What is an annotated bibliography?
Citations and Annotations
A standard bibliography details the citation information of the consulted sources: author(s), date of publication, title, and publisher's name and location (and for articles: journal title, volume, issue and page numbers). The primary function of bibliographic citations is to assist the reader in finding the sources used in the writing of a work.
To these basic citations, the annotated bibliography adds descriptive and evaluative comments (i.e., an annotation), assessing the nature and value of the cited works. The addition of commentary provides the future reader or researcher essential critical information and a foundation for further research.
What each annotated bibliographic entry should include
Annotations begin on the line following the citation data and should be composed with complete sentences. Each annotation should include most, if not all, of the following:
- Explanation of the main purpose and scope of the cited work
- Brief description of the research conducted
- Theoretical basis of the author's argument
- Value and significance of the work (e.g., study’s findings, scope of the research project) as a contribution to the subject under consideration
- Possible shortcomings or bias in the work
- Conclusions or observations reached by the author
- Conclusions or observations reached by you
Questions you should be able to answer
Following are some questions to help you write the descriptive part of the annotation:
- What kind of work is it? Book? Chapter? Essay? Popular magazine article? Scholarly journal article? Webpage?
- Who is/are the author(s)? Consider background, position, qualifications. If there are many, as there might be with a web page, how would you characterize them as a group.
- What was the author's stated purpose or motivation in writing the article or book, or in doing the research, or in contributing to the webpage?
- Who is the intended audience? This includes scholars in a discipline, the general public, workers in an industry, professionals in a field, people with a shared passion/interest or of a certain age group or political persuasion.
- Who is the publisher or sponsor? This is especially relevant if the information source is related to an organization of some sort. Find out something about them. Find their webpage, mission statement, purpose.
- Are there any significant attachments, appendices, statistics, data, images, weblinks, etc. included?
- What is the basis for the research or data reported? This would include things like types of information used, methodology, problem statements, limitations.
- What is the scope of the documentation? Look at the different information resources cited, their dates, formats, and quality as well as quantity.
Now some questions to help you write the evaluative part of the annotation:
- What aspects of the subject are emphasized? Is the author presenting one particular point of view?
- What conclusions are drawn? Issues raised? Are the conclusions drawn justified or adequately substantiated?
- Can you detect any biases or fallacies in the arguments or conclusions presented? Is anything clearly lacking? Do you feel like you have questions about what is or is NOT stated?
- If information about the authors/sponsor/publisher was difficult to find or very limited, what does this lead you to believe about the validity and authority of the information provided?
- How effectively is the information presented? Are you left feeling confused? Are there gaps or holes?
- Are there any other qualities of the source, like style, organization, or graphics, which effect its usefulness?
- Is the work functioning as a primary or secondary source in your research?
- How does this particular information source compare with or relate to the others you have read on the topic?
- How useful was this work to you in your research? What role did it play?
What citation style should you use
Chicago!
The official Chicago Manual of Style is available through the SCU Library as an online resource. Follow its conventions for formatting your bibliography citations.