Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources with notes about each source. Constructing an annotated bibliography helps you

• summarize each source to understand its main ideas

• evaluate each source for accuracy, quality, and relevance

• reflect on how and why your most promising sources will help you answer your research question.

• record publication information for your sources before drafting your research paper

• remember which sources you’ve consulted

Required elements

1. Prewriting: Explore your sources.

For each source, note your responses to the following questions:

• • What is the purpose of the source? Who is the author’s intended audience?

  • What is the author’s thesis? What evidence supports the thesis?

  • What qualifications and expertise does the author bring? Does the author have any biases or make any questionable assumptions?

  • Why do you think this source is useful for your project?

  • How does this source relate to the other sources in your bibliography?