Annotated Bibliography Help
A comprehensive guide to writing an Annotated Bibliography for your research paper
If you are working on a research paper, it is essential that you structure your paper according to the formatting and writing guidelines provided by the journal. Listing the names of all the sources you have used to gather the information for your research is as important as writing the introduction and methodology for your paper. If this is the first time you are working on a research article or manuscript, then you should be familiar with the various bibliography writing styles. Annotated bibliography journal article APA is one of the most commonly used styles for preparing the bibliography for research manuscripts. First, let’s start with what is a bibliography.
A bibliography lists the names of the sources, references, and published works you have used to conduct research that also helps you form a strong base to support your arguments. Here you need to include the name of the author, the titles of published works, the date of publishing, and so on. Similarly, an annotated bibliography helps the author present information about the available research on a particular topic.
Following is the list of factors you should take into account while writing an annotated bibliography:
- Purpose of writing the bibliography
- Format to be followed
- Which writing style you should use?
- Examples to be included in the section
Include the citation details and a short statement that explains the focus of the paper is a must. You can also include the special features of research that you find relevant. Remember your readers rely on your insight and information that you provide. While writing an evaluative comment, make sure that you maintain consistency and use simple vocabulary to explain the core concept.
In order to learn how to write an annotated bibliography, you can look for a few online annotated bibliography exercises. Start by understanding the standard formatting rules and guidelines provided by your instructor. If you are working on a high school or college assignment, visit the library and search for books and periodicals. You can cite both books and articles by highlighting the central theme of the book. Write one or two sentences and evaluate the authority. Describe the target audience and compare the sources you have cited in your paper. This article contains everything you need to know about how to write an annotated bibliography step by step.
To make the concept clearer let's start with the Annotated bibliography definition.
An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of sources, documents, books, data, references, publication work, and prior information available that you used to form the basis of your research. While writing the annotated bibliography, the author do not only includes the names of the sources, but also includes a complete description of the papers. In simple terms, an annotation is nothing but a short and concise text that describes what the research paper is about and how it can contribute to the development of society. You can keep the text descriptive and also add a critical point of view including an overview. Try to keep the text short and simple so that the readers who are reading the bibliography are able to understand the background information and context of your research.
To summarize the key information and explain why the author has selected a particular source, they analyse and evaluate the source to ensure that it has relevance and value. The objective of writing an annotated bibliography is to inform and provide an overview of the arguments and issues provided in the paper. While preparing the bibliography section for your research paper, first comment on the intended target audience. Explaining the purpose and objectives should be the second you do so that the audience can identify the reason why the research was done. Try to identify the theoretical basis of the author’s research work. After you have listed the key points of the research, you can focus on the value and research significance.
The purpose of writing an annotated bibliography is to prove that you as a research and author understand the developments and existing material in your field of study. If there is something that other authors have missed in their research, you can include that in your main annotated summary and present it as a shortcoming. It will show that you have done enough study in your subject area before you chose the topic and began writing the paper. Lastly, give your view points and impressions on the work. Is the research strong? Does it solve any problem? How is the research beneficial for others? Does the research contribute to society in any way?
Writing instructions:
- Write in alphabetical order
- Summarize the information in 150-250 words
- Include transition words in your sentences
- Be concise while summarizing the information
- Go through examples of other annotated bibliographies written in your academic area
- Avoid using repetitive information
- Avoid cross-referencing the text
Tips for writing and formatting the annotated bibliography:
- Write at least one paragraph to summarize each paper
- Do not exceed more than 250 words
- Provide double spacing between the paragraphs
- Do not add any extra line between the citations you have included in the paper
- Organize your list of citations according to the given topics
- Provide an explanation to support your opinions and arguments
- Write in the third person. For example, use he or she while addressing the author instead of writing in the first person
Types of annotated bibliography
The type of annotated bibliography you want to write depends on the topic of your research. If you want to write a summary annotation for your paper, consider the following questions:
- What is the core element of the document?
- Who is the author of the document?
- What is discussed in the research?
- What is the objective of writing the research paper?
While writing an evaluative annotation, provide a critical assessment of the works included in your bibliography. Check whether or not the article is accurate or relevant to your research work. Also, analyse the work for its writing quality. Writing an evaluative annotation will help you develop a strong thesis statement and gather strong evidence to support your research and arguments.
Following is the evaluative annotation example: Maak, T. (2007). Responsible leadership, stakeholder engagement, and the emergence of social capital. Journal of Business Ethics, 74, 329-343.
This article focuses on the role of social capital in responsible leadership. It looks at both the social networks that a leader builds within an organisation, and the links that a leader creates with external stakeholders. Maak’s main aim with this article seems to be to persuade people of the importance of continued research into the abilities that a leader requires and how they can be acquired. The focus on the world of multinational business means that for readers outside this world many of the conclusions seem rather obvious (be part of the solution not part of the problem).In spite of this, the article provides useful background information on the topic of responsible leadership and definitions of social capital which are relevant to an analysis of a public servant.
Annotated bibliography structure: What to include in an annotated bibliography?
An annotated bibliography consists of a reference and annotation. Write at least 150-200 words and exclude any unnecessary details. Try to summarize the information and evaluate the sources. Following is the annotated bibliography format for Monash University.
- Reference: Provide the details of your source in the referencing style provided in the journal. Arrange the names of the sources in alphabetical order by stating with the first name of the author, then the surname, then the name of the article and the name of the affiliated institute, and year of publication. This format is the MHRA style. While the requirements for annotated bibliography APA are including the name of the author and year of publication comes first after which you can write the name of the paper and the affiliated institute.
