annotated bibliography turabian style example

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Annotated Bibliography

• Sample Chicago Annotation
• URL: https://libguides.enc.edu/writing_basics/annotatedbib
• Definition and Descriptions
• Evaluation Tools
• Parts of an Annotation
• Sample APA Annotation
• Sample ASA Annotation
• Sample MLA Annotation

Research Tools

Chicago Style Annotations

Creating an annotated bibliography in Chicago style

Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations is very similar, and is on reserve behind the IRC Desk on the Ground Floor.

General guidelines

Anno tatio ns can be merely descriptive , summarizing the authors' qualifications, research methods, and arguments. 

Annotations can evaluate the quality of scholarship in a book or article.  You might want to consider the logic of authors' arguments, and the quality of their evidence.  Your findings can be positive, negative, or mixed.

Your professor might also want you to explain why the source is relevant to your assignment. 

Sample Page: Chicago-formatted annotated bibliography

Rules! rules! rules!

The Chicago Manual of Style states the following formatting rules.  Check your assignment description in case your instructor has other instructions.

• The text should be double-spaced.
• Numbering starts on the first page of writing ( not the title page), at the top right of the page.
• Reference list entries must have a hanging indent (to do this in Microsoft Word 2003, click Format, then Paragraph, then Special, and choose Hanging).
• There should be 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins all around (top, bottom, left, and right) on each page.
• Use Times Roman font, or a similar serif font.
• Each paragraph should be indented using the tab key.

More Sample Annotations

Cornell University Library offers these examples of both APA and MLA format descriptive bibliographies.

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Annotated Bibliographies

• Annotated Bibliography Using RefWorks

Sample Annotated Bibliography

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Formatting Annotated Bibliographies

• Title your annotated bibliography "Annotated Bibliography." Make the title centered on the page. Confirm title requirements with your instructor.
• Format your sources according to the guidelines for a typical Chicago/Turabian style  Bibliography or Reference List .
• According to the Chapter 14.64 of the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition , "Annotations may simply follow the publication details (sometimes in brackets if only a few entries are annotated), or they may start a new line (and are often indented from the left margin)." So, ask your instructor what formatting guidelines they would like you to follow for annotations in terms of line breaks and indentations. 
• Generally, annotations should be a paragraph long. Confirm length and spacing requirements with your instructor.

Writing Annotations

• Always check with your instructor to confirm whether they would like your annotation to be  summative  (describing a source's content),  evaluative  (evaluating the usefulness or relevance of the source to your work), or for it to include  both description and evaluation .
• Always check with your instructor to confirm the required length of annotations, and whether you should use phrases or complete sentences.

Demir, Kadir and Gür E. Güraksin. "Determining Middle School Students' Perceptions of the Concept of Artificial Intelligence: A Metaphor Analysis."  Participatory Educational Research 9, no. 2(2022): 297-312.  https://doi.org/10.17275/per.22.41.9.2 .                                                                                                                    In this article, Demir and Güraksin report on a study completed in 2019-2020 in Turkey. The researchers collected data on 339 middle school students' perceptions of AI. While this study was completed before the rise of popular generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, it can still give me important context and background on middle school students' perspectives on AI and could serve as a point of comparison to current attitudes.

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Citations and Writing (+styles for Chicago, Turabian, etc.)

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Annotated Bibliography

Example of an entry in an annotated bibliography, annotated bibliographies: examples for apa, mla, & chicago styles, locating other examples of annotated bibliographies, for further instructions on writing an annotated bibliography, see:.

• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Grammar & Writing
• UCF Writing Center

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources on a certain topic with a brief description of each source.

Each entry in an annotated bibliography should include all the information normally included in a list of works cited. For instance, the citation for a book would include the title, author, publisher, place of publication, and year of publication. Use the appropriate bibliographic format for citations (such as MLA, APA, Turabian) as specified by your instructor.

The bibliographic information is followed by an annotation, which can be a few sentences or a lengthy paragraph that describes (or, in some cases, evaluates) the contents of the source. If you have questions about how detailed or evaluative the annotations should be, ask your instructor.

Here's an example of an entry from an annotated bibliography, with the citation of the book in Turabian style and a brief description of the book:

Garrow, David J. Protest at Selma: Martin Luther King and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 . New Haven: Yale University Press, 1978.

Garrow describes how the strategy of protest employed by Martin Luther King, Jr., and SCLC at Selma influenced the emergence of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He contends that the choice of Selma as a site for civil rights protests and the specific tactics that SCLC adopted in Selma were part of a plan to force the introduction and passage of national voting rights legislation. The foremost consideration in this campaign was the need to elicit "unprovoked white violence aimed at peaceful and unresisting civil rights demonstrators." Garrow argues that at Selma "a strategy that bordered on nonviolent provocation supplanted the earlier belief in nonviolent persuasion." SCLC correctly assumed that police violence would generate national media coverage and this, in turn, would stimulate reactions "throughout the country, and especially Washington," leading to pressure for federal voting rights legislation.

(Example from: The Civil Rights Movement: References and Resources , by Paul T. Murray. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1993.)

UCF's Rosen Library provides an annotated bibliography guide citing relevant sections of the style manuals and providing examples for APA, MLA and Chicago styles.

• Rosen Research Guides, Annotated Bibliographies This guide will help you learn to write annotated bibliographies and will provide you with practical examples in the most common citation styles.

Often it is helpful to look at examples of annotated bibliographies, and the UCF Libraries have many books containing them. To find annotated bibliographies in the collection, search the UCF Library Catalog  for the phrase "annotated bibliography", including the quotation marks around the phrase.

• On Compiling an Annotated Bibliography by Harner, James L. Call Number: General Collection Z 1001 .H33 2000 New York: Modern Language Association, 2000.
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• URL: https://guides.ucf.edu/citations

CITATION QUICK GUIDE

Notes and Bibliography: Sample Citations

The following examples illustrate the notes and bibliography style. Sample notes show full citations followed by shortened forms that would be used after the first citation. Sample bibliography entries follow the notes. For more details and many more examples, see chapters 16 and 17 of Turabian. (For examples of the same citations using the author-date system, go to Author-Date: Sample Citations .)

1. Katie Kitamura, A Separation (New York: Riverhead Books, 2017), 25.

2. Sharon Sassler and Amanda Jayne Miller, Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of Relationships (Oakland: University of California Press, 2017), 114.

SHORTENED NOTES

3. Kitamura, Separation , 91–92.

4. Sassler and Miller, Cohabitation Nation , 205.

BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRIES (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Kitamura, Katie. A Separation . New York: Riverhead Books, 2017.

