An annotated bibliography is usually a list of articles, documents, and citations of books, usually followed by a brief paragraph of not more than 150 words describing and evaluating the sources. The annotation aims to inform the readers of the sources cited’ accuracy, relevance, and quality.
Writing an annotated bibliography is one of the challenges students will encounter during their academic career, especially when writing their thesis and dissertation. Writing an annotated bibliography is one thing students can’t escape because it is beneficial too, and performs the following functions:
- Provides a summary of relevant sources used on a particular topic;
- Informs readers of essential data;
- Helps you avoid copyright infringement and plagiarism
- Points out the objectives of a title;
- Determines the suitability of a specific source (such as an article or a book) to your project
- Focuses on significant points that the author addresses.
What is an Annotated Bibliography?
The difference between the standard bibliography and an annotated bibliography is that it is an expanded version of the former. An annotated bibliography is a brief list of every citation used in your dissertation, followed by an explanatory paragraph that explains the importance of the sources cited to your research.
Functions of an Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography performs the following functions:
- A brief but concise summary of your sources;
- A critical evaluation and summary of the usefulness of a work;
- Their combination;
An annotated bibliography remains a crucial part of your academic endeavor. You can search for a sample that will provide you with more information and serve as a guide when writing your annotated bibliography, especially when choosing a writing style.
Why is an Annotated Bibliography Important?
The importance of an annotated bibliography cannot be overstated, especially if you are dealing with it in your academic paper for the first time. An annotated bibliography links to the following:
- It allows readers to evaluate your essay
- Helping you organize all your sources in the order of their relevance to your research
- An annotated bibliography allows you to get familiar with the relevant literature.
- A brief description (the primary purpose is to provide readers with essential information, unlike a traditional style);
- A summary (highlight the necessary scope of sources, hypothesis, and their conclusion);
- An evaluation that helps compare different sources in the same category to evaluate the effectiveness of overall objectives or results;
- An analysis that is in support of your central argument and give your work a critical standpoint).
An annotated bibliography’s goals are numerous, and some of them include getting high grades and impressing university teachers. It also helps make your academic paper more attractive and informative.
Useful Annotated Bibliography Tips
The following are helpful tips that you can include when writing commentaries for your sources:
- Its basic purpose;
- The author’s central argument;
- The targeted audience;
- Additional elements (appendices, charts, diagrams, or glossaries);
- Significant conclusions, findings, and points;
- How its title relates to other sources;
- How useful it is in solving a particular problem or answering a specific research question.