ENGL 101: Monk, M. (Winter 2025): Annotated bibliographies

There is no single right way to write an annotation. As a 100-level student, the right kind of annotation is the kind your instructor wants! If you are unclear about what is expected, ask your instructor to clarify first, and then consult you TCC Librarians or your Writing and Tutoring Center.

First some vocabulary:

• annotated - anything that has descriptive notes included on it or in it
• bibliography - a themed list of books or other informational sources

Taken together, an annotated bibliography is a list of sources that also includes notes about each of the sources.

Annotated bibliographies are personal. As the curator of a bibliographic list, you are sharing with your readers what you think are the best sources to help them understand more about your topic, and what you think makes them the best sources. Readers are expecting your personal insights, style, and voice in an annotated bibliography.

People who are passionate about their hobbies or avocations sometimes create annotated bibliographies to share with others in their discourse community, or to share with others who simply want to learn more about that hobby or avocation. See below.

That's right, there is no single way to write an annotated bibliography. 

The annotated bibliography you should write for this course is the one your instructor wants you to write, so pay close attention to their assignment!

• Annotated bibliography can sound a little intimidating. But it's really just a list of sources you have found through your research process, with descriptions and evaluations of each of those sources.
• As a student writer, annotated bibliographies help you get to know your sources better so you can use them effectively in your paper. They also help quickly remind you what a source includes, and why you chose it!
• And of course, in this class, your annotated bibliography serves a second purpose: it is also a celebration of your hobby or avocation - sharing with others the best sources to read to learn more about what brings you joy.

The basics: Each source in your annotated bibliographies will generally contain:

1. a citation for the source at the top.
2. your very short summary of the source - just cover the basic idea.
3. your information about the author(s) including who they are and what they do (are they a journalist? are they a researcher? are they considered an expert in your hobby or avocation by others? are they simply someone with an interest in your topic?) Include who they work for, or where they work, as relevant. You may have to do a web search for this information. (For example, if they are a mountain-biker, and they work for a bike or outdoor equipment company, or have their own bike shop, this would be a relevant bit of information to include - if they work for a bank, it's probably not relevant!) Other things you can include would be things they may have accomplished in the hobby or avocation, such as authoring books on the topic, winning competitions, or speaking at conventions. This kind of information about authors adds credibility to your selections.
4. your evaluation about how the source is relevant or helpful to you on the topic you are going to be writing about. This could include a description of a section of the source that you think is particularly helpful, and how, such as a chart, or a section of video, or a paragraph from the source.

Annotations are generally short, in the range of about 150 words. Please do not write more than 200 words. Because annotations are so short, you need to be strategic: Spend most of your words on your descriptions of the authors and what you think of the source, and not on the summary of the source. Your readers do need to know what the main idea is, but what they really want to know is how authoritative the authors are on the topic, and most important - what you think of the source and why they should spend their precious time reading it. Annotated bibliographies are a little like arguments - you are making the case to your readers about why they should read or use a source that you are evaluating. Use your voice and your personality and your own expertise to make your cases.

You must be the one to write your annotations. All annotated bibliographies are personal -  you are the researcher and your interactions with your sources will be unique to you. Your readers want to know what you think.

Below is a video that goes into some depth about writing annotated bibliographies for an MLA-style citation requirement.

Whenever you need help with any part of your research projects, including your annotated bibliographies, see your TCC Research Librarians.

“How To Write an Annotated Bibliography in MLA Formatting .” YouTube, uploaded by Tech meets Rhet: English Composition Resources, 25 Oct. 2021, youtu.be/f5ioEDQNSOc?si=06oSykhLZJm6yeeQ.

This video, which is part of a series, is created by user, "Tech meets Rhet" who is an online English composition instructor from Shepard University (W. Virginia). This video includes substantial information about the purpose and the process of writing annotated bibliographies as a part of the research process, along with how to format them to meet MLA style standards. Tech Meets Tech meets Rhet helpfully explains the purpose of writing annotated bibliographies; they are not just random assignments but a key part of the research and writing process that also guides the student's reflective and critical thinking about their source selections. Tech Meets Rhet also takes some time to walk the viewer through formatting, showing how the annotated bibliography should look, while explaining the details of the formatting features as well (1:35). This information is a big confidence booster, especially for students who are brand new to writing annotated bibliographies, but it’s also useful for instructors who may have taken their knowledge of annotated bibliographies for granted and forgotten a few things!.