Sassler, Sharon, and Amanda Jayne Miller. Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of Relationships . Oakland: University of California Press, 2017.

CHAPTER OR OTHER PART OF AN EDITED BOOK

In a note, cite specific pages. In the bibliography, include the page range for the chapter or part.

1. Mary Rowlandson, “The Narrative of My Captivity,” in The Making of the American Essay , ed. John D’Agata (Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016), 19–20.

SHORTENED NOTE

2. Rowlandson, “Captivity,” 48.

BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY

Rowlandson, Mary. “The Narrative of My Captivity.” In The Making of the American Essay , edited by John D’Agata, 19–56. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016.

To cite an edited book as a whole, list the editor(s) first.

1. John D’Agata, ed., The Making of the American Essay (Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016), 19–20.

2. D’Agata, American Essay, 48.

D’Agata, John, ed. The Making of the American Essay. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016.

TRANSLATED BOOK

1. Jhumpa Lahiri, In Other Words , trans. Ann Goldstein (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016), 146.

2. Lahiri, In Other Words , 184.

Lahiri, Jhumpa. In Other Words . Translated by Ann Goldstein. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016.

For books consulted online, include a URL or the name of the database. For other types of e-books, name the format. If no fixed page numbers are available, cite a section title or a chapter or other number in the notes or, if possible, track down a version with fixed page numbers.

1. Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment , trans. Constance Garnett, ed. William Allan Neilson (New York: P. F. Collier & Son, 1917), 444, https://archive.org/details/crimepunishment00dostuoft.

2. Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the American Meal (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001), 88, ProQuest Ebrary.

3. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (New York: Penguin Classics, 2007), chap. 3, Kindle.

4. Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment , 504–5.

5. Schlosser, Fast Food Nation , 100.

6. Austen, Pride and Prejudice , chap. 14.

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice . New York: Penguin Classics, 2007. Kindle.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment . Translated by Constance Garnett, edited by William Allan Neilson. New York: P. F. Collier & Son, 1917. https://archive.org/details/crimepunishment00dostuoft.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the American Meal . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. ProQuest Ebrary.

THESIS OR DISSERTATION

1. Guadalupe Navarro-Garcia, “Integrating Social Justice Values in Educational Leadership: A Study of African American and Black University Presidents” (PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2016), 44, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

2. Navarro-Garcia, “Social Justice Values,” 125–26.

Navarro-Garcia, Guadalupe. “Integrating Social Justice Values in Educational Leadership: A Study of African American and Black University Presidents.” PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2016. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

JOURNAL ARTICLE

In a note, cite specific page numbers. In the bibliography, include the page range for the whole article. For articles consulted online, include a URL or the name of the database. Many journal articles list a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). A DOI forms a permanent URL that begins https://doi.org/. This URL is preferable to the URL that appears in your browser’s address bar.

1. Ashley Hope Pérez, “Material Morality and the Logic of Degrees in Diderot’s Le neveu de Rameau ,” Modern Philology 114, no. 4 (May 2017): 874, https://doi.org/10.1086/689836.

2. Shao-Hsun Keng, Chun-Hung Lin, and Peter F. Orazem, “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality,” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 9–10, https://doi.org/10.1086/690235.

3. Peter LaSalle, “Conundrum: A Story about Reading,” New England Review 38, no. 1 (2017): 95, Project MUSE.

4. Pérez, “Material Morality,” 880–81.

5. Keng, Lin, and Orazem, “Expanding College Access,” 23.

6. LaSalle, “Conundrum,” 101.

Keng, Shao-Hsun, Chun-Hung Lin, and Peter F. Orazem. “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality.” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1086/690235.

LaSalle, Peter. “Conundrum: A Story about Reading.” New England Review 38, no. 1 (2017): 95–109. Project MUSE.

Pérez, Ashley Hope. “Material Morality and the Logic of Degrees in Diderot’s Le neveu de Rameau .” Modern Philology 114, no. 4 (May 2017): 872–98. https://doi.org/10.1086/689836.

Journal articles often list many authors, especially in the sciences. If there are four or more authors, list up to ten in the bibliography; in a note, list only the first, followed by et al. (“and others”). For more than ten authors (not shown here), list the first seven in the bibliography, followed by et al.

7. Jesse N. Weber et al., “Resist Globally, Infect Locally: A Transcontinental Test of Adaptation by Stickleback and Their Tapeworm Parasite,” American Naturalist 189, no. 1 (January 2017): 45, https://doi.org/10.1086/689597.

8. Weber et al., “Resist Globally,” 48–49.

Weber, Jesse N., Martin Kalbe, Kum Chuan Shim, Noémie I. Erin, Natalie C. Steinel, Lei Ma, and Daniel I. Bolnick. “Resist Globally, Infect Locally: A Transcontinental Test of Adaptation by Stickleback and Their Tapeworm Parasite.” American Naturalist 189, no. 1 (January 2017): 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1086/689597.

NEWS OR MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Articles from newspapers or news sites, magazines, blogs, and the like are cited similarly. Page numbers, if any, can be cited in a note but are omitted from a bibliography entry. If you consulted the article online, include a URL or the name of the database.

1. Farhad Manjoo, “Snap Makes a Bet on the Cultural Supremacy of the Camera,” New York Times , March 8, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/technology/snap-makes-a-bet-on-the-cultural-supremacy-of-the-camera.html.

2. Erin Anderssen, “Through the Eyes of Generation Z,” Globe and Mail (Toronto), June 25, 2016, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/through-the-eyes-of-generation-z/article30571914/.

3. Rob Pegoraro, “Apple’s iPhone Is Sleek, Smart and Simple,” Washington Post , July 5, 2007, LexisNexis Academic.

4. Vinson Cunningham, “You Don’t Understand: John McWhorter Makes His Case for Black English,” New Yorker , May 15, 2017, 85.

5. Dara Lind, “Moving to Canada, Explained,” Vox , September 15, 2016, http://www.vox.com/2016/5/9/11608830/move-to-canada-how.

6. Manjoo, “Snap.”

7. Anderssen, “Generation Z.”

8. Pegoraro, “Apple’s iPhone.”

9. Cunningham, “Black English,” 86.

10. Lind, “Moving to Canada.”

Anderssen, Erin. “Through the Eyes of Generation Z.” Globe and Mail (Toronto), June 25, 2016. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/through-the-eyes-of-generation-z/article30571914/.

Cunningham, Vinson. “You Don’t Understand: John McWhorter Makes His Case for Black English.” New Yorker , May 15, 2017.

