Writing an Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 100-150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

1. DEFINITION

A bibliography is usually an alphabetical listing of books at the end of a written work (book, chapter, or article), to which the author referred during the research and writing process. In addition to books, bibliographies can include sources such as articles, reports, interviews, or even Web sites, video or audio recordings. Because they may include such varied resources, bibliographies are also referred to as 'references', 'works cited' or 'works consulted' (the latter can include those titles that contributed to research, but were not cited in text). The standard bibliography details the citation information of the consulted sources: author(s), date of publication, title, and publisher's name and location (and for articles: journal title, volume, issue and page numbers). The primary function of bibliographic citations is to assist the reader in finding the sources used in the writing of a work.

To these basic citations, the annotated bibliography adds descriptive and evaluative comments, assessing the nature and value of the cited works. The addition of commentary provides the reader essential critical information and a foundation for further research.

2. COMPOSITION

The average entry in an annotated bibliography consists of a work's citation information followed by a short paragraph of three to six sentences, roughly 100-150 words in length. The annotated bibliography is compiled by:

  • Considering scope: finding the types of sources (books, articles, primary documents, Web sites, non-print materials) that will be included. How many sources will you have?
  • Conducting a search for the sources and retrieving them
  • Evaluating retrieved sources by reading them and noting your findings and impressions
  • Once a final group of sources has been selected, giving full citation data (according to the bibliographic style [MLA]) and writing an annotation for each source; do not list a source more than once

Annotations begin on the line following the MLA citation and should be composed with complete sentences. The annotation should include most, if not all, of the following:

  • Explanation of the main purpose and scope of the cited work
  • Brief description of the work's format and content
  • Theoretical basis and currency of the author's argument
  • Author's intellectual/academic credentials
  • Work's intended audience
  • Value and significance of the work as a contribution to the subject under consideration
  • Possible shortcomings or bias in the work
  • Any significant special features of the work (e.g., glossary, appendices, particularly good index)
  • Your own brief impression of the work

3. PURPOSE

The annotated bibliography both describes and evaluates those points. Whether an annotated bibliography concludes an article or book—or is even itself a comprehensive, book-length listing of sources—its purposes are the same:

  • To illustrate the scope and quality of one's own research
  • To review the literature published on a particular topic
  • To provide the reader with supplementary, illustrative or alternative sources
  • To allow the reader to see if a particular source was consulted
  • To provide examples of the type of resources available on a given topic
  • To place original research in a historical context

EXAMPLES

Altieri, M.A., & Anderson, M.K. (1986). An Ecological Basis for the Development of Alternative Agricultural

Systems for Small Farmers in the Third World.
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 1, 30-38.
Critiques Third World rural development strategies that promote large-scale agriculture based on uniform crop varieties. Describes Agro-ecosystem Analysis and Development, which stresses sustainability, equity, stability, and productivity. Lists examples of sustainable traditional farming systems and agro-ecological approaches to rural development.

Goulart, R. (1989). The Great Comic Book Artists, Volume 2. New York: St Martin's Press.
The alphabetically arranged entries include one page each for the artist biography and black-and-white

reprinted art. The subjective choices for inclusion reflect a pronounced American, corporate bias. This slant

and the blurry comic-book reproductions render the title a cut below Goulart's usual high standards.

Larkin, C. (Ed.). (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. London: Guinness.
Very comprehensive reference book of 3,296 pages (more than 10,000 entries) encompassing all styles of

popular music, including jazz. Primarily biographical, but does contain record label histories. Entries from 150 to 3,000 words, though some important artists have longer entries. Most artists from UK and US, though additionally many reggae, Latin, and Afro-pop artists from outside these countries. Most entries include discography.

Goldscheider, Frances Kobrin, Linda J. Waite, and Christina Witsberger. "Non-family Living and

the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review 51 (1986): 541-554.

The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and BrownUniversity, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that non-family living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of non-family living.