The document provides instructions for creating an annotated bibliography in 4 easy steps: 1) Gather bibliographic information, 2) Summarize the source, 3) Evaluate the source, and 4) Explain how the source will be used. Each step is accompanied by questions to guide the annotation process and a sample annotation is provided. The purpose of the annotated bibliography is to properly cite sources and provide contextual information and evaluation of sources to be used in a research paper.

1. What is an Annotated
Bibliography?
Created by Professor Tanya Greenfeld
for College Composition 111,
Northern Virginia Community College

2. Remember making one of these at the last minute?
Works Cited
Alexander, Keith L. “The 21st Century’s Answer to the Wright Brothers.” The Washington
Post
5 Aug. 2003: 18+.
“The Caribean.” People and Places. Ed. Jeff Jackson. Vol. 2. Danbury: Grolier, 2005.
Club Drugs. June 2003. National Institute on Drug Abuse. 1 Aug. 2003 <http://
www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/Clubdrugs.html>.
Elkins, David. Overworked Kids. Detroit: Arco Publishing, 2005.
Hillstrom, Laurie Collier. “Dave Matthews Band.” Contemporary Musicians. Ed. Sean
Pollock. Vol. 18. Detroit: Gale, 1997.
"Homelessness." World Book Online Reference Center. 2006. Patapsco High School
Lib., Dundalk, MD. 16 Mar. 2006 <http://www.worldbookonline.com/>.
“Iverson, Allen.” Macmillan Profiles: Athletes of Winter. New York: Macmillan, 2000.
McGuigan, Cathleen. “Why Should We Care?” Newsweek 12 May 2003: 56.
“Somalia.” CultureGrams World Edition. 2006. ProQuest. Patapsco High School
Lib.,Dundalk, MD. 16 Mar. 2006 <http://online.culturegrams.com/>.

3. Don’t let this happen to you!
Image by David Goglin

4. Not citing your sources is plagiarism!
Image by Gridjumper

5. The Annotated Bibliography=
Works Cited
Alexander, Keith L. “The 21st Century’s Answer to the Wright
Brothers.” The Washington Post
5 Aug. 2003: 18+.
“The Caribean.” People and Places. Ed. Jeff Jackson. Vol. 2.
Danbury: Grolier, 2005.
Club Drugs. June 2003. National Institute on Drug Abuse. 1 Aug.
2003 <http:// www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/Clubdrugs.html>.
+
Notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes…
“quoted information” (citation)
Facts, facts, facts…
This is great source because…
I will use this in my paper by…

6. Step 1: Bibliographical
Information
1. Author’s name
2. Article title
3. Source title
4. Date of original publication
5. Name of database
6. Date of access

7. Type it up in MLA format.
Dunn, Sydni. "Lighter Teaching Loads for Faculty Contribute to Rising College
Costs, Report Says." The Chronicle of Higher Education 13 Mar.
2013, News: n.pag. Chronicle of Higher Education (Web Edition). Web. 22
Mar. 2013

8. Step 2: Summarize it.
Summarize the source material:
•What is the topic?
•What is the main idea or claim?
•What support or key information
supports the claim?

9. Write 2-4 Sentences of
Summary.
“The Education Sector and the American Council of Trustees
and Alumni released a report on March 20 that links a decline
in the teaching loads of tenured and tenure-track professors
with the rising costs of college tuition at four-year colleges and
universities. Andrew Gillen, the Education Sector’s research
director and author of the report, titled “Selling Students Short:
Declining Teaching Loads at Colleges and Universities,”
claims that if teaching loads had not decreased by 25% over
the seventeen-year period…”

10. Step 3: Evaluate it.
Evaluate the source for
timeliness, relevance, and reliability:
When was it first published?
Is it factual or biased?
Who is the primary audience?
Is the author a qualified source?

11. Write 2-4 Sentences of
Evaluation.
“While Dunn appears to be writing objectively about this
report, she does not provide enough information to sway a
reader to support its conclusions. Not surprising, considering
that the audience for this article is comprised of professionals
in higher education. By pointing out that the research focused
only on one method to remedy the increased costs of reducing
a professor’s course load while overlooking more cost-
effective methods, she is revealing that the conclusions are a
bit specious…”

12. Step 4: Explainits usefulness.
Does it support any of your points?
Does it help you to define your terms?
Does it provide anecdotal information to
illustrate a point?
Does it provide general, background
information on your topic?
Where will this information appear in
your paper?

13. How will you use it?
“This article provides me with evidence that this argument
exists. I never really thought about the correlation between
teaching loads and college costs before, so I can include a
brief mention of this argument as one of many possible
reasons for the rising costs of college tuition nationwide. I will
not use any quoted material. It will probably become a
summary sentence in the second body paragraph of my
essay.”
If you can use it, lose it!

14. Just Four, Easy Steps!
1. Gather the bibliographical
information.
2. Summarize the source.
3. Evaluate the source.
4. Explain how you will use the
source.

15. Works Cited
Dunn, Sydni. "Lighter Teaching Loads for Faculty Contribute to Rising College Costs,
Report Says." The Chronicle of Higher Education 13 Mar. 2013, News: n. pag.
Chronicle of Higher Education (Web Edition). Web. 22 Mar. 2013.
"EasyWriter: A High School Reference." Amazon.com. Amazon.com, inc., n.d. Web.
23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.amazon.com/EasyWriter-School-Reference-Andrea-
Lunsford/dp/0312531141>.
“Failure or Scaffolding to Mastery." Gridjumper's Blog: Collaborative Environments
for Teaching and Learning. WordPress.com, 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 Mar.
2013.<http://gridjumper.net/2013/02/15/failure-or-scaffolding-to-mastery/>.
“MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Edition." Amazon.com.
Amazon.com, Inc.,n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.amazon.com/MLA-
Handbook-Writers-Research-Papers/dp/1603290249>.
“Sleeping Student,” Academic Homepage of David Goglin. Web. 22 Mar.
2013.http://faculty.ccc.edu/dgoglin/EXTRAS/Sleeping.jpg.