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How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

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What is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources—like books, articles, or webpages—each followed by a short note called an annotation. Think of it like a reference list, but with added information to explain each source.

Each annotation is usually 100–200 words and provides a summary, evaluation, or reflection on the source. The exact content will depend on your assignment.

Why Create an Annotated Bibliography?

Depending on the goal of your assignment, an annotated bibliography can help you:

  • Conduct a literature review on a topic
  • Develop or support a thesis
  • Demonstrate the research you’ve done on a particular subject
  • Identify key sources in a field
  • Recommend materials others might find useful

Abstracts vs. Annotations

An abstract is a brief, descriptive summary of a source—often written by the author or publisher.

An annotation in an annotated bibliography is more involved. It can summarize the source, but it may also:

  • Highlight unique or important features
  • Evaluate the quality or credibility of the work
  • Explain how it fits into your research

Types of Annotated Bibliographies

There are two common types of annotations: descriptive and evaluative. Some assignments may ask for just one type, while others may require a combination of both. Be sure to check your instructor’s expectations before you get started.

These examples use APA Style reference entries.

Descriptive or Informative

A descriptive or informative annotated bibliography describes or summarizes a source, similar to an abstract. It describes why the source is useful for researching a particular topic or question and its distinctive features. In addition, it describes the author's main arguments and conclusions without evaluating what the author says or concludes.

For example:

McKinnon, A. (2019). Lessons learned in year one of business. Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting, 30(4), 26–28.

This article describes some of the difficulties that many nurses experience when starting legal nurse consulting businesses. The author points out issues of work-life balance and the differences between working for someone else versus working for yourself and then the author goes on to offer their personal experience as a learning tool. The process of becoming an entrepreneur is not often discussed in relation to nursing, and when the process of becoming an entrepreneur is discussed, it rarely delves into the first year of starting a new business. Time management, maintaining an existing job, decision-making, and knowing yourself in order to market yourself are discussed in some detail. The author goes on to describe how professional nursing connections are important because those connections can act as mentors. Although this article focuses on practical advice for nurses seeking to start their own businesses, the article is likely still of interest to a wider audience because of the advice that is included in the article regarding the universal struggles of entrepreneurship.

Evaluative or Analytical

An evaluative annotation (also called analytical or critical) not only summarizes the material, it analyzes what is being said. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of what is presented as well as describing the applicability of the author's conclusions to the research being conducted.

For example:

McKinnon, A. (2019). Lessons learned in year one of business. Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting, 30(4), 26–28.

This article describes some of the difficulties nurses experience when starting nurse consulting businesses. While the article focuses on useful issues such as work-life balance, the differences between working for someone else and working for yourself, marketing, and other business issues, because the author focuses on their own experiences and only offers a few alternative examples, the usefulness of the information is somewhat limited. There is no mention of using research when starting a business and how that information can be used to increase the chances of success. Although the author mostly relies on anecdotal advice, the author does reference other business resources such as the Small Business Administration to help with planning and professional organizations that can help with mentorships. The article is a good starting place for people starting legal nurse consulting businesses. However, entrepreneurs should also use more research studies that focus on starting a new business and look into how to avoid known or expected pitfalls and issues that most new businesses face. Additionally, other sources would also be useful for offering information on the different topics that the author of this article does not get into when discussing their list of lessons learned.

Here are some steps to help you start your annotated bibliography:

Find your sources

Start by researching your topic and gathering sources—just like you would for any other project. Look for books, articles, websites, or other materials that relate to your topic.

Review the items

Take a closer look at each source. Choose ones that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic. Skimming abstracts can help you decide what to include.

Write the citation and annotation

For each source, start with a full citation in the required style. Then, write your citation underneath. What to include in your annotation may depend on your assignment, but common elements are:

  • The purpose of the work
  • A brief summary of the content
  • The intended audience
  • Why it’s relevant to your topic

This page has been adapted from the University of Maryland Global Campus Library's How to Write an Annotated Bibliography guide with permission.