| ||||||||||||
|
|
| Select a section: | Find
Resources |
Library
Services |
Research
Assistance |
Collections |
About
the Library |
|
Jump to: What is an annotated bibliography? | Annotations versus abstracts | What the annotation includes? | Which citation style to use? | Sample annotations | Further information on writing annotated bibliographies
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each source in the bibliography is represented by a citation that includes the author (if given), title, and publication details of the source. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to help the reader evaluate whether the work cited is relevant to a specific research topic or line of inquiry.
Abstracts are brief statements that present the main points of the original work. They normally do not include an evaluation of the work itself.
Annotations could be descriptive or evaluative, or a combination of both. A descriptive annotation summarizes the scope and content of a work whereas an evaluative annotation provides critical comment.
Generally, annotations should be no more than 150 words (or 4-6 sentences long). They should be concise and well-written. Depending on your assignment, annotations may include some or all of the following information:
There are many style manuals with specific instructions on how to format your annotated bibliography. The style you use may depend on your subject discipline or the preference of your instructor. Whatever the format, be consistent with the same style throughout the bibliography.
Consult our Online Style Guides on MLA, APA, or other citation style guides for examples of how to format citations in different style formats.
Below are 2 sample annotations. (The citations are in APA Style and are based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition.)
Liroff, R. A., & G. G. Davis. (1981). Protecting open space: Land use
control in the Adirondack Park. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
This book describes the implementation of regional planning and
land use regulation in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York.
The authors provide program evaluations of the Adirondack Park
Agency’s regulatory and local planning assistance programs.
Fryer, Sarah Beebe. "Beneath the Mask: The Plight of Daisy Buchanan."
Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Ed.
Scott Donaldson. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1984. 153-166. This is a
feminist essay that argues that Daisy is trapped in cultural
constructions of Rich Wife and Pretty Girl -- she chooses the
"unsatisfactory stability" of her marriage because of those
constructions. Fryer's only mention of Jordan is a foil to Daisy
-- "Like Jordan, Daisy is affected" (156).
Gottlieb, P. D. (1995). The “golden egg” as a natural resource: Toward
a normative theory of growth management. Society and Natural Resources,
8, (5): 49-56.
This article explains the dilemma faced by North American suburbs,
which demand both preservation of local amenities (to protect quality
of life) and physical development (to expand the tax base). Growth
management has been proposed as a policy solution to this dilemma.
An analogy is made between this approach and resource economics.
The author concludes that the growth management debate raises legitimate
issues of sustainability and efficiency.
Mandel, Jerome. "The Grotesque Rose: Medieval Romance and The
Great Gatsby." Modern Fiction Studies 34(1988): 541-558. Mandel
argues that Gatsby follows many of the conventions of medieval
romance, and analyzes East and West Egg as competing courts, Buchanan
as a prince/Lord with Daisy as unattainable queen/fair lady. Gatsby
and Nick are both construed as knights; Jordan is only mentioned in
passing as a sort of attendant figure on Queen Daisy. This whole
analysis seems somewhat farfetched.
Modified from California State University Pomona guide on annotated bibliographies
|
|||
|
