The below example is taken from Fairclough (2015). It gives a brief description of all relevant information of the source. As mentioned, the details can be either descriptive or evaluative. The annotation provides the necessary fundamental details of the source. For example, the author, book title, publisher, and publication year are important components to be included in a book citation.įairclough, N. The citation includes all components of a source. It may also talk about the merits and demerits of a source. An evaluative annotation tries to correlate the source with other recognized sources or studies on the same topic. It explores a source and shows its relevance by examining its preciseness.
EvaluativeĪn evaluative annotation analyzes a source. It can also explain the purpose of the source. It gives insight into the topic covered in the source. The descriptive type gives crucial details of the source or describes the source. Classification of annotationsĪnnotations are classified into two types:
Never try to provide proof, take the author’s text verbatim, or discuss irrelevant points in your annotation. The primary goal of adding an annotation is to give the reader the significance, merit, and benefit of using a source. The aim of an annotated bibliography is to either provide details of the topics discussed in the source or assess the source. The length of the annotation can extend up to 150 words. An annotation can be given for all types of sources such as journals, books, or reports. The additional information about a source is called an annotation. Use the tabs on the left to navigate through the different parts of this guide.An annotated bibliography is a special type of bibliography that provides additional information about the sources listed in the references list. This guide will teach you all about annotations and how you can construct a great annotated bibliography. If you are not sure which type of annotation your professor is looking for, be sure to ask! Each is discussed in its own page of this guide. There are two common types of annotated bibliographies: DESCRIPTIVE and CRITICAL. These annotations help your reader understand the pros and cons of a specific book or article, and enable them to see how this source fits amongst other works on the same topic. Your bibliography shows your classmates, and your professor, that you are a capable, credible researcher who gives credit to others where credit is due.Īn ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY adds a short paragraph describing and analyzing the source after its citation.
Your bibliography allows your reader to find the sources you relied upon so she can read them herself (or check the information you provided).Your bibliography shows your professor which sources you utilized in researching and writing your paper so she can assess your ability to find pertinent sources.
Different style guides have different names for bibliographies, and different formats for the citations they include, so be sure to check our Citing your Sources page for more information on how your specific manual formats its references. A bibliography is also sometimes referred to as a works cited page or a References list. For starters, let's make sure we understand the definition of a bibliography.Ī BIBLIOGRAPHY is a list of citations (which generally include the author's name, the title of the work, the place of publication, etc.) to the articles, books, websites, and other sources you used in researching your paper.