WRITING AN
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
From Writing
Across the Curriculum by Sandra Nagy
Why write an annotated bibliography?
You can discover what your source contains (analysis).
You can discover how best to use that information in your paper
(organization).
You can discover how to restate your topic into a “working” thesis
(purpose).
Rules to follow:
Take your sources one at a time.
Answer the questions in COMPLETE SENTENCES.
The
first 3 questions:
What is
the main, or most significant idea of this source?
What is
the author trying to do (purpose)?
Who do
you think is the author’s intended audience?
Combine the Answers:
Example: Smith focuses on the dropping illiteracy
levels among school children, categorizing socioeconomic levels, racial groups,
and parents’ educational background. Aiming at a general audience, Smith
attempts to convince his readers that most children do poorly in school because
their parents don’t work with them in home study sessions.
The next
two questions:
What
parts of the subject does the source emphasize or de-emphasize?
What
assumptions does the author make about the topic or audience?
Again, you combine the answers:
Example: The author emphasizes that parents need to
be more involved in their children’s education and assumes that these parents
have the time, the expertise, and the inclination to do so.
The
final three questions:
Is there
any bias or slant in the source?
Are
there obvious omissions that seem important to the ideas being discussed?
Does the
evidence clearly support the author’s main points?
The last sentences:
Example: While Smith’s data supports his position,
his solutions seem too simplistic and very general. Because he ignores the busy
schedules, as well as the attitudes and expectations of some parents, his “just
do it” advice doesn’t seem likely to change the situation.
Extra
Tips:
Write
SHORT paragraphs.
Combine
answers where possible.
Have
5-8 sentences that accurately describe the information and ideas from each
source in your bibliography.
Use
an MLA type Works Cited page with a paragraph of analysis for each source.
Last
Points:
Use
alphabetical order.
Double
space everything.
Leave two double-spaces between sources.
