EN 102-03: College Composition II

A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, websites, periodicals, etc.) that have been used for researching a topic. A bibliography normally includes the standard bibliographic information for each resource listed (author, title, publisher, etc.).

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources that gives the publication information and a short description — or annotation — for each source.

• Each annotation is generally three to seven sentences long
• In some bibliographies, the annotation merely describes the content and scope of the source
• In others, the annotation also evaluates the source’s reliability, currency, and relevance to a researcher’s purpose

Purpose: An annotated bibliography shows that the author has understood the sources used during research on a topic and gives researchers sufficient information in order to decide whether to use the specific work.

Confused? You can view examples of annotated bibliography using the resources below! 

See the Excelsior Online Writing Lab for useful information on annotated bibliographies including additional examples.

Here is an example from EasyBib. You can also use Zotero and NoodleTools to create Annotated Bibliographies, but you will have to create an account first.

The following example uses APA style (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, 2019) for the journal citation. Note double spacing and 1/2" hanging indent for all copy following the first line of the citation.

Source: Academic Writer 

This example uses MLA style (MLA Handbook, 9th edition, 2021) for the journal citation. Note 12 point Times New Roman font, 1/2" hanging indent and double spacing throughout. Indent an additional 1/2" for all copy following the second line of the citation.

Source: Adapted from MLA Style Center

These guides are available at the library Reference Desk.

This example uses the Chicago format for a journal citation. If there is more than one line of a citation, it must be a) formatted with a 1/2" hanging indent b) single spaced. Double space after the citation, then insert your annotation. The entire annotation must be a) indented an additional 1/2" b) double spaced. For more information and examples, visit Purdue OWL or Scribbr.com.

Source: Purdue OWL

There are three steps to creating an annotated bibliography:

1) Select resources 

Locate books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Examine and review the items, selecting those that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.

2) Cite materials

Cite the book, article, or document using the citation style required by your instructor - APA, MLA, Chicago or AMA.

3) Write the annotation

Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the resource. Verify the type of annotation you are required to write with your instructor. The two basic types are descriptive and evaluative annotations. Annotations for each resource are typically between 50 and 150 words,.

Descriptive annotations (also known as "informative" annotations) provide only a summary of the author's main ideas. Descriptive annotations are typically two to three sentences long, and describe the content but include no critical remarks evaluating the source’s quality.

Descriptive annotations may include the following types of information:

• The main purpose of the work
• Intended audience of the work
• Background or credibility of the author
• The conclusion or results of the work

Evaluative annotations (also known as "critical" annotations) summarize the essential ideas in a document and provide judgments—negative, positive, or both—about their quality. Evaluative annotations are typically three to four sentences long. Evaluative annotations usually begin with broad comments about the focus of the source, then move to an evaluation of the source.

Evaluative annotations may contain the following type of information:

• The importance of the work’s contribution to the literature of the subject
• The author’s bias or tone
• The author’s qualifications for writing the work
• The accuracy of the information in the source
• Limitations or significant omissions of the work
• The work’s contribution to the literature of the subject
• Comparison with other works on the topic

There are a number of helpful tools that you can use to assist you in creating an annotated bibliography. 

Academic Writer (APA Style only) -

• Open Academic Writer from the Databases A-Z link on the MU library homepage.
• Create/open your account and select the "Write" option.
• Select your citation style and open a new project to begin writing your paper.
• From the Main Menu at left, click "Research Lab Book" and select "Create an Annotated Bibliography" from the menu list.

NoodleTools -

• Open NoodleTools from the MU Library Databases A-Z link.
• Click "new project" at upper right and select your citation style and citation level "advanced."
• Give your project a title and click "save."
• Click  your project's title from the list in the center of the screen to open the project.
• Click "new source" to add a source as you normally would.
• As you enter a source to add to your bibliography, enter the text for the annotation in the text box at the bottom of the page.
• When done adding sources, click the blue "up" arrow at the top of the page to export to a document.

ZoteroBib -

• Open ZoteroBib and create/login to your account.
• Enter the information about your article into the search bar as you normally would to create a formatted citation. 
• Select your citation style by scrolling down the full list of styles in the drop down menu.
• Look for your citation style plus "annotated bibliography" in the list. 
• When you cut/paste the article citation to a word document to create your bibliography, the cursor will automatically indent to the proper distance and the document will generate the annotation using the correct line spacing when you begin typing.