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*Last updated on 17 Jan 2011.

How Do I Write an Annotated Bibliography?

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Students are often required to prepare an annotated bibliography. Annotate means to 'make a note', and biblio refers to 'book'. In the 21st century students consult much more but still including books: e.g. websites, journals (hardcopy and electronic), newspapers and so on. Simply stated, an annotated bibliography is a list of sources or citations with a brief evaluative summary (annotation) about each source. Its purpose is to describe and evaluate the source text in a way that allows the reader to decide whether or not to read the work itself.

Terminology

Source whatever material you have used for your topic; for example, journal articles, electronic sources, books or chapters of books
Citation gives the precise bibliographical information needed to locate the material; it is the same as a list of references and is placed in alphabetical order
Annotation follows each citation, and is a note that explains, describes and/or evaluates the cited source. Annotations are normally no more than 50 to 150 words

The purpose of an annotated bibliography

An annotated bibliography is not a simple summary of each source text. Annotations are descriptive and critical, with the aim of informing the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources (books, journal articles, etc) cited. In general the annotation is to inform. Specific purposes may be to:

  • review the literature on a particular subject
  • illustrate the quality of your research
  • provide examples of sources available
  • describe other items on a topic that may be of interest to the reader
  • explore the subject for further research.

How to write the annotation

  1. Locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic.
  2. Cite the book, article or document, using the appropriate referencing style. At CSU this is usually the APA style. For example:

Jones, B. (2008). Colonial paintings in NSW art galleries. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.

  1. State the authority or background of the author.
  2. Comment on the intended audience and degree of reading difficulty.
  3. Explain the main purpose of the text.
  4. Identify the main points of the text.
  5. Clarify the standpoint of the author in relation to his/her thesis or theme.
  6. Explain how this text adds to a fuller understanding of your topic.
  7. Add critical comment.
  8. Point out any relation or comparisons to other texts in the bibliography.
  9. Conclude with a summary comment.

Annotations usually do two things - describe and evaluate. Unless directed otherwise by your assignment task, write a concise (brief and clear) annotation that:

  • summarises the item (e.g. journal article); this will be descriptive and objective;
  • evaluates/critiques the source; this will be subjective;
  • include one or more sentences that:
    • evaluate the authority or background of the author;
    • comment on the intended audience;
    • compare or contrast this work with another you have cited; or
    • explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.

Recall that you are writing an annotation - a brief account of a source - so write concisely. Do not write long, descriptive, or wordy sentences. It is always good practice to check with your lecturer if you are not sure what is fully required from you.

How to read the text

  1. Read actively; read critically.
  2. Enter into a dialogue with the author.
  3. Identify statements or conclusions where you might question the author's assertions, evidence or method.
  4. Write an outline or draw a concept map to make a summary of the piece of writing.

Critical questions you will want to ask yourself when evaluating the source might include:

  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source?
  • What is the main argument and is it fully supported with evidence or examples?
  • Is the source up-to-date?
  • Is the subject dealt with fully and accurately, or is it treated superficially? Has the author omitted to deal with certain aspects of the topic? In other words: is it comprehensive?
  • Is the source limited in any way - by time, place, sample size etc?
  • Are there any special features? How is the source organised?
  • What conclusions has the author made? Are they valid?
  • Is the argument contentious or controversial? If yes, how does the author justify her stance and refute alternatives?
  • How useful is the source? For whom?
  • How is the source biased?
  • Has the author adopted a particular theoretical perspective? Do implicit assumptions underlie the work?
  • How credible is this source? Is this article from a highly respected professional journal or is it posted on the web by a narrow interest group?

Additional web resources

The following web resources provide further information and have been used as a basis for the construction of this guide . You can google for other sites by typing 'annotated bibliography' as the search term, but try to ensure the sites you use are reliable sites.

Annotated Bibliographies: The OWL at Purdue University
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/

Annotated Bibliographies: UW-Madison Writing Centre
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/AnnotatedBibliography.html

Annotated Bibliography: The Learning Centre, UNSW
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/annotated_bib.html

Writing an annotated bibliography: Learning Connection, University of South Australia
http://www.unisa.edu.au/ltu/students/study/referencing/bibliography.asp

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