The Annotated Bibliography

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The Annotated Bibliography

• A Basic Guide

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Important Definitions

• Bibliographya compilation of citations bound
  together by a common subject matter.
• Annotationa brief commentary following a
  citation. The writer usually provides a summary
  of the article/chapter, a response to the source,
  and an evaluation of the source regarding its
  clarity and overall effectiveness.

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The Annotated Bibliography

• The purpose of the annotated bibliography is to
  support you in your research endeavors by
  providing a convenient summary of the sources
  youve already consulted, thus saving you from
  re-reading the source unnecessarily.

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So What Do You Do First?

• Critically read the article/chapter, etc.
• Engage in a dialogue with the text (remember
  Adlers comments about marking up a book?)
• Ask questions about the purpose, tone, content,
  language, and audience.

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Some Questions to Ask while Reading

• Who is the author of the source? What are his
  credentials? Does he display any biases?
• Where was the source published? Was it published
  in a particular magazine or journal? If so, what
  kind of journal is it (academic, etc)? If a book,
  what press published it? Is this publishing
  company known for particular types of work? What
  kinds?
• Who is the intended audience of the work?

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Questions to Ask while Reading

• What do I already know about this topic? Do I
  agree or disagree with the author? Why?
• Why did the author write the article? What is its
  purpose?
• What is the authors thesis (the controlling
  idea)? What are the supporting points?
• Does the author support his thesis/assertions? If
  so, how?

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Even More Questions to Ask ?

• Does the article achieve its purpose? Why or why
  not?
• Was the article organized?
• Were the sources cited by the article/book
  credible?
• Did the article change your view on the subject
  in some way? If so, how?
• Overall, did you find the article convincing?
  Were there certain ideas you could accept, but
  others you would reject?

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The Fun Part Writing the Annotation

• An annotation may contain most, if not all, of
  the following points
• Summary of the information
• Personal response
• Questions which connect the source to your own
  knowledge and experience.

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Parts of the Whole The Summary

• State the sources thesis and main points.
• Briefly describe the key assertions made, and how
  they are substantiated.
• Describe the usabilityas well as the
  limitationsof the source.
• Keep this summary to no more than 3-4 sentences.

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Parts of the Whole The Response

• How did you react to the source, as a whole?
• Briefly describe the relevancy, accuracy, and
  quality of the source and its conclusions.
• Be sure to document your response to the authors
  ideas, style, purpose, and overall argument.

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Questions

• Again, consider the sources overall
  effectiveness, clarity, and purpose.
• Do you have any questions regarding the authors
  thesis or the assertions underlying that
  statement?
• How can you connect your personal experience with
  the information contained in the article?
• Do not ask questions answered by a simple yes
  or no. These tend to limit your dialogue with
  the text.

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Creating the Annotated Bibliography

• Start with the citation in MLA format.
• Pay attention to the details of the citation
• Capitalization
• Punctuation
• Use of Italics
• Indentation
• EXAMPLE
• Bronte, Charlotte. Shirley. London Penguin
  Classics, 2006. Print.

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The Annotation Review

• Summarize the sources thesis and main points.
• Respond critically to those ideas presented.
• Ask questions. Limit yourself to 2-3 questions,
  at most. Remember, you do not have to answer
  these questions just raise them.

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Annotation Example

• This sample annotation was taken from the Purdue
  Online Writing Lab (OWL) website
  (http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03
  /).
• Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird Some Instructions on
  Writing and Life. New York Anchor Books, 1995.
  Print.
• Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature
  of a writing life, complete with its insecurities
  and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the
  realities of being a writer, the chapters in
  Lamott's book are wry and anecdotal and offer
  advice on everything from plot development to
  jealousy, from perfectionism to struggling with
  one's own internal critic. In the process, Lamott
  includes writing exercises designed to be both
  productive and fun.
• Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling
  with the anxieties of writing, but her main
  project seems to be offering the reader a reality
  check regarding writing, publishing, and
  struggling with one's own imperfect humanity in
  the process. Rather than a practical handbook to
  producing and/or publishing, this text is
  indispensable because of its honest perspective,
  its down-to-earth humor, and its encouraging
  approach.
• Chapters in this text could easily be included in
  the curriculum for a writing class. Several of
  the chapters in Part 1 address the writing
  process and would serve to generate discussion on
  students' own drafting and revising processes.
  Some of the writing exercises would also be
  appropriate for generating classroom writing
  exercises. Students should find Lamott's style
  both engaging and enjoyable.

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Bibliography

• Borglund, Sue. "The Annotated Bibliography."
  Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Web. Oct.
  2010.
• The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web.
  Oct. 21, 2010.