This can vary depending on the word count of the assignment, the relative length and importance of different sources, and the number of sources you include, but try to aim for this as a guideline.ĪPA Style examples are shown below for the different types of annotation: descriptive, evaluative, and reflective. The annotations themselves are usually between 50 and 200 words in length. The most common styles are APA, MLA, and Chicago. The exact format depends on the type of source (e.g., a book or journal article) and the citation style you’re using.
#APA FORMAT EXAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY FULL#
These specific terms won’t necessarily be used the important thing is to understand the purpose of your assignment and pick the approach that matches it best.ĭiscover proofreading & editing Step 3: Writing up your annotationsįor each source, start by writing a full reference that gives the author, title, date, and other information. Reflective annotations: When the assignment is part of a larger research process, you need to consider the relevance and usefulness of the sources to your own research.Evaluative annotations: When the assignment is about your evaluation of the sources, you should also assess the validity and effectiveness of these arguments and methods.Descriptive annotations: When the assignment is just about gathering and summarizing information, focus on the key arguments and methods of each source.Consider the instructions you’ve been given or consult your instructor to determine what kind of annotations they’re looking for: descriptive, evaluative, or reflective. What you’re looking for in the sources will depend on the kind of annotations you have to write. You may even prefer to write your annotations as you go, while each source is fresh in your mind. Once you’ve selected an appropriate range of sources, read through them, taking notes on each source that you can use to build up your annotations later. If a particular source keeps being cited, it’s likely to be important. Read the abstracts or blurbs of the sources you find to see whether they’re relevant to your topic, and try exploring the bibliographies of relevant sources to discover more. Sources can include journal articles, books, and other source types, depending on the scope of the assignment.
See here for further guidance on keyword searching. Use these keywords to search databases (e.g. List different variants of the relevant terms so that you don’t miss anything. Make sure that you’ve clearly defined your topic, and then consider what keywords are relevant to it. Otherwise, the scope of your assignment and your choice of topic will guide you in what kind of sources to look for. If the annotated bibliography is part of the research process for a paper, your sources will be those you consult and cite as you prepare the paper. The first step is to find appropriate sources.