Montgomery College Germantown Campus

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Annotated Bibliographies

Annotated Bibliographies

What are they?                                                                                                                                 
            They are bibliographies that contain additional text that will provide summaries, evaluations, and sometimes, personal reflections on each entry’s usefulness.

Why write them?                                                                                                                             
            Annotated bibliographies are useful for learning about a topic, formulating a thesis (by determining what others are writing or concerned about) and sometimes, to help other researchers by compiling information that may or may not be published on a specific topic.
            You may be asked to write an annotated bibliography as part of a larger paper (such as in EN 102).

How are they written?                                                                                                                    
  1. Compile the reference entries according to MLA, APA, Chicago, or some other format.
  2. Add the annotation in paragraph form using complete sentences.
Use of first- or third-person point of view is up to your instructor. If you are not sure, ask for clarification from your instructor.

Some suggestions on writing an annotated bibliography:                                                      
  • Keep track of your sources by printing out the articles, saving the files on your computer, or creating the reference entries using a citation generator like Noodle Tools or RefWorks (http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/citation_tools).
  • Make note of which sources you will use in your outline and include an in-text citation. This will help you to save time later when proofreading and revising your rough draft and will help prevent losing track of sources.
For sample annotated bibliographies, please visit the Purdue Owl website or come visit us in HS 150 to pick up a handout.