How to Make an Annotated Bibliography

How to Make an Annotated Bibliography WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY? An annotated bibliography is a list (of bibliographic information) of the sources that you used to help you in your project. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually 3-4 sentences) descriptive and evaluative paragraph (the annotation). The annotation should: 1) Identify the author(s), addressing their qualifications (if known), 2) Briefly explain what the source is (book, article, website, documentary, etc.) and what it is about. *Consider: What are its main ideas? 3) How the source was helpful to you. --In what way(s) did you use it?

If the author is unidentified…. Skip step one, but consider: Is the information trustworthy? If not, find a source with an identified author!

Some Examples: Ambrose, Stephen E. Eisenhower: Soldier and President. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990. In this book, Stephen Ambrose, noted historian, offers an insightful view of Dwight Eisenhower as both a man and a leader. This biography helped me understand both the public and private life of Eisenhower. McElvaine, Robert S. The Great Depression: America, 1929-1941. New York: Times Books, 1993. In this book, Robert McElvaine offers a wonderful overview of the Great Depression focusing on both the political and social aspects of this great event. This book helped me understand the hardships during the Great Depression and the important role played by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Examples Continued: Lang, Michael E. "Surviving in Space." National Geographic Jan. 2001: 6-29. This article, written by former astronaut Michael Lang, discusses the serious physical effects of being in space. This article was very important to my project because it gave specific examples of how the human body changes while in space. Bender, Sarah. "Bialystok." Encyclopedia of the Holocaust. 1990. This encyclopedia entry, written by Sarah Bender, history professor from the University of Washington, gave factual information about the city of Bialystok, in northeastern Poland, during World War II with an emphasis on the effects of the Holocaust on this city. This entry was important to my project because it helped me verify dates and names of the important events for that city.

ALPHABETIZE AND REVERSE INDENT!

Due Date? To be submitted with your first draft!