In the process of writing a paper – a term paper, research paper, book reports, and the likes – it is a must to cite or acknowledge the sources that have been used in developing the output. That is why in every academic paper, it is encouraged that an annotated bibliography is included as a major part of the paper.
An annotated bibliography is a documentation of all the sources that have been used in the process of writing and developing an academic paper. It includes all the books, journals, articles or any documents whether online or offline that have been consulted. A brief description of the documents are also indicated – the annotation – to show the readers the relevance and quality of the sources.
The annotations in the annotated bibliography are not simple descriptions. They need to be critical unlike abstracts that are just brief summaries. The use of proper citation styles are also applied here just like in any other bibliographies.
Usually, the bibliography is one of the first things to be accomplished in a research paper before the main body of the research. In looking for relevant sources for the paper, read and study all documents that are useful in the paper. Select documents with larger relevance and add them in your working bibliography. Read and analyze the selected documents and take down notes on how they are relevant in your research subject. With that, you can now create annotations. The annotations are brief yet concise paragraphs that includes criticisms on how the document has been used in the research.
