What is An Annotated Bibliography?

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

Introduction

You have probably made a bibliography or works cited page for a research paper in the past. The annotated bibliography is simply a bibliography that includes annotates, or short paragraphs for each citation. Please watch the brief video below for a more detailed look at the annotated bibliography.

CC-BY, "What's an annotated bibliography" by Brock University Library

As you saw in the video, the annotated bibliography consists of a list of citations and annotations. The content of the annotation will vary by instructor, but your annotations will typically:

• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the source
• Outline the main argument or summarizes the source
• Provide background information about the author, the publication, or other elements of the source
• Describe how this source is relevant to your topic