LibAnswers

An annotated bibliography (sometimes called source analysis) is a critically evaluated list of books, articles, and other resources you consult in preparation for a research project. It consists of a list of citations in alphabetical order by first author (the bibliography), each of which is immediately followed by an evaluation in paragraph format. The critical evaluation of the source is known as an annotation. An annotated bibliography is arranged in alphabetical order by the first author of each work.

An annotated bibliographic citation is made up of two parts:

• The citation is a stylized reference to a source listing the essential components of the work including creators, titles, dates, and other details. It allows your readers to find the work themselves if they want to. Your citation style depends on your discipline’s conventions or professor’s instructions. Styles that may be used include APA, AMA, Chicago, and MLA. For more about citing in various formats, see our Citation Styles LibGuide.
• The annotation is an original, critical evaluation of the work, usually about a paragraph or two in length. An annotation is not a restatement of the item’s title or a reworking of a published summary. It is your own evaluation of the item, contextualized within your research project. It appears directly below the corresponding citation in paragraph format.

Annotations should do the following (not necessarily in this order):

• Include a statement that accurately represents and indicates that you understand the author’s thesis, hypothesis, or research question.
• Summarize the content and conclusions.
• Describe the evidence/data used to support the thesis/research question.
• Evaluate how the source fits into the broader range of research on this topic.
• Explain how and why the source is helpful for your own research, including any ways that the source contradicts or questions your initial ideas

Note: Many journals and databases provide abstracts (or summaries) of the items they index.  You may not copy those abstracts and present them as your own annotations. Doing so constitutes plagiarism!

Writing annotations helps you:

• Develop your own research question, thesis, or hypothesis. As you read, you will start to recognize trends or gaps in the literature that will help you form ideas and create original work.
• Gain a thorough understanding of your topic.
• Decide which sources will best support your project.
• Help you recognize different perspectives on the topic and address those perspectives in your own work.
• Signal where you need to revise or add to your research process.

Annotating Books
To write an effective annotation, you need not necessarily read the entire work. First, examine the table of contents and index to see what topics the author covers. You should always read the preface or introduction, a representative chapter, and the conclusion. Skim other chapters or sections to see what sources and evidence the author uses, read any notes provided by the author, and check the footnotes/endnotes and bibliography for references to other helpful material. Journal articles are usually short enough to be read start-to-finish.

You can find sample annotations written for various disciplines at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).