Lind, Dara. “Moving to Canada, Explained.” Vox , September 15, 2016. http://www.vox.com/2016/5/9/11608830/move-to-canada-how.

Manjoo, Farhad. “Snap Makes a Bet on the Cultural Supremacy of the Camera.” New York Times , March 8, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/technology/snap-makes-a-bet-on-the-cultural-supremacy-of-the-camera.html.

Pegoraro, Rob. “Apple’s iPhone Is Sleek, Smart and Simple.” Washington Post , July 5, 2007. LexisNexis Academic.

Readers’ comments are cited in the text or in a note but omitted from a bibliography.

11. Eduardo B (Los Angeles), March 9, 2017, comment on Manjoo, “Snap.”

BOOK REVIEW

1. Fernanda Eberstadt, “Gone Guy: A Writer Leaves His Wife, Then Disappears in Greece,” review of A Separation , by Katie Kitamura, New York Times , February 15, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/books/review/separation-katie-kitamura.html.

2. Eberstadt, “Gone Guy.”

Eberstadt, Fernanda. “Gone Guy: A Writer Leaves His Wife, Then Disappears in Greece.” Review of A Separation , by Katie Kitamura. New York Times , February 15, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/books/review/separation-katie-kitamura.html.

WEBSITE CONTENT

Web pages and other website content can be cited as shown here. For a source that does not list a date of publication, posting, or revision, include an access date (as in the Columbia example).

1. “Privacy Policy,” Privacy & Terms, Google, last modified April 17, 2017, https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

2. “History,” Columbia University, accessed May 15, 2017, http://www.columbia.edu/content/history.html.

3. Google, “Privacy Policy.”

4. Columbia University, “History.”

Columbia University. “History.” Accessed May 15, 2017. http://www.columbia.edu/content/history.html.

Google. “Privacy Policy.” Privacy & Terms. Last modified April 17, 2017. https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

AUDIOVISUAL CONTENT

1. Kory Stamper, “From ‘F-Bomb’ to ‘Photobomb,’ How the Dictionary Keeps Up with English,” interview by Terry Gross, Fresh Air , NPR, April 19, 2017, audio, 35:25, http://www.npr.org/2017/04/19/524618639/from-f-bomb-to-photobomb-how-the-dictionary-keeps-up-with-english.

2. Beyoncé, “Sorry,” directed by Kahlil Joseph and Beyoncé Knowles, June 22, 2016, music video, 4:25, https://youtu.be/QxsmWxxouIM.

3. Stamper, interview.

4. Beyoncé, “Sorry.”

Beyoncé. “Sorry.” Directed by Kahlil Joseph and Beyoncé Knowles. June 22, 2016. Music video, 4:25. https://youtu.be/QxsmWxxouIM.

Stamper, Kory. “From ‘F-Bomb’ to ‘Photobomb,’ How the Dictionary Keeps Up with English.” Interview by Terry Gross. Fresh Air , NPR, April 19, 2017. Audio, 35:25. http://www.npr.org/2017/04/19/524618639/from-f-bomb-to-photobomb-how-the-dictionary-keeps-up-with-english.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT

Citations of content shared through social media can usually be limited to the text (as in the first example below). A note may be added if a more formal citation is needed or to include a link. In rare cases, a bibliography entry may also be appropriate. In place of a title, quote up to the first 160 characters of the post. Comments are cited in reference to the original post.

Sloane Crosley offers the following advice: “How to edit: Attack a sentence. Write in the margins. Toss in some arrows. Cross out words. Rewrite them. Circle the whole mess and STET” (@askanyone, Twitter, May 8, 2017).

NOTES 

1. Pete Souza (@petesouza), “President Obama bids farewell to President Xi of China at the conclusion of the Nuclear Security Summit,” Instagram photo, April 1, 2016, https://www.instagram.com/p/BDrmfXTtNCt/.

2. Chicago Manual of Style, “Is the world ready for singular they? We thought so back in 1993,” Facebook, April 17, 2015, https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoManual/posts/10152906193679151.

SHORTENED NOTES 

3. Souza, “President Obama.”

4. Michele Truty, April 17, 2015, 1:09 p.m., comment on Chicago Manual of Style, “singular they.”

Chicago Manual of Style. “Is the world ready for singular they? We thought so back in 1993.” Facebook, April 17, 2015. https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoManual/posts/10152906193679151.

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Personal interviews, correspondence, and other types of personal communications—including email and text messages and direct messages sent through social media—are usually cited in the text or in a note only; they are rarely included in a bibliography.

1. Sam Gomez, Facebook message to author, August 1, 2017.

2. Interview with home health aide, July 31, 2017.

Turabian Style

• Cite: Why? When?
• Books or Ebooks
• Theses and Manuscripts
• Reference and Sacred Works
• Audio/Visual
• Government Documents
• Music Resources
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Format Your Paper

• Shortened Notes

Turabian Paper Examples

• Turabian Paper Example
• Turabian Annotated Bibliography Example
• Chicago Paper Example (Purdue Owl)

Formatting Guidelines

Margins (a.1.1).

• Paper size - 8 1/2 x 11 inches
• 1 inch at top, bottom, and both sides

Font (A.1.2)

• Use easy to read font, such as Times New Roman
• 12-point font size

Spacing and Indentation (A.1.3)

• Block quotations
• Table elements (titles and captions)
• Lists in appendixes
• Footnotes/endnotes and bibliography lists are single-spaced but with a blank line between items.

Pagination  (A.1.4)

• Do not number the title page
• Page numbers start on the first page of the text using arabic numbers
• Can be placed in the center or right side of top or bottom of the paper

Title Page (A.1.5)

• Center all elements on the page
• Font size can increase slightly for the title.
• Preferred format is  boldface  for  title          
• Title placed approximately 1/3 down page.
• Two-thirds down page place name, class title, and date

Text  (A.2.2)

• Align the text to the left with a 1/2-inch left indent
• Double-space
• Include sections:  introduction, chapters/sections , and conclusion
• Spell out long organization names and add the abbreviation in parenthesis, then just use the abbreviation
• Write out numbers up to nine and use a number for 10 or more
• Use a number for units of measurement, in tables, to represent statistical or math functions, and dates or times
• Capitalize major words in the titles of books and articles

Bibliography  (A.2.3.5)

Begins on a new page following the text of your paper and includes complete citations for the resources you've used in your writing.

