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Religion 338: A library research guide

Annotated bibliography

• What is an annotated bibliography?
• Annotations vs. abstracts: the differences.
• The process.
• Evaluation criteria.
• Writing tips.
• Example annotated bibliography entry.
• Acknowledgement.

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph (the annotation). The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

Annotations vs. abstracts: the differences

Abstracts are purely descriptive summaries that are often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in article databases.

Annotations are descriptive and critical. They expose the author's point of view, discuss his/her clarity and appropriateness of expression and evaluate the author's authority.

The process

Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.

• First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic.
• Briefly examine and review the actual items and then choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.
• Cite each book, article or document using appropriate Chicago style.
• Write a concise annotation following each citation, summarizing the central theme and scope of the book, article, or document.

Evaluation criteria

Each annotation should include as many of the following criteria as possible:

• Evaluate the authority or background of the author.
• Comment on the intended audience.
• Compare or contrast this work with another you have cited.
• Explain how this work illuminates your research topic.
• Mention bibliographies, charts, graphs, statistics, or illustrations that are pertinent.
• Discuss the writing style of the author.
• Comment on any bias or point of view shown in the work.

Writing tips

• Don't fill space with generalizations (e.g., "This book is good...," "Smith is an interesting writer...," etc.).
• Avoid such adjectives as "excellent" and "good."
• Avoid the first person singular ("I").
• Do not begin each annotation with "This book..." or "This article...".

Example annotated bibliography entry

Goldschneider, F. K., L. J. Waite, and C. Witsberger. "Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review 51(1986): 541-554.

The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that non-family living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of non-family living.

Acknowledgement

Modified with permission from: Paula Moskowitz, Manhattanville College Library.

Page created by Alec Sonsteby.
Updated on Wednesday, January 30, 2008.