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An annotated bibliography is a summary and evaluation of multiple sources. This might include journal articles, webpages, books, or other types of media depending on the assignment. In some ways, an annotated bibliography is similar to a Works Cited or Reference page with a lot more detail. These assignments are not always set up like normal papers with introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. Instead, they work more like a list. For each separate source you are using, you will have a set of steps to complete. It is extremely important to pay attention to your professor’s instructions for an annotated bibliography, because what is required can vary from class to class.

• All annotated bibliographies will require you to make citations in the appropriate style. This will always be the first thing you list about a source.
• Many annotated bibliographies will require a summary paragraph. This is simply a short paragraph restating the main ideas of the article, book, etc.
• Some annotated bibliographies will require an evaluation of credibility, sometimes also called research defense. This paragraph may focus on the authors’ credentials (where they work or study, any degrees they have, etc), the research methods (how any data discussed was obtained), and/or the credibility of the publisher (a respected journal, the website of a university, etc). You will explain why the examples you are giving make the source credible and/or scholarly.
• Some annotated bibliographies will require analysis. Pay close attention to the wording on your assignment instructions here. You may be asked to discuss the source’s relevance to the scholarly debate or to discuss how you plan to use it in your own paper. Explain what makes this source unique, interesting, or useful. Some professors will also ask for an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, including biases or missing information.
• Many annotated bibliographies will also require you to perform synthesis. Synthesis is basically comparing and contrasting your various sources. The most common way this is done is by including quotes from one source in the analysis paragraph of another source, and explaining how they agree or disagree on certain points. This will generally be the last step in analyzing a source, and is easiest to do after you have read all the sources you will use so you know all your options for comparing and contrasting.

Not all annotated bibliographies will necessarily use all of the steps listed above. Whichever steps are included in your assignment instructions will be repeated for each source. For example: you will take Article A and write a citation, a summary paragraph, an evaluation of credibility paragraph, and an analysis paragraph with synthesis. Then you will take Article B and write a citation, a summary paragraph, an evaluation of credibility paragraph, and an analysis paragraph with synthesis. You would repeat all of these steps for every single article you are using. This can seem like a lot of work, but will make using this research in a future paper much easier.