The annotated bibliography

In the ongoing processes of developing a working thesis for a research project and of collecting evidence, writers need a system for keeping track of everything. A document that may fulfill this is an annotated bibliography, which is a list of sources on a particular topic, adhering to  the field specific format, and including a brief summary of each reference. This is not an uncommon assignment in graduate school – separate from a thesis or dissertation – and can also function as an ongoing writing ‘structure’ (or personal database) that student researchers “build” as they discover new relevant evidence for various research projects.

Annotated bibliography entries have two parts. The first is the reference entry. It begins with author identification, in this case “Parsons, Matt”; it then lists the publication specifics including where the evidence appeared and the date of publication. The objective is to provide comprehensive information on the source.

The second part of is the annotation of the evidence being cited. A strong annotation offers enough information in a sentence or two to help the writer (and potentially readers as well) understand the relevant points of the research from an unbiased perspective. While it is a common assignment in graduate programs, it is commonly a more valuable tool for the writer than the reader.

The annotation is generally limited to simple facts. As with any strong summary, the material should only contain ideas from the sources; the summary writer’s opinion is not appropriate. These summaries can be challenging to write, especially when condensing longer and more complicated sources of research. It is valuable for researchers to

• write concisely (the annotations are not “complete” summaries but provide the highlights of the evidence);
• paraphrase thoroughly (processing the material into original summaries allows for more complete retention and stronger comprehension); and
• go beyond the database abstracts (although most periodical indexes include abstracts of articles, these do not necessarily contain specifically relevant material any one researcher will use).

Different writers will inevitably produce slightly different summaries of the same evidence. Variation among writers’ summaries of a same piece of evidence results from unique interpretations of what is important in the research.

Producing the annotated bibliography allows writers to see the relationships between primary ideas from a variety of sources. When the annotations are carefully and thoroughly written, they can be extended and incorporated into other materials for broader purposes like a literature review or other section of a research project.

The relationship between these articles is clear despite the brevity of the annotations. Both articles establish a connection between the doctor/patient relationship and drug advertising. A contrast is also obvious. The newspaper article is from The Nation, in many ways similar to an academic journal and also known for its liberal views. The second article is from a trade journal (also similar to academic journals in many ways) that is clearly an advocate for the pharmaceutical industry.

Again, the process of compiling an annotated bibliography reveals some comparisons between the source material. This often leads to the refinement of research questions and further solidification of the thesis.

Inevitably, students working on research projects ask how many sources they need. Considered abstractly, this question is an effort to establish the scope of the investigation. Longer, more advanced and more in-depth research projects tend to have evidence from many different sources. The goal is not to satisfy a simple requirement but to amass the required information to support and extend a thesis. The ‘big picture’ view offered by an annotated bibliography allows writers to see where they have a suplus of information and where there is a dearth.

Adapted from Krause, S.  (2021, March 23). The Process of Research Writing Retrieved June 2, 2021, from https://human.libretexts.org/@go/page/6460