, the more complex your topic may be. As for shorter papers, it is beneficial to limit topics in scope to make the strongest argument. For instance, the human trafficking topic would be too general, too wide in scope for a 5-page paper.

There is so much information available about human trafficking that it is virtually impossible to squeeze it into five pages of text. Therefore, it is more sound to try and divide this large topic into subtopics.

For instance, in the context of human trafficking, one can discuss particular population groups that are most affected by this phenomenon in a particular country, specific measures introduced by governmental agencies to eliminate this practice within the borders of certain country, police and other agencies’ responses to human trafficking victims in particular states and so on.

Each of these sub-topics may become an excellent start, as it narrows the research scope significantly, enabling students to choose sources more precisely. Additionally, these sub-topics allow students to develop strong argumentative thesis statements, which would be impossible with such a general topic as human trafficking.

What Sources Are Good for Annotated Bibliography?

While the choice of sources often depends on particular assignment guidelines, mind that all sources that you plan to cite in the paper should be present in your annotated bibliography. The sources are rather diverse and include academic articles, books or book chapters, credible websites or governmental agencies’ reports, lecture notes, or blog posts, among many others.

Academic writing demands students to use credible sources. Therefore, Wikipedia and the like websites should be neither cited nor annotated. While choosing among the many options, look for different information sources, but mind that academic articles are often considered most preferred. They usually contain credible, most relevant information on a given topic.

Ask Experts Deal with Your Annotated Bibliography Topics

While annotated bibliography is just a preparation for writing a real research paper, it is time as well as energy-consuming. To write a really good annotated bibliography, students need to review tons of sources and choose a few of them that are most applicable to their research topic. Use expert help to avoid this nightmare. Instead of spending hours in front of a computer screen because your teacher said so, enjoy your day the way you want.

EduBirdie is always here for you! Even if your assignment is as routine as annotated bibliography writing, writers on our annotated bibliography writing service will do it passionately and accurately because that’s what nerds often do. So press the button and enjoy your customized annotated bibliography in a while without any effort.

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Research Question and Annotated Bibliography

Your major paper/project is your opportunity to work through a question or set of questions, a historical problem, or a critical or textual puzzle. The Research Question exercise requires you to articulate your guiding questions for that project and begin to put them in the context of the critical field.

Having you submit your question and bibliography before the final paper/project is due gives me an opportunity to help you refine or redirect your question(s) if/as necessary and to point you towards other useful sources. I’m looking mainly for evidence of a concerted effort to pose a viable question whose answering claim may (with some revisions) make an original contribution to the study of early modern London’s literature and culture. Hint : I more frequently encounter research questions that are too broadly framed than questions that are too narrowly framed.

Writing annotations helps you organize the criticism meaningfully and helps you summarize it in preparation for writing “state of the art” footnotes.

Learning Outcomes

To have some experience of articulating and justifying a research question (or guiding question) or cluster of questions
To test your research question against the critical field and determine if it is an as-yet-unanswered question that will make an original contribution to the field
To obtain and respond to feedback (as you will have to do in thesis proposals, grant proposals, book proposals, reviewers’ reports, and other exercises in your future)
To learn to write annotations that may become part of your critical overview and/or endnotes in your final project.

Particulars

Come talk to me about your project! Discussion is a crucial first step.
Write one paragraph in which you set out the problem you wish to explore, the question(s) you wish to answer, and/or the historical and/or critical oversight you wish to address. Indicate your methodology and your answering claim (however tentative they may be at this point). The claim (i.e., thesis) will likely change as you do more research and begin writing, but it’s useful to have a tentative thesis early in the research process.
Provide a working bibliography in which you list at least one primary source and at least five critical sources . Format your citations in MLA style, Chicago style, OR MoEML ’s style (which is a modified version of MLA).
Annotate three of the critical sources with summary-style annotations .

