TS English
F2015:
Composition
Length:
Format:
Annotated Bibliography
“Research Strategies”
2 long paragraphs, single-spaced
Times New Roman font, 12pt size
1 inch margins on all sides
In advanced research situations, scholars are often required to assimilate hundreds, if not
thousands of pages of scholarship on their given topic or area of interest. All researchers are,
therefore, faced with the very real and practical problem of how to organize and keep track of all
of the different claims that have been made in their field, and to do so in such a way that helps
them to prepare their own responses to this ongoing conversation. To tackle this problem, many
scholars use what is referred to as an annotated bibliography to keep track the claims of others
alongside the development of their own ideas. As a research tool, an annotated bibliography
should directly contribute to future essay writing by helping you to think through your own
reactions to other perspectives in your field.
OBJECTIVES:
Compose an annotated bibliography for Ludmilla Jordanova’s “Melancholy
Reflections…” Unlike a conventional bibliography or reference list which only inventories
sources, an annotated bibliography not only lists, but summarizes and critically assesses each
source. Constructing an annotated bibliography forces you to be attentive to the specific
contributions of your sources, as well as how they fit into the larger “conversation.”
A complete annotation entry (two paragraphs, single-spaced) should include the following,
in order.

A full citation of the source in MLA format

A summary of the source (first paragraph). When you summarize academic articles, be
sure to identify their components: main claim/argument, types of evidence, main topics
engaged, and interesting or important sub-claims. To maximize the effectiveness of this
summary, be sure to include the following:
 Quotes from the essay which you identify as particularly important or useful for
understanding the ideas.
 A summary (in your own words) of what you identify as the article’s main claim.
 Summaries (in your own words) of the sub-claims that most interest you.
These pieces of writing (quotes and specific summaries) can easily be lifted for use in later
essays, so doing the work here will make less work for later. For more tips on how to
compose an effective summary, consult Chapter Two, “The Art of Summarizing” from Graff
and Birkenstein’s They Say/I Say. Ideally, your summary will strike a balance between
reporting Jordanova’s claims and emphasizing the parts of the argument that are the most
interesting to your and your own line of inquiry.
 A short assessment of the source (second paragraph). In this paragraph, you will shift
from summary to providing commentary on the article. Here, you should try to explain how
TS English
F2015:
Composition
Annotated Bibliography
“Research Strategies”
the argument contributes to a larger conversation and (if possible) how Jordanova’s
perspectives on the topic are different than others in the field. You should also use this place
to explore potential “responses” that you could explore in papers in the future.
 Expansions/Agreements: Do you have ideas about how Jordanova’s claims might
connect to claims that you might like to make? Can you push her ideas further? How
and with what evidence? What parts of her argument deserve further study or more
complex treatment?
 Complications/Disagreements: Do you have ideas about the novel that would
complicate some of the claims that Jordanova makes? How and in what way? How
would you, perhaps, make slightly different claims on the same subject? How would
you support these claims? With what evidence from the text?
For more information and a few sample annotated bibliographies, consult the entry on Purdue’s
OWL website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/1/.