Annotated Bibliography

What is an annotated Bib? An annotated bibliography is very detailed record of a list of sources on a particular topic, including bibliographic information and information about the contents of each source. Annotated bibliographies are usually put into a documentation format, for example MLA.

Why write an annotated Bib? Students write annotated bibliographies to be able to show at a glance the whole of their research on a topic to date and to give their reader a clear idea of the types of sources that exist concerning this topic and what these sources say. It is also an excellent organizational tool that allows students to see each of their sources at a glance and understand what each is. In addition, it provided them an opportunity to put the sources in MLA works cited format so that creating a works cited page for a paper on that topic will be easier.

Our Assignment Annotated Bibliography: This is a rather important assignment that directly relates to your research paper. For this assignment, you will need to find and read at least 8 sources that you will be using for your research paper. For each source, you will need to create an MLA style bibliographic entry. Also, after each entry you will need to write a brief summary of the source (one paragraph approximately 150 words long) and then briefly (in a sentence or two) explain why the source is important or useful to the research paper that you plan to write. In order to be able to complete this assignment easily and as a check on how your research progresses over time, I will collect the annotated bibliography in two parts. Each part must contain at least 4 sources and conform to the expectations of MLA and the paragraph contents outlined above.

Example annotated bib entry Adams, Scott. Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel. Harper, 2002. Adams’s “Dilbert” cartoons are known for satirizing everyday workplace issues. The cartoon on page 106 illustrates how rampant Internet use in the workplace has become and suggests that both employers and employees are well aware of the practice. The cartoon points out the difficulty employers face in trying to restrict employee Internet use. This source will be helpful as an example of the difficulty of the use of the internet in a work environment.

A Word of Warning: Long annotated bibliography assignments can be very time-consuming, so the student must continually work on the assignment over a long period of time. A good idea is to create annotated bib entries for new sources as you acquire them and read them, saving them to your document once you are finished.

Practice: For practice, today we will be writing annotated bibliography entries for the two sources you’ve brought with you to class today. Carefully create the works cited entry. Then, underneath that entry, write your summary of the source. Remember to also include a sentence or two about how this source will be useful to the research paper you’re writing. When you are finished, turn in your annotated bibliography entries. I will give you feedback, so you can revise them and then type them as a part of your full annotated bibliography.