How to Write an Annotated Bibliography
Research and record citations of books, periodicals or other material that you might want to use to write about your topic., Cite the book, periodical or other document using the appropriate (or assigned) style., Make sure the citation is properly...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Research and record citations of books
Your citations are going to be the list of references you use.
These are authorities that you draw upon to back up your statements and inform your ideas.
Citations usually include:
Scholarly books Scholarly articles (within a journal or periodical, for example) Scholarly abstracts Websites Images or Videos , If you are submitting a paper for an academic course, ask your teacher which style s/he prefers.
If you don't know which style you're supposed to use, the most widely used styles is generally the Modern Language Association (MLA) guide for humanities or the American Psychological Association (APA) guide for social sciences.Other styles that are popular include:
Chicago or Turabian Style for publishing Associated Press (AP) Style for publishing Council of Science Editors (CSE) for hard sciences , List the author(s); use the full title of the book or the article you are citing; give the full name of the publisher; note the date of publication or the latest revision date if the source is a web page.
A properly cited MLA source will look something like this: , You want there to be a method to your madness, after all.
Organizing your citations will help readers process them, as well as research them if they have any further questions.
See if your teacher has a preferred method of organizing; if she doesn't organize your citations according to any one of the following methods:
Alphabetical Chronological (either by date of publication or time period of subject matter, e.g. era, decade, etc.) By subtopic By format (articles, books, media, websites, etc.) By language , An annotation is a short, one-paragraph description of a particular source.
It helps the reader place the citation in context.
It also helps the reader decide whether to further consult the citation.
It is different from an abstract in that it provides more contextual information than simply a descriptive summary of the work. , Include any institutional affiliations, published works and critical reviews.
Keep in mind that respected authors tend to get cited frequently by other authors and scholars.
Example: "Currently a departmental Head of English Literature at Cambridge University, Professor XYZ earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton in
1984."
It's helpful to include information on a bias the author may have, especially if the author admits to having one.
Example: "Being more inclined to approach the issue from a Marxist perspective, Professor XYZ admits that his methodology lacks a comprehensive lens."
Give the reader a quick sense of what the work is about.
Example: "Marriage and Morals Among the Victorians is a book of essays that profiles notable English persons of the 19th century, examining how their outsized moral sensibilities created both conundrums and conventions during a tumultuous time."
Answer the question, "Why am I using this source as a reference or authority in my research?" Example: "Himmelfarb profiles Benjamin Disraeli at length, delving into his complicated Prime Ministership."
Let the reader of the annotation know if the source is primarily academic or not, as well as whether the source is approachable to the layperson.
Example: "Rorty's examination of American pragmatism is primarily addressed to the niche philosophical community and, as such, makes for a complicated read without the proper philosophical context. , Note whether the source has a bibliography, glossary, or index — this can be a simple "bibliography included." Note also any special survey instruments, testing devices, etc. , After summarizing, take a more critical look at the source and consider these questions:
What is the usefulness of this source to my research project? Is the information reliable? Is the information biased or objective? Is the information based on fact or opinion? Is the source current or outdated? , Note how the citation is first presented, in proper MLA style.
The annotation follows the citation, briefly listing a description of the citation and putting it into context. -
Step 2: periodicals or other material that you might want to use to write about your topic.
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Step 3: Cite the book
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Step 4: periodical or other document using the appropriate (or assigned) style.
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Step 5: Make sure the citation is properly formatted according to the style you are using.
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Step 6: Organize the citations according to a method.
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Step 7: Annotate each source.
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Step 8: Start the annotation by assessing the author’s background and credentials.
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Step 9: Include any biases or special focus of the author.
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Step 10: List the main arguments or central themes.
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Step 11: Outline the topics covered as they apply to your research paper.
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Step 12: Define the intended audience and level of difficulty for the source you are citing.
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Step 13: Note any special features of the work you're citing.
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Step 14: Evaluate each source.
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Step 15: Take a cue from this example.
Detailed Guide
Your citations are going to be the list of references you use.
These are authorities that you draw upon to back up your statements and inform your ideas.
Citations usually include:
Scholarly books Scholarly articles (within a journal or periodical, for example) Scholarly abstracts Websites Images or Videos , If you are submitting a paper for an academic course, ask your teacher which style s/he prefers.
If you don't know which style you're supposed to use, the most widely used styles is generally the Modern Language Association (MLA) guide for humanities or the American Psychological Association (APA) guide for social sciences.Other styles that are popular include:
Chicago or Turabian Style for publishing Associated Press (AP) Style for publishing Council of Science Editors (CSE) for hard sciences , List the author(s); use the full title of the book or the article you are citing; give the full name of the publisher; note the date of publication or the latest revision date if the source is a web page.
A properly cited MLA source will look something like this: , You want there to be a method to your madness, after all.
Organizing your citations will help readers process them, as well as research them if they have any further questions.
See if your teacher has a preferred method of organizing; if she doesn't organize your citations according to any one of the following methods:
Alphabetical Chronological (either by date of publication or time period of subject matter, e.g. era, decade, etc.) By subtopic By format (articles, books, media, websites, etc.) By language , An annotation is a short, one-paragraph description of a particular source.
It helps the reader place the citation in context.
It also helps the reader decide whether to further consult the citation.
It is different from an abstract in that it provides more contextual information than simply a descriptive summary of the work. , Include any institutional affiliations, published works and critical reviews.
Keep in mind that respected authors tend to get cited frequently by other authors and scholars.
Example: "Currently a departmental Head of English Literature at Cambridge University, Professor XYZ earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton in
1984."
It's helpful to include information on a bias the author may have, especially if the author admits to having one.
Example: "Being more inclined to approach the issue from a Marxist perspective, Professor XYZ admits that his methodology lacks a comprehensive lens."
Give the reader a quick sense of what the work is about.
Example: "Marriage and Morals Among the Victorians is a book of essays that profiles notable English persons of the 19th century, examining how their outsized moral sensibilities created both conundrums and conventions during a tumultuous time."
Answer the question, "Why am I using this source as a reference or authority in my research?" Example: "Himmelfarb profiles Benjamin Disraeli at length, delving into his complicated Prime Ministership."
Let the reader of the annotation know if the source is primarily academic or not, as well as whether the source is approachable to the layperson.
Example: "Rorty's examination of American pragmatism is primarily addressed to the niche philosophical community and, as such, makes for a complicated read without the proper philosophical context. , Note whether the source has a bibliography, glossary, or index — this can be a simple "bibliography included." Note also any special survey instruments, testing devices, etc. , After summarizing, take a more critical look at the source and consider these questions:
What is the usefulness of this source to my research project? Is the information reliable? Is the information biased or objective? Is the information based on fact or opinion? Is the source current or outdated? , Note how the citation is first presented, in proper MLA style.
The annotation follows the citation, briefly listing a description of the citation and putting it into context.
About the Author
Isabella Turner
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