- Introduction: Give a title to your research. You can include the background of your study. Mention two or three lines about the research framework in your annotated bibliography.
- Entries: Include the entries in an alphabetic order using the APA or MLA style as per the requirements.
- Summary: Outline the main points of the research and describe the methodology used to conduct the research. What is your opinion? Is the method used for deriving the results appropriate? Does the author's research justify the conclusion?
Learning to analyze a research paper is very important for your next annotated bibliography assignment. You can also use an online annotated bibliography generator APA. It can help you format your bibliography, just simply enter the following details:
- Choose the source
- Name of the author
- Name of the editor and series editor
- Title
- Series title
- Volume
- Publisher
- Date of publishing
APA formatting requirements:
- Use double-space for writing the text and reference list
- Start the numbering from the title page
- Insert the numbers at the top right side of your page
- Use a hanging indent for including the reference list entries
- Keep 1-inch margins all around
- Use Time Roman font or Serif font to create the document
- Indent every paragraph
Format for Annotated bibliography MLA, 8th edition:
Include your first name on the left-hand side and your last name on the top right side of the page. Include the name of your instructor below your first name with the course number and date of submission. Write the main title of your paper and a short thesis statement focusing on the purpose and research question.
Here is a sample of Sample MLA Annotation:
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Books, 1995.
Lamott’s book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of being a writer, the chapters in Lamott’s book are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot development to jealousy, from perfectionism to struggling with one’s own internal critic. In the process, Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be both productive and fun. Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her main project seems to be offering the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and struggling with one’s own imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a practical handbook to producing and/or publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and its encouraging approach.
One more example to understand the format of annotated bibliography:
Voeltz, L.M. (1980). Children’s attitudes toward handicapped peers. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 84, 455-464.
“As services for severely handicapped children become increasingly available within neighborhood public schools, children’s attitudes toward handicapped peers in integrated settings warrant attention. Factor analysis of attitude survey responses of 2,392 children revealed four factors underlying attitudes toward handicapped peers: social- contact willingness, deviance consequation, and two actuals contact dimensions. Upper elementary-age children, girls, and children in schools with most contact with severely handicapped peers expressed the most accepting attitudes. Results of this study suggest the modifiability of children’s attitudes and the need to develop interventions to facilitate social acceptance of individual differences in integrated school settings.”
How to evaluate the research sources for writing an annotated bibliography for dummies?
- Find out the aim and scope of the research
- Make a list of the research methods used
- List the main arguments and research findings
- Define the limitations of research
- Analyze the evidence given in the paper
- Is the main issued addressed in the paper?
If you are looking for Annotated bibliography nursing topics, here are some ideas straight from the experts:
- Analysis of toddler's health
- Common breastfeeding habits
- Causes and symptoms of heart attack
- Common skin diseases in teenagers
- Bone fractures and their impact
- Importance of diagnostic tests
- Eating habits in adults
- Effects of vaccinations
- Medical surgery and their consequences
Template for working bibliography written in MLA style:
- Full name of the author
- The main title of the source
- The main title of the contributing authors
- The printed or online version number of the publication
- Name of the publisher
- Location of the online source
- Summary and analysis
This video is brought to you by straight from Carleton University. These two minutes forty-four seconds video provides an insight into the basics of writing an annotated bibliography for your research paper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesnEcikxT8
Annotated bibliography maker:
If your deadline is near and you want to submit your assignment on-time, you can use the online annotated bibliography maker. There are many online bibliography maker tools available that you can use and complete your research paper. Just enter a few details about your assignment and get ready to submit the assignment. Provide a list of relevant sources of information and inform your readers about the latest publications in your field. An annotated bibliography also helps other authors and professionals in your field to access information about the subject. The annotated bibliography creator tool will help you create a bibliography free of cost.
Here is an annotated bibliography checklist for selecting your sources:
- Are the authors an expert in their field?
- How recent was the article published?
- How reputed are the publisher and journals?
- Who are the target readers?
- Are the author's opinions and views reflected clearly?
- Is their enough supporting evidence included in the paper?
- Is any other published research included?
- Is there a hint of biases in the research?
- How helpful is the information for you provided in the paper?
- Does the paper help you develop a strong research question?
- Does the paper include any new information?
Students or authors working on a research article for the first time may not be familiar with the common APA and MLA style. Now you can create citations in just a matter of a few minutes using online tools. Writing a research paper or article can be exhausting and time consuming for students. Nowadays, you can find plenty of custom writing services that are fast, reliable, and offer their services 24/7.
However, with the increase in the number of academic writing services companies, choosing services that are effective and credible can be a tough task. Peachy Essay offers online custom writing service to school and college students helping them submit error-free and professional academic essays and thesis. You can get plagiarism free content at a reasonable price. The company is known for offering high-quality customized academic writing services. With the pool of experienced and qualified academic writers, you can leave the worry of submitting your paper on time. Just fill the form, select the formatting style, and submit your requirements. Peachy Essay also offers essay writing services and free writing tools to help students draft the perfect research article and document. You can simply select a category according to your academic writing requirements and budget.
Generate the bibliography easily and save your time and efforts by the bibliography generator tool offered by Peachy Essay. All you have to do is enter the details and get a readymade bibliography. You can directly copy paste the content and attach it to your paper.
Many students do need help with their essay writings. Therefore, we offer them a set of online free writing tools. However if you still need further assistance, we would suggest to check out our professional essay services to see the variety of help you can get. Alternatively, you can contact us or place an order.
