THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?
An Annotated bibliography is a big title for a short piece of technical writing. It is The definition, according to Cazenovia College, is
"An annotated bibliography is a bibliography with an explanation of what the each work cited is about."
In this way it helps the researcher discover whether the material can be of use to him if he is not familiar with the work listed.
DETAILS FOR AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
ONLY 1 paragraph
Must include:
• MLA citation format for the article instead of a title
• Summary of the main ideas in the article (3 – 4 sentences)
• 1-2 critique sentences stating your impression of Quality of the writing and Quality of the information the author included
FORMAT FOR AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sentence 1: “In this article, (author’s name) ….. (author’s thesis)”
Sentence 2: “(author’s name) discusses ….. (main points listed)”
Sentence 3: “A discussion of ….. (author goes in-depth on these ideas)”
Sentence 4: “(author’s name)’s article is (descriptive critique word), (but or and) …”
Sentence 5 (and maybe 6): “The author has ….. (but or and) …”
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY EXAMPLE:
Bowden, H.S. From The Religion of Shakespeare. 1899. Rpt. in Readings on The Character of Hamlet. Ed. Claude C. H. Williamson.
New York: Gordian Press, 1972. 220-34.
In this excerpted article, Bowden touches on three main aspects in Hamlet. Bowden discusses Hamlet’s passion, will, and conscience
which affect his accomplishing the death of his uncle. A discussion of religious actions and affiliations follows, specifically comparing the
Catholic and Protestant approaches and possibilities regarding the symbols and the possible meanings for them which are found in the
play. The article ends with quotes from historical sources showing that the characters in Hamlet may be closely related to political and
social figures of Shakespeare’s time. Bowden’s article is interesting, but may lose the reader in its transitions between topics. The editor
has excerpted different sections of the original analysis, and given the reader access to these diverse ideas and views, but lost the
continuity in the process.