An annotated bibliography is a list of citations followed by a descriptive summary and evaluation. Sometimes the annotation will reflect the applicability of the source to the needs of the researcher. The purpose of this type of bibliography is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. Your instructor may ask you to develop and submit an annotated bibliography of five (5) or more sources, using Worksheet 7 (see Home: Worksheets 1-10).
Example #1
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. Pantheon Books, 2003.
A graphic memoir that depicts in language and black and white drawings the experience of one woman in Iran during the revolution (1978), when the Shah of Iran (who some saw as a puppet of the west) was overthrown and an Islamic Republic was created. The memoir also depicts the author (and her family’s) experiences during the Iran-Iraq war. The book captures a dual perspective of a child and an adult on the radical transformation of her country, with its drawings often reflecting how children view trauma, violence and change.
Example written by Professor Nancy Barry, Luther College
Example #2
Gurko, Leo. Ernest Hemingway and the Pursuit of Heroism. Crowell, 1968.
This book is part of a series called "Twentieth Century American Writers": a Brief Introduction to the Man and his Work. After fifty pages of straight biography, Gurko discussed Hemingway's writing, novel by novel. There's an index and a short bibliography, but no notes. The biographical part is clear and easy to read, but it sounds too much like a summary.
Example borrowed from the Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.
