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Writing Guides

MacEwan University Writing Centre

Annotated Bibliographies

What is a bibliography? 📚

A bibliography is a list of research sources such as peer-reviewed articles, scholarly monographs (books), edited collections, etc.

Bibliographies are usually alphabetized by author last name and formatted in a specific citation style. In MLA, for example, bibliographic entries are called Works Cited. In APA, they are called References.

What is an annotated bibliography? 📝

To annotate simply means to make a note. Annotated bibliographies (ABs), then, are lists of research sources which have had notes added to them by the compiler of the list. 

Why write an annotated bibliography? 🗂️ 

⚙️ Put process before product 

Bibliographies are routinely published at the end of research documents, where they are used to identify all of the cited sources in the document. 

But imagine you are just beginning a research project. You are starting to assemble your sources and you need to keep track of your findings somehow. By using an AB to take well-organized notes, you can systematically retain that information, describing how you understand individual sources from your own point of view. 

ABs also help you to bring all of your sources into relationship with one another. When you write an AB, you can get a bird's eye view of how each source fits into the landscape of your project, rather than getting lost in the weeds. 

🛠️ Build solid foundations 

As Basham et al. (2022) describe, there are four compelling reasons to write an AB: 

  1. ABs are a valuable tool for collecting and evaluating academic sources
  2. ABs allow researchers to assess what has been done on their topic, survey scholarly trends and developments, and identify existing gaps in the literature
  3. ABs act as a guide for a more robust literature review, offering an in-depth overview of the topic and encouraging critical thinking 
  4. ABs help researchers formulate research questions and determine why their research is relevant to the field, framing their contribution in relationship to what has or hasn't been studied already 

How to write an annotated bibliography ✍️

ABs are flexible genres which can be customized according to the needs of your project. However, as Merkle (2022) observes, annotations on bibliographies typically fulfill three key functions. 

📋 Summarize 

Summarize the basics. What kind of source is it? When was it published and by whom? Who is its intended audience? What is its main purpose? Are there any notable features of this source (e.g. appendices, diagrams/illustrations, an unusual publication medium, etc.)? 

🔍 Explain 

Describe key considerations. What is the context for this source? What is its purpose or stated goals? How does it achieve these goals (what are its methods)? Does it implement a theoretical framework? What are its findings or key claims? 

⚖️ Evaluate 

Analyze the source. Is is credible, relevant, valuable, persuasive? Do you accept its claims, or do you need to critique them? If it is a research study, are its methods sound? What are the potential implications of the source? What are its limitations? How does it compare to or contrast with other sources on your bibliography? How does it fit within the bigger picture of your own project? 

Helpful tips for writing ABs 💡

  • Use your AB title to establish the scope of the document—what should and shouldn't be included   
  • Consider using headings to organize your AB entires into subcategories
  • Keep your notes as short, simple, and systematic as possible (typically 150-250 words per entry) 
  • Consider whether you might benefit from including keywords, quotations, or other data points in your annotations

Example Annotated Bibliography Entries

Annotated Bibliography Example #1 Bibliographical Citation (APA 7th) Bisharat, G., Kaganovski, E., Sapir, H., Temnogorod, A., Levy, T., & Resnik, J. (2025.) Repeated stress gradually impairs auditory processing and perception. PLOS Biology, 23(2), e3003012. 1 SUMMARY This 2025 study looks at how stress affects how mice process and perceive sounds. The researchers put mice through mild daily stress for a week while monitoring brain activity and testing how the mice responded to different sounds. 2 EXPLANATION They found that stress changed how the brain processed sounds—certain brain cells became more active spontaneously but less responsive to actual sounds. As a result, stressed mice perceived moderate-volume sounds as quieter than they actually were. 3 EVALUATION What makes this study important is that it shows stress affects how we process everyday, neutral sounds—not just emotionally charged ones. The findings help explain why people under stress might experience changes in sensory perception. While the study only used mild, short-term stress in mice, it gives insight into stress-related sensory disorders. 📋 🔍 ⚖️

Annotated Bibliography Example #2 Bibliographical Citation (MLA 9th) Warner, Lawrence. "'Mi Minde is Mukul', the 102nd Gawainian Wheel," Notes and Queries, 2025, Oxford UP, gjaf028, https://doi.org/10.1093/notesj/gjaf028. This short article looks at two lines of old English writing found in the margins of the manuscript containing the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These lines, which roughly translate to "My mind is much on one who will not relieve me; she was once as true as stone and could defend herself from shame," have puzzled scholars for years. Warner makes a simple but important discovery: these lines use the same poetic pattern (called a "wheel") that appears 101 times in the Gawain poem itself. By looking closely at the handwriting and physical features of the manuscript, Warner considers different possibilities about who wrote these lines. While Warner thinks it's unlikely the original poet wrote them, he shows that whoever did was copying the poem's unique style rather than its content. This is a rare example of how medieval readers responded directly to a poem's form, giving us insight into how poetry was read. 1. Summary 📋 2. Explanation 🔍 3. Evaluation ⚖️

References

Basham, S.L., Radcliff, V.P., and Bryson, S. L. (2022.) How to write an annotated bibliography. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 34(2), 289-297, https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2022.2131859. 

Merkle, B.G. (2022.) Writing science: Leveraging the annotated bibliography as a writing tool. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 103(1): e01936, https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1936. 

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