ENC 1102 (Tierney) College Composition - Technology

Guides & How Tos

Templates & Sample Papers

Additional Tools

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is bibliography (also known as a Works Cited or References list), with the addition of annotations (paragraph of notes about each source). Most annotated bibliographies are both Descriptive and Evaluative:

• Descriptive: annotations describe the content of a source
• Evaluative: annotations describe AND critically evaluate the source

What is an annotation? 

A short paragraph of notes (100-200 words) that describes and/or evaluates each citation (source of information listed in your bibliography). An evaluative annotation described the work and reflects, in your opinion, the relevance, quality, and accuracy of each citation.

Annotations usually consist of the answers to the following questions:

What is the source?

What is the work about?

What is the purpose of the work?

Who is the intended audience?

Who are the authors? What are their qualifications?

Source authority.

Biases of the source.

Limitations of the source.

Strengths of the source.

Do I have to read the entire book/article?

Not necessarily! Preview the information by reviewing: 

• introductions/conclusions
• abstracts
• book reviews
• websites
• table of contents
• first and last paragraphs

Annotated Bibliography citations are listed in alphabetical order. Start each annotation with a correct APA citation.

APA 7 formatting guidelines

1. References in an annotated bibliography should be in alphabetical order, the same as you would order entries in a reference list
2. Each annotation should be a new paragraph below its reference entry.
3. The annotation should be indented 0.5 in. from the left margin.
4. Do not indent the first line of the annotation. If the annotation spans multiple paragraphs, indent the first line of subsequent paragraphs.

When to use Tables and Figures in an APA paper:

• Use Tables and Figures to quickly and efficiently share large amounts of information pertinent to your topic. 
• Data that requires less than two columns/rows should be discussed in the text, not in a table or figure
• Always ask, "Is a table or figure necessary, or can this information be shared more easily through text?"

Presenting Tables and Figures:

• Refer to all tables and figures in the text of your paper. Briefly discuss the important features of your table/figure, then let the reader examine it in its entirety on their own.
• Label the tables/figures sequentially in the order in which they appear in your paper (i.e. Table 1). Labels should be bold and flush to the left (Level 2 Heading).
• Put the title of the table/figure in italics in title case, flush left below the label. There should be 1 space between the label and the title.
• Tables and figures should only include borders and lines that are needed for visual clarity.
• Notes for the Table/Figure are optional.  A line including a note should start with the word Note followed by a period. Notes should be double spaced italicized.

For more help with Tables and Figures, see:

The APA Owl at Purdue

The APA Student Paper Checklist

Academic Writer

Sample Table (From Academic Writer)

Sample Figure (From Academic Writer)