• Center "Bibliography" at the top of the new page, leaving two spaces between title and first entry
• Single-space and use hanging indents (where the first line is on the left margin and the following lines are indented a half inch from the left)
• List authors' last name first followed by the first and middle initials (ex. Skinner, B.F.) t
• Alphabetize the list by the first author's last name of of each citation, hen alphabetically by title if you list multiple works by one author. 
• Add full-sentence annotations on a new line indented from the left margin.
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Chicago Citation Guide (17th Edition): Sample Paper, Bibliography, & Annotated Bibliography

• What Kind of Source Is This?
• Advertisements
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• Book Reviews
• Class Handouts, Presentations, and Readings
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
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• Images, Artwork, and Maps
• Interviews and Emails (Personal Communications)
• Journal Articles
• Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Primary Sources
• Religious Texts
• Social Media
• Videos & DVDs
• Works Quoted in Another Source
• No Author, No Date etc.
• Sample Paper, Bibliography, & Annotated Bibliography
• Powerpoint Presentations

On this Page

General paper formatting guidelines, quick rules for a chicago bibliography.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

Writing an Evaluative Annotation

Tips on Writing & Formatting an Annotated Bibliography

Sample Paper with Bibliography

• Chicago Sample Paper

This sample paper can be used as a template to set up your assignment. It includes a title page, main body paragraph with footnotes, and a bibliography.

Sample Paper with Appendix

• Chicago Sample Paper Template - with Appendix

If you are adding an appendix to your paper there are a few rules to follow that comply with Chicago guidelines:

• The Appendix appears before the Bibliography
• If you have more than one appendix you would name the first appendix Appendix A, the second Appendix B, etc.
• The appendices should appear in the order that the information is mentioned in your essay
• Each appendix begins on a new page

Sample Annotated Bibliography

This sample annotated bibliography shows you the structure you should use to write a Chicago style annotated bibliography and gives examples of evaluative and summary annotations.

It can be used as a template to set up your assignment.

• End-of-Paper Checklist

Finished your assignment? Use this checklist to be sure you haven't missed any information needed for Chicago style.

Useful Links for Annotated Bibliographies

Overview of purpose and form of annotated bibliographies from the Purdue OWL.

Includes a sample annotation from a Chicago Manual of Style annotated bibliography. From the Purdue OWL.

An example of an MLA annotated bibliography. From the Purdue OWL.

Assemble your paper in the following order:

• Body of paper
• Appendix (if needed)
• Bibliography

Use Times New Roman, Size 12 (unless otherwise instructed).

Margins and Indents

Your margins should be 1 inch on all sides.

Indent new paragraphs by one-half inch.

Double-space the main text of your paper.

Single-space the footnotes and bibliography, but add a blank line between entries.

Start numbering your pages on the  second  page of your paper (don't include the title page).

Put your page numbers in the header of the first page of text (skip the title page), beginning with page number 1. Continue numbering your pages to the end of the bibliography.

Place the footnote number at the end of the sentence in which you have quoted or paraphrased information from another source. The footnote number should be in superscript, and be placed  after  any punctuation.

Put your footnotes in the footer section of the page.

Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in the text of the paper. This is called a bibliography.

See an example in the "Sample Paper with Bibliography" box on this page.

Here are nine quick rules for this list:

• Start a new page for your bibliography (e.g. If your paper is 4 pages long, start your bibliography on page 5).
• Centre the title, Bibliography, at the top of the page and do not bold or underline it. Look for the alignment option in Word. 
• Leave two blank lines between the title and the first entry on your list.
• Single-space the list, but leave one blank line between entries.
• Start the first line of each citation at the left margin; each subsequent line should be indented (also known as a "hanging indent").
• Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the citation. In most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. Where the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.
• For each author, give the last name followed by a comma and the first name followed by a period.
• Italicize the titles of full works , such as: books, videos (films and television shows), artwork, images, maps, journals, newspapers, magazines.
• Do not italicize titles of parts of works , such as: articles from newspapers, magazines, or journals / essays, poems, short stories or chapter titles from a book / chapters or sections of an Internet document. Instead, use quotation marks.

What Is An Annotated Bibliography?

An  annotated bibliography  is a list of citations for various books, articles, and other sources on a topic. The annotated bibliography looks like a Works Cited page but includes an annotation after each source cited. An annotation is a short summary and/or critical evaluation of a source. Annotated bibliographies can be part of a larger research project, or can be a stand-alone report in itself.

Types of Annotations

 A  summary annotation  describes the source by answering the following questions: who wrote the document, what the document discusses, when and where was the document written, why was the document produced, and how was it provided to the public. The focus is on description. 

 An  evaluative annotation  includes a summary as listed above but also critically assesses the work for accuracy, relevance, and quality. Evaluative annotations can help you learn about your topic, develop a thesis statement, decide if a specific source will be useful for your assignment, and determine if there is enough valid information available to complete your project. The focus is on description and evaluation.

• Cite the source using Chicago style.
• Describe the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology, and identify the intended audience.
• Explain the author’s expertise, point of view, and any bias he/she may have.
• Compare to other sources on the same topic that you have also cited to show similarities and differences.
• Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each source.
• Identify the observations or conclusions of the author. 

Remember: Annotations are original descriptions that you create after reading the document. When researching, you may find journal articles that provide a short summary at the beginning of the text. This article abstract is similar to a summary annotation. You may consult the abstract when creating your evaluative annotation, but never simply copy it as that would be considered plagiarism. 

Tips on Writing & Formatting an Annotated Bibliography

• Each annotation should be one paragraph, between three to six sentences long (about 150- 200 words).
• Start with the same format as a regular Bibliography list.
• All lines should be double-spaced. Do not add an extra line between the citations.
• If your list of citations is especially long, you can organize it by topic.
• Try to be objective, and give explanations if you state any opinions.
• Use the third person (e.g., he, she, the author) instead of the first person (e.g., I, my, me)
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Chicago/Turabian Citation Guide (17th Edition): Bibliography & Sample Papers

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Quick rules for a chicago/turabian bibliography, end-of-paper checklist.

Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in the text of the paper. This is called a bibliography.

See examples in the Bibliography & Sample Papers box on this page.

Here are eight quick rules for this list:

• Start a new page for your bibliography (e.g., if your paper is 4 pages long, start your bibliography on page 5).
• Centre the title, Bibliography, at the top of the page. Do not bold or underline it. Look for the alignment option in Word.
• Double-space the list.
• Start the first line of each citation at the left margin; each subsequent line should be indented (also known as a hanging indent .
• Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the citation. In most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. Where the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.
• For each author, give the last name followed by a comma and the first name followed by a period.
• Italicize the titles of full works: books, audiovisual material, websites.
• Do not italicize titles of parts of works, such as: articles from newspapers, magazines, or journals / essays, poems, short stories or chapter titles from a book / chapters or sections of an Internet document. Instead, use quotation marks.
• Chicago Style Paper Template

This sample paper includes a sample assignment page from the SUNY Broome Library with example of how to include your student information, footnotes, and bibliography in Chicago format.

