How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography

WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

THE PROCESS

Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.

  • First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.
  • Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style.
  • Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.

SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ENTRY FOR A JOURNAL ARTICLE

This example uses the MLA format for the journal citation:

Waite, Linda J., Frances Kobrin Goldscheider, and Christina Witsberger "Nonfamily Living and the

........ Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review 51

.........(1986): 541-554.

The authors and researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that non-family living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Their research indicates that increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of non-family living.

 

Yount, Lisa. “The Ethics of Genetic Engineering.” Opposing Viewpoints Resource

            Center. Gale Group. 2003. http://www.galenet.com/servket/ovrc.

 20 March 2003.

 

This Opposing Viewpoints article describes some of the common ethical issues concerning genetic therapy. Lisa Yount discusses her belief that if genetic therapy becomes more common in the future, defining illnesses or handicaps that are suitable for such treatment will become very difficult. She feels that characteristics such as shortness, eye color, obesity, and low intelligence may become issues for genetic alteration or even abortion. Yount holds a degree in Scientific Genetic Research and works at a leading hospital in their research department, and is thus qualified to write about the subject of genetic therapy. The intended audience for such articles is geared to the medical field and/or scholarly research in gene therapy. This article reveals one possible area of interest for my future career in medicine.