SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY FOR A JOURNAL ARTICLE
The following example uses APA style (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, 2010) for the journal citation:
Waite, L. J., Goldschneider, F. K., & 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 and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living.
Courtesy of: Research & Learning Services, Olin Library, Cornell University Library, Ithaca, NY, USA
An Annotated Bibliography is typically the first product of your research efforts. It literally translates to "a list of books" and is the preliminary list of sources that you hope to use in your final research paper. While this list is not meant to be exhaustive or complete, the more work you do at this stage, the less work you have to do later in your research and writing process.
Each source in your annotated bibliography will likely have two components: 1) the complete citation for the source and 2) the annotation.
Depending on the requirements of your assignment, the annotation may be a formal paragraph or a list of bullet points.
Your annotation might include or address:
- A brief summary of the source: What is the thesis or central idea in this source? What are the supporting claims? What are the key findings?
- Description of methods: Is this source presenting quantitative research? A qualitative study? A close reading or textual analysis? A review?
- Articulation of how this source contributes to your argument or understanding of the topic: What distinguishes this source? What does this source add to the scholarly conversation that is unique among your sources?
- Strengths and weaknesses: What are the main strengths of this source? What are its shortcomings or gaps?
- Comparison to another source in your list: Does it confirm or refute the ideas in one of your other sources? Does it share key theories or questions with another source, but apply them to a different context or population? Does it update a study that has become outdated?
If you aren't sure what your annotations should include, be sure to ask your professor!
