Preparing an Annotated Bibliography

The following information is provided to help you produce a quality annotated bibliography that will help
you complete the Applications in your DDBA 8160 course
The core content for the remaining text of this document has been provided, with permission to use and
adapt, by The Reference Department of the Collections, Reference, Instruction & Outreach (CRIO), of
the Cornell University Library, Ithaca, NY, USA.
WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to boo!s" articles" and documents #ach citation is
followed by a brief $usually about 1%0 words& descriptive and evaluative paragraph" the annotation The
purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance" accuracy" and quality of the sources
cited
ANNOTATIONS !S" ABSTRA#TS
Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly 'ournal articles
or in periodical inde(es Annotations are descriptive and critical) they e(pose the author*s point of view"
clarity and appropriateness of e(pression" and authority
THE PRO#ESS
+reating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual s!ills, concise
e(position" succinct analysis" and informed library research
-irst" locate and record citations to boo!s" periodicals" and documents that may contain useful information
and ideas on your topic Briefly e(amine and review the actual items Then choose those wor!s that
provide a variety of perspectives on your topic
+ite the boo!" article" or document using the appropriate style
.rite a concise annotation that summari/es the central theme and scope of the boo! or article 0nclude
one or more sentences that $a& evaluate the authority or bac!ground of the author" $b& comment on the
intended audience" $c& compare or contrast this wor! with another you have cited" or $d& e(plain how this
wor! illuminates your bibliography topic
#RITI#ALLY APPRAISING THE BOO$% ARTI#LE% OR DO#&'ENT
1ou can begin evaluating a physical information source $a boo! or an article for instance& even before you
have the physical item in hand Appraise a source by first e(amining the bibliographic citation The
bibliographic citation is the written description of a boo!" 'ournal article" essay" or some other published
material that appears in a catalog or inde( Bibliographic citations characteristically have three main
components, author" title" and publication information These components can help you determine the
usefulness of this source for your paper $0n the same way" you can appraise a .eb site by e(amining the
home page carefully&
I" INITIAL APPRAISAL
A" A(thor
1 .hat are the author*s credentials22institutional affiliation $where he or she wor!s&" educational
bac!ground" past writings" or e(perience3 0s the boo! or article written on a topic in the author*s
area of e(pertise3 1ou can use the various ho!s ho publications for the 45 and other
countries and for specific sub'ects and the biographical information located in the publication
itself to help determine the author*s affiliation and credentials
6 7as your instructor mentioned this author3 7ave you seen the author*s name cited in other
sources or bibliographies3 8espected authors are cited frequently by other scholars -or this
reason" always note those names that appear in many different sources
9 0s the author associated with a reputable institution or organi/ation3 .hat are the basic values or
goals of the organi/ation or institution3
B" Date o) P(bli*ation
1 .hen was the source published3 This date is often located on the face of the title page below the
name of the publisher 0f it is not there" loo! for the copyright date on the reverse of the title page
:n .eb pages" the date of the last revision is usually at the bottom of the home page" sometimes
every page
6 0s the source current or out2of2date for your topic3 Topic areas of continuing and rapid
development" such as the sciences" demand more current information :n the other hand" topics in
the humanities often require material that was written many years ago At the other e(treme" some
news sources on the .eb now note the hour and minute that articles are posted on their site
#" Edition or Re+i,ion
0s this a first edition of this publication or not3 -urther editions indicate a source has been revised
and updated to reflect changes in !nowledge" include omissions" and harmoni/e with its intended
reader*s needs Also" many printings or editions may indicate that the wor! has become a standard
source in the area and is reliable 0f you are using a .eb source" do the pages indicate revision
dates3
D" P(bli,her
;ote the publisher 0f the source is published by a university press" it is li!ely to be scholarly
Although the fact that the publisher is reputable does not necessarily guarantee quality" it does
show that the publisher may have high regard for the source being published
E" Title o) -o(rnal
0s this a scholarly or a popular 'ournal3 This distinction is important because it indicates different
levels of comple(ity in conveying ideas 0f you need help in determining the type of 'ournal" see
the note" "istinguishing Scho#ar#y from Non$Scho#ar#y %eriodica#s at the end of this document
II" #ONTENT ANALYSIS
7aving made an initial appraisal" you should now e(amine the body of the source 8ead the preface to
determine the author*s intentions for the boo! 5can the table of contents and the inde( to get a broad
overview of the material it covers ;ote whether bibliographies are included 8ead the chapters that
specifically address your topic 5canning the table of contents of a 'ournal or maga/ine issue is also
useful As with boo!s" the presence and quality of a bibliography at the end of the article may reflect the
care with which the authors have prepared their wor!
