Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bib Sample1
Annotated Bib Sample with instructions

What do your write in an annotation?

• a description of the work -- What is the scope of the work? Is it a survey that covers 2, 000 years of history worldwide? Is it a narrower work that deals with slavery in the southern US during the 1830's? Let your reader know. Put the source in context.
• a summary of the work -- In one or two sentences identify the thesis of the work, or in a long complex work, the thesis that has implications for your topic. You can also do a brief overview of the work.
• Credentials or experiences of Author that relate to the work. Find something about the author's credentials -- why are they are good source of information for your paper?
• an evaluation of the work -- Think about your source. Is it a secondary resource, a primary resource? Does it tell a story, and if so whose? Is there a definable viewpoint or bias? If so, how does this change the way you will use the information you gain from this resource? How does this work fit in with other resources on the same topic? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography?
• an evaluation of how the work will contribute to your research topic -- How does this work support or contribute to the evidence that you will be using to support your thesis?

A Word about Bias--

Bias exists. It can be devastating if it is not recognized. If it is recognized and put into perspective, it can work for you. For example, if you are writing about militant organizations during the 1960's it might be interesting to read a first hand account written by a Black Panther. Is that ok? Yes -- more than ok, as long as you identify it for what it is.

Format Style for Bibliographies
History:Chicago Chicago Manual of Style or A Manual for Writers of researcher papers, theses, and dissertations, by Kate Turabian, (which is based on the Chicago Manual of Style).
Psychology: APA, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Humanities: MLA, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Other Tips:
Be sure to make your bibliographic citations hanging paragraphs.  To do this in MS Word, place your curser in the citation.  Click on the arrow in the bottom right hand corner of the paragraph tab.  In that box that opens, in the indentation section, look for the word “special” and open the menu – chose “hanging.”  The annotation itself is a regular paragraph, so for it you must choose “first line.” 

Creating Citations
To create your citations use a citation helper such as Knight Cite,
For more information on citation styles click here.

Bibliography Samples and Research Guide
Sample Annotated Bibliography,
sample bibliography,
Citation Guide

Other Sources About Annotated Bibliographies
In this source the type of annotated bibliography you want to use is the combination type.The Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison