(…because someone else just might want to
write about your topic one day.)
What
is an annotated bibliography?
A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals,
websites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for
researching a topic.
Bibliographies are sometimes called "references"
or "works cited" depending on the style format
being used.
A bibliography usually just includes the
bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title,
publisher, etc.).
An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation.
What
Bibliography
is an annotated bibliography?
Bibliography Entry
Ovid. Metamorphoses: Books I-VIII. Trans. Frank Justus Miller. Rev. by G. P. Goold. Loeb
Classical Library Series. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard UP, 1999. [first published
1916.]
What
Annotation
Bibliography
is an Annotated Bibliography?
Annotated Bibliography Entry
Ovid. Metamorphoses: Books I-VIII. Trans. Frank Justus Miller. Rev. by G. P. Goold. Loeb
Classical Library Series. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard UP, 1999. [first published
1916.]
Still authoritative after 85+ years in print. The Loeb Classical Library offers each text
in facing page translation, with the Latin on the left and the English on the right. It's
the version I use. Here's the place to quote as a primary source for classical texts. If
you want the medieval version, check out the Ovid moralisée, a French medieval
version of Ovid stuffed full of Christian allegory.
Why are Annotated Bibliographies
important?
So, the annotated bibliography is a
place for you to write out what
makes these sources helpful or
annoying to read. It shows why you
use the sources that you do.
Why are Annotated Bibliographies
important?
And, after you’ve written your
annotated bibliography, other
people can look through your
descriptions of sources to know
what they want to read.
What do I put in an annotated
bibliography?
Every annotated bibliography is different, because the audience that is
trying to find sources will have different needs, Here are some of the
qualities that you need to have in your annotated bibliography:
•A brief summary of what the book covers, or a brief
summary of the author's argument about the topic.
•A discussion of how the argument or discussion in
this book is different from or similar to other books
and articles about the topic.
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/whatisabibliography.html
What do I put in an annotated
bibliography?
Every annotated bibliography is different, because the audience that is
trying to find sources will have different needs, Here are some of the
qualities that you should have in your annotated bibliography:
•How up to date the book or article is (Sometimes, a book printed in
2001 may simply be a reprint of a book written in 1901, check the copyright
history inside the book's first few pages.)
•Any other practical advice or warnings the reader should know
(The book weighs 200 pounds; it can't be removed from the library; is
written only in Italian; has great photos or charts; it is written by a worldrenowned expert; every other author thinks this particular writer is insane,
etc.)
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/whatisabibliography.html
You may also consider mentioning
 If any chapter or section in particular looks especially
useful (especially if only one chapter or section deals with the subject,
and the rest of the book deals with something else)
 Whether or not the book has its own bibliography in
the back, and how extensive that bibliography is.
 How long or short the book or article is (A 450 page
book? A short one-page article?)
 How easy it is to obtain the book (Is it still in print, is it
available at local libraries or bookstores? Is it only available through
Orbis or Interlibrary loan?, etc.)
Too Short!
Examples
Too Short!
7 words
13 words
 A professor writing about “Medieval Beasts, Bestiaries,
etc.”
Carroll, William Meredith. Animal Conventions in English Renaissance NonReligious Prose (1550-1600). NY: 1954.
Not as useful as I hoped. Focuses exclusively on prose treatises.
Fairly late.
Cavallo, Adolfo S. The Unicorn Tapestries at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art. NY: H. M. Abrams, 1998.
Supercedes Rorimer's work on the subject, below.
Wheeler, Kip L. "Sample Annotated Bibliographies Dealing with Medieval Monsters." Kip Wheeler's Website. CarsonNewman College, 11 Dec. 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. <http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/monster_biblio_sample.html>.
Examples
 The O.W.L. at Purdue
200 words
Too Long!
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor Books,
1995. Print.
Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its
insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of being a writer, the
chapters in Lamott's book are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot
development to jealousy, from perfectionism to struggling with one's own internal critic. In
the process, Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be both productive and fun.
Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her main
project seems to be offering the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and
struggling with one's own imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a practical
handbook to producing and/or publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest
perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and its encouraging approach.
Chapters in this text could easily be included in the curriculum for a writing class. Several of
the chapters in Part 1 address the writing process and would serve to generate discussion
on students' own drafting and revising processes. Some of the writing exercises would also
be appropriate for generating classroom writing exercises. Students should find Lamott's
style both engaging and enjoyable.
