Annotated bibliographies provide brief descriptive and evaluative paragraphs for citations to sources that inform readers of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of sources cited. To prepare an annotated bibliography, one must cite sources using MLA style, write concise annotations that summarize the central theme and scope of the source and its relevance to the project, and double space bibliographic citations and annotations. Examples of annotated bibliographies are provided for a book, newspaper article, and online reference article to demonstrate the proper MLA citation style and formatting of an annotation.

1. Annotated Bibliographies Photo by Alexandre Duret-Lutz. 2006. flickr.

2. What Are Annotated Bibliographies? Lists of citations to books, articles, and documents that include a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph for each source. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. Adapted from How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography. Michael Engle, Amy Blumenthal, and Tony Cosgrave. Cornell University Libraries. Revised 6 March 2007. http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm

3. What do I need to do? informed research concise summary succinct analysis Adapted from “How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography”. Michael Engle, Amy Blumenthal, and Tony Cosgrave. Cornell University Libraries. Revised 6 March 2007. http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm

4. What steps do I need to take? Cite the book, article, or document using MLA 7 th Edition style. Citation can be done with EasyBib or other templates, but you will still need to know the correct information to enter into the template. Write a concise and informative annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article and its relevance to your project. MLA 7 th bibliographic citations and annotations should be double-spaced. Adapted from How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography. Michael Engle, Amy Blumenthal, and Tony Cosgrave Cornell University Libraries. Revised 6 March 2007. http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm

5. Example: Book (MLA 7 th Edition) Hilliard, David. This Side of Glory . Boston: Little, Brown Co.,1993. Print. David Hilliard was the national leader of the Black Panther Party at the time Hampton was a member. Hampton met with Hilliard shortly before Hampton’s death to discuss Hampton taking on a greater national role in the Panthers. This book contained firsthand accounts of what the Panthers were like after the Hampton raid, as well as other key events leading to the organization’s decline. Adapted from “Fed by Fear: The FBI’s Crusade Against Fred Hampton and the Black Panthers” by Sam Bouman (2003). http://www.chicagohistoryfair.org/4_Hampton_NHD_paper.pdf

6. Example 2: Book (MLA 7 th Edition) Newton, Huey P. Revolutionary Suicide . New York: Writers and Readers Publishing,1973. Print. This book gives an idea of what the Black Panther Party is really about, from the point of view of its cofounder. Though it is very biased, it gives an idea of what the BPP did right from the start . Adapted from “Fed by Fear: The FBI’s Crusade Against Fred Hampton and the Black Panthers” by Sam Bouman (2003). http://www.chicagohistoryfair.org/4_Hampton_NHD_paper.pdf

7. Example: Article from a GBS Newspaper Database (MLA 7 th Edition) "A List Is a List. " New York Times 14 Dec. 1970: 42. ProQuest Historical Newspapers,The New York Times . Web. 5 Jan. 2011. During McCarthyism, several were ‘blacklisted’ due to their red pasts. This strategy of ‘blacklisting’ continued throughthe height of HUAC and beyond. This article notes that keeping files on alleged Communists invades their privacy, and the use of blacklisting remained a major objection to the committee’s action. The Committee claimed to be documenting ideas and events, but there was danger in this form of compilation because of how it was used. Adapted from "HUAC and the Stamler-Hall Case," By Aruj Chaudhry. http://www.chicagohistoryfair.org/images/stories/pdfs/4_Aruj_HF_biblio.pdf

8. Example: Article from a GBS Online Reference Database (MLA 7 th Edition) Ventura, Elbert. "McCarthyism." Issues & Controversies in American History . 22 Mar. 2006. Facts On File News Services. Web. 6 Jan. 2011. This article provides a concise but thorough overview of the subject. It discusses the post World War II environment in which fears of communism arose in the U.S. and the emergence of McCarthyism. It describes the events that led McCarthy’s political rise and fall. The article explicitly addresses major arguments for and against McCarthyism as an effective approach to the threat of communism at that time.