Annotated Bibliography
Most research papers require a student to include a bibliography. According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, a bibliography is a “complete or selective list of works compiled upon some common principle, as authorship, subject, place of publication, or printer” which have been “used or consulted in the preparation of a work or that are referred to in the text.” Most students learn how to prepare a simply bibliography before graduating from high school.
An annotated bibliography is very different from a simple listing of references that a student has used to prepare an academic paper. An annotated bibliography is still a list of references, but includes a summary and possibly an evaluation of each source. Students are often frustrated by the requirements of an annotated bibliography but a simple review of what is required to prepare such a list of references can clear up the mystery.
Annotated bibliographies contain several elements. Among these elements are the standard author, title, date and place of publication, and printer. But, an annotated bibliography should also include a summary, an assessment, and a reflection. A summary is a paragraph about the reference book, manual, or publication that briefly describes, or paraphrases, what the reference was about.
An assessment is an evaluation of the source. Was the source helpful, did it contain reliable and reputable information, and was it objective or biased? Compared to the other sources used for the project, was the source better or worse?
A reflection of a source should indicate how useful that source was to the writer. Even though a student used a source for a project, that source may not have been as helpful to the writer as some of his or her other sources. A reflection should evaluate the usefulness of the source.
Many instructors require that students prepare their annotated bibliographies before writing their papers. This is because writing an annotated bibliography can often help students understand their sources better. A student who displays a solid understanding of his or her sources as evidenced by a well-written and thoroughly-prepared annotated bibliography is better prepared to write his or her paper, regardless of the topic. Additionally, preparing an annotated bibliography indicates to the instructor that the student has, in fact, actually read the sources that he or she intends to use to prepare the paper assignment. In this way, annotated bibliographies serve two purposes: to prepare the student and to assure the instructor that the student is ready to proceed with the writing of the paper.
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