It can be used as a template to set up your assignment.

• Sample Chicago Paper from OWL A sample Chicago paper from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.

If you are adding an appendix to your paper there are a few rules to follow that comply with Chicago guidelines:

• Place tables and other supporting data sets or examples at the end of your paper. Your paper should be numbered Appendix 1, Appendix 2, etc.
• Insert a footnote as you refer to each appendix item and direct the reader to the proper entry, as with a footnote that reads: See Appendix 1.
• Chicago End-of-Paper Checklist

Finished your assignment? Use this checklist to be sure you haven't missed any information needed for Chicago/Turabian style.

Style Guides

The Chicago Manual of Style

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations

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Turabian Writing Guide: Bibliography

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Bibliography (Notes-Biblography Style)

All bibliographic entries should be single-spaced, indenting subsequent lines. Like the rest of the paper, the bibliography should be in Times New Roman. The following are examples and due to the nature of formatting in web pages may not reflect the exact style as would be seen in a Word document.

Book with a Single Author

Kitamura, Katie. A Separation . New York: Riverhead Books, 2017.

Book with Two or More Authors

Sassler, Sharon, and Amanda Jayne Miller. Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of            Relationships . Oakland: University of California Press, 2017.

Books with Four or More Authors

For books with up to ten authors, list each author in the order in which they appear.  For books with more then ten, list only the first seven authors followed by "et al."

Eichengreen, Barry, Lim, Wonhyuk, Park, Yung C., and Dwight H. Perkins. The Korean Economy: From         a Miraculous Past to a Sustainable Future . Cambridge: Harvard University Asia Center, 2015.

Books with an Editor

John D’Agata, ed. The Making of the American Essay . Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016.

Chapter or Other Part of a Book

Rowlandson, Mary. “The Narrative of My Captivity.” In The Making of the American Essay , edited by        John D’Agata, 19–56. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016.

Translation of a Book

Lahiri, Jhumpa. In Other Words . Translated by Ann Goldstein. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016.

For online ebooks, include a URL or the name of the database. For other types of ebooks (such as e-reader files), name the format at the end of the citation.

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice . New York: Penguin Classics, 2007. Kindle.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment . Translated by Constance Garnett, edited by William Allan Neilson. New York: P. F. Collier Son, 1917.                          https://archive.org/details/crimepunishment00dostuoft.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the American Meal . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.  ProQuest Ebrary.

Journal Article

For online articles, include the doi address (the address begins with https://doi.org/).  If the article doesn't have doi information, list the article's permalink or database instead.  If an article has more than ten authors, list the first seven authors followed by an "et al."

Keng, Shao-Hsun, Chun-Hung Lin, and Peter F. Orazem. “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income                       Inequality.” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1086/690235.

LaSalle, Peter. “Conundrum: A Story about Reading.” New England Review 38, no. 1 (2017): 95–109. Project MUSE.

Pérez, Ashley Hope. “Material Morality and the Logic of Degrees in Diderot’s Le neveu de Rameau .” Modern Philology 114, no. 4 (May 2017): 872–98.                https://doi.org/10.1086/689836.

Weber, Jesse N., Martin Kalbe, Kum Chuan Shim, Noémie I. Erin, Natalie C. Steinel, Lei Ma, and Daniel I. Bolnick. “Resist Globally,Infect Locally: A                      Transcontinental Test of Adaptation by Stickleback and Their Tapeworm Parasite.” American Naturalist 189, no.1 (January 2017): 43–57.                             https://doi.org/10.1086/689597.

Magazine Article

Lind, Dara. “Moving to Canada, Explained.” Vox , September 15, 2016. http://www.vox.com/2016/5/9/11608830/move-to-canada-how.

Newspaper Article

Manjoo, Farhad. “Snap Makes a Bet on the Cultural Supremacy of the Camera.” New York Times , March 8, 2017.                                                                          https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/technology/snap-makes-a-bet-on-the-cultural-supremacy-of-the-camera.html.

Book Review

Eberstadt, Fernanda. “Gone Guy: A Writer Leaves His Wife, Then Disappears in Greece.” Review of A Separation , by Katie Kitamura. New York                            Times , February 15, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/books/review/separation-katie-kitamura.html.

Thesis or Dissertation

Navarro-Garcia, Guadalupe. “Integrating Social Justice Values in Educational Leadership: A Study of African American and Black University Presidents.”                  PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2016. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Website Content

If a website doesn't list a date of publication, posting, or revision, include an access date.

Columbia University. “History.” Accessed May 15, 2017. http://www.columbia.edu/content/history.html.Google. “Privacy Policy.” Privacy & Terms. Last modified        April 17, 2017. https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

Audiovisual Content

Beyoncé. “Sorry.” Directed by Kahlil Joseph and Beyoncé Knowles. June 22, 2016. Music video, 4:25. https://youtu.be/QxsmWxxouIM.

Stamper, Kory. “From ‘F-Bomb’ to ‘Photobomb,’ How the Dictionary Keeps Up with English.” Interview by Terry Gross. Fresh Air , NPR,April 19, 2017. Audio,        35:25. http://www.npr.org/2017/04/19/524618639/from-f-bomb-to-photobomb-how-the-dictionary-keeps-up-with-english.

Examples are adapted from Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers and the Turabian 9th Edition Quick Guide .

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What is an annotated bibliography?

Annotated bibliography: mla, annotated bibliography: apa, annotated bibliography: chicago/turabian, for zotero users, research librarians.

Extra resources

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography (from Olin Library Reference, Cornell University Library)

Cremmins, Edward T. The Art of Abstracting . 2nd ed. Arlington, Va: Information Resources Press, 1996

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . 7th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020.

Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers . 9th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Turabian, Kate L., John Grossman, and Alice Bennett. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations : Chicago Style for Students and Researchers . 9th /rev. by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams et al. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018.

University of Chicago. The Chicago Manual of Style . 16th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. Online http://go.middlebury.edu/chicago

An annotated bibliography includes a citation and a written statement about each work to help potential readers decide if an item is relevant to their interests. Most often they are arranged alphabetically by author, but they can also be arranged chronologically, or by topic. Most style manuals provide few details on how to write annotations. This guide only provides brief guidance. For more details see How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography (created by Research & Learning Services, Olin Library, Cornell University Library, Ithaca, NY, USA and used with permission).

