Writing Annotated bibliographies

Find appropriate academic sources

A fundamental step in producing an annotated bibliography is the finding and selecting of appropriate information sources. You are required to survey the literature on your topic, and select information sources that are good quality, relevant and appropriate.

You will find appropriate sources in the Library, where you can also attend training, find guides and support on finding credible and academic information sources.

Some annotated bibliographies also need to include the search strategy used to find the information.

You should be able to justify the sources you have chosen in your bibliography. They should provide good coverage of the important issues related to the topic, which means looking at the content but also reading sources with a critical perspective. Start by reading abstracts or skimming to help you identify and select relevant sources. Also keep in mind that, while annotated bibliographies are often ‘stand alone’ assignments, they can also be preliminary research about a particular topic or issue, and further research or a longer literature review may follow. Try to choose sources which together will present a comprehensive review of the topic.

Once you have selected your sources, it will be worthwhile making notes on your selected texts. By making notes in the individual sources , you will be able to appreciate where connections lie between them, illustrating a synthesis of your literature.

Most markers are will be looking for:

• Good quality source material that you have demonstrated is useful and relevant.
• Clear language, good grammar, and an ability to express ideas and opinions succinctly (and within a word count).
• Correct referencing according to the referencing style used in your school.
• A degree of analysis and evaluation in your annotation.

Create a citation and a reference.

A reference list is a list of all of the sources you have used in the process of researching your work, and in-text citations are the short citations you include in the written text that help a reader understand which sources you are quoting or referring to in your writing e.g. (McEwan, 2022) . Your referencing style will be dependent on your School, which will be referred to in your module handbook. Refer to your School's referencing style and produce a formatted list of your information sources.  For guidance and training on referencing, refer to the Library training pages. Use RefWorks to help manage and create your citations.

Create an annotation under each citation: a paragraph summarising each text and explaining how the text applies to your research question or problem.

Write a concise annotation that summarises the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your topic.

You might want to consider what aspect of your question/ problem does it address? How fully? Does it provide background information/ theory / useful results? How strong is the evidence? What are its limitations in answering your research question?

• The background of the author(s).
• The content or scope of the text.
• The main argument.
• The intended audience.
• The research methods (if applicable).
• Any conclusions made by the author/s.
• Comments on the reliability of the text.
• Any special features of the text that were helpful (charts, graphs etc.)
• The relevance or usefulness of the text for your research.
• The strengths and limitations of the text.

When developing the annotation it might help to consider:

• The author’s theoretical approach.
• Which parts of the topic are covered in this paper.
• Main points or findings on the topic.
• The author’s position or argument.
• Evaluate and ask questions as you read.

Write critical notes to record your evaluations, and provide your own informed position as well as how the text relates to the topic as a whole.

• How well does this text address your topic? Does it cover the topic thoroughly or only one aspect of it?
• Do the research methods seem appropriate and does the argument stand up to scrutiny?
• Does it agree with or contradict other studies?

Here you can find a phrase bank of useful terminology for annotated bibliographies.