Citing Sources: How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography

HOW TO PREPARE AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

DEFINITION OF AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

A list of sources (books, articles, etc.) with a brief description, explanation, and /or evaluation of each source.

Here are two brief examples:

Davies, Norman.  Europe: A History  New York: Oxford University P, 1996. Print.

Chronicles the history of Europe comprehensively.  Includes many topical insets which add interest and give concise overviews.

Duchesne, Ricardo.  “Defending the rise of Western culture against its multicultural critics.”  European Legacy 10.5 (August 2005: 455-484. Academic Search Elite. Web. 15 Mar. 2010.

A solid defense of Eurocentric historiography.  Emphasizes economics.

Notice that the annotation uses verb phrases, not complete sentences.  The title of the source is the understood subject.  However, your instructor may require sentences in paragraph form.

STEPS IN COMPILING YOUR ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

1)      Look at the assignment to determine how many and what types of sources are required

2)      Find the sources and scan them to determine what kind of information is included in each

3)      Write the citations in the format assigned (i.e. MLA, APA, etc.) and then write an annotation for each

FINDING SOURCES

BOOKS:  use the library catalog

ARTICLES:  use databases

INTERNET:  use a search engine (i.e. google)  Be sure to evaluate websites carefully.  Look for

Accuracy—facts

Currency—date

Authority—author credibility

Objectivity—bias

LISTS OF READINGS:  check books and articles for a list of sources

Created by Jana Brazeal, Adjunct Faculty Reference Librarian, STLCC-Meramec, March, 2010