According to MLA Handbook  (9th edition):   The list should be titled Annotated Bibliography or Annotated List of Works Cited.  "Annotations describe or evaluate sources or do both. They should not rehash minor details, cite evidence, quote the author, or recount steps in an argument.  Annotations are generally written as succinct phrases.” (section 5.132)

MLA Handbook - 9th edition format:

At the end of the bibliography citation "append an annotation to the end of the entry, indented an inch from the start of the entry (to distinguish it from the half inch hanging indent of entries composed of more than one line)." [5.132]

Example from MLA Handbook 9th edition [5.132]:

Moore, Nicole.  The Censor's Library: Uncovering the Lost History of Australia's 

Banned Books . U of Queensland P, 2012.

Comprehensive history of Australian print censorship, with

discussion of this history's implications for questions of

transnationalism and the construction of the reader.

Note:  Annotation may also be given as complete sentences. Notice that the citation and annotation is double-spaced, as in past editions.

See MLA Handbook 9th ed. [5.132] for additional guidance and examples.

APA does not mention annotated bibliographies but instead gives directions for writing abstracts. According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition), an abstract is defined as "a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the article; it allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly and, like a title, it enables persons interested in the document to retrieve it from abstracting and indexing databases." (p.25) The APA guidelines for authors writing their own abstracts may be helpful for students as well. The manual describes elements to include for specific types of reports and articles. See pages 26-27 for details.

According to Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (8th edition) section 16.2.1: "Some writers annotate each bibliography entry with a brief description of the work's contents or relevance to their research..."

The Turabian (section 16.2.1) and Chicago manuals (section 14.59) offers two ways of using annotations. "If your annotations are brief phrases, add them in brackets after the publication data..." Examples from Turabian 7th edition:

"You may also add full-sentence annotations on a new line with paragraph indentation" (example from Turabian):

• Chicago Annotated Bibliography Format and Example Examples from bibliography.com

Only 2 styles automatically format annotated bibliographies:

• You may need to add these styles to Zotero (choose "get additional styles" under Settings – Preferences – Cite tab)
• For APA style, put the annotation in the "abstract" field.
• For Chicago style, put the annotation in “extra” field
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Citation Styles: A Brief Guide to APA, MLA and Turabian

Sample bibliography: turabian.

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The basic format for a book citation requires listing the author's name, the title of the book, the publisher's name, and the date of publication. Edited books, when cited in full, will list the editor's name instead of an author’s name. 

Bibliography

Clemens, Lieselotte. Old Lutheran Emigration from Pomerania to the U.S.A. : History and Motivation, 1839-1843 . Kiel, West Germany: Pomeranian Foundation, 1976.

Detzler, Jack J. "'I Live Here Happily': A German Immigrant in Territorial Wisconsin." Wisconsin Magazine of History 50, no. 3 (2007): 254-259.

Gruenwald, Myron Eugene. Baltic Teutons : Pioneers of America's Frontier . Oshkosh, WI: Pommerschen Leute, 1988.

------. Two Worlds for Our Children . Oshkosh, WI: Pommerschen Leute, 1985.

Kuyper, Susan Jean. The Americanization of German Immigrants : Language, Religion and Schools in Nineteenth Century Rural Wisconsin , 1981.

Marth, Elmer H. "Gustav Adolph Kindermann - Leader of a German Lutheran Immigration and Pioneer Southeastern Wisconsin Pastor." Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly 38, no. 3 (1965): 135-145.

Ostergren, Robert Clifford, Cora Lee Kluge, and Heike Bungert. Wisconsin German Land and Life . Madison, WI: Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2006.

Reppmann, Joachim. Freedom, Education and Well-Being for All : North Germans in the USA, 1847-1860 . Davenport, Iowa; Germany: Hesperian Press; Verlag für Amerikanistik, 1999.

Schlemper, M. B. “From the Rhenish Prussian Eifel to the Wisconsin Holyland: Immigration, Identity and Acculturation at the Regional Scale.” Journal of Historical Geography 33, no. 2 (2007): 377-402. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6WJN-4KRY3YV-1/2/e32171402b1650a576a754073 76ef15d (accessed April 28, 2009).

Strohschänk, Johannes. 2001. "The Official Word vs. the Horse's Mouth: Descriptions of Wisconsin for the German Emigrant in the 1850s." Yearbook of German-American Studies 36 (2001): 129-156.

Strohschänk, Johannes, William G. Thiel, and Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies (University of Wisconsin--Madison). The Wisconsin Office of Emigration, 1852-1855, and Its Impact on German Immigration to the State . Madison, WI: Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, 2005.

Tabbert, Ronald. "Milwaukee's Trinity Designated a 'Landmark'." Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly 41, no. 4 (1968): 153-155. Zucker, A. E. 1958. "Roesler, Doughty Forty-Eighter." American-German Review 24, no. 6: 25-27.

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Annotated Bibliography: Sample Annotated Bibliographies

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Example of an Annotated Bibliography using Turabian

Here's an example of an entry from an annotated bibliography, with the citation of the book in Turabian style and a brief description of the book:

Garrow, David J. Protest at Selma: Martin Luther King and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 . New Haven: Yale University Press, 1978.

Garrow describes how the strategy of protest employed by Martin Luther King, Jr., and SCLC at Selma influenced the emergence of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He contends that the choice of Selma as a site for civil rights protests and the specific tactics that SCLC adopted in Selma were part of a plan to force the introduction and passage of national voting rights legislation. The foremost consideration in this campaign was the need to elicit "unprovoked white violence aimed at peaceful and unresisting civil rights demonstrators." Garrow argues that at Selma "a strategy that bordered on nonviolent provocation supplanted the earlier belief in nonviolent persuasion." SCLC correctly assumed that police violence would generate national media coverage and this, in turn, would stimulate reactions "throughout the country, and especially Washington," leading to pressure for federal voting rights legislation.

(Example from: The Civil Rights Movement: References and Resources , by Paul T. Murray. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1993.)

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Annotated Bibliography Samples

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Below you will find sample annotations from annotated bibliographies, each with a different research project. Remember that the annotations you include in your own bibliography should reflect your research project and/or the guidelines of your assignment.

As mentioned elsewhere in this resource, depending on the purpose of your bibliography, some annotations may summarize, some may assess or evaluate a source, and some may reflect on the source’s possible uses for the project at hand. Some annotations may address all three of these steps. Consider the purpose of your annotated bibliography and/or your instructor’s directions when deciding how much information to include in your annotations.

Please keep in mind that all your text, including the write-up beneath the citation, must be indented so that the author's last name is the only text that is flush left.

