Citations and Bibliographies

This handout was created by Neumann University Library to assist students with understanding and creating annotated bibliographies. 

Always check with your teacher to know what needs to be included in your annotated bibliography and to know how to format it. Annotated bibliographies are not specifically addressed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition.

An annotated bibliographyis an organized list of sources that includes a summary and an evaluation/application of each source.  It is the same concept as a traditional bibliography; however, it contains notes, or ‘annotations’ from the author of the assignment (you!).  The annotation for each source directly follows the citation for the source in the bibliography list.  The annotation can vary in length. It is usually between four and ten sentences, but can be shorter or significantly longer.

What is included in each Annotation?

The information contained in an Annotated Bibliography can vary.  Always check with your teacher to know what needs to be included in your annotated bibliography and to know how to format it.  Annotated bibliographies are not specifically addressed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition.

Elements that may be included in an annotated bibliography are:

Source Citation

• Locate and write the citations to sources that are related to your topic. The citation should be in the same style as the eventual paper.

Summary and purpose of source

• Provide basic summarizing information about the source.  Any annotated bibliography should describe what each source was about and what the author argued or accomplished in the work.
• (This source was an in depth study of…; This source provides background info…; This source is an opinion piece about…)

Evaluation of the source

• Evaluate the quality of the resource. Is the source old? Too lengthy? Alternatively, was it clear and informative? Provide a solid conclusion or argument?
• (This article is older so not as relevant as other research in the field; This article was very easy to understand and the author’s thesis was supported well…; This article is the seminal piece of research on this topic…)

Application; or how the source was used (or will be used) in your paper

• Explains how you used the source in your paper and how it was helpful to your research.
• (The source provided an opposing view to my thesis…; This source was used as background information in my paper…; This source contained a qualitative study that supported my thesis…)