This presentation shows viewers how to write an annotation, MLA Style, for a work cited entry.

1. Annotated Works Cited
MLA Style

2. What is an Annotated Works
Cited?
 A list of citations to books, articles,
and documents with
◦ A brief explanation following each citation
(usually about 50 - 150 words) providing a
descriptive and evaluative paragraph
◦ Informs the reader of the relevance,
accuracy, and quality of the sources cited
as well as how the researcher found the
source.

3. May Include Some or All of the
Following
 Main focus or purpose of the work
 Intended audience for the work
 Usefulness or relevance to your
research topic
 Unique or helpful special features of
the work
 Background and credibility of the
author

4. May Include Some or All of the
Following Continued
 Author’s conclusions or observations
 Your conclusions or observations
 How you located the source, i.e.,
through a Google or Yahoo search,
library database, or print copy

5. Skills Required
 Creating an annotated bibliography*
calls for the application of a variety of
intellectual skills: concise exposition,
succinct analysis, and informed library
research.
 *For our papers, use the title Works
Cited rather than bibliography to
indicate sources cited in the paper
rather than those merely consulted.

6. Process
 First, locate and record citations to
books, periodicals, and documents
that may contain useful information
and ideas on your topic. Briefly
examine and review the actual items.
Then choose those works that provide
a variety of perspectives on your topic.
 Cite the book, article, or document
using the MLA Style.

7. How To Write the Annotation
 Write a concise annotation
summarizing the central theme and
scope of the book or article. Include
one or more sentences that (a)
evaluate the authority or background
of the author, (b) comment on the
intended audience, (c) compare or
contrast this work with another you
have cited, or (d) explain how this
work illuminates your topic.

8. Critical Appraisal of Sources
 For guidance in critically appraising
and analyzing the sources for your
bibliography, see “Critically analyzing
Information Sources”:
http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/res
earch/skill26.htm
 (Copy and paste the URL into a new window)

9. Sample Annotated Work Cited
Waite, Linda J., Frances Kobrin Goldscheider, and Christina
Witsberger. "Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional
Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American
Sociological
Review 51.4 (1986): 541-554. Academic Search Elite.
Ebscohost. Web. 4 Jan. 2011.
The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown
University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of
Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that
nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values,
plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief
in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly
supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in
studies of young males. Increasing the time away from
parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency,
and changes in attitudes about families. I located
this article through TCC’s LRC database.
(According to MLA Style, double-space the entire entry.)

10. Sample Explained
Waite, Linda J., Frances Kobrin Goldscheider, and Christina
Witsberger. "Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional
Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American
Sociological
Review 51.4 (1986): 541-554. Academic Search Elite.
Ebscohost. Web. 4 Jan. 2011.
The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown
University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of
Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that
nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values,
plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief
in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly
supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in
studies of young males. Increasing the time away from
parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency,
and changes in attitudes about families. I located
this article through TCC’s LRC database.
Authors
Journa
l title
Vol & Issue
Annotation

11. Tips and Reminders
 Indent under the
top line of the entry
 Author’s last name
first
 If no author, start
with the title in
quotation marks
 List volume &
issue: 15.5, never
include the words
volume or issue
 Abbreviate months
in the works cited
except May, June,
July
 For Web sources,
end with date of
access: 15 Jan.
2012
 End each part of
the entry with a
period
 Close with a period

12. For More Information
 The information in this slide show
adapted from Cornell University
Library
 http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/res
earch/skill28.htm
 Note: Cornell uses the title Annotated
Bibliography; you should use the title
Works Cited to indicate sources cited
in the paper, not merely consulted

13. Questions?
 Consult:
◦ your professor
◦ your handbook
◦ the Cornell U Library, see link on previous
slide
◦ TCC’s Kim Monday, virtual librarian and/or
the TCC LRC site:
http://library.tulsacc.edu/home
BUT do not guess at the format!