Annotated Bibliographies for Education

Follow these steps to write a quality annotated bibliography:

1. Start with a source: You could annotate any credible source, like a book, a webpage, a journal article, a film, etc. Unless your instructor has requested you to find a particular source type, e.g., only journal articles.
2. Correctly reference the source: Reference the source according to the style your instructor has requested, e.g., APA Style; MLA Style.
3. Write the annotation: Annotations can be descriptive or evaluative. Check your assignment guidelines which type of annotation to compose. 

• Descriptive Annotation: Summarizes the content of the publication, pointing out key topics, significant features, intended audience, etc.
• Evaluative Annotation: In addition to a description, offers a brief critical assessment of the publication, assessing its relevance, accuracy, reliability, or usefulness for a particular audience or purpose.

Include at least some of the following in the annotation:

• Author: Authority, experience, or qualifications of the author.
• Purpose: Why did the author write this?
• Scope: Breadth or depth of coverage, topics included, etc.
• Audience: For whom was it written (general public, subject specialists, students, etc.)?
• Viewpoint: What is the author’s perspective or approach (school of thought, etc.)? Do you detect an unacknowledged bias, or find any undefended assumptions?
• Sources: Does the author cite other sources, and if so, what types? Is it based on the author’s research? Is it a personal opinion piece? Etc.
• Conclusion: What does the author conclude? Does the work lead to this conclusion?
• Features: Any significant extras, e.g., visual aids (charts, maps, etc.), reprints of source documents, an annotated bibliography?
• Comparison: How does it relate to other works on the topic: does it agree or disagree with another author or a particular school of thought; are there other works which would support or dispute it?

4. Format your annotated bibliography:  Format your annotated bibliography in the writing style your instructor has requested, e.g., APA Style; MLA Style.

Derived from "How to Write an Annotated Bibliography" by Kendall Hobbs from Wesleyan University Library

After all the great info you gathered from the Libraries and other places, you often need to synthesize it in writing!