An annotated bibliography is a list of citations, including books, journal articles, newspaper or magazine articles, or websites. Typically, citations are formatted following a specific format such as APA, MLA or others and the list of citations is organized alphabetically by the last name
of the first author for each source.
Each citation is followed by a paragraph or annotation that describes, summarizes and evaluates the source. The description can simply state the source’s topic while the summary provides an overview of the source, but does not include a stance or an
opinion about the work. Finally, the evaluative component assesses the sources place within the context of other relevant research and/or describes the source’s utility and relevance to your research question or assignment. The annotation goes beyond simply describing the source and puts the source into a broader context.
1. Select Topic
Your topic should be neither too broad nor too narrow, but engage with a specific research question. You may not have a thesis yet, but will form one in the course of reading sources. Consider some strategies for selecting and refining a topic.
2. Locate Sources
This is a time-consuming process when writing an annotated bibliography. You are looking for sources that work together to support or refute your research question, not just the first few sources available. You should also consider a variety of sources, including books, articles, primary sources, and reference materials. Check the Research Guide in your discipline for suggestions.
3. Read and Evaluate Sources
Evaluating a source is about more than reading the abstract. As part of the annotation, you should provide the following information: a summary of the source, the intended audience, a critical evaluation of the argument, and a contextual analysis of how it fits in your own research.
Writing
1. Create Citations
The citation is the first piece of information a reader will see, and should conform to one of the major citation style guides. Most guides require a "hanging first line," whereby the first line of the citation sits further to the right on the page with subsequent lines indented. This is a special indentation feature offered in the paragraph formatting section of Word (or other word-processing software). You should not attempt to indent by hand, you will only confuse the system.
2. Write Annotations
Each annotation immediately follows the citation, and consists of a short, evaluative paragraph. It can include a very brief summary of the source, along with information about the author(s) and intended audience, followed by a critical analysis of the source in relation to your topic and research question.
Review
1. Content
Ask yourself: Does it cover my topic? Is it a good representation of the sources available on the topic? An annotated bibliography isn't only a list of sources, the annotations should indicate some relationship between the sources and how they work together in the context of your research.
2. Style and Format
As a final check, be sure all the citation are correct and in accordance with your chosen style guide. Also make sure the overall organization of the bibliography makes sense in the context of the research question.
For FYS 534, we will use the APA citation format for sources. The annotation should have a hanging indent which means that the citation is aligned to the left margin, but then each line of the paragraph or annotation is indented to the right.
A good reference for APA citation formatting can be found here:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_basic_rules.html
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
Stoll, J. S., Leslie, H. M., Britsch, M. L. & Cleaver, C. M. (2019). Evaluating aquaculture as a diversification strategy for Maine's commercial fishing sector in the face of change. Marine Policy, 107(103583), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103583
This article discusses the growth of the aquaculture sector in Maine and analyzes the overlap between commercial fishing licenses and aquaculture leases and licenses to determine the extent to which commercial fishers are diversifying into aquaculture. A small percentage of commercial fishers are licensed to do aquaculture and instead, those getting into aquaculture appear to be a new group of ocean users. This has implications for efforts to diversify commercial fishing-dependent livelihoods as a response to climate change impacts. This is relevant to my research in which I am exploring the potential for aquaculture to be a diversification strategy for commercial fishermen. I will likely use this source as supporting evidence that such a transition does not currently appear to be taking place other than for a minority of commercial fishermen.