Creating a Bibliography: Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list of works (books, articles, films, etc.) on a particular subject, with each entry in the list having a description, evaluation, or explanation. 

Annotations may be descriptive or evaluative.

A descriptive annotation may summarize:

• The main purpose or idea of the work
• The contents of the work
• The author’s conclusions
• The intended audience
• The author’s research methods
• Special features of the work such as illustrations, maps, tables, etc.

An evaluative annotation provides both a descriptive and critical evaluation of the source. The evaluative annotation usually begins with broad comments about the focus of the source then moves to more details. Evaluative annotation may include: 

• The author’s bias or tone
• The author’s qualifications for writing the work
• The accuracy of the information in the source
• Limitations or significant omissions
• The work’s contribution to the literature of the subject
• Comparison with other works on the topic

Not all annotations have to be the same length. A very short scholarly article may only take a sentence or two to summarize. Even if you are using a book, you should only focus on the sections that relate to your topic.

Usually an annotation is 3-5 sentences no more than 150-200 words.

Each annotated item should include:

1. Author's full name
2. Full title of of book or article
3. Facts of publication (Book: date, place, publishers) (Article: journal name, volume, issue, pages)
4. A comment explaining the item                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Annotations are typically brief (one paragraph), concise and well-written.    

Cornell University Library (2021)
How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography

Earlham College Libraries (2021)
How to Write Annotations & Annotated Bibliographies

Purdue University, The OWL at Purdue - OWL Materials
Annotated Bibliography Samples

University of California, Santa Cruz University Library.
How-to . . . Write an Annotated Bibliography

University of Minnesota Crookston Library.
Writing an Annotated Bibliography