Sample MLA Annotation

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life . Anchor Books, 1995.

Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of being a writer, the chapters in Lamott's book are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot development to jealousy, from perfectionism to struggling with one's own internal critic.

In the process, Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be both productive and fun. Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her main project seems to be offering the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and struggling with one's own imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a practical handbook to producing and/or publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and its encouraging approach.

Chapters in this text could easily be included in the curriculum for a writing class. Several of the chapters in Part 1 address the writing process and would serve to generate discussion on students' own drafting and revising processes. Some of the writing exercises would also be appropriate for generating classroom writing exercises. Students should find Lamott's style both engaging and enjoyable.

In the sample annotation above, the writer includes three paragraphs: a summary, an evaluation of the text, and a reflection on its applicability to his/her own research, respectively.

For information on formatting MLA citations, see our MLA 9th Edition (2021) Formatting and Style Guide .

Sample APA Annotation

Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America . Henry Holt and Company.

In this book of nonfiction based on the journalist's experiential research, Ehrenreich attempts to ascertain whether it is currently possible for an individual to live on a minimum-wage in America. Taking jobs as a waitress, a maid in a cleaning service, and a Walmart sales employee, the author summarizes and reflects on her work, her relationships with fellow workers, and her financial struggles in each situation.

An experienced journalist, Ehrenreich is aware of the limitations of her experiment and the ethical implications of her experiential research tactics and reflects on these issues in the text. The author is forthcoming about her methods and supplements her experiences with scholarly research on her places of employment, the economy, and the rising cost of living in America. Ehrenreich’s project is timely, descriptive, and well-researched.

The annotation above both summarizes and assesses the book in the citation. The first paragraph provides a brief summary of the author's project in the book, covering the main points of the work. The second paragraph points out the project’s strengths and evaluates its methods and presentation. This particular annotation does not reflect on the source’s potential importance or usefulness for this person’s own research.

For information on formatting APA citations, see our APA Formatting and Style Guide .

Sample Chicago Manual of Style Annotation

Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Roles of the Northern Goddess . London: Routledge, 1998.

Davidson's book provides a thorough examination of the major roles filled by the numerous pagan goddesses of Northern Europe in everyday life, including their roles in hunting, agriculture, domestic arts like weaving, the household, and death. The author discusses relevant archaeological evidence, patterns of symbol and ritual, and previous research. The book includes a number of black and white photographs of relevant artifacts.

This annotation includes only one paragraph, a summary of the book. It provides a concise description of the project and the book's project and its major features.

For information on formatting Chicago Style citations, see our Chicago Manual of Style resources.

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• What Is an Annotated Bibliography? | Examples & Format

What Is an Annotated Bibliography? | Examples & Format

Published on March 9, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 23, 2022.

An annotated bibliography is a list of source references that includes a short descriptive text (an annotation) for each source. It may be assigned as part of the research process for a paper , or as an individual assignment to gather and read relevant sources on a topic.

Scribbr’s free Citation Generator allows you to easily create and manage your annotated bibliography in APA or MLA style. To generate a perfectly formatted annotated bibliography, select the source type, fill out the relevant fields, and add your annotation.

An example of an annotated source is shown below:

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Table of contents

Annotated bibliography format: apa, mla, chicago, how to write an annotated bibliography, descriptive annotation example, evaluative annotation example, reflective annotation example, finding sources for your annotated bibliography, frequently asked questions about annotated bibliographies.

Make sure your annotated bibliography is formatted according to the guidelines of the style guide you’re working with. Three common styles are covered below:

In APA Style , both the reference entry and the annotation should be double-spaced and left-aligned.

The reference entry itself should have a hanging indent . The annotation follows on the next line, and the whole annotation should be indented to match the hanging indent. The first line of any additional paragraphs should be indented an additional time.

In an MLA style annotated bibliography , the Works Cited entry and the annotation are both double-spaced and left-aligned.

The Works Cited entry has a hanging indent. The annotation itself is indented 1 inch (twice as far as the hanging indent). If there are two or more paragraphs in the annotation, the first line of each paragraph is indented an additional half-inch, but not if there is only one paragraph.

Chicago style

In a  Chicago style annotated bibliography , the bibliography entry itself should be single-spaced and feature a hanging indent.

The annotation should be indented, double-spaced, and left-aligned. The first line of any additional paragraphs should be indented an additional time.

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

For each source, start by writing (or generating ) a full reference entry that gives the author, title, date, and other information. The annotated bibliography format varies based on the citation style you’re using.

The annotations themselves are usually between 50 and 200 words in length, typically formatted as a single paragraph. This can vary depending on the word count of the assignment, the relative length and importance of different sources, and the number of sources you include.

Consider the instructions you’ve been given or consult your instructor to determine what kind of annotations they’re looking for:

• Descriptive annotations : When the assignment is just about gathering and summarizing information, focus on the key arguments and methods of each source.
• Evaluative annotations : When the assignment is about evaluating the sources , you should also assess the validity and effectiveness of these arguments and methods.
• Reflective annotations : When the assignment is part of a larger research process, you need to consider the relevance and usefulness of the sources to your own research.

These specific terms won’t necessarily be used. The important thing is to understand the purpose of your assignment and pick the approach that matches it best. Interactive examples of the different styles of annotation are shown below.

A descriptive annotation summarizes the approach and arguments of a source in an objective way, without attempting to assess their validity.

In this way, it resembles an abstract , but you should never just copy text from a source’s abstract, as this would be considered plagiarism . You’ll naturally cover similar ground, but you should also consider whether the abstract omits any important points from the full text.

The interactive example shown below describes an article about the relationship between business regulations and CO 2 emissions.

Rieger, A. (2019). Doing business and increasing emissions? An exploratory analysis of the impact of business regulation on CO 2 emissions. Human Ecology Review , 25 (1), 69–86. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26964340

An evaluative annotation also describes the content of a source, but it goes on to evaluate elements like the validity of the source’s arguments and the appropriateness of its methods .

For example, the following annotation describes, and evaluates the effectiveness of, a book about the history of Western philosophy.

Kenny, A. (2010). A new history of Western philosophy: In four parts . Oxford University Press.

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A reflective annotation is similar to an evaluative one, but it focuses on the source’s usefulness or relevance to your own research.

Reflective annotations are often required when the point is to gather sources for a future research project, or to assess how they were used in a project you already completed.

The annotation below assesses the usefulness of a particular article for the author’s own research in the field of media studies.

