annotated bibliographies made easy
By Synthia Fetz
- what is an annotated bibliography?
- writing the annotation
- most common styles of annotated bibliographies
- writing the citation
what is an annotated bibliography?
- An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents one has used for researching a topic.
- 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.
writing the annotation
Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following:
summarize
The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is. Answer questions such as: What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say?
assess
After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?
reflect
Once you have summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?
most common styles of annotated bibliographies
(MLA FORMAT)
The following excerpts explain and give examples of each style: indicative, informative, and evaluative.
indicative style
- This form of annotation defines the scope of the source, lists the significant topics included, and tells what the source is about.
- This type is different from the informative entry in that the informative entry gives actual information about its source.
- In the indicative entry, there is no attempt to give actual data such as hypotheses, proofs, etc. Generally, only topics or chapter titles are included.
Example of annotated bibliography in the indicative style:
Hudson, Kurt. “World Industrial Archaeology.” Cambridge University Press. (1979): 247.
An introductory section discusses the aims and techniques of industrial archaeology. Topical chapters follow on extractive industries, food and drink, construction, metal processing, transport, textiles, clothing and footwear, power, and chemicals.
informative style
- Simply put, this form of annotation is a summary of the source.
- To write it, begin by writing the thesis; then develop it with the argument or hypothesis, list the proofs, and state the conclusion.
Example of annotated bibliography in the informative style:
Voeltz, Leah M. “Children's Attitudes toward Handicapped Peers.” American Journal of Mental Deficiency. 84. (1980): 455-464.
As services for severely handicapped children become increasingly available within neighborhood public schools, children's attitudes toward handicapped peers in integrated settings warrant attention. Factor analysis of attitude survey responses of 2,392 children revealed four factors underlying attitudes toward handicapped peers: social-contact willingness, deviance consequation, and two actual contact dimensions. Upper elementary-age children, girls, and children in schools with most contact with severely handicapped peers expressed the most accepting attitudes. Results of this study suggest the modifiability of children's attitudes and the need to develop interventions to facilitate social acceptance of individual differences in integrated school settings.
evaluative style
- In this form of annotation you need to assess the source's strengths and weaknesses.
Example of annotated bibliography in the evaluative style:
Kreie, Jacob, and Thomas P. Cronan. “Making Ethical Decisions.” Communications of the ACM. 43.12 (2000): 66-71.
The authors, professors of computer systems, present findings of a study of 300 college students to support their theory that businesses who promote a strong ethical code of conduct can influence employee behavior in certain situations. The paper builds on an earlier study conducted by the authors. While the results of the study appear valid, the survey is limited in its scope to a small population. A comparison of a similar survey conducted in a work place would be a valuable addition to this study. While the authors’ conclusion that people rely on their personal values when making ethical decisions is perhaps stating the obvious, this article provides a good starting point for additional research on the topic.
writing the citation
(MLA vs. APA Format)
This example uses the MLA format for the journal citation:
Goldscheider, Frances Kobrin, Linda J. Waite, and Christina Witsberger. "The Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations among Young Adults." American Sociological Review 51 (1986): 541-554.
Researchers at Brown University use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women (NLSYW) to determine the effects of non-traditional family structures on America’s youth. By comparing data from a 1950 NLSYW study to the data collected in the same study performed in 2000, the researchers argue that an erosion of the traditional family structure is primarily responsible for the recent jump in the number of young women attending college and pursuing careers. Because the roles of mother and father are no longer narrowly defined in American households, women are now frequently seizing the opportunities that were at one time only available to men.
The following example uses the APA format for the journal citation:
Goldschneider, F. K., Waite, L. J., & Witsberger, C. (1986). The erosion of traditional family orientations among young adults. American Sociological Review, 51, 541-554.
Researchers at Brown University use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women (NLSYW) to determine the effects of non-traditional family structures on America’s youth. By comparing data from a 1950 NLSYW study to the data collected in the same study performed in 2000, the researchers argue that an erosion of the traditional family structure is primarily responsible for the recent jump in the number of young women attending college and pursuing careers. Because the roles of mother and father are no longer narrowly defined in American households, women are now frequently seizing the opportunities that were at one time only available to men.
