How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources that you have found in the preliminary research you have done
about your research question. You add annotations, or brief notes about the list items, as you find the items.
The annotated bibliography serves a number of purposes for student researchers.
 It helps you increase your efficiency. Quality research takes time; an annotated bibliography
assignment is often given early in the term to help you get started.
 It helps you divide up your research question into manageable pieces.
 It helps you to see what has been said about your research question and what has not yet been said;
in other words, it helps you see gaps in our knowledge that you might be able to fill.
 It helps you keep track of the source material you have found and reduces the frustration of fumbling
through the research.
It is better to use sources you have not already used in previous assignments, since the goal of the annotated
bibliography is to gather and critique new information. You may use familiar sources, such as textbook
chapters, for your paper draft, but using them in the annotated bibliography only makes your research more
difficult in the long run.

Parts of an Annotation
Each annotation should contain three parts:
1. Proper citation of the source, according to the assigned style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian,
and so on)
2. Brief summary of key points; paraphrased and quoted passages cited correctly
3. Analysis of the source’s credibility and authority, and of the way you plan to use the source in your
own work

Summary
Write a brief paragraph that summarizes material that you foresee using in your paper (such material would
include quotes, paraphrased passages, and in-text citations).
 Do not summarize absolutely everything the author says in the work.
 Do include a focused summation of what you like or dislike about the article and what information in
the article is relevant to your topic.
 Do note items that you disagree with, as they will be effective in discussing opposing viewpoints and
making a counter-argument.
 Do use quotation marks around directly quoted words, phrases, or passages that you include.
 Do cite paraphrased and quoted passages correctly using in-text citations; include page numbers.

Source Analysis
Write a brief paragraph in which you analyze the reliability of each source by considering the following
issues.
 Is the article timely and/or current?
 Is the author an authority on the issue? If so, describe what makes the author an authority. If not,
describe why the author’s view should or should not be accepted by a reader.
 Is the source of the article (where it was published) reliable? What makes it reliable?
 Is there a bias toward any particular viewpoint or does the author seem objective?
 Does the information seem well researched and supported? How so?
 To what audience does the author seem to be writing?
Annotated Bibliography Page 2

Source Materials
Annotated bibliographies can include any reliable source materials, including the following.
 Books
– Find academic publications in the library online catalog and the ebook database.
– Search at other research libraries or the Library of Congress.
– Use the Interlibrary Loan service to locate books that our library does not own.
 Academic journals
– Use the library’s academic databases: EBSCO, WilsonWeb, ERIC, etc.
– Remember that our library subscribes to some print journals.
– Avoid listing articles based on just an abstract; use book reviews sparingly.
 Magazine and newspaper articles
– Find magazine and newspaper articles in the Reader's Guide to Periodic Literature
– Use our periodical databases, including FirstSearch, Lexis-Nexis1 or other indexes
– Ask at the Library Reference Desk for help
 Web pages
– Be careful! Evaluate the credibility and validity of individual web pages.
– Avoid this type of source unless it is central to your research question. You may choose to use
websites for professional organizations or organizations that are widely recognized in the
profession.
– Use Zotero or another online tool to keep track of these sources and automatically enter them into
your personal database.
– Evaluate blogs carefully and be aware of the drawbacks of wikis.
 Other sources
– Brochures
– Information pamphlets
– White papers (documents produced by government agencies and local organizations)
– Interviews

1
The UTPB Dunagan Library does not currently subscribe to Lexis-Nexis, but other libraries do.