An annotation may contain all or part of the following elements depending on the word limit and the content of the sources you are examining. Present the full bibliographic reference in the appropriate style (e.g. Harvard, APA, Chicago).
Your annotation may be descriptive only or a combination of descriptive and evaluative or critical.
A descriptive annotated bibliography describes or summarizes a source. It outlines why the source is useful for researching a particular topic and it highlights the source's distinctive features. It does this without evaluating what the author concludes from its findings.
You could indicate some of the following:
Indicate the background and credibility of the author
What are the main topics or findings of this work
Identify the research methods, if applicable.
The intended audience
Identify any conclusions made by the author.
Special features of the work such as illustrations, maps, tables, etc.
An evaluative annotation not only summarizes the material, but it also analyses what is being said. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of what is described in the source as well as its conclusions. It is likely that, for most of your annotated bibliographies, you will be writing evaluative annotations.
As well as the descriptive elements as above, you could include some of the following:
Evaluative annotations can help you learn about your topic, develop a thesis statement, decide if a specific source will be useful for your assignment and determine if there is enough valid information available to complete your project. See below some sample guidelines for your annotation.
When writing annotations, it is important to consider the following:
