DEVELOPING
AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anne Fields, Education Librarian ,
and
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What is a bibliography?
A
bibliography is list of sources that you have consulted for information. It differs from a works cited list in that a
works cited list includes only sources which you have actually quoted,
paraphrased, or summarized in a paper or report.
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What is an annotated bibliography?
Every
citation in an annotated bibliography includes a brief summary of the source,
along with typical publication information (author, title, date, etc.) The summary can describe the information
contained in the source, but it can also evaluate the information. The first kind of annotation is called a "descriptive
annotation," the second an "evaluative annotation."
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What is the
difference between an annotation and an abstract?
An
annotation is descriptive and/or evaluative, revealing the author’s authority
and point of view and commenting on specific elements of the work (see
below). An abstract is strictly a
descriptive summary of the work.
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What should each entry in my annotated bibliography
include?
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A complete
bibliographic citation
(Be sure to be consistent throughout.)
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One or two
sentences that capture the main idea(s) and coverage of the source
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A description of
the source's intended audience and purpose, form, arrangement, ease of use
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A critique of the
source's:
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accuracy
v
objectivity
(including both explicit and hidden biases)
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authority (author's
expertise with regard to this topic)
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currency (if
applicable to this topic)
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A description of
any special features, such as a useful bibliography or a list of Web sites
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A reflection on
the source's usefulness to you, particularly in comparison to other sources you
have read on similar topics
v What
characterizes a well-written annotation?
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Brevity (150-250
words; 2-3 paragraphs)
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Conciseness
(every word must count)
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Complete
sentences of varying lengths, or verb phrases (be consistent)
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Only significant
details and ideas included
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No direct
quotations or paraphrases. Use your own words.
Do not “borrow” from the abstract included with the article.
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Correct
bibliographic citation style
(over)
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Example:
Margonis, F., & Parker, L. (1999). Choice: The route to community control? Theory Into
Practice, 38, 203-208. Retrieved
http://www.ohiolink.edu/databases/login/edua.
In this article Margonis and Parker, Associate Professors of Education at
the
Minority parents are using
school vouchers to obtain a better education for their children than the public
schools can provide. Conservative
politicians, the authors claim, are using vouchers to maintain a system of
segregated schooling. Margonis and Parker believe that minority parents
unwittingly are buying into a conservative political strategy that only serves
to worsen the educational system for other minority students. While the authors display a bias against
economically powerful white Republicans, neither are they sympathetic to
liberal Democrats because they believe that liberal Democrats have failed inner
city schools, too.
The lengthy bibliography cites works published only through 1998, but the article gives a useful overview of the historical context of school vouchers and cites studies from respected journals and publishers. I found it interesting that Dale McDonald’s (2000) more recent article cites liberal Democrats like Joseph Lieberman and Robert Reich as favoring vouchers, too. McDonald also cites several other studies, published as recently as 1998, that show that African-American children did show higher achievement in voucher schools than in the public schools, although students from other ethnic groups did not appear to achieve any differently than they did in the public schools. While McDonald might seem to be contradicting Margonis and Parker, however, I think that they are talking about two separate issues: educational achievement and segregation. This brings us back to the classic question of whether there really is such a thing as “separate but equal.”
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Additional resources:
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“Academic
Writing: Annotated Bibliography.”
2003.
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“Annotated
Bibliography Criteria.” Fall 2002.
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Engle, Michael,
Amy Blumenthal, and Toy Cosgrave. “How to Prepare an Annotated
Bibliography.”
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“Help in Writing
Annotations.”
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Kirk, Tom. “Writing Annotations: Research Tips.”
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“Learning Support
Services: Help in Writing Annotations.”
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Vogt, Judy. “Writing Critical Annotations, Abstracts and
Critiques”.
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“Writing an
Annotated Bibliography.”
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“Writing
Annotations.”
April,
2003