How to Prepare an Annotated
       Bibliography



         Lynn Lampert
WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED
      BIBLIOGRAPHY?
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations
for books, articles, and documents.

Each citation is followed by a brief (usually
about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative
paragraph, the annotation.

The purpose of the annotation is to inform the
reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality
of the sources cited.
ANNOTATIONS VS. ABSTRACTS

   Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries
    often found at the beginning of scholarly
    journal articles or in periodical indexes.

   Annotations are descriptive and critical; they
    expose the author's point of view, clarity and
    appropriateness of expression, and authority.
THE PROCESS
   Creating an annotated bibliography calls for
    the application of a variety of intellectual
    skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis,
    and informed library research.
   First, locate and record citations to books,
    periodicals, and documents that may contain
    useful information and ideas on your topic.
   Briefly examine and review the actual items.
    Then choose those works that provide a
    variety of perspectives on your topic.
The Process Continued
Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate
  style.
Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central
  theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or
  more sentences that
 (a) evaluate the authority or background of the

  author,
 (b) comment on the intended audience,

 (c) compare or contrast this work with another you

  have cited, or
 (d) explain how this work illuminates your

  bibliography topic.
CRITICALLY APPRAISING THE
    BOOK, ARTICLE, OR
       DOCUMENT

 For guidance in critically appraising and
 analyzing the sources for your bibliography,
 think about the following questions:
Questions to Consider ???
   What are the author's credentials--institutional
    affiliation?
   Have you seen the author's name cited in other
    sources or bibliographies? (respected authors are
    cited frequently by other scholars)
   When was the source published?
   Is the source current or out-of-date for your topic?
   Is this a first edition?
   If the source is published by a university press, it is
    likely to be scholarly
   Is this a popular magazine or scholarly journal?
   Is the publication aimed at a specialized or a general
    audience?
More Questions…..
   Is there a bibliography?
   Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda?
   Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched,
    or is it questionable and unsupported by evidence?
   Are the ideas and arguments advanced more or less in line
    with other works you have read on the same topic?
   Does the source extensively or marginally cover your topic?
   Is the material primary or secondary in nature?
   Locate critical reviews in a reviewing source, such as Book
    Review Index, Book Review Digest, OR Periodical Abstracts
MLA or APA???
MLA Citation Style and APA Citation Style
handbooks are available at the Oviatt Library
Reference desk. Style manuals for some other formats
are also kept in the reference collections. Check with
your instructor to find out which style is preferred for
your class. Online citation guides for both
Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psyc
 are available on the Library’s web pages under the
“How to Do Library Research Section.
This example uses the MLA format for
           the journal citation:

Flynn, Richard. “The Kindergarten of New Consciousness
Gwendolyn Brooks and the Social Construction of
Childhood ” African American Review 34, no. 3 (2000 Fall):
483-99




 Identify the title of the article?
 Identify the title of the journal where the article appeared?
Same Annotation
Five or six sentences describing the article:
Information about the author of the article;
The point of view of the author/scholar;
School of thought;
What kind of article is it…literary criticism, historical
piece, biographical, etc…
What an annotation should include:
   Complete bibliographic information.
   Some or all of the following:
       Information to explain the authority and/or qualifications of
        the author. For example: Dr. William Smith, a history
        professor at XYZ University, based his book on twenty
        years of research.
       Scope and main purpose of the work.
       Any biases that you detect.
       Intended audience and level of reading difficulty.
       The relationship, if any, to other works in the area of study.
       A summary comment, e.g., "A popular account directed at
        educated adults."
   The annotation should be about 100 to 200 words.
Book Example
   Goulart, R. (1989). The Great Comic Book Artists,
    Volume 2. New York: St Martin's Press.

    The alphabetically arranged entries include one page
    each for the artist biography and black-and-white
    reprinted art. The subjective choices for inclusion
    reflect a pronounced American, corporate bias. This
    slant and the blurry comic-book reproductions render
    the title a cut below Goulart's usual high standards.
Another Example…
Larkin, C. (Ed.). (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of
  Popular Music. London: Guinness.

