WRITING AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

An annotation is a summary and evaluation of your source.

Why even write an annotated bibliography?!

A well-written annotated bibliography will tell your reader (me!) what your sources are like. It
will also tell your reader that you have carefully read and chosen your sources. It forces you read
the source critically rather than merely collecting facts.

There are three major items you need to include when writing your annotations and some
questions you should consider.

• summarize. 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. Is this source helpful? (Try using other descriptors other than “helpful”) Is this
information reliable/biased/objective?

• reflect. What role does this source play in your argument? How can this source be used?
Does this source change the way you view your argument?

An annotated bibliography should be:

• in complete sentences
• in third person
• in paragraph form
• at the end of MLA citation for that source
• several sentences. The exact length will vary by the writer, but around four to five
sentences.

As you research your topic, write your annotations on the back of your source cards. You will
then transfer the annotations to the Works Cited page when you put together your final draft.

student example:

Warren, W. L. Henry II. Great Britain: U of California P, 1973. This comprehensive biography is

an extremely detailed, well-written work based on an enormous multitude of research. It

has provided to be a vital, unending source of information. However, because of its

immense size, not all information is relevant and it is easy to get carried away in its

numerous pages. It also appears to be slightly biased against Henry II in comparison to

other sources.

Source: Purdue Online Writing Lab