Gemstone

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

A bibliography is a list of sources that is used for research and is found at the end of a research paper. Bibliographies are also called "Works Cited" or "References."

An annotation is a summary or evaluation.

An annotated bibliography is a summary / evaluation of the sources listed in your bibliography.

An annotated bibliography includes 4 parts.

1. A citation
2. A summary of the source
3. An evaluation of the source
4. A reflection of how to use the source in your research

Citation: Purdue OWL. (2025). Annotated Bibliographies. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/index.html

Part 1: Citation

Begin your annotated bibliography with the source's citation in your preferred citation style.

Part 2: Summary

Next, you will include a short summary of your source. You want your reader to have an understanding of your source that you will then evaluate and reflect on how this source supports your research.

Part 3: Evaluation

In addition to summarizing your source, you will want to evaluate the authority of the source to determine its credibility for your research. During your evaluation, consider the following questions:

Who is the author?

• What is their background? How does it contribute to their work?
• Does an organization claim responsibility for the source? What can you find out about them?
• What makes them credible? What makes them biased?

Where is the source published?

• Is this published in a scholarly journal, a newspaper, etc.? Is this a standalone publication, like a website or a government document?
• What is the reputation of the publication or media outlet? Do they have any known biases?

When was the source published?

• Is your source recent enough to be relevant to your research? Is this the most recent information on your topic?
• Does the timing of the source fit your research purposes?

Why was the source published

• What is the purpose of the source? Does the purpose impact the argument?

Where did the author get their information?

• In a scholarly article, you can check the citations / bibliography / works cited / references to see where the researchers got their information.

Part 4: Reflection

The final part of an annotated bibliography is the reflection. Now that you have introduced the source and evaluated it for credibility, you will explain how this source will support your research.