Finding Your Question(s)

Samuel Johnson wrote that “To talk in public, to think in solitude, to read and to hear, to inquire and answer inquiries is the business of a scholar.” We spend a great deal of time talking about formulating a thesis statement in response to a topic. But a thesis statement is ultimately no more than an answer to a research question (or a guiding question). I believe that our first responsibility as scholars is “to inquire” – to ask the questions to which we and our fellow scholars want answers. We need to approach our subject with genuine curiosity and open-mindedness, rather than with an agenda or a preformulated argument. If you do a good job of formulating your research question, the answer will be the natural product of your research. Of course, there may be many answers to one research question, depending upon the sources we look at, the critical approach we take, the theory we apply, and the ineffable factors of the scholar’s individual inclinations and background. But we cannot formulate a thesis statement until we have worked out our answer to our research question. In Johnson’s statement, the business of inquiring precedes the business of answering inquiries .

If you begin with a question rather than a topic , you will find that your research is both more pointed and, ultimately, more exciting. You won’t be blown off course by articles and sources that look interesting but don’t help you answer your question (although “reading” and “hearing” – taking the time to understand fully someone else’s point of view or argument – are also important aspects of scholarly work). You may even have one of those glorious “Aha!” moments in the library, when you find the very source that opens up a new aspect of your question and leads you to answer your question in a wholly surprising way.

So how do you find your questions? We have questions all the time as we read. Sometimes we forget those questions because we don’t make a note of them. Or we might hurry over them because we feel uncomfortable with our own bewilderment. Read with a pencil in your hand. Sometimes an inarticulate marginal “?!?” is all I can muster when I read, but at least I know there’s something I want to revisit at this point in the text. Note anything that seems odd, that invites comparison to some other text, that challenges a received paradigm, that requires you to consult a reference work, that puzzles you, that challenges your sense of what early modern literature or London is all about. Further questions develop as we compare texts, assess the criticism, dig up new primary materials, and reconceptualize primary materials. Has the textual criticism overlooked something that deserves comment?

If you are committed to a topic and want to develop questions that belong within that topic, try a “question-generator” table. For example, if I were committed to writing a critical introduction to an edition of The Merchant of Venice (as I am, in fact!) and determined to challenge the current critical paradigm that aligns usury with Shylock and mercantilism with Antonio (as I am!), I would first generate a list of keywords. I might start with merchants, moneylenders, Jews, Gentiles, interest, usance, for example. Then I would put the keywords on two axes and start putting the keywords in apposition/juxtaposition to see what questions I can generate that will help me interrogate the received notion that the merchants are Christians and the usurer is Jewish. It does not matter which axis you consider first, as long as you are consistent. If, in cell B1 you think about merchants:usurers (X-axis first), in A2 you think about usurers:merchants (again, X-axis first). Sometimes the apposition/juxtaposition is non-generative. I won’t fill in the entire chart, but you’ll get a sense of the kinds of questions that you might generate just by thinking about these terms:


Do merchants lend to merchants?	Do usurers lend to merchants?	Are there any Jewish merchants? Jews versus/and/as merchants?	Are there any Gentile merchants? Gentiles versus/and/as merchants?	How much interest do merchants charge?	How much usance do merchants charge?
Are there any merchants who function as usurers? How do merchants interact economically with usurers?	What’s the relationship between usurers? Is there competition, collaboration?	Are all the Jews usurers? What’s the relationship between Jews and usurers? Do Jews self-identify as usurers? Who calls Jews usurers?	Are any of the Gentiles usurers?	How much interest do usurers charge?
Are there merchants who are Jews? How do merchants interact economically with Jews?		Do the Jews all have the same eco practices? Are Tubal and Shylock comparable?
Are all merchants Gentiles? What’s the relationship between merchants and Gentiles?			Think about the term “gentle.” Who uses the term? Does it have economic valence as well as religious valence?
Do merchants charge interest? pay interest? When?	Do usurers ever charge legitimate interest or is it always “usance”? Think about definitions and terminology.			What makes interest “interest” and not “usance”?	What’s the difference between usance and interest? Does it matter who is making the judgement?
When do merchants use the term “usance”? What does it mean?	When do usurers use the term “usance”? What does it mean?			How can you tell if interest is usance or not? Who gets to decide? On what grounds?	What makes usance “usance” and not “interest”?

Suggestions: do the same thing with characters, add more terms, combine terms, and combine questions that you’ve generated.

