1. Annotated Bibliography
Presented by the UTA English Writing Center
Updated 11/25/2014 TW

2. Hosted by English Writing Center www.uta.edu/owl
A Division of the Department of English
Sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts

3. The Writing Center Executive Staff
Workshop Leaders
Presented by:
The Writing Center Executive Staff

4. What is an Annotated Bibliography?
Basically, an annotated bibliography is a list of sources on a specific topic that includes a summary of each source.
By “annotated” we mean that students will be providing additional information concerning the relevant sources that you find concerning your issue.

5. The Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Your final annotated bibliography should include annotations for at least 10 sources that represent multiple perspectives on your issue.
The list should be completed in alphabetical order using the appropriate citation style—in this case, Modern Language Association (MLA) style. There are several sources available on our website that can assist you in correctly using this format.

6. MLA Citations Basic Format (book)
A book with a single author’s name appears in last name, first name format. The basic form for a book citation is:
Last name, First name, Middle initial. Title of Book. City of publication: Publisher, Year of publication. Medium of publication.
Example:
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, Print.

7. MLA Citations Online Journal
Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal 6.2 (2008): Web. 20 May 2009.
Online Database:
Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid- Twentieth-Century England.” Historical
Journal 50.1 (2007): ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.

8. The Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Your annotation for each source should consist of two paragraphs. In the first, answer the following questions:
Paragraph 1:
What kind of source is it, e.g. a book, journal article, magazine article, newspaper article, encyclopedia entry, database summary article, website, etc?
What is the genre of the piece, e.g. a news report, an editorial, a report of scientific research, etc? What is the purpose of the text?
In this example, the nouns cat, fence, and mouse take an indefinite article, but only when they are introduced for the first time. After they are introduced, we use the definite article in every instance. This pattern, or rule, covers a lot of basic instances of concrete nouns, especially in story telling. This rule can extend over long periods of time and interrupted dialogue so that I can ask you to buy a pen and then several hours later I can ask you if you bought the pen.

9. The AB Assignment (Paragraph 1 continued)
3. Who is/are the author/authors? What are the author’s credentials? How does the author establish his or her authority? Also consider the credibility of the publication venue. This is all about Ethos.
4. Who is the intended audience? Consider where the text is published, the degree of specialized knowledge needed to understand the text, and how objective or argumentative the text is.
5. When was the text published? How does the publication date affect the relevance and usefulness of the source?

10. The AB Assignment (continued)
Paragraph 2
Summarize the content of the piece in a way that demonstrates you have read the source and understood its content.
If the source is an argument, as opposed to a purely informational text, identify its main claim and supporting reasons (think back to the Rhetorical Analysis assignment from 1301).

11. The AB Assignment (Paragraph 2 continued)
3. In addition, explain how you plan to use the source in your Researched Position Paper:
Will you use the source for background information, and if so, what information specifically do you plan to use?
Does the source contain evidence that you plan to borrow and, if so, what evidence?
If the source is an argument, will you position it as an ally or an opponent and why?

12. Common Issues / Mistakes
Faulty citations
Not answering all of the AB assignment questions
All positions of your chosen works are on the same side of the argument; i.e. you aren’t finding sources to represent the entire scope of your issue.
Bibliography is not in alphabetical order.
This exception also applies to ordering (ordinal numbers used as adjectives) where it is presumed that the ordering is unique: the second time, the third example, the fourth person to call. In other words, once you place an order on objects they hold a unique position in that order. This exception applies to named things (which through naming become unique): The Rocky Mountains (a mountain range)The New York Islanders (a sports team)The Amazon River (a river in South America)The Pacific Ocean (an ocean)The Steelworkers Union (an organization)The Great Plains (a geographic locality)The Washington Monument (a statue)The Number Four Bus
However, this application is imperfect as some things such as named lakes and islands take no articles (Buttle Lake, Skull Island) except in plural instances (the Great Lakes, the Galapagos islands).

13. Helpful Advice Make sure that you are citing your sources properly.
Don’t steal abstracts or summaries! It’s cheating, and will not help you with the last two assignments.
Read the essay/article/book!!! Annotate as you’re reading: circle the claims, reasons, support, opposing positions, etc.
If you’re having a hard time finding articles, look at Bibliography and Works Cited pages from essays/books you do find.
Be sure to find works that take an opposing position!
Don’t procrastinate!

14. Other Bits of Advice
Take revision seriously! Moving from a first draft, to second draft, to final draft is the heart of the Writing Process, and your instructor is going to be grading your essay based in part on how well you participate in this process. However solid your paper might be, there is always room for improvement. So spend adequate time in the revision process.
Get lots of feedback! This comes from your instructor, your peers and friends, and also the Writing Center. Visit the WC for more help.

15. Other Bits of Advice (continued)
Double-check the Evaluation Criteria listed at the end of the assignment sheet. This is what you instructor will be using to assess your essay and to build their grading rubric.
Also, if your instructor has provided you with his/her rubric, make sure you use that to check your essay! If you want to, self-grade your paper or have someone else do it—this sometimes helps us find areas that need improvement.
Important

16. What Else Can I Do? Make an appointment with the writing center at:

17. Upcoming Workshops
For a list of our upcoming workshops for the FYW program, please see our calendar ( or our schedule (
We will also be offering weekly grammar workshops this semester covering various grammatical concepts. Check our schedule ( or our calendar at the UTA OWL website ( for days and times.

18. More Resources
If you have questions about formatting, proper citations, or any of your other grammatical needs please see our resources for writers page located at: