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Preparing
an Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a list
of works on a specific topic to which
you have added brief descriptions or
summaries. An annotated bibliography
is not only a record of your research
into a particular topic, it is also a
tool that will help other researchers
and students in the future. The following
steps may help you prepare your annotated
bibliography:
-
Refine your topic. There
are literally hundreds of books and
thousands of articles from which
to choose as you prepare your bibliography.
Deciding on a specific focused topic
in advance will help you manage your
time and effort. For more assistance,
see the library's Web guide to Refining
your Topic.
- Use evaluations and summaries
to help you decide what to read.
Many of our databases and indexes
to articles provide brief summaries
or abstracts of articles and research.
You can also find book reviews that
may help you decide which readings
to pursue further. See our Web guide
on Finding
Book Reviews for more information.
Note: Although it
is tempting to use
the author's abstract
or someone else's summary
when preparing your
annotated bibliography,
remember that it is
your responsibility
to read every item
you use and summarize
it in your own words!
For more information,
see the library's guide
to Keeping
It Honest: Avoiding
Plagiarism.
- Skim each article or the introduction
to each book before you decide to
use it. You may decide that
it wasn't as appropriate for your
topic as you had originally thought.
If you do decide to use it in your
bibliography, take notes as you read
to help you when you go back to summarize
it. You may want to keep track of
the following details:
Thesis: What
is the author's thesis
or main point? You
may find a one or two
sentence thesis near
the beginning of the
piece, or a section
labeled "Conclusions" near
the end. Remember to
indicate in your notes
whether you have quoted
the author directly
or paraphrased his
or her remarks.
Methodology: How
does the author go
about supporting his
or her work? Is the
evidence weak or strong?
Special features: What
makes this piece particularly
interesting or useful?
Are there charts, pictures,
or tables that are
especially helpful?
Is the list of references
comprehensive and up-to-date?
Audience: For
whom was the piece
written? Sometimes
you will find information
about the intended
audience on the publisher
or journal's Web page.
Also consider the tone
and language used to
decide if the piece
was written for a popular
or a scholarly audience.
-
Create a complete citation for
each work you have read. Some
writers like to use note cards
to keep track of their reading,
while others prefer to use special
computer programs. For information
about how to cite your sources
and some of the products you can
use to help you manage your research,
see the library's Web Guide to Citing
Your Sources: Print & Electronic
Style Guides.
-
Write your annotations.
An annotation should be relatively
short, generally less than 150 words,
and should not repeat any information
found in the citation itself. Depending
on your assignment and the focus
of your bibliography, your annotation
could be descriptive or evaluative.
A descriptive annotation describes
the item and sometimes summarizes
its main points. An evaluative annotation
compares the item to other items
on the same topic and tells other
researchers whether or not it is
useful or important.
- Assemble your annotated bibliography.
Depending on the number of citations
you wish to include, you may want to
divide your bibliography into more
specific subtopics to make it easier
to read. As you decide which works
to include, remember the overall focus
of your bibliography and try to include
only works that will help your readers
to understand the subject.
For more information about writing
annotated bibliographies, you may wish
to look at the following sources:
Engle, Michael, Blumenthal, Amy, & Cosgrave,
Tony. How
to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography.
Ithaca, New York: Cornell University
Olin & Uris Libraries.
Ikeda, A. (2002). Writing
Annotated Bibliographies. Claremont,
California: Claremont Graduate University
Writing Center.
Robert E. Kennedy Library. (2001). Writing
an Annotated Bibliography. San
Luis Obispo, California: California
Polytechnic State University Library.
Stacks, G. and Karper, E. (2001). Annotated
Bibliographies. West Lafayette,
Indiana: Online Writing Lab (OWL)
at Purdue University.
Danielle Cunniff
Plumer, August 2004
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