An annotated bibliography is a curated list of relevant sources, not just a list of sources found. Make sure you're only including sources that help you answer your research question. To make sure you're finding and understanding relevant sources, you may want to take notes as you read. This will help you identify the important points and create your annotated bibliography. Be able to identify:
To evaluate the source, you should read "around" the source, meaning you should investigate the:
Your professor will likely give you specific instructions for an annotated bibliography or structured research notes assignment. This portion of the guide is meant to give you some general guidelines.
In most cases, annotations should be one paragraph long. Good annotations usually include:
You may also want to include details about any connections to other sources or overarching themes. The annotation should form one complete paragraph. Annotations should be written mostly in your own words—you should only use direct quotes when absolutely necessary.