How to: Annotated Bibliography
A Guide for Undergraduate Students + ChatGPT prompt
Written by Sai Gattupalli
This article is intended for undergraduate students enrolled in college writing courses such as the:
ENGL 114 Writing Seminar from Yale, among many others.
As an undergraduate student, you will often be asked to write research papers that require you to reference and cite sources. An annotated bibliography is a key part of the research process that demonstrates your critical thinking and research skills. This article provides undergraduate students with clear guidance on how to write an effective annotated bibliography to support college research papers and meet assignment requirements.
What is an Annotated Bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations for books, articles, documents, and other sources on a topic. Each citation is followed by a brief descriptive paragraph, known as an annotation. Annotated bibliographies are useful tools for conducting research and creating literature reviews. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how undergraduate students can write an effective annotated bibliography.
An annotated bibliography has two main components - the citation and the annotation. The citation follows the standard formatting style assigned by your instructor (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago). It includes all the information needed for identifying and locating the source, just like a normal Works Cited or References page citation.
The annotation is a short paragraph (around 150 words) that describes and evaluates the source. A good annotation briefly summarizes the main argument or focus of the work. It also comments on the usefulness and quality of the source for your research topic.
Steps for writing an annotated bibliography:
Choose your sources - Gather sources that relate to your research question or topic. Sources can include scholarly journal articles, books, websites, documents, etc. Make sure they provide useful information and perspectives for your topic.
Cite the sources - Format the full citations in the required style (APA, MLA, etc). List the citations in alphabetical order just like you would a normal reference page.
Write the annotations - For each source, write a paragraph with 2-3 sentences summarizing the main thesis, argument, or focus. Then 1-2 sentences to evaluate the usefulness and credibility of your source.
Format - If required, add a title page and section headers for categories of sources. Format any citations or notes properly.
Proofread - Carefully proofread for spelling/grammar errors and check that citations are complete.
Here is an example of an APA-formatted annotated bibliography entry for a journal article:
Sample Bibliography:
Gattupalli, S. S., Edwards, S. A., Maloy, R. W., & Rancourt, M. (2023). Designing for Learning: Key Decisions for an Open Online Math Tutor for Elementary Students. Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education, 1-16. DOI: 10.1007/s40751-023-00128-3
Activity (5 min):
Go to the link above, and spend 5min to skim through the abstract, introduction and conclusion for key points. Write down what you've learned. If you have more time, read through methodology and analysis, and make note of their research techniques.
Sample Annotated Bibliography (but you write your own):
This journal article presents Usable Math, an open online tutor for elementary school math students and teachers in the USA. It uses four virtual coaches to offer different strategies for solving word problems from standardized tests. The system is based on Google Slides, a click-to-see method, growth mindset feedback, and invitations for students to write their own problems and strategies. These decisions aim to make the system accessible, engaging, and differentiated for learners. The system is a redesigned version of an older system called 4MALITY, which showed promise but was difficult to maintain. The system incorporates insights from research on online tutoring, multiple problem-solving approaches, and math writing.
Using foundational models
You can also use genAI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude to generate annotated bibliographies. Make sure you have the full PDF before proceeding. Here's a sample prompt you can begin with:
Write an annotated bibliography entry in APA format for the following journal article: (provide reference/abstract/upload file). The annotation should be approximately 150 words and should summarize the key points of the article as well as assess its usefulness for my research paper on (enter the topic of your writing sample here). Use an academic writing style appropriate for an undergraduate student.
So, while creating an annotated bibliography takes more time and effort than a standard bibliography, the results are more thorough and help create high-quality literature reviews. The descriptive annotations facilitate better critical thinking and analysis to determine which sources to rely on most for your own research and writing. Good luck!
Until next time.
Cover image generated using AI supplied by Dall-E 3.
