Education: Annotated Bibliography

When you are working on a research project, it is important to create and maintain an annotated bibliography because it allows you to document how you have critically engaged with the existing scholarship in your research area. An annotated bibliography may be a part of a larger assignment, or it may be a separate document. An annotated bibliography has the same format as a regular bibliography or reference list.

An annotated bibliography consists of two parts:

1. reference (citation)
2. annotation

Depending on your assignment, you may reflect on, summarise, critique, evaluate, or analyse the sources. The length and level of detail of annotations may vary, but typically, it involves reviewing each source in 150-200 words.

Creating an annotated bibliography may be required for various reasons, depending on the assessment criteria. Some of these reasons include:

• Getting familiarised with the available material on a particular topic
• Demonstrating the quality and depth of your reading on a topic
• Developing your analytical and critical reading skills
• Identifying a range of sources that are available on your topic
• Highlighting sources that may be of interest to other readers and researchers
• Organising the sources for further research, for instance, as the first step towards a literature review
• Identifying connections between the information sources

What kind of resources should be studied?

Please note: It is crucial to carefully review the task's specific requirements to have a clear understanding of what is needed.

It is recommended to rely on academic books and peer-reviewed journals as they are more trustworthy sources of information.

When selecting sources, it is essential to choose a balanced range of approaches that answer a clearly defined question or problem, instead of just those that confirm what you already know.

First, read abstracts or academic book reviews to help you select studies most relevant to your problem, then select the most suitable from those to read in full.  Take notes on your selected texts as you read.

Pay attention to:

• the author’s theoretical approach
• which parts of the topic are covered in this paper
• main points or findings on the topic
• the author’s position or argument

Record evaluations in your notes; your bibliography should not be a list but present your own informed position on the texts and the topic as a whole.

• How well does this text address your topic?
• Does it cover the topic thoroughly or only one aspect of it?
• Do the research methods seem appropriate and does the argument stand up to scrutiny?
• Does it agree with or contradict other studies?

List texts in alphabetical order using citation conventions for a reference list.

Create an annotation under each citation: a paragraph summarising each text and explaining how the text applies to your research question or problem. e.g.

• What aspect of your question/ problem does it address?  
• How fully?
• Does it provide background information/ theory / useful results?
• How strong is the evidence?  
• What are its limitations in answering your research question?

When creating an annotation, you may need to include a summary or description of the source, an evaluation and analysis of the study, and a reflection on its usefulness to your research. It's important to keep in mind that what you include in your annotation will depend on the specific instructions given by your lecturer, so be sure to read them carefully!

You may keep in mind the following points while preparing a summary of a text:

Please note: It is crucial to carefully review the task's specific requirements to have a clear understanding of what is needed.

Find out what citation style you need to use, such as APA 7 Syle.