90% of these questions won’t merit a scholarly article, although for me some of these questions have led to great classroom material or footnotes in articles. And sometimes you need to ask the question in order to know that it won’t lead you anywhere or that it’s already been answered or that it can’t be answered right now or by you. But the other 10% become your intellectual capital, the ever-growing collection of questions that you want to resolve in your scholarly work.

The kinds of questions that you will be posing for our class discussions will prepare you to pose the question(s) for your major paper/project . Many of those questions would serve as the beginnings of a term paper RQ, although I suggest you check with your colleagues if you want to develop a question that someone else has posed. In addition, the research paper offers you the opportunity to address a gap in the criticism, or to rectify a trend in the criticism that you think misses the mark somehow and/or doesn’t fully make sense of some aspect of the text(s); some projects even take the gap in the criticism as their research problem.

How to Write an Annotation

A general rule of thumb is that your annotation needs to paraphrase the research question and thesis of the critical article, indicate its methodology, delineate the scope and nature of the evidence presented, and summarize the conclusion(s) (if different from the thesis). Note that sentence fragments beginning with present-tense verbs are the norm; the fragment always begins with the unstated but implied “This article….” Some useful verbs include: asks, interrogates, queries, argues, juxtaposes, invokes, claims, studies, surveys, deals with, traces, employs, adheres to (an approach), emphasizes, compares, outlines. For more information, consult James L. Harner, On Compiling an Annotated Bibliography , 2nd ed. (New York: MLA, 1991), 8-9 and especially 22-27 on how to write the annotations. I have a copy in my office.

You may also wish to have a look at some annotated bibliographies. Check out the Z section of the Reference collection. You will find several thousand annotated bibliographies shelved there. Year’s Work in English Studies ( YWES) provides prose-style overviews of the work in each subdiscipline, including reviews of new journals.

Sample bibliographic entries (MLA 7 th ed.) and annotations for articles and book chapters, with explanations below of the parts of my annotation.

Kahn, Michael. Prologue. Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance . Ed. Milla Cozart Riggio. New York: MLA, 1999. 19-29. Print. Explains how a director moved from cutting texts to produce reductive readings of plays to being willing to explore the contradictions. Taking Merchant of Venice and Henry V as examples, focuses on “Let all of his complexion choose me so” line, and issue of whether or not the latter is pro or anti-war. Argues that “fixed points of view” make a production “more the artist’s play than Shakespeare’s” (28).

My statement of the research question: Explains how a director moved from cutting texts to produce reductive readings of plays to being willing to explore the contradictions.

My statement of the methodology: Taking Merchant of Venice and Henry V as examples, focuses on “Let all of his complexion choose me so” line, and issue of whether or not the latter is pro or anti-war.

My statement of the thesis and conclusion , which, in this essay, both come near the end (which is point-last writing, but it’s not your job in an annotation to rewrite the essay): Argues that “fixed points of view” make a production “more the artist’s play than Shakespeare’s” (28). [Note that brief quotations are acceptable in an annotation. Always give the page number(s).]

Osborne, Laurie E. “Antonio’s Pardon.” Shakespeare Quarterly 45 (1994): 108-14. Print. Asks how actor-managers of the nineteenth century handled the problem of Antonio’s unresolved status in the final scene of Twelfth Night . Acting editions show the addition of a six- or eight-line pardon. Stage directions in these texts show that the productions anticipated and often tried to contain what modern critics have identified as homoeroticism between Antonio and Sebastian.

My statement of the research question: Asks how actor-managers of the nineteenth century handled the problem of Antonio’s unresolved status in the final scene of Twelfth Night .

My statement of the methodology and nature of the evidence: Acting editions show the addition of a six- or eight-line pardon. Stage directions in these texts…

My statement of the thesis and conclusion: …show that the productions anticipated and often tried to contain what modern critics have identified as homoeroticism between Antonio and Sebastian.

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Biology 195M - Wildlife Sampling and Identification

Scientific Article Discovery
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
GlobalChange.gov
Examples of "Ecology" Citation Style
Evaluating Web Resources

Creating an Annotated Bibliography

Annotated citation example.