Examples
Better, but aim for 75-150
words!
 A student writing about Unicorns
33 words
Salvatore, Cavallo Adolfo. The Unicorn Tapestries at The Metropolitan Museum of
Art. New York: The Museum; H. N. Abrams, 1998.
Hunt of the unicorn, Gothic tapestries. France, art and myth combined.
Explains the human/medieval fascination with unicorns and why they may
have actually been "tall tales" or folklore relating to observations of
rhinoceroses.
68 words
South, Malcolm. Mythical and Fabulous Beasts: A Source Book and Research Guide.
NY: Greenwood P, 1987.
Absolutely indispensable. A treasure-hoard of information. Has a glossary of
some of the more important fabulous creatures, and will make a great
starting spot for any research. Decent bibliography, and a taxonomic chart at
the back of book. Doesn't limit itself to medieval material--also has stuff
about monsters in modern literature, such as Stephen King. Available at
Knight Library. Short Bibliography. Good source.
Examples
154 words. This is the longest
the annotation should be.
Nakjavani, Erik. “The Rest is Silence: A Psychoanalytic Study of Hemingway’s Theory of
Omission and its Adaptation to ‘The Sea Change.’ ” North Dakota Quarterly 65.3 (1998):
145-173. Print.
to look
Nakjavani’s analysis of “The Sea Change” is the product of his discussion on
psychoanalytic theory and silence. He uses “The Sea Change” to show how
Hemingway used silences to disrupt the usual psychoanalytic analysis, and to
demonstrate a way of thinking about the concept of silence that could help literary
critics to get out of the “overwhelming desire to mount an imaginary search and
seizure operation to recapture [the] lost beginning” (164). Nakjavani pushes the reader
at what the pronoun “it” does to the reader instead of trying to pin down its
signification. There are multiple specific references to concepts of psychoanalytic
theory and performativity, and a solid understanding of these abstract concepts is
needed to better understand Nakjavani’s point. Nonetheless, Nakjavani’s analysis of
the
conflict between our human drive for narrative constructions and the silences in “The
Sea Change” is an interesting way to navigate a central characteristic of the story.
Do not explain the main story/topic
in the annotation!
Salvatore, Cavallo Adolfo. The Unicorn Tapestries at The Metropolitan
Museum of Art. New York: The Museum; H. N. Abrams, 1998.
A long time ago, people used to put unicorns of tapestries. These tapestries
were found in castles and other places that were very important. This book
explains the human/medieval fascination with unicorns and why they may
have actually been "tall tales" or folklore relating to observations of
rhinoceroses.
Do not explain the main
story/topic in the annotation!
Salvatore, Cavallo Adolfo. The Unicorn Tapestries at The Metropolitan
Museum of Art. New York: The Museum; H. N. Abrams, 1998.
A long time ago, people used to put unicorns of tapestries. These tapestries
were found in castles and other places that were very important. This book
explains the human/medieval fascination with unicorns and why they may
have actually been "tall tales" or folklore relating to observations of
rhinoceroses.
Formatting
 The format of an annotated bibliography can vary, so if
writing one for a class, it's important to ask for specific
guidelines.
 Generally, though, the bibliographic information of the source
(the title, author, publisher, date, etc.) is written in either MLA
or APA format.
 The annotations for each source are written in paragraph
form. The lengths of the annotations can vary significantly
from a couple of sentences to a couple of pages. The length
will depend on the purpose. If you're just writing summaries
of your sources, the annotations may not be very long.
However, if you are writing an extensive analysis of each
source, you'll need more space.
Formatting
 Hanging Indents are required for citations in the bibliography.
That is, the first line of the citation starts at the left margin.
Subsequent lines are indented 4 spaces.
 As with every other part of an MLA formatted essay, the
bibliography is double spaced, both within the citation and
between them. Do not add an extra line between the citations.
 The annotation is a continuation of the citation. Drop down
to the next line to start the annotation.
 The right margin is the normal right margin of the document.
Practice
Think about the Annotation in two parts:
 Summarize: Give a brief (two full sentences or less) description of
the author’s point or argument. What is the book about?
 Assess: Write four to six sentences describing the important
information in the source, if any, and how that information relates to
other writings on the topic. Why is this source a good place to find
information on your topic? Would you recommend this source to
another researcher? Was this source better or worse than other
sources?
 Each annotation should be between 75-150 words