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Writing an Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography adds a brief
summary to your sources of information.
Helpful Hints
Consider the items below when completing your
annotations:
| Annotations are usually 80-200 words in length. |
| Annotations may be descriptive or critical. |
List the completed biographical citation in the style mandated
by your
professor (usually MLA or APA). |
| Explain the main purpose of the work. |
| Describe the qualifications of the author. |
| Briefly describe the content of the work. |
| Indicated the possible audience for the work. |
| Evaluate the relevance of the information. |
| Note any special features. |
| Note any biases, defects or weaknesses in the work. |
| Describe your reaction to the work. |
Descriptive Annotations
A descriptive annotation states what the
source is, who created it, how long it is, and provides a summary of the
contents. Example:
Fortin, Francois. Sports: The Complete Visual Reference.
Tonawanda, NY: Firefly Books, 2001. Designed
as a reference book for sports enthusiasts, coaches, players and
students interested in the rules, techniques, equipment and history of
127 mainstream and extreme sports. Entries include racquet, equestrian,
ball, nautical, and motor sports. Thousands of diagrams, illustrations
and photographs are the backbone of this book. The detailed table of
contents and accurate index facilitate access.
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Critical Annotations
A critical annotation evaluates the source,
is usually longer in length, explains why the source is valuable (or
not), and notes weak and strong points about the source.
Example:
Myers, Walter Dean. The Greatest: Muhammad Ali. New York, NY: Scholastic
Press, 2001. An introduction to Ali's life
from his childhood to the present day, focusing on his career and the
controversies surrounding him. Myers interweaves fight sequences with
the boxer's life story and the political events and issues of the day.
He reports on the brutality of the sport and documents the toll it has
taken on its many stars. Ample black-and-white photographs of the
subject in and out of the ring illustrate the book. Covering Ali is a
daunting task, especially since dozens of books and hundreds of articles
have been written about him in the last 40 years. Fortunately, readers
have an award-winning author, one with the perspective of being a young
African American in Harlem during the height of the boxer's fame, to
tell his story. Myer's writing flows while describing the boxing action
and the legend's larger-than-life story.
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DCC Library Telephone
Numbers
| Circulation / Reserves |
262-1413 |
| Reference / Interlibrary
Loan |
262-1420 |
LVG Library Telephone Numbers
| Main Library Number |
292-BOOK (2665) |
| Circulation / Reserve
Desk |
292-2303 |
| Library Information Desk |
292-2319 |
| Interlibrary Loan |
292-2318 |
M. McCullough, 9/2007,
http://www.monroecc.edu/go/library
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