The Writing Center

The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is. Answer questions such as: What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say?

After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

Once you have summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic? How might it be useful to your main thesis?

• This form of annotation defines the scope of the source, lists the significant topics included, and tells what the source is about.
• This type is different from the informative entry in that the informative entry gives actual information about its source.
• In the indicative entry, there is no attempt to give actual data such as hypotheses, proofs, etc. Generally, only topics or chapter titles are included.

Example of annotated bibliography in the indicative style:

Hudson, Kurt. World Industrial Archaeology. Cambridge University

Press, 1979.

An introductory section discusses the aims and techniques of industrial archaeology. Topical chapters follow on extractive industries, food and drink, construction, metal processing, transport, textiles, clothing and footwear, power, and chemicals.

• Simply put, this form of annotation is a summary of the source.
• Begin by writing the thesis and then develop it with the argument or hypothesis, list the proofs, and state the conclusion.

Example of annotated bibliography in the informative style:

Voeltz, Leah M. “Children's Attitudes Toward Handicapped Peers.”

American Journal of Mental Deficiency, vol. 84, 1980, pp. 455-

464.

As services for severely handicapped children become increasingly available within neighborhood public schools, children's attitudes toward handicapped peers in integrated settings warrant attention. Factor analysis of attitude survey responses of 2,392 children revealed four factors underlying attitudes toward handicapped peers: social-contact willingness, deviance consequation, and two actual contact dimensions. Upper elementary-age children, girls, and children in schools with most contact with severely handicapped peers expressed the most accepting attitudes. Results of this study suggest the modifiability of children's attitudes and the need to develop interventions to facilitate social acceptance of individual differences in integrated school settings.

• In this form of annotation, you need to assess the source's strengths and weaknesses.

Kreie, Jacob, and Thomas P. Cronan. “Making Ethical Decisions.”

Communications of the ACM, vol. 43, no. 12, 2000, pp. 66-71.

The authors, professors of computer systems, present findings of a study of 300 college students to support their theory that businesses that promote a strong ethical code of conduct can influence employee behavior in certain situations. The paper builds on an earlier study conducted by the authors. While the results of the study appear valid, the survey is limited in its scope to a small population. A comparison of a similar survey conducted in a work place would be a valuable addition to this study. While the authors’ conclusion that people rely on their personal values when making ethical decisions is perhaps stating the obvious, this article provides a good starting point for additional research on the topic.

This example uses the MLA format for the journal citation:

Goldscheider, Frances Kobrin, Linda J. Waite, and Christina Witsberger.

"Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family

Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review,

vol. 51, 1986, pp. 541-554.

The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women…

The following example uses the APA format for the journal citation:

Goldschneider, F. K., Waite, L. J., & Witsberger, C. (1986). "Nonfamily

living and the erosion of traditional family orientations among young

adults." American Sociological Review, 51, 541-554.

The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women…