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ENG 111: Annotated Bibliography (Hughes-Loudoun)

This guide supports rhetorical reading, annotating, summarizing, and response skills.

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is more than a list of sources you are using in your research paper. Before you begin, watch this video for details.

There is also a blog post from August 2021 that covers this subject matter, Creating Your First Annotated Bibliography.

How to create an annotated bibliography

Once you have identified the resources that will be used for your essay, you will want to share why you considered these as most appropriate for your research effort. There are four steps to creating an annotated bibliography:

  1. Find a source.
  2. Cite it (MLA format). This acts as your header for each entry in your bibliography.
  3. Summarize it. Briefly restate, in your own words, the main points of the article/book/video/website you are including in this bibliography. Be sure to maintain a neutral perspective in your summary. (1-3 sentences)
  4. Evaluate it. Here is where you can add your opinion about the source. Use the evaluation to tell the reader what the source contributes to your research question/project. Indicate any bias that you’ve noticed.  (@150 words).