Annotated Bibliography

Posted on 27th Jul 2023 10:08:48 in General

Annotated Bibliography

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of references to sources such as articles, websites, books or other materials. In an annotated bibliography unlike the regular bibliography, each citation has a concise description (annotation) that summarizes, reflects and evaluates the content of the source. The purpose of this document is to provide a critical analysis of the source, giving the reader insights on its credibility, relevance and value to their research.

Here is a template of an annotated bibliography:

Template of an Annotated Bibliography

1. Citation

• Write the citation and use the appropriate citation style to format it.
• Write the authors’ names, title, publication date and the publisher.

2. Annotation

• The annotation should be a brief paragraph, 100-200 words that has the following elements:

1. Summary – It provides an overview of the source’s content helping the reader get the main ideas presented.
2. Evaluation – Assesses reliability, credibility and relevance of the source to the research topic.
3. Reflection – Gives you an opportunity to reflect on the value of the source to your research objective.

An annotated bibliography can be part of a larger research project or just a standalone document. It helps the researcher make informed decisions on which sources to include in their research by evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. They also provide other researchers seeking information on a particular topic with valuable information.