An annotated bibliography is simply a list of materials (books, journal articles, etc.) related to a particular topic or consulted in doing research, with descriptive and/or evaluative comments for each source.

Each item included in the bibliography will have two parts to its entry: a complete bibliographic citation and the annotation itself. Check with your instructor tofind out which format you should use for the citation. The most common forms are A.P.A., M.L.A. and the University of Chicago. There are separate library guides for each of these formats.

Annotations may contain several elements and can vary in length from a single phrase to several sentences. This guide describes fairly extensive annotations. Ask you instructor how complete the annotation should be.

An extensive annotation contains four sequential elements, each of which should be covered by one or two sentences at most:

1. Purpose and scope.

2. Method.

3.Results and conclusions.

4. Evaluation.

 
Citation                Blanning, T.C.W. The Origins of the French Revolutionary
                        Wars. New York: Longman, 1986.

                        "Wars are about power," states British historian 
Scope                   Blanning in the introduction to his analysis of the
                        three wars France fought with neighbors from 1792
Method                  to 1799. Blanning narrates the events of these 
                        conflicts, highlights the diplomatic maneuvering 
                        behind each one, and examines the reasons why the 
Conclusions             hostilities occurred in the first place. After ideological, 
                        economic, social and cultural reasons have evaporated, 
                        the primary cause of these wars remains the basic desire 
Evaluation              of nations to exert power over other nations. A closely 
                        reasoned and tightly written treatise.*

Be concise. You're trying to convey only the essence of a book or article. Don't waste words.

Use complete sentences if at all possible. Phrases at the beginning or end of an annotation are marginally acceptable. Don't abbreviate words. Concise, yes; incomprehensible, no.

Avoid starting annotations with phrases like "This book is about..." or "This article says..." Your reader already knows which article you're talking about.

After you've written the annotation, reread it. It's hard to write clearly and concisely, so don't expect perfection from your first draft. It's all in the editing.

Most disciplines have annotated bibliographies available. Search the library catalog for Exact Subject Headings, such as "Health--Bibliography" or, for a more general list, do a Keyword in Title search on "annotated bibliography."

A few examples of good annotated bibliographies in the Drake Reference collection are:

Booklist and Choice, two journals which review books for libraries, are also good sources for examples of comprehensive annotations. Ask at the library Periodicals Desk on the Ground Floor for current issues.

For more about writing annotations:

Rev.gmt 11/00

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