A" Intended A(dien*e
.hat type of audience is the author addressing3 0s the publication aimed at a speciali/ed or a
general audience3 0s this source too elementary" too technical" too advanced" or 'ust right for your
needs3
B" Ob.e*ti+e Rea,oning
1 0s the information covered fact" opinion" or propaganda3 0t is not always easy to separate fact
from opinion -acts can usually be verified) opinions" though they may be based on factual
information" evolve from the interpretation of facts 5!illed writers can ma!e you thin! their
interpretations are facts
6 Does the information appear to be valid and well2researched" or is it questionable and
unsupported by evidence3 Assumptions should be reasonable ;ote errors or omissions
9 Are the ideas and arguments advanced more or less in line with other wor!s you have read on the
same topic3 The more radically an author departs from the views of others in the same field" the
more carefully and critically you should scrutini/e his or her ideas
< 0s the author*s point of view ob'ective and impartial3 0s the language free of emotion2arousing
words and bias3
#" #o+erage
1 Does the wor! update other sources" substantiate other materials you have read" or add new
information3 Does it e(tensively or marginally cover your topic3 1ou should e(plore enough
sources to obtain a variety of viewpoints
6 0s the material primary or secondary in nature3 =rimary sources are the raw material of the
research process 5econdary sources are based on primary sources -or e(ample" if you were
researching >onrad Adenauer*s role in rebuilding .est ?ermany after .orld .ar 00" Adenauer*s
own writings would be one of many primary sources available on this topic :thers might include
relevant government documents and contemporary ?erman newspaper articles 5cholars use this
primary material to help generate historical interpretations22a secondary source Boo!s"
encyclopedia articles" and scholarly 'ournal articles about Adenauer*s role are considered
secondary sources 0n the sciences" 'ournal articles and conference proceedings written by
e(perimenters reporting the results of their research are primary documents +hoose both primary
and secondary sources when you have the opportunity
D" Writing Style
0s the publication organi/ed logically3 Are the main points clearly presented3 Do you find the te(t
easy to read" or is it stilted or choppy3 0s the author*s argument repetitive3
E" E+al(ati+e Re+ie/,
1 @ocate critical reviews of boo!s in a reviewing source" such as &oo' (eview Index" &oo' (eview
"igest, :8 %eriodica# Abstracts 0s the review positive3 0s the boo! under review considered a
valuable contribution to the field3 Does the reviewer mention other boo!s that might be better3 0f
so" locate these sources for more information on your topic
6 Do the various reviewers agree on the value or attributes of the boo! or has it aroused controversy
among the critics3
@earning how to determine the relevance and authority of a given resource for your research is one of the
core s!ills of the research process -or more assistance with the research process" consult your instructor
or a reference librarian
SA'PLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY 0OR A -O&RNAL ARTI#LE
The )ollo/ing e1a2ple (,e, the APA )or2at for the 'ournal citation Note3 A=A requires double spacing
within citations
Waite% L" -"% Gold,*hneider% 0" $"% 4 Wit,berger% #" 56789:" Non;)a2ily li+ing and
the ero,ion o) traditional )a2ily orientation, a2ong yo(ng ad(lt," merican !ociolo"ical
Revie#, $%, <=6><<="
The authors" researchers at the 8and +orporation and Brown 4niversity" use data from the
;ational @ongitudinal 5urveys of 1oung .omen and 1oung Aen to test their hypothesis that
non2family living by young adults alters their attitudes" values" plans" and e(pectations" moving
them away from their belief in traditional se( roles They find their hypothesis strongly supported
in young females" while the effects were fewer in studies of young males 0ncreasing the time
away from parents" before marrying" increased individualism" self2sufficiency" and changes in
attitudes about families 0n contrast" an earlier study by .illiams cited below shows no significant
gender differences in se( role attitudes as a result of non2family living
Additional In)or2ation
Di,ting(i,hing S*holarly -o(rnal, )ro2 Other Periodi*al,
Bournals and maga/ines are important sources for up2to2date information in all disciplines .ith a
periodical collection as large and diverse as .aldenCs it is often difficult to distinguish between the
