An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph: the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of each work's relevance to the topic, of the scope of the author's argument, and of the relationship of the source to the other sources cited for the topic.
Abstracts vs. Annotations: The Differences
An annotated bibliography requires more than a summary of your sources.
The Process
Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.
Annotation Components
Writing Tips
Sample Annotated Bibliography Entry
Shay, Jonathan. Achilles in Vietnam : Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. New York: Atheneum, 1994.
Shay explores the text of the Iliad to discover similarities in the way soldiers experience the lasting trauma of war between that time and the modern day. The author argues that the Iliad represents the psychological effects of combat in ways that can teach current veterans and those around them about different symptoms of PTSD and about the consequences of fighting for individual morality. Chapters discuss the assumptions soldiers make about right and wrong, the stability of social order in war time, and the mental states of grief, guilt, and “berserk.” Shay considers the conception of the enemy, the belief in luck, and possibilities for healing. Though this book describes the parallel experiences of soldiers in Achilles’ day and soldiers of the Vietnam era, I plan to use the arguments he makes to frame my look at the experience of soldiers returning from Iraq. Especially important to my discussion of the moral universe of war will be Shay’s evaluation of civilian suffering and the soldiers’ resulting guilt.
Abstracts vs. Annotations: The Differences
An annotated bibliography requires more than a summary of your sources.
- Abstracts are descriptive summaries. They are often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in online databases. Abstracts summarize the contents of an information resource in an objective tone of voice.
- Annotations are usually descriptive and critical. They evaluate the argument presented in the source, discuss strengths and weaknesses of the argument, and often point out the authority of the author to speak to the issues being addressed.
The Process
Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.
- First, find and keep track of citations to books, journal articles, and Internet sites that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic.
- Look at the books, articles, and sites briefly to see if they seem relevant to your project.
- Cite each book, article or document using Modern Language Association Style Citation (MLA).
- Read the articles in their entirety; read at least the first, last, and relevant chapters of the books; examine and read the sites completely.
- For the works that you choose for your annotated bibliography, write a concise annotation following each citation, describing the thesis and development of the work, and providing an evaluation of the author's argument. Thorough research will involve wrestling with positions that are in disagreement.
Annotation Components
- Describe the thesis and development of the work.
- Evaluate the authority or background of the author.
[Who is this person? Why is he or she qualified to write about the topic?] - Comment on the intended audience.
[Look at the tone or stated purpose of this work--who is being addressed?] - Compare or contrast this work with another you have cited.
[How does this author's argument fit within the larger perspective?] - Explain how this work illuminates your research topic.
[Is it basic background information, does it support one part of your project, or does it reflect one extreme side of the argument?] - Mention bibliographies, charts, graphs, statistics or illustrations if they are important to your project.
- Annotated bibliographies serve different purposes in different classes--adapt your approach and the steps in this description to the requirements of your professor.
Writing Tips
- Provide specific details. Annotated bibliographies are often used by other scholars in this area. Your readers will need to see how these sources are different from each other, even though they may be discussing the same topic.
- Create cohesive paragraphs, utilizing short transitions from point to point.
- Put everything into your own words; if you select a key phrase or two from the work, use quotation marks to indicate that you have borrowed wording.
Sample Annotated Bibliography Entry
Shay, Jonathan. Achilles in Vietnam : Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. New York: Atheneum, 1994.
Shay explores the text of the Iliad to discover similarities in the way soldiers experience the lasting trauma of war between that time and the modern day. The author argues that the Iliad represents the psychological effects of combat in ways that can teach current veterans and those around them about different symptoms of PTSD and about the consequences of fighting for individual morality. Chapters discuss the assumptions soldiers make about right and wrong, the stability of social order in war time, and the mental states of grief, guilt, and “berserk.” Shay considers the conception of the enemy, the belief in luck, and possibilities for healing. Though this book describes the parallel experiences of soldiers in Achilles’ day and soldiers of the Vietnam era, I plan to use the arguments he makes to frame my look at the experience of soldiers returning from Iraq. Especially important to my discussion of the moral universe of war will be Shay’s evaluation of civilian suffering and the soldiers’ resulting guilt.