Annotated
Bibliography
What is an Annotated Bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is a compilation of citations of books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief
descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation.
Why Compile an Annotated Bibliography?
The primary purpose of an annotated bibliography is to inform readers of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources
cited. Compiling an annotated bibliography involves utilizing the following skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and
informed library research.
Choosing Sources for an Annotated Bibliography:
Appropriate sources for your annotated bibliography could include books, newspaper articles, journal articles, pamphlets,
films, Web sites, or broadcast news stories. When gathering your sources, try to choose works that provide a variety of
perspectives on your research topic.
Your method for selecting which sources to annotate will depend upon the particular instructions you receive from your
instructor. Still, there should be a rationale for why you selected the sources you did and, in some cases, you may want to
indicate such a rationale in your bibliography.
Format and Content of the Bibliographic Entry:
There are two parts to any bibliographic entry:
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The first part will consist of a citation written in a standard documentation style, such as MLA or APA.
The second part is the annotation itself. Here, you should concisely summarize the central content and scope of the
source. In composing your annotation, you may be asked to do the following: evaluate the authority of the author,
comment on the intended audience, compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or explain how this
source contributes to your research topic. Be sure to adhere to the specific expectations of your instructor in writing
your annotations.
Annotation lengths will vary between assignments. You may be asked to keep your annotations anywhere between 3 and 10
sentences in length. See your prompt for specific details.
Sample Bibliographic Entries:*
Kinsley, Michael. "The False Controversy of Stem Cells - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News
Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Time Magazine, 23 May 2004. Web. 01 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,641157,00.html>.
This article from a popular publication primarily takes a one-sided approach to this controversy, and that stance is in favor of
using embryonic stem cells for research. The piece cites an example of a couple who gave birth to triplets, a scenario which
then grows into the main topic of the article. At one point, Kinsley blatantly states an embryo three to five days after
conception has, “no consciousness, no self-awareness, no ability to feel love or pain.” He also states, however, that the
current debate regarding the research comes down to a strictly moral question. Although Kinsley provides arguments on both
sides of the controversy, he mainly favors the opposing opinion of what this paper is arguing. This article will serve as an
excellent source for current examples of stem cell research. It will also provide deep moral and rhetorical questions that can
be countered against effectively in the paper.
Jaramillo, Sergio, and Sid Richardson. "The Embryonic Stem Cell Controversy «." Catalyst.rice.edu. 23 Apr.
2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. <http://catalyst.rice.edu/archives/12>.
This informative article provides information on the usefulness of embryonic stem cells and explains as well why they are
used so often. It then discusses the moral and ethical issues behind the controversy. Later, it triumphantly states that stem
cells from adults can technically accomplish the same task embryonic stem cells can. It does state, however, that embryonic
stem cell research is still very important and valuable for further scientific research. As the authors point out, “Some
scientists in the embryonic stem cell research community insist that this breakthrough is far from a replacement to ESC
research.” As the authors for this piece are both undergraduate students at Rice University, the intended audience for this
article is more specialized as it discusses embryonic versus adult stem cell research in more technical, medical jargon. This
piece is extremely useful and relevant toward the bigger controversy at hand because it provides an exceptionally useful
scientific background, as well as a brief look into the moral and ethical issues that stand behind the controversy surrounding
ESC research.
*These examples were provided by Nathan Brune, a sophomore Civil Engineering major.
For more information, see section 55 of Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers