What is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a an alphabetical or chronological list of citations with each citation followed by a paragraph that gives information about the resource. The paragraphs, or annotations, can be written in a number of styles that will be covered on the next page, Different Annotation Types.

The format of the citations and annotations is determined by the style guide you've been assigned - MLA, APA, Chicago, etc. The Libraries have both online and print style guides. In Political Science Research, you will be asked to use APSA (Reference Manual)and Chicago Author-Date, and Bluebook (for legal research).

Purpose

There are numerous purposes for writing an annotated bibliography across the disciplines:

• To familiarize yourself with the literature in an area;
• To prepare to write a research paper and make a record of your impressions of the sources;
  • Annotated Bibliographies are great preliminary assignments before writing a full literature review.
• To provide readers of your scholarly work with additional information about sources, such as author backgrounds, your evaluations, or summaries; and,
• To place your research in a historical context for readers.

Types of Annotated Bibliographies

There are numerous ways to write an annotated bibliography, so pay attention to your instructor's directions! This page will show you a variety of approaches, but your instructor may have yet another personal preference for writing annotated bibliographies.

There are at least 4 types of annotations and most of the time your instructor asks you to combine some of the types. If you're doing independent research, think about the type(s) that will suit your purpose best. To see examples, visit the University of Maryland Library website.

• Descriptive: You describe the source in this type of annotation.. The description includes topics in the work, the scope and time coverage of the topics, and any special features, e.g., appendices.
• Summative: In this type of annotation, you present the main arguments and supporting content of the source, but without any critique. The author's background and credentials may also be included.
• Evaluative or Critical: The point of this annotation type is to examine the author's presentation and discuss whether the methodology and reasoning are sound, whether the findings and conclusions contribute to the field, how it compares to other sources, and other evaluative issues. This is often a difficult annotation type for students. Visit the Critical Appraisal and Analysis webpage at Cornell University Library to see the types of questions you might ask. 
• Reflective: This type of annotation is your chance to think about the source you've read and write about how it fits into your body of research and all the other investigation you've done.