The document explains the difference between an abstract and an annotated bibliography, with the abstract providing a summary of the key points of a work while an annotated bibliography includes citations and short descriptions of sources. Examples of an article abstract and annotation are also provided to illustrate these differences. The document aims to clarify the distinct purposes and components of an abstract versus an annotated bibliography.

1. The Abstract
vs.
The Annotated Bibliography
What’s
the
difference?

2. The Abstract
• A summary of a work’s content
• Like all summaries, abstracts cover the main
points of a piece of writing
• Abstracts help you decide whether an article is
relevant for your purposes

3. The Annotated Bibliography
• A list of sources that provides publication
information and a short description of each
source called an annotation
• Some annotations merely describe the
content and scope of the source
• Others evaluate the source’s authority,
currency, and relevance to a researcher’s
purpose

4. Article from Scholarly Publication
(APA Citation)
Grindstaff, D. (2008). The Fist and the Corpse:
Taming the Queer Sublime in Brokeback
Mountain. Communication & Critical/Cultural
Studies, 5(3), 223-244.
doi:10.1080/14791420802206817
• Please Note: APA, 6th ed. encourages use of the DOI (digital
object identifier) if available. DOI is a way of uniquely
identifying documents, publications and other resources on
the Internet rather than using a URL, which can change over
time.

5. Example: Author’s Abstract
Sparking broad public conversations about the film's purpose
and meaning, Brokeback Mountain has solidified its status as
a significant cultural artifact. Sharing the sublime object's
formal structure, the film symbolically represents the
collective trauma that would otherwise result from directly
witnessing homophobic repression and violence; yet because
the film aesthetically induces a feeling of pleasure, audiences
transcend the terror that would ordinarily accompany such
encounters. I call this effect “the queer sublime.” Responses
to Brokeback Mountain further mediate audiences'
experiences of the queer sublime and thus reveal the
ideologically charged conditions that govern speech relating
to queer desire in a homophobic culture.

6. Example: Annotation
This article discusses the broad public debate on homosexuality
sparked by the film, Brokeback Mountain. The author’s claim that
the unrestricted conversation engaged in by the general population,
due to the aesthetically pleasing experience of the film, helped
reveal the connection between homophobia and its violent
consequences. (summary & scope in your own words). Well-
documented and convincingly argued, this article supports my
thesis that sympathetic representations of homosexuality in the
media lead to greater tolerance and acceptance of gays and
lesbians in society (evaluation of article’s reliability & authority).
Author Dr. Davin Grindstaff teaches at Georgia State University;
other publications also focus on rhetorical studies, with particular
attention to identity construction/reconstruction and queer theory
(author’s credibility).

7. Online Resources
More information on Annotated Bibliographies
from authoritative sources:
• Cornell University Library
• Purdue University OWL (Online Writing Lab)