SYN: Lesson - Annotated Bibliography

A stylized page of the dictionary focusing on the word "annotate"Annotated Bibliography

The culminating task in this module is the Annotated Bibliography. You’ve probably heard the words “annotation” and “bibliography” before, but you may not have heard them together. Simply stated, an annotated bibliography is a list of sources that includes a critical summary and review of each source. Think of it like a Works Cited page, but under each citation you would have 1-2 paragraphs that summarize and comment on the source. Here’s a layout of what an annotated bibliography entry looks like:

Download Sample Annotated Bibliography handout Links to an external site..

Why Compose an Annotated Bibliography?

A lot of research goes into crafting an effective annotated bibliography, but why would someone spend so much time on them? There are many reasons, but perhaps the most important one is that they allow you to create a solid, foundational understanding of the literature on your topic. According to Purdue University, “writing an annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is being said about your topic. By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you'll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you'll then be able to develop your own point of view.” Thus, an annotated bibliography is an important step in determining how your own argument will be informed by what others have said.

There are various ways you can organize the content in an annotated bibliography; however, one of the most common ways is the following:

  • The first component is the full citation for the source.
  • The paragraph that follows provides a summary of the source’s focus, main idea and/or argument.
  • The second paragraph, after the summary, comments on the reliability, credibility, and relevancy of the author(s). Think of this as a condensed version of the “C.R.A.A.P” test that you learned about earlier in this module.

You would then follow this with your next source citation and annotation.

Crafting an Annotated Bibliography - Video Lesson

Watch the following video, taking notes on crafting annotated bibliographies.

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