EN 102-08/26: 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.

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