AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY is one in which the basic entries are followed by a paragraph describing and/or commenting on the work listed.

THE FUNCTION OF AN ANNOTATION is to inform the reader about the content of the book, article or report listed. The information to be included in the annotation depends on the purpose of the bibliography, its intended audience, its proposed length, and the content of the work being critiqued
(technical report, logical argument, memoirs, humor, fictions, etc.).

How do I write an ANNOTATION?
To compose an annotation, first, as you read (or scan) the book, article, or report, make notes corresponding to the eight points listed below. Then, read over your notes, organizing them and placing them in logical order. Next, write your sentences in full, creating introductory and subordinate phrases where appropriate. Last, revise your draft checking for spelling, grammar and length.

HERE ARE THE ELEMENTS TO CHOOSE FROM IN COMPOSING AN ANNOTATION:

(1) Who is the author, and in what way is he or she qualified--by education, occupation or experience--to write on this subject?

(2) Why was the book article or report written: to announce research, to disseminate an idea, to convince the reader on an issue?

(3) Who is the intended audience? And is the author's style and presentation appropriate for this group? In what ways?

(4) What methods led to obtaining the data forming the basis for the presentation: laboratory experiment, library research, interviews, personal experience?

(5) To what degree is the presentation objective or biased, and what is the evidence for this?

(6) What are the author's conclusions? Do you believe they are justified satisfactorily?

(7) Are there useful illustrations, lists, diagrams, maps, etc., that add to the interest or understanding of the document? If not, should there be?

(8) How does this study compare with similar studies? Does it offer new ideas? Does it conform to the dicta of established areas of scholarship or break new ground?

[DL's addition:
(9) How (if at all) will this work contribute to the specific research project at hand? (Mention specifics, including chapter or page numbers if appropriate.)]

Sample annotations:

[APA style, more or less]

[indent5 spaces for 1st line of documentation and all of annotation: I can't in this web program--DL]

1)

[indent 1st line]Anderson, Margo J. The American census: a social history. Yale, 1988. 257p index
[indent whole note] This book is a clear and intriguing examination of the many-faceted history of the American census. Anderson's work is, first, a history of the census itself--how it was taken as well as an analysis of those men (for until very recently they were overwhelmingly men) who made the decisions of how to gather, compile, and use the statistics. As a history of the census, this study is a delight. It is thoroughly researched and richly detailed. Anderson is to be commended for covering such an expansive chronology (1787-1980) with such skill; there are no weak spots in her account. The chapters on the Civil War (where the census was sued to plan military strategy and later to formulate a policy to deal with newly freed blacks) and the chapter on the 1920s ("Cheating by the Numbers") are especially insightful. Second, Anderson explores the relevance of the census. She has done so splendidly, tracing the issues of race, religion, equity, and justice through two centuries. This work is subtitled A Social History but is in fact far more. Anderson has woven together not only social history but also intellectual, institutional, political, and military history into a thoroughly readable book that examines not only changes in the census but also the remarkable changes that have taken place in the U.S. Upper-division undergraduates and above.

[DL nt: This is lengthier than you'll usually need. Note ways you could improve on it.]

2)

[indent 1st line] Goeldner, C. R.; Buchman, T. A.; and Guernsey, C. E. Economic Analysis of the North American Ski Areas, 1985-1986. Boulder, CO: Business Research Division, University of Colorado, 1986. 143 p.
[indent whole note] The eighteenth economic report on the ski industry of North America, it measures and describes the industry's physical and economic characteristics and identifies yardsticks and economic ratios having a bearing on health, growth, and profitability. Regional characteristics and differences are discussed and a description of the industry broken down by type (day, weekend, vacation, or weekend only), size, and days of operation. Provides ski area data in understandable tabulations so that ski area operators and others can access the status of the industry.

3)

[indent 1st line] Lynch, James J. Airline Organization in the 1980s. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984. 195 p.
[indent whole note] Written by a former director of the Air Transport and Travel Industry Training Board, this is the first major international report of airline organization, strategy, and structure. Covering more than fifty airlines, many in detail, the report is based on a survey which was subsequently used for management training in the air transport industry. The report is mainly for executives in air transport, but it contains valuable insights for any manager who is attempting to make his/her organization an effective competitor in the 1980s and 1990s.

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