Annotated Bibliography (…because someone else just might want to write about your topic one day.)

What is an annotated bibliography? Real answers Real answers A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, websites, periodicals, etc.) 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 or evaluation, or both.

What is an annotated bibliography? Bibliography Entry Bibliography 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 is an Annotated Bibliography? Annotated Bibliography Entry Bibliography 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.] This work is still authoritative after eighty-five 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 used as a primary source for classical texts and to find direct quotes from the literary work. For the medieval version, find the Ovid moralisée, a French medieval version of Ovid stuffed full of Christian allegory. Annotation

Why are Annotated Bibliographies important? So, the annotated bibliography is a place to write out what makes these sources helpful or annoying to read. It shows why the writer use the sources that he did.

Why are Annotated Bibliographies important? And, after the researcher has written his or her annotated bibliography, other people can look through these 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 each student need to have in his or her 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 world-renowned 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.)

Examples A professor writing about “Medieval Beasts, Bestiaries, etc.” Too Short! Too Short! A professor writing about “Medieval Beasts, Bestiaries, etc.” 13 words Carroll, William Meredith. Animal Conventions in English Renaissance Non- Religious 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. 7 words Wheeler, Kip L. "Sample Annotated Bibliographies Dealing with Medieval Monsters." Kip Wheeler's Website. Carson-Newman 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.

Example A student writing about unicorns Better, but aim for 75-150 words! Use full sentence! 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. 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. 33 words 68 words

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. 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 to look 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 and 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 and 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 the student is just writing summaries of his or her sources, the annotations may not be very long. However, if the student is writing an extensive analysis of each source, he or she will 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. (An instructor may ask the writer to continue the annotation directly following the source information. Check with the instructor to see where he or she would like the annotation placed. The right margin is the normal right margin of the document.

Practice Think about the Annotation in three parts: Summarize: Give a brief (two full sentences) description of the author’s point or argument. What is the book about? Explain the source’s credentials: Why is this source credible? What degrees does the author hold that makes him or her an expert in this field? What is the focus of the organization that published this web page? (two sentences) 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. 1. How useful was this source to your research? 2. Why is this source a good place to find information on your topic? 3. Would the researcher recommend this source to another researcher? 4. Was this source better or worse than other sources? 5. Was this source easy to use or was it hard to navigate to find information specific to the topic? Each annotation should be between 75-150 words

Your Annotation Please annotate the sources that will appear on the words cited page. Each annotation should be between 75-150 words. Write two sentences about the content of the source -- not just the part you used, but the WHOLE source. Write two sentences about the usefulness of this source - how this source was used in the research process. Write two or three sentences your recommendations concerning this source - would you recommend this source to other researchers? Why or why not?