Image Sources
Bates Biology Department On-Line Resources Page This link opens in a new window

1. Select Topic

Your topic should be neither too broad nor too narrow, but engage with a specific research question. You may not have a thesis yet, but will form one in the course of reading sources. Consider some strategies for selecting and refining a topic.

2. Locate Sources

This is a time-consuming process when writing an annotated bibliography. Remember your annotated bibliography should only include peer reviewed sources. One of the best ways to find this kind of material is Scopus.

3. Read and Evaluate Sources

Evaluating a source is about more than reading the abstract. You are tasked with finding three different protocols for assessing thermal perfomance. As you assess potential sources, be sure they can provide you with species studied, protocol temperature range, rate of temperature change, adjustment period (temperature and duration), mechanism of temperature manipulation, and advantages / disadvantages for this protocol.

Writing

1. Create Citations

For Bio 195F, you will be using the Ecology journal citation style. Your citations should also include a "hanging first line," whereby the first line of the citation sits further to the right on the page with subsequent lines indented. This is a special indentation feature offered in the paragraph formatting section of Word (or other word-processing software).

2. Write Annotations

Each annotation immediately follows the citation, and consists of a short, evaluative paragraph. For Bio 195F, your annotation should include the elements :

Species Studied:

Protocol temperature range:

Rate of temperature change:

“Adjustment period” (temperature and duration):

Mechanism of temperature manipulation:

Advantages / disadvantages for this protocol

What about formatting?

Most of the major citation styles call for a hanging first line on annotated bibliographies. This means the first line of the citation will align with the left margin of the page, and all subsequent lines of the citation and annotation will indent to the right.

Example of an Annotated Citation using the Ecology Journal Style

Patra, A., T. Park, M. Kim, and Z. Yu. 2017. Rumen methanogens and mitigation of methane emission by anti-methanogenic compounds and substances. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 8 :13.

This study reviews some of the work to date (2017) identifying ruminal methanogens and the in vivo and in vitro effects of anti-methanogenic compounds. Of specific interest is the summary of evidence suggesting that archaea make up only ~10% of the ruminal microbiome (see "Overview of methanogens present in the rumen"). Also of note, this paper cites work indicating many rumen ciliate protozoa have ecto- and endo-associated methanogenic archaea (see "Methanogens associated with rumen protozoa"). However, most ruminal methanogens are "free-living" (i.e. not protozoa-associated; see "Free-living ruminal methanogens").

<< Previous: Evaluating Web Resources
Next: Image Sources >>
Updated: Aug 29, 2024 10:50 AM
URL: https://libguides.bates.edu/bio195m

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123 Most Interesting Annotated Bibliography Topics

Do you want to get 123 annotated bibliography topics for free? If you do, we are proud to say that you have arrived at the right place. Our experienced writers have created a list of the best 123 annotated bibliography essay topics for high school and college students. And the good news is that all of our topics are 100% free to use. Not only can you reword any of our topics for annotated bibliography, you also don’t need to give us any credit.

Why Our Topics?

One of the best ways to make sure you get a top grade on your next academic paper is to choose the correct topic. By picking something interesting and unique, you can earn some important bonus points. The good news is that all of our topics are highly interesting and unique at the time of writing.

In addition, almost all of these annotated bibliography topics have plenty of sources of information about them on the Internet. Doing the necessary research shouldn’t take you more than an hour or two at most. This means you can save a lot of time and effort simply by choosing one of our ideas.

Remember, our list of annotated bibliography topic examples is updated periodically, so you will always be able to find good topics to write an annotated bibliography about. These topics are fresh, so they should work great in 2023. Pick a topic for annotated bibliography from our list and start writing your paper in minutes:

Best Annotated Bibliography Topic Ideas

What better way to start our list than by showing you our best annotated bibliography topic ideas ? Take a look at these topics and take your pick:

Is there life on Mars?
Human trafficking prevention in the UK
Climate change in the United States
The effects of social media on mental health
Artificial intelligence ethical issues
Doping problems with athletes in Europe
The pros and cons of abortion
Negative effects of capital punishment

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Psychology

If you are interested in writing about psychology, our ENL writers have compiled a list of the most interesting annotated bibliography topics for psychology :

