An annotated bibliography differs from an ordinary one. It briefly describes sources used while writing a paper. When preparing this work, you have to structure it well. If your list of the used sources is very large, you should arrange it in accordance with a type of the text. First, you need to list all the books, then their chapters. After that, you should provide information about the journal articles, academic publications, and other sources. You should also list such material as interviews, videos, etc., if you have used them for your essay. Do you want to know how to write an annotated bibliography properly? Remember that the type of source has to be indicated at the top of the list. All the entries have to be arranged in alphabetical order.
The above-mentioned paragraph gives basic instructions on how to make an annotated bibliography. However, when listing a certain entry, you need to indicate:
- Author of the publication, its title;
- Publication date, and the publisher;
- A few authors (if there are any);
- Editor’s name, the edition;
- The part of the cited work.
In order to prepare a good work, you should find a clear annotated bibliography definition. Remember that the order of the items listed above depends on the reference style (APA, Chicago, etc.). Usually, papers in arts and humanities are cited according to the MLA style. The sources of the essays in social sciences are cited in APA.
Descriptive Pieces
The paragraph which describes each entry of the annotated bibliography presents detailed information about it. If you answer the following questions, you will not miss any important details.
- What is the thesis statement of the paper?
- How is the text arranged?
- What arguments are presented?
- Is the source modern or outdated and whether it helps conduct research?
Down below, there is an example of the annotation in Chicago style:
Duis, Perry. The Saloon: Public Drinking in Chicago and Boston, 1880-1920. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1983.
This source is outdated. However, it provides relevant material for the paper. The author starts his book with exploring such issue as brewing. Then, he describes the saloons and the provided serviced for the neighborhoods. Duis says that drinking in public places becomes less popular. It associates with illegal activity.
The discussed topic focuses on the nineteenth century. Thus, this book was used to describe the effect of brewing on the reduction of leisure centers for working class people. What is an annotated bibliography without detailed description of the entry? It is nonsense. You should follow these tips to write the best bibliographies.