Tips for Writing

• Write about one source at a time
• Answer these questions in COMPLETE SENTENCES
  • ​What is the main or most significant idea of this source?
  • What is the author trying to do?
  • Who do you think the author's intended audience is?
• Write SHORT paragraphs.
• Write 5-8 sentences that accurately describe the information and ideas from each source.  

SIUC Writing Center- www.siu.edu/~write  

Your annotated bibliography requires that you:

• Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. 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? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.

• 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've 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?

Examples of what your annotated bibliography should not look like:

Marieb, Elaine N. (1992).Human Anatomy and Physiology Redwood City, CA: The Benjamin/ Cummings Co.

I use this book to get the basic information about arthritis, it was very informative.

Keefe FJ., (1996) Pain in Arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 24, 279-290.

I got all the facts about exercising with arthritis and the different types of exercise.

Content adapted from Writing an Annotated Bibliography: Tips 

What to Include:

A typical annotation contains the following information in approximately 150 words:

• Author information: Who is the author? What is her/his educational/professional background? Are they qualified to write about this topic?
• Purpose: What is the purpose of this research? Is the purpose stated or implied?  
• Audience information: To what audience is the author writing (scholars, teachers, the general public, etc.)? Is this reflected in the author's style of writing or presentation?
• Author bias: Does the author show any biases or make assumptions upon which the rationale of the article rests? If so, what are they?
• Methodological information: How did the researcher obtain the data? I 
• Conclusion: What conclusions does the author draw? Are these conclusions specifically stated or implied?
• Conclusion justification: Are the conclusions justified from the research or experience? Are the conclusions in sync with the original purpose of the research and supported by the data? Are the conclusions skewed by bias?
• Relationship to other works: How does this work compare with others cited? Does it conflict with conventional wisdom, established scholarship, government policy, etc.? This may be difficult to do if you are only examining a small body of research.
• Time frame: Is the work current? Is this important? How does the time in which it was written reflect on the information contained in this work

Content adapted from Creating Annotated Bibliographies: Pieces of an Annotation [https://libguides.library.kent.edu/c.php?g=277939&p=1853357]

Sample Annotated Bibliography Entry

GENERAL FORM:

Author’s Last Name, Initials, & 2nd Author’s Last Name, Initials. (Year). Title of article: Subtitle of article. Title 

     of Journal, volume number (issue), page range. doi: xxx.xxxxx

     This is an example of an annotation of a scholarly article. The annotation should be 200 to 300 words

     long and include a Summary of the main points, arguments, and topics covered in the reference. Then

     you should Evaluate the quality of the source compared to other sources in the bibliography. Your

     evaluation may include notes on the goal, reliability, and objectivity of the reference being annotated. 

     Then you will want to include a Reflection that covers how the content of the reference changed your

     understanding of the topic. How you intend to use the reference in your research? How does the

     reference affect your thesis? If you do not intend to use the reference in your work then briefly explain

     why. Once you finish writing your annotation go to the next double-spaced line and enter the next entry

     of your annotated bibliography.

APA 7

Auster, E. (2011). Values, authenticity, and responsible leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 98, 15-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1022-7 

Evaluative annotations include both a short description and your evaluation of the cited source. In your evaluation, critically assess the selected source for accuracy, relevance, and quality. Compare to other sources on the same topic that you have also cited to show similarities and differences. Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the source. Identify the observations or conclusions of the author.

MLA 9

Auster, Ellen. “Values, Authenticity, and Responsible Leadership.” Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 1, no. 98, June 2011, pp. 15-23. Academic Search Premier, https://doi-org.libproxy.csun.edu/10.1007/s10551-011-1022-7. 

Evaluative annotations include both a short description and your evaluation of the cited source. In your evaluation, critically assess the selected source for accuracy, relevance, and quality. Compare to other sources on the same topic that you have also cited to show similarities and differences. Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the source. Identify the observations or conclusions of the author.

Attribution: https://library.untdallas.edu/APA7/ab ; https://libguides.csun.edu/research-strategies/MLA