Manovich, Lev. (2009). The practice of everyday (media) life: From mass consumption to mass cultural production? Critical Inquiry , 35 (2), 319–331. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/596645

Manovich’s article assesses the shift from a consumption-based media culture (in which media content is produced by a small number of professionals and consumed by a mass audience) to a production-based media culture (in which this mass audience is just as active in producing content as in consuming it). He is skeptical of some of the claims made about this cultural shift; specifically, he argues that the shift towards user-made content must be regarded as more reliant upon commercial media production than it is typically acknowledged to be. However, he regards web 2.0 as an exciting ongoing development for art and media production, citing its innovation and unpredictability.

The article is outdated in certain ways (it dates from 2009, before the launch of Instagram, to give just one example). Nevertheless, its critical engagement with the possibilities opened up for media production by the growth of social media is valuable in a general sense, and its conceptualization of these changes frequently applies just as well to more current social media platforms as it does to Myspace. Conceptually, I intend to draw on this article in my own analysis of the social dynamics of Twitter and Instagram.

Before you can write your annotations, you’ll need to find sources . If the annotated bibliography is part of the research process for a paper, your sources will be those you consult and cite as you prepare the paper. Otherwise, your assignment and your choice of topic will guide you in what kind of sources to look for.

Make sure that you’ve clearly defined your topic , and then consider what keywords are relevant to it, including variants of the terms. Use these keywords to search databases (e.g., Google Scholar ), using Boolean operators to refine your search.

Sources can include journal articles, books, and other source types , depending on the scope of the assignment. Read the abstracts or blurbs of the sources you find to see whether they’re relevant, and try exploring their bibliographies to discover more. If a particular source keeps showing up, it’s probably important.

Once you’ve selected an appropriate range of sources, read through them, taking notes that you can use to build up your annotations. You may even prefer to write your annotations as you go, while each source is fresh in your mind.

An annotated bibliography is an assignment where you collect sources on a specific topic and write an annotation for each source. An annotation is a short text that describes and sometimes evaluates the source.

Any credible sources on your topic can be included in an annotated bibliography . The exact sources you cover will vary depending on the assignment, but you should usually focus on collecting journal articles and scholarly books . When in doubt, utilize the CRAAP test !

Each annotation in an annotated bibliography is usually between 50 and 200 words long. Longer annotations may be divided into paragraphs .

The content of the annotation varies according to your assignment. An annotation can be descriptive, meaning it just describes the source objectively; evaluative, meaning it assesses its usefulness; or reflective, meaning it explains how the source will be used in your own research .

A source annotation in an annotated bibliography fulfills a similar purpose to an abstract : they’re both intended to summarize the approach and key points of a source.

However, an annotation may also evaluate the source , discussing the validity and effectiveness of its arguments. Even if your annotation is purely descriptive , you may have a different perspective on the source from the author and highlight different key points.

You should never just copy text from the abstract for your annotation, as doing so constitutes plagiarism .

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Caulfield, J. (2022, August 23). What Is an Annotated Bibliography? | Examples & Format. Scribbr. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/annotated-bibliography/

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What Is Annotated Bibliography Turabian Style in General?

When conducting research, students usually focus only on completing this task. Everything is aimed to convey the main idea, define knowledge gaps, and answer the research question. However, following work on Turabian style annotated bibliography is a non-less critical stage. Here, you should reveal all the sources used and briefly describe each one. By completing this task, you present a scientific background of your research, which is important even if you won’t publish it. Plus, inappropriate formatting can impact the total grade if you make an annotated bibliography for academia.

Annotated bibliography Turabian format is usually used when writing about business, history, and fine arts. Having simplified publishing guidelines, this format also becomes very valuable for college and high school students. See the Turabian style quick-guide for more details.

The Two Systems of Annotated Bibliography Turabian Format to Use

You may need to choose from two citation styles when working with the Turabian annotated bibliography format. These are the Author-Date and Notes-Bibliography styles. It’s important to decide which type suits your work the most, as you can’t mix these types. If you are not sure about what option to use, check the assignment requirements or ask your professor.

The Author-Date style of the Turabian annotated bibliography is more familiar for the social, physical, and natural sciences. When you use this method, you must mention the resource’s name and add the author’s last name and the year of publication in the parentheses afterward. This makes searching for information much easier.

Notes-Bibliography style is often associated with humanitarian majors like history or art. Unlike the previous annotated bibliography Turabian format, you use footnotes instead of parentheses, providing complete information about the source after mentioning it.

Why Do I Need Turabian Annotated Bibliography Example to Do Well?

The simplest way to explore formatting style and learn how to use it is to have a good Turabian annotated bibliography example. Ensure only that it’s of the required style. Such examples greatly visualize writing guidelines and simplify the work overall.

When working with an annotated bibliography example Turabian, pay attention to its formatting.

• The title is one inch centered from the top of the page without italicization or quotation marks.
• The font is Times New Roman, pt.12.
• The first line always begins at the left margin and has a hanging indentation.
• There should also be double space between entries but a single space within them.

This way, you must cite all the sources used in your assignment. All descriptions in the annotated bibliography example Chicago Turabian style, should have less than 150 words. It’s not an abstract, so keep it brief.

If you make multiple-author references, write the surname after the author’s name in the first case and, on the contrary, for the next. Moreover, if you mention multiple-author resources, write all authors regardless of their number. These are the basic rules you need to know how to write an annotated bibliography Turabian style.

Diversities Between Annotated Bibliography Chicago Turabian Kinds

This format is almost equivalent to the Chicago style annotated bibliography , as these two types are based on the Chicago Manual of Style. Turabian style was found by Kate Turabian for the University of Chicago, so it has only one major difference from the standard Chicago formatting. Turabian is usually used to complete tasks for undergraduate research. The rules are made to format pieces that will not be published. Thus, Turabian is free of complicated publishing details.

Peculiarities of Turabian Annotated Bibliography Format You Must Know

Once you need to compose a work in Turabian annotated bibliography format, you must choose between Author-Date or Notes-Bibliography format. After that, select the resource category and specify it according to the type you decide to use.

It will be harder to arrange in-text citations using the Note-Bibliography annotated bibliography Chicago Turabian style because you will work with larger amounts of information, indicating author, title, page number, and publication details. Notice that there is no more “ibid” reduction in the Turabian method relating to the previous quotation.

All this doesn’t sound easy to understand. Especially if you are new to annotated bibliography Turabian for the first time or don’t have enough time to delve into its peculiarities. That’s why we are here. Our reputable experts have all the capabilities to provide you with comprehensive writing help with tasks of any topic and complexity. Working on annotated bibliographies is our main specialization, so we know all the ins & outs of creating a good one.

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