How To Write 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.
Here are the steps to follow when writing an annotated bibliography:
Setp 1.
Choose the sources you want to include in your bibliography. Your sources should be relevant to your research topic and come from credible sources such as scholarly journals, books, and reliable websites.
Setp 2.
Format each citation according to the appropriate citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago). Check with your instructor or publication guidelines to determine the appropriate citation style to use.
Setp 3.
Write the annotation for each source. The annotation should provide a summary of the main points or arguments of the source and evaluate its relevance, accuracy, and quality.
Setp 4.
Organize the bibliography alphabetically by the authors’ last names. If a source has no author, use the title of the source as the entry.
Setp 5.
Use a consistent format for each annotation. This could include a summary of the main points, an evaluation of the source, and any relevant reflections or questions you have about the source.
Here is an example of an annotated bibliography entry using APA style:
Smith, J. (2010). The role of social media in modern communication. Journal of Communication, 60(1), 1-10.
In this article, Smith discusses the increasing role of social media in modern communication and its potential impact on interpersonal communication.
The author provides evidence from multiple studies to support their argument that social media has significantly changed the way we communicate and interact with each other.
The article is well-written and presents a balanced view of the topic. However, the author does not discuss the potential negative impacts of social media on communication, such as the increasing prevalence of cyberbullying.