Mental problems caused by social media
Benefits of psychotherapy
Religion and its effects on psychology
The causes of depression
Anxiety effects on teenagers
Main causes of suicide
The rise in teen pregnancies in the US

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Nursing

Of course, we have plenty of topics related to nursing. Check out our annotated bibliography topics for nursing and select the one you like:

Emotional intelligence in nursing
Music and its effects on mentally-ill patients
Female vs. male nurses in US hospitals
Best sanitation practices
COVID-19’s effect on nursing
The Universal healthcare program
Terminally-ill patient care

Easy Annotated Bibliography Topics

For students who don’t want to spend days on end writing an essay, we have a list of easy annotated bibliography topics :

Effects of terrorism on UK politics
Social media and consumer behavior
Early childhood education best practices
Augmented reality: the future of social media
The right to free speech in America
Journalism and privacy issues
Global warming: main causes
Human cloning and the ethics behind it
Brain surgery effects

Annotated Bibliography Business Topics

Do you need to write an annotated bibliography for your business class? No problem! Stop searching for ideas and pick one of these awesome annotated bibliography business topics:

Marketing through billboards
Technology and its effects on business in 2023
COVID-19 pandemic effects on business in the UK
Social media marketing for SMMs in the US
Marketing a business effectively
Best ways to prevent losses
Stock market volatility
Crypto investments for small businesses

Good Annotated Bibliography Topics

Looking for some good annotated bibliography topics that won’t take a long time to write a paper about? Check out these ideas:

Digital editions of newspapers
Tourism is on the rise in the US
UK travel restrictions during the pandemic
Registering an invention as a patent in Europe
The importance of homework
Mobile phones’ effects on the human brain
Video games: good or bad?

Annotated Bibliography Topics for English

We have plenty of annotated bibliography topics for English classes, so you can choose the one you like the most right now:

Oral literature in US schools
Compare US and UK English
Peculiarities of English grammar
Travelling abroad without knowing English
Countries that have English as their main language
English literature in UK schools
Best online English dictionaries

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Education

You can, of course, write about education (as long as you remain objective and impartial). Check out our list of annotated bibliography topics for education :

Working a part time job during college
Best ways to increase student participation in class
Technology effects on education
Benning smartphones from the classroom
Home schooling vs. traditional schooling
The importance of education for the US government
Cheating explained

Annotated Bibliography Example High School

High school students will be thrilled to learn that we have an entire section dedicated to them. Take a look at an interesting annotated bibliography example high school students could use:

Fastest way to become a millionaire
How much sleep do humans need?
Negative effects of homework
Best way to ace your term papers
Rising ocean levels
Rising hurricane occurrence in the US
Negative effects of plastic straws

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Sociology

We have more than enough annotated bibliography topics for sociology students . Check out the following ideas and pick one right now:

Socializing in the real world vs social media
Text messages’ importance for society
Domestic violence and its effects on youth
Social interactions in transgender communities
Humans as social beings
Social skills: the good, the bad, the ugly
How often should you check on your friends?

Religion Topics for Annotated Bibliography

Our experienced writers have created a list of religion topics for annotated bibliography that you will surely find interesting:

The role of the Bible in Christianity
Compare Christians with Muslims
The radicalization of Muslims
The history of religion
Modern Jews vs. traditional Jews
The end of the world in different religions
The role of prophets in Christianity

Fun Annotated Bibliography Topics

Why wouldn’t you want to write a paper on a fun topic? Your professor will surely appreciate it. Here are some fun annotated bibliography topics to get you started:

Who should you marry?
Moving on after a difficult breakup
Should you talk to a psychologist?
One shower a day keeps disease away
Why eating veggies is so important
Things you didn’t know about medicinal marijuana
What is your pet thinking about you?

