The Wonderful World of Annotated
Bibliographies:
A
Guided Tour
Dr. Ryan Allen
Assistant Professor of English & Writing
Director, Writing Center
Briar Cliff University
ryan.allen@briarcliff.edu
712-279-5211
What You’ll Need to Succeed
 Bookmark the following OWL links in your “Favorites”
 These links deal with annotated bibliographies, in-text citations,
and reference citations
 From each of these pages you can access links to more specific
information and examples
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03/
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/
What is the purpose of an annotated
bibliography?
 The annotated bibliography is done in order to:
 Assess the quality of your resources before you write your
paper
 See if your resources are adequate for your paper
 Decide if your resources have reputable authors
 See if you really know your topic
 Review the material you need to use for your topic
Sample APA Annotated Bibliography
Okely, A. (2007). Evidence-guided approaches to addressing child obesity: What approaches
can dietitians use in their everyday practice? Nutrition and Dietetics, 64, 140-141.
Retrieved May 7, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
In this article, Anthony Okely describes the health consequences of childhood
obesity and discusses several programs aimed at helping prevent unhealthy weight
gain in children. He sees parents as the primary source of power over a child’s
unhealthy weight gain. This article is an editorial in a peer-reviewed journal.
Although this article is an editorial, it is still a good source of research-based
information, as the author uses 16 detailed references from several countries. The
author is a credible source because he has a Doctorate in Education and serves as
the Director of the Child Obesity Research Centre at Australia’s University of
Wollongong; he is also a Senior Lecturer at the same university. The number of
references he provides in the article also boosts the credibility of the opinions he
offers. This article will be used in the research paper for its basic statistics on
childhood obesity. Also, the reference list at the end of the article is a valuable
source of credible articles on this topic. The fact that the article is from Australia
limits its effectiveness as a major source for the paper (Okely, 2007).
Sample MLA Annotated Bibliography
Okely, Anthony. “Evidence-Guided Approaches to Addressing Child Obesity: What Approaches
Can Dietitians Use in Their Everyday Practice?” Nutrition and Dietetics 64.1. (2007): 140-141. Web.
7 May 2009.
In this article, Anthony Okely describes the health consequences of childhood
obesity and discusses several programs aimed at helping prevent unhealthy weight
gain in children. He sees parents as the primary source of power over a child’s
unhealthy weight gain. This article is an editorial in a peer-reviewed journal.
Although this article is an editorial, it is still a good source of research-based
information, as the author uses 16 detailed references from several countries. The
author is a credible source because he has a Doctorate in Education and serves as
the Director of the Child Obesity Research Centre at Australia’s University of
Wollongong; he is also a Senior Lecturer at the same university. The number of
references he provides in the article also boosts the credibility of the opinions he
offers. This article will be used in the research paper for its basic statistics on
childhood obesity. Also, the reference list at the end of the article is a valuable
source of credible articles on this topic. The fact that the article is from Australia
limits its effectiveness as a major source for the paper (Okely 140-141).
Your A.B. Chores
 Annotated Bibliographies generally include the following
items:
 Reference Citation
 Annotation
 Parenthetical (In-text) Citation (not always required, but noted
here to maintain & practice 1-1 correspondence
 Annotated Bibliographies must be in the appropriate format
and style
QUESTIONS?
Annotations
 Why are annotations so important to the research process?
 They help you learn more about your topic
 By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you'll start
to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you'll then
be able to develop your own point of view.
 They help other researchers
What to Include in Annotations
 Annotations should include the following:
 Summary of source information
 Assessment of author credibility
 Reflection on connection of source to your research
Summary of Source Information
 Some annotations merely summarize the source.
 What are the main arguments?
 What is the point of this book or article?
 What topics are covered?
 If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would
you say?
 The length of your annotations will determine how detailed
your summary is
 Aim for about 150 words, though
Assessing Source Information
 After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it.
 Is it a useful source?
 How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography?
 Is the information reliable?
 Is this source biased or objective?
 What is the goal of this source?
Checking Credibility
 Some key ideas to examine to determine author credibility
 Try to determine if the content of the source is fact, opinion, or
propaganda. If you think the source is offering facts, are the
sources for those facts clearly indicated?
 Is the language objective or emotional?
 Are there broad generalizations that overstate or oversimplify
the matter?
 Does the author use a good mix of primary and secondary
sources for information?
 If the source is opinion, does the author offer sound reasons for
adopting that stance? (Consider again those questions about the
author. Is this person reputable?)
Credibility Check (cont.)
 How timely is the source? Is the source 20 years out of date? Some




information becomes dated when new research is available, but
other older sources of information can be quite sound 50 or 100
years later.
Do some cross-checking. Can you find some of the same
information given elsewhere?
How credible is the author? If the document is anonymous, what
do you know about the organization? Has the author been
published elsewhere? What are the professional affiliations? Do
other texts cite him or her?
Are there vague or sweeping generalizations that aren't backed up
with evidence?
Are arguments very one-sided with no acknowledgement of other
viewpoints?
Reflecting on Source Connection
 Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to
ask how it fits into your research.
 Was this source helpful to you?
 How does it help you shape your argument?
 How can you use this source in your research project?
 Has it changed how you think about your topic?
QUESTIONS/CONCERNS/COMPLAINTS/
CRITICISMS???
Please contact the Writing Center!
writing.center@briarcliff.edu
712-279-5520
Heelan Hall 050