How to write an Annotation for your Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations or references to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is
followed by a brief summary, an evaluative paragraph, and reflection - these three components comprise the
annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the
source (book, article, etc.).
Summarize: What is the point of the book or article? What topics are covered? Simply put, what is the book or
article about?
Assess or Evaluate: Is it a useful source? How? Is the information reliable? How do you know? Is the source
biased or objective? What is the goal of the source?
Reflect: How has the source influenced your thinking? Would you recommend the source to someone else? Why
or why not?

FICTION EXAMPLE
Author's Name (Year of Publication). Title of work. Location: Publisher. (use MLA)
Brown, Dan (2009). The lost symbol. New York: Anchor Books.
In this thriller novel, Robert Langdon, symbologist and Harvard professor, embarks on a deadly journey
against time to stop one of Brown's most horrifying villains to date. This is the third novel by Brown in which
Robert Langdon appears. Langdon, an Indiana Jones sort, finds himself in the middle of a labyrinth of ancient
rituals, government operatives, and the workings of a psychopath's mind. Langdon is called to help rescue an old
friend from a kind of vengeance that is otherworldly. He succeeds, but only barely. In the process, he discovers
that blood relationships are sometimes the killing kind. The story is set in the tunnels, temples, and hidden
chambers of Washington D.C. This historical context builds credibility. This novel moves at a very quick pace as
the entire story is told within the time span of a single night. It is unpredictable and even shocking at times, which
is appropriate given that the purpose of the book is strictly to entertain. It is Dan Brown as his usual best. This
novel would be a great read for anyone who enjoys historically based pieces and adventure/thriller works.

NONFICTION EXAMPLE
Author's Name (Date of publication). Article title. Journal or Newspaper, issue number(volume number), page
numbers. (Use APA)
Soskis, Benjamin (2001). Bully pulpit. New Republic, 224(20), 25-27.
This article presents the idea that bullying is not necessarily increasing in frequency or severity, but
rather, we merely exist in a heightened state of awareness regarding it. Soskis challenges the common conception
that students are more violent today than ever before. He claims that our bullying crisis is exaggerated. He
points out the direct disparity between the amount of research that has been done regarding bullying and the
panic that seems to propagate things like zero-tolerance policies in schools across the nation. He asserts that by
defining bullying in a very broad sense, we, as educators, parents, and members of society are able to include
almost any and all negative behavior exhibited by students. This article is relevant to students for two reasons:
first, it forces them to consider a viewpoint probably not mentioned anywhere else in their research. And second,
it strengthens the climax of their argument for the Bullying Project. By acknowledging the opposition and
critically dismissing it with solid research, their arguments immediately become stronger. The literacy value of
the article is nearly as important as the claims made in it.