Topics for Annotated Bibliography for Nutrition

If you are looking for a list of topics for annotated bibliography for nutrition , you have arrived at the right place. Check out these interesting ideas:

Water: before or after the meal?
Healthy eating habits
Weight loss with fasting methods
Are lemons effective for weight loss?
Eating disorders and obesity
Important macronutrients and micronutrients

World History Annotated Bibliography Topics

Stop searching for world history annotated bibliography topics and take a look at the following original ideas from our professional writers:

The United States Constitution
The role of politics in WWII Great Britain
The rise and fall of Vikings in Europe
Nazi Germany and the Polish invasion
Tracing major historical events in 2023
An in-depth look at the US foreign policy

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Geosciences

Writing about geosciences is not easy, we know. So, why waste any time searching for topic ideas? Here are some of the best annotated bibliography topics for geosciences :

What makes geoscience so interesting?
Cartography and its importance in the 21st century
Mitigating global warming through geoscience
What makes the study of rock so important?
Earth in the Ice Age (geoscience findings)
The history of geoscience in the United Kingdom

Engineering Topics for Annotated Bibliography

Even though it can be very difficult to write about engineering topics, we can assure you that our list engineering topics for annotated bibliography is the best you can find online :

Solar-powered vehicles in 2023
An in-depth analysis of eco-bricks
Artificial intelligence developments of 2023
The role of 3D printing tech in the military
Efficient solar panels and the technology behind them
Autonomous cars: Case study Tesla

Complex Annotated Bibliography Subjects

If you want to really impress your professor and get some bonus points, you should choose one of our complex annotated bibliography subjects :

Graphic design with help from AI tech
Preventing World War Three
Who reads more, men or women?
Negative effects of greenhouse gases on Earth
The real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines
Social media and its role in spreading fake news

Annotated Bibliography Ideas for College

College students are encouraged to find some interesting topics to write about, especially if they need a top grade. Here are a few annotated bibliography ideas for college:

Are teachers still necessary in this day and age?
Universal basic income: pros and cons
Latest advancements in cinematographic techniques
Effective ways to prevent suicide in Japan
State censorship in communist China

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200+ Annotated Bibliography Topics for Different Categories

A Brief Introduction to Annotated Bibliography

Sports Annotated Bibliography Topics

Good Annotated Bibliography Topics For Social Work

Annotated Bibliography Topics In Healthcare

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Mental Health

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Psychology

Communication Annotated Bibliography

Feminism Annotated Bibliography Topics

Animal Testing Annotated Bibliography Topics

Annotated Bibliography Topics For Education

Engineering Topics for Annotated Bibliography

World History Annotated Bibliography Topics

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Criminal Justice

Annotated Bibliography Topics Business

Religion Topics for Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography for Ethics and Morals

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Nursing

Annotated Bibliography Topics for Technology

Annotated Bibliography Topics For English

Critical Annotated Bibliography Topics

Fun Annotated Bibliography Topics

Persuasive Annotated Bibliography Topics

Annotated Bibliography Essay Topics for Music

What Makes a Good Annotated Bibliography Topic?

How to Choose the Right Topic for an Annotated Bibliography?

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography?

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How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography: The Annotated Bibliography

Explanation, Process, Directions, and Examples

Annotations vs. Abstracts

The Process

Critically Appraising the Book, Article, or Document

Choosing the Correct Citation Style

Sample Annotated Bibliography Entries

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How to Write an Annotated Bibliography, With Examples

What is an annotated bibliography?

What do annotated bibliography notes talk about?

How to cite sources in an annotated bibliography

How to write an annotated bibliography in APA, MLA, and Chicago

How to write an annotated bibliography in MLA

How to write an annotated bibliography in Chicago

Annotated bibliography examples

Annotated bibliography example for MLA

Annotated bibliography example for Chicago

Annotated bibliography FAQs

How does it differ from a regular bibliography?

How is an annotated bibliography structured?

Annotated Bibliography Samples

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

Sample MLA Annotation

Sample APA Annotation

Sample Chicago Manual of Style Annotation

Annotated Bibliography Examples & Step-by-Step Writing Guide

Annotated Bibliography Examples

What Is an Annotated Bibliography?

Why Write Annotations?

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography Step-by-Step

Step 1: Analysis of Sources

Step 2: Create Your Annotations

Indicative/Descriptive Annotations

Informative/Summary Annotations

Evaluation Annotations

Combination Annotations

Writing Style for Annotations

Step 3: Annotated Bibliography Format