If you do not know how to write an annotated bibliography, this article is definitely worth reading. First of all, let us find out how to write an annotated bibliography for college. A bibliography means a list of references, such as books, electronic books, websites, scientific journals, newspapers, and magazines, which have been used by a student in the process of researching a topic. Another name for a bibliography is a reference list or a works cited page. Actually, the name varies depending on the format you are required to follow. However, there is a slight difference between a list of references and a bibliography since the latter provides full bibliographic information about the source, such as the publisher, title, and the author(s).
Now you have probably understood what a bibliography is. But how to write an annotated bibliography? An annotation relates to a summary or critical evaluation. As such, an annotated bibliography includes a brief summary, critique, and critical evaluation of the given sources. Depending on the type of assignment, an annotated bibliography may be organized in the following way:
1.Summary of the source. There are annotated bibliographies that provide only summaries of sources without any critique. In this case, you need to answer the following questions when organizing your summary:
2.Critical assessment. After providing a brief summary of the source, there is a need to provide a critical review of it and assess its main points. Pinpoint to whether it was useful for the research, what strengths and weaknesses it has in comparison with other sources, what the purpose of the source is, etc.
3.Reflection or critical evaluation. Make sure you evaluate the source in relation to your own experience. How did it help you to research the topic? Was it a useful/ helpful source? How did it help you in formulating your central paper claim? Did it make you change your viewpoint on the topic?
All students are probably aware that academic papers are somewhat similar in their structure. All in all, it does not matter whether you need to write an essay, an abstract, a research paper or any other piece of academic paperwork, the principles of organization will be more or less the same:
Introduction: provides general background on the topic and puts forward the thesis statement.
The main body: consists of several body paragraphs and discusses the topic in detail. It includes both summative and analysis parts.
Conclusion: reiterates the thesis and emphasizes the most important points from the discussion.
Still, when it comes to annotated bibliography writing, the structure will be different. As such, you should carefully read the following information about the contents of an annotated bibliography example:
Points 1-4 are inseparable for a proper annotation whereas points 5-6 relate merely to the critical part. Still, they may also be included in some other types of annotation bibliographies apart from evaluative ones.
If the research/ study is really large and extensive and its bibliography contains a lot of sources, keep in mind that you are recommended to group them into sections according to their topic, scope of study or any other criteria.
As a rule, you need to provide an annotated bibliography when you are working on a more serious and complicated academic work. Particularly, you will hardly ever be required to write an annotated bibliography for an essay or some other short paper. Still, when it comes to term papers or dissertations, an annotated bibliography is a must. Particularly, if you major in economics, medicine or history, you will be definitely required to add annotations to the research since you need to be able to explain why you used specific sources and what role they played in the research.