A BIBLIOGRAPHY is a listing of citations -- usually including the author, title, publication information, etc -- of the sources that you have used or plan to use for your research topic (Ellison, 2010, p. 55). Bibliographies help the readers of your research find out where you obtained your information. They are used by instructors and others to assess the validity of your research findings as well as aid future researchers in locating sources on similar research topics. Bibliographies are also sometimes referred to as Works Cited pages or References. Depending on the style guide you are required to use, citation formats will vary. You should consult your professor, the appropriate style guide (MLA, APA, Turabian, etc).
An ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY goes one step further. An annotated bibliography provides a short paragraph of description/criticism/evaluation of each of your sources. Annotated bibs can help you remember specific information contained in your source and often act as a springboard to further research because you are able to see what has already been written about your topic (Ellison, 2010, p. 56).
Ellison, C. (2010). McGraw-Hill’s concise guide to writing research papers. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Annotation is a written conversation between you and the writer in which you actively respond to the text. Pretend you are talking to the writer as you read. This exercise will help you to find connections between ideas in the text and ideas in other sources. It will also help you to form questions that could become paper topics. Remember, like any other skill, you must practice in order to improve.
1) Read a little more slowly than usual. Really try to absorb what the author is saying.
2) As you read, look for items that are interesting, significant, or which raise questions. Make notes or comments as follows:
• Use stars, circles, arrows, lines, highlighting, or other meaningful symbols to mark these things as you read. Assign different colors to elements (pink for questions, yellow for main points, orange for connecting ideas, etc.). Use arrows and lines to show related ideas in the text.
• Write notes about the text in the margins (e.g., What does this mean? What is the author trying to say? I do not understand this part. Look this up.).
• Note where you disagree with the writer.
• Rewrite a line of text in your own words to aid understanding, if necessary.
• Circle any vocabulary words that are unfamiliar. Look up and note the definitions in the margin.
• Make connections with the text (e.g., This makes me think of . . . ).
3) If you do not want to write in the book, use sticky notes that can be transferred to another sheet of paper later. Or use notebook paper with one column for text and another for corresponding notes.
4) Now, go back and look at the marks and think about the connections found and questions raised. Why is that line interesting? What is the author trying to do? This process will take time, but it is important because it will help you effectively use sources in a paper.