How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

What is an annotated bibliography?

Cornell Library says, "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."

Why bother with citations?

Creating bibliographies is more than just creating a list of resources. So why do we need them?

• helping your audience learn more about a topic,
• demonstrate that you are using credible resources to support your arguments (build your credibility),
• help your readers know from where the information came, and 
• assist other researchers.
• helps establish trust.

This assignment is not just giving a list of books. You will need to cite the resources properly (APA, MLA, Turabian, or Chicago style) depending on your class. Consult your class syllabus regarding the length and detail of annotations. This will vary by discipline or class level (undergraduate or graduate). Every professor will have different requirements so the ideas on this guide will vary. These are guidelines that you will have to adapt to your assignment.