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This Guide was created by Carolyn Swidrak (retired).
An annotated bibliography is a list of sources* that provides publication information and a brief description of the content and scope of the source. The first part of an entry in an annotated bibliography is the citation of the source, in the citation format specified (such as APA or MLA). The second paragraph is the actual annotation.
Annotations are a summary and review of a source. It is similar to an abstract **, but while an abstract simply describes the content, the annotation both describes and evaluates the content. It evaluates the source in terms of quality and relevance to the research subject. One of the goals is to state why the source is relevant to one’s own research, and why it was chosen for the bibliography.
Annotations may answer these questions:
*A source may be any piece of information: article, book, website, video, blog, etc.
** An abstract is simply a short summary or description of the contents of a source. An abstract is typically found at the beginning of a journal article or on its own in a database index.
Regis Online students have access to Brainfuse, which is a link within Moodle. Work with a tutor in a live session, or submit your annotated bibliography for review.
Listed below are websites that can provide more in-depth information on how to construct an annotated bibliography, including samples.
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Source:
American Psychological Association. (2024). Sample papers. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/sample-papers