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:
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:
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:
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