Annotated Bibliography
Summarize, evaluate, and reflect on sources in an annotated bibliography that supports a research argument.
A lesson of English 11, in Research Project, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to write a complete annotated bibliography with correct MLA citations and evaluative annotations that assess both the content and relevance of each source.
What Is an Annotated Bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is a list of sources, each followed by a brief annotation (a paragraph) that describes and evaluates the source.
It serves two purposes:
- For you: forces you to engage with each source before writing; helps you decide which sources are most useful.
- For your reader: demonstrates that you've done thorough research and can evaluate sources critically.
MLA Citation Format (Review)
Book: Last, First. Title in Italics. Publisher, Year.
Journal article: Last, First. "Article Title." Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##–##.
Website: Last, First. "Page Title." Website Name, Publisher or Sponsor, Date of publication. URL.
The Annotation: Three Parts
Each annotation should be one to three paragraphs and should address:
1. Summary: What does this source argue? What are its main claims or findings?
2. Credibility/context: What is the author's expertise? Where was this published? What perspective or methodology does it represent?
3. Relevance/usefulness: How does this source contribute to your research question? What specific aspect of your argument does it support, complicate, or provide evidence for?
Example Annotation
Citation:
Gonzales, Roberto G. "Learning to Be Illegal: Undocumented Youth and Shifting Legal Contexts in the Transition to Adulthood." American Sociological Review, vol. 76, no. 4, 2011, pp. 602–619.
Annotation:
This sociological study tracks the transition to adulthood for 150 undocumented young adults in Los Angeles over 12 years. Gonzales argues that while children who arrive young are incorporated into educational institutions, they encounter a "legal awakening" in young adulthood when they discover that their undocumented status closes legal pathways to work, higher education, and civic participation. The article draws on extensive interview data, which gives it qualitative depth that purely statistical studies lack.
This source is directly relevant to my research question about the effects of DACA on educational outcomes because it establishes the pre-DACA baseline — the specific legal barriers that DACA was designed to address. I will use it to contextualize the problem DACA responded to, before examining the program's measurable effects.