5 techniques that would help you write annotated bibliographies in no time
Many students go pale when they get to know that they have to find authentic and reliable scholarly sources on a topic and then annotate them. The task of annotating the sources appears to be difficult for many students although it is not true.
An annotated bibliography written by the student or provided by an essay writing service is a list of references or works cited in a paper, assignment, or essay followed by a paragraph explaining the source. The length of the paragraph depends upon the guidelines given by the professor. However, as a general rule, the annotation must be 120-150 words.
Although many write my essay for me services provide the option of annotation the bibliography used in an essay, nevertheless, students can learn to do them on their own too. Knowing what annotated bibliography is, what are its key features or components, what is the step-by-step procedure and what are the easiest techniques for writing an annotated bibliography can help students accomplish this task in no time and without much effort.
Components of an annotated bibliography
An annotated bibliography consists of the following two major elements:
- A citation
- An annotation
Citation
The bibliographic list starts with the citation of the source. A relevant source is cited with an appropriate citation style like APA, MLA, AMA, Harvard, Chicago, etc. The citation style used is the one specified in the instructions of the assignment. A complete and precise citation is necessary as it helps readers to find the source cited easily.
An annotation
The annotation is the descriptive and evaluative paragraph written after the citation. It not only describes the source but also evaluates it. The annotated bibliography example generally includes the following information about the source:
- Information about the authors and their expertise in the topic upon which the source is written.
- A brief and concise description or summary of the source.
- The methodology used to conduct the research, find data and analyze it within the source.
- The problem statement and scope of the research reported in the study include both the strengths and weaknesses of the source.
- Recommendations for further research on the topic.
- Critical evaluation and analysis of the source.
Techniques for writing an annotated bibliography
- Limit your sources to peer-reviewed journal articles
First and foremost, use sources that journal articles as they are not only authentic and reliable but easier to annotate too. This is due to many reasons. Firstly, peer-reviewed articles provide the details of the author on the top or bottom of the article. This helps writing the first part of annotation about the author easily without any further research.
Secondly, these articles start with an abstract. By reading the abstract one can not only instantly decide if the article is relevant or not but can also summarize it in no time.
Many journals with high-impact factors have articles where methodology, limitations, recommendations are also separately mentioned in the article. This makes the task of writing an annotated bibliography a piece of cake for a student.
- Finding the main points
Each main point of an article is usually mentioned under a new heading. Hence, when finding out the highlight of a source look for the headings and subheadings and jot down major points in each.
- Comparison of numerous articles
Before actually annotating the source, one has to find which source is most useful and relevant to the essay topic. One can check how many times a source is cited to find its authenticity and read the abstract to find general information about the source.
- Think critically
An annotation becomes reliable when the essay writer presents an honest opinion of the source. Read the source critically and also include a critical statement in the annotation that elucidates how the source is relevant to the topic and is good too.
- Annotate the source
After doing all the reading and research, start with the task of annotation by including all the components provided above.
Useful Resources: