Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a list of the sources you’ve used in your research, with short notes (called “annotations”) under each one. These notes describe what the source is about and sum up its main argument.
They are often used in research projects to give a detailed but focused overview of important discussions on a topic.
When putting together an annotated bibliography, make sure that:
- Your chosen sources show your understanding of the subject and demonstrate good research skills.
- Your annotations show you can identify the main arguments and judge how useful they are for your project.
- You use the referencing style required by your department, such as Harvard, APA, or MLA. Check your university’s guidelines for more on referencing.
It can be tricky to keep track of where your information comes from. Tools like Citavi and Zotero can help. They let you insert citations and references easily, but also help organise your sources into categories, and you can make notes and highlight key quotes.
How are they different from regular bibliographies?
A regular bibliography is just a list of the sources you’ve cited or used in your work (like an essay or report). It helps the reader find the sources if they want to read more. An annotated bibliography, however, includes brief descriptions of the sources as well.