54 Chapter 35: Annotated Bibliography
Part 6: Chapter 35
Part of the research process includes keeping track of your research through a working bibliography. One way to do this is through creating an annotated bibliography, a list of all the sources you have researched, including both their full bibliographic citations and some notes on how you might want to use each resource in your work.
The Writer’s Handbook explains that to make the best use of your research time, thoroughly read each source that is clearly relevant and document all the pieces you might use from it so that you will have a good chance of not having to revisit it. But just in case, take care to bookmark the site (and additionally save it to a folder set up for your research project) so you can easily return to it later and collect the needed information.
Ideally when working on a research paper, you should keep an annotated bibliography of the sources you plan to use–include both the bibliographic information and notes on each source. Each entry should include the following elements:
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The complete citation information (in the format the assignment requires)
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A summary or paraphrase of the contents of the source in your words
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The direct quotations you may end up using (with page or paragraph numbers)
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Additional strategy notes about how you plan to use the source
For the citation, gather the following components:
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Name of author, editor, sponsoring organization, discussion group, or list
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Title of article or subject line of discussion
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Title of journal or site that has published the article
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Version number or issue number, if applicable
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Date of publication
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Date you accessed the site
If a source does not appear to be as relevant as you initially thought it would be, document the situation in your log and move on. Don’t try to jam it into the essay just because you spent time tracking it down. Good researchers and good writers know they’ll encounter a few dead ends and bad leads.
Adapted from “Chapter Seven” of Writers’ Handbook, 2012, used according to creative commons CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Uses of an Annotated Bibliography
Boundless Writing explains that annotated bibliographies are useful for several reasons. If you keep one while you research, the annotated bibliography will function as a useful guide. Also, it will be easier for you to revisit sources later because you will already have notes explaining how you want to use each source. Additionally, if you find an annotated bibliography attached to one of the sources you are using, you can look at it to find other possible resources for your paper. While it’s a good idea to keep a working annotated bibliography to help you during the writing process, you may also be assigned a more formal annotated bibliography for a course, such as English 1120, which often requires one. There are a few reasons your teachers might assign these: to review your sources, to help you summarize and evaluate your sources, to help you practi