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ENC 1102 (Brandon): Annotated Bibliographies

Van Dyke Film Analysis Spring 2022

Annotated Bibliographies

Purdue University's Online Writing Lab, OWL, has a good section on understanding Annotated Bibliographies: 

It includes definitions, examples and samples for the MLA, APA and Chicago styles.

Click here for sample annotations in MLA, APA, & Chicago styles.

Factors to Consider when Annotating a Source

 After reviewing your assignment, these are possibly additional factors to consider when annotating a source:

(from Joanne M. Burkhardt's 35 Practical, Standards-based Exercises for College Students)

To write an annotation, you will comment, in paragraph form, on the following elements:

  • Content - what's the book about?  Is it relevant to your research?
  • Purpose - what's it for?  Why was the book written?
  • Methods used to collect data - Where does the information come from?
  • Usefulness - What does it do for your research?
  • Reliability - is the information source accurate?
  • Authority - Is it written by someone who has the expertise to author the information?
  • Currency - Is it new?  Is it up-to-date for the topic?
  • Scope/Coverage/Limitations - What does it cover?  What does the author state that he or she will cover?  What doesn't the book provides that would be helpful?
  • Arrangement - How is the book organized?  Are there any special "added-value" features?
  • Ease of use - Can a "real" person use this book?  What reading level is the book?