Understanding

the Annotated

Bibliography

ENGL 111

Module 9

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated

bibliography is a formal

list of sources (hence

the word “bibliography”)

on a particular topic that

includes descriptive

information about each

source (this is what the

word “annotated”

means).

What is an Annotated Bibliography? (Cont…)

An annotated bibliography contains two basic types of information for

each source listed…

A documentation entry (documenting the source in MLA or APA

style)

An annotation (briefly summarizing and describing the source)

Why write Annotated Bibliographies?An annotated bibliography is an

academic genre, a specific kind

of composition that is written for

academic audiences, with

specific content and a form that

is meaningful for those

academic audiences.Some other kinds of

academic genres:

• Research proposals• Analytical essays• References letters• Senior theses• Lab reports

Why write Annotated Bibliographies? (Cont…)

Why do people in academics write annotated

bibliographies?

Professors, scholars, and scientists

write annotated bibliographies on

research they’ve conducted on a topic

to save their colleagues and students

the time of having to find and assess

those sources.

Professors and teachers assign annotated

bibliographies so that their students can

demonstrate that they’ve done sufficient

research on a topic and that they’ve

understood and evaluated that research.

Click HERE to see a professional annotated

bibliography written by a group of writing

teachers.

Why should I write an Annotated Bibliography? To evaluate the credibility and authority of your

sources so that you can use the highest quality

sources in your writing

To understand and be fully informed about a topic

before making judgments and writing about it

To distinguish between your views and biases on a

topic and what the research actually shows

To assess what research you’ve got so that you can

figure out whether you need to go out and find more.

Get Started!!! Now that you understand what an annotated

bibliography is, get working on writing your own.

In the Annotated Bibliography, you will collect and list

the sources you go to in order to write Writing Project

4: Argument.

Instructions for Annotated Bibliography, as well as a

sample of one, can be found the Writing Project 3

page in Module 9.