various levels of scholarship found in the collection 0n this guide we have divided the criteria for
periodical literature into four categories,
DE0INITIONS3
.ebster*s Third Internationa# "ictionary defines ,*holarly as,
1& concerned with academic study" especially research"
6& e(hibiting the methods and attitudes of a scholar" and
9& having the manner and appearance of a scholar
S(b,tanti+e is defined as having a solid base" being substantial
Pop(lar means fit for" or reflecting the taste and intelligence of" the people at large
Sen,ational is defined as arousing or intending to arouse strong curiosity" interest or reaction
>eeping these definitions in mind" and reali/ing that none of the lines drawn between types of 'ournals
can ever be totally clear cut" the general criteria are as follows
S#HOLARLY
5cholarly 'ournal articles often have an abstract" a descriptive summary of the article contents" before the
main te(t of the article 5cholarly 'ournals generally have a sober" serious loo! They often contain many
graphs and charts but few glossy pages or e(citing pictures
5cholarly 'ournals a#ways cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies These
bibliographies are generally lengthy and cite other scholarly writings Articles are written by a scholar in
the field or by someone who has done research in the field The affiliations of the authors are listed"
usually at the bottom of the first page or at the end of the article22universities" research institutions" thin!
tan!s" and the li!e
The language of scholarly 'ournals is that of the discipline covered 0t assumes some scholarly
bac!ground on the part of the reader The main purpose of a scholarly 'ournal is to report on original
research or e(perimentation in order to ma!e such information available to the rest of the scholarly world
Aany scholarly 'ournals" though by no means all" are published by a specific professional organi/ation
#DAA=@#5 :- 5+7:@A8@1 B:48;A@5,
American )conomic (eview
Archives of Sexua# &ehavior
*A+A, The *ourna# of the American +edica# Association
*ourna# of +arriage and the -ami#y$published by the ;ational +ouncil on -amily 8elations&
+odern -iction Studies
Sex (o#es, A *ourna# of (esearch
S&BSTANTI!E NEWS OR GENERAL INTEREST
These periodicals may be quite attractive in appearance" although some are in newspaper format Articles
are often heavily illustrated" generally with photographs
;ews and general interest periodicals sometimes cite sources" though more often do not
Articles may be written by a member of the editorial staff" a scholar or a free lance writer
The language of these publications is geared to any educated audience There is no specialty assumed"
only interest and a certain level of intelligence They are generally published by commercial enterprises or
individuals" although some emanate from specific professional organi/ations The main purpose of
periodicals in this category is to provide information" in a general manner" to a broad audience of
concerned citi/ens
#DAA=@#5 :- 54B5TA;T0E# ;#.5 :8 ?#;#8A@ 0;T#8#5T =#80:D0+A@5,
.hristian Science +onitor
)conomist
Nationa# /eographic
New Yor' Times
Scientific American
0ita# Speeches of the "ay
POP&LAR
=opular periodicals come in many formats" although often somewhat slic! and attractive in appearance
@ots of graphics $photographs" drawings" etc& These publications rarely" if ever" cite sources 0nformation
published in such 'ournals is often second or third hand and the original source is sometimes obscure
Articles are usually very short" written in simple language and are designed to meet a minimal education
level There is generally little depth to the content of these articles
The main purpose of popular periodicals is to entertain the reader" to sell products $their own or their
advertisers&" andFor to promote a viewpoint
#DAA=@#5 :- =:=4@A8 =#80:D0+A@5,
)bony
%arents
%eop#e ee'#y
(eaders "igest
Sports I##ustrated
Time
0ogue
SENSATIONAL
5ensational periodicals come in a variety of styles" but often use a newspaper format
Their language is elementary and occasionally inflammatory or sensational They assume a certain
gullibility in their audience The main purpose of sensational maga/ines seems to be to arouse curiosity
and to cater to popular superstitions They often do so with flashy headlines designed to astonish $eg
7alf2man 7alf2woman Aa!es 5elf =regnant&
#DAA=@#5 :- 5#;5AT0:;A@ =#80:D0+A@5,
/#obe
Nationa# )xaminer
Star
ee'#y or#d News