  Very comprehensive reference book of 3,296 pages
  (more than 10,000 entries) encompassing all styles of
  popular music, including jazz. Primarily biographical,
  but does contain record label histories. Entries from
  150 to 3,000 words, though some important artists
  have longer entries. Most artists from UK and US,
  though additionally many reggae, Latin, and Afro-
  pop artists from outside these countries. Most entries
  include discography.
Other examples
The Library has many annotated
bibliographies to browse.

Try a search on “annotated bibliography” and
you will see many choices.

Catalog: http://suncat.csun.edu

Pasannbib

  • 1.
    How to Preparean Annotated Bibliography Lynn Lampert
  • 2.
    WHAT IS ANANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY? An annotated bibliography is a list of citations for books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
  • 3.
    ANNOTATIONS VS. ABSTRACTS  Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in periodical indexes.  Annotations are descriptive and critical; they expose the author's point of view, clarity and appropriateness of expression, and authority.
  • 4.
    THE PROCESS  Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.  First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic.  Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.
  • 5.
    The Process Continued Citethe book, article, or document using the appropriate style. Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that  (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author,  (b) comment on the intended audience,  (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or  (d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.
  • 6.
    CRITICALLY APPRAISING THE BOOK, ARTICLE, OR DOCUMENT For guidance in critically appraising and analyzing the sources for your bibliography, think about the following questions:
  • 7.
    Questions to Consider???  What are the author's credentials--institutional affiliation?  Have you seen the author's name cited in other sources or bibliographies? (respected authors are cited frequently by other scholars)  When was the source published?  Is the source current or out-of-date for your topic?  Is this a first edition?  If the source is published by a university press, it is likely to be scholarly  Is this a popular magazine or scholarly journal?  Is the publication aimed at a specialized or a general audience?
  • 8.
    More Questions…..  Is there a bibliography?  Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda?  Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched, or is it questionable and unsupported by evidence?  Are the ideas and arguments advanced more or less in line with other works you have read on the same topic?  Does the source extensively or marginally cover your topic?  Is the material primary or secondary in nature?  Locate critical reviews in a reviewing source, such as Book Review Index, Book Review Digest, OR Periodical Abstracts
  • 9.
    MLA or APA??? MLACitation Style and APA Citation Style handbooks are available at the Oviatt Library Reference desk. Style manuals for some other formats are also kept in the reference collections. Check with your instructor to find out which style is preferred for your class. Online citation guides for both Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psyc are available on the Library’s web pages under the “How to Do Library Research Section.
  • 10.
    This example usesthe MLA format for the journal citation: Flynn, Richard. “The Kindergarten of New Consciousness Gwendolyn Brooks and the Social Construction of Childhood ” African American Review 34, no. 3 (2000 Fall): 483-99 Identify the title of the article? Identify the title of the journal where the article appeared?
  • 11.
    Same Annotation Five orsix sentences describing the article: Information about the author of the article; The point of view of the author/scholar; School of thought; What kind of article is it…literary criticism, historical piece, biographical, etc…
  • 12.
    What an annotationshould include:  Complete bibliographic information.  Some or all of the following:  Information to explain the authority and/or qualifications of the author. For example: Dr. William Smith, a history professor at XYZ University, based his book on twenty years of research.  Scope and main purpose of the work.  Any biases that you detect.  Intended audience and level of reading difficulty.  The relationship, if any, to other works in the area of study.  A summary comment, e.g., "A popular account directed at educated adults."  The annotation should be about 100 to 200 words.
  • 13.
    Book Example  Goulart, R. (1989). The Great Comic Book Artists, Volume 2. New York: St Martin's Press. The alphabetically arranged entries include one page each for the artist biography and black-and-white reprinted art. The subjective choices for inclusion reflect a pronounced American, corporate bias. This slant and the blurry comic-book reproductions render the title a cut below Goulart's usual high standards.
  • 14.
    Another Example… Larkin, C.(Ed.). (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. London: Guinness. Very comprehensive reference book of 3,296 pages (more than 10,000 entries) encompassing all styles of popular music, including jazz. Primarily biographical, but does contain record label histories. Entries from 150 to 3,000 words, though some important artists have longer entries. Most artists from UK and US, though additionally many reggae, Latin, and Afro- pop artists from outside these countries. Most entries include discography.
  • 15.
    Other examples The Libraryhas many annotated bibliographies to browse. Try a search on “annotated bibliography” and you will see many choices. Catalog: http://suncat.csun.edu