Sociology Research Guide

What Is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, websites, etc.) with a short paragraph about each source. An annotated bibliography is useful preparation for a research project as it forces you to read each source carefully. Annotated bibliographies can also stand alone as an overview of the research available on a particular topic.

Each source in the annotated bibliography has a citation (the information a reader needs to find the original source) and an annotation.

Annotations are about 4 to 6 sentences long (roughly 150 words), and detail:

•     Summary of the work
•     The position/s and research methods used by the authors
•     Relevance to your research topic
•     Authority and background of the author
•     Features of the work that were unique or helpful to your research
•     Conclusions and/or observations reached by the author and by you

Annotations versus Abstracts

Many scholarly articles start with an abstract, which is a descriptive summary of the article to help you decide whether the article is relevant to your interests and research. Abstracts are not the same thing as annotations. Annotations are original descriptions that you create after reading the source and need to explain the relevance of the source to your project or research question. 

Below is a video from the Purdue OWL about annotated bibliographies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQK_Y0rCnvA&t=10s&ab_channel=OWLPurdue

Helpful Resources

NEIU Center for Academic Writing
https://www.neiu.edu/academics/our-centers-and-programs/center-academic-writing

What is an annotated bibliography? - from Purdue OWL
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/index.html

Examples of annotated bibliographies using APA - from Purdue OWL
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/annotated_bibliography_samples.html

How to cite using APA - from Purdue OWL
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa6_style/apa_style_introduction.html

Examples

Annotated Bibliography Sample from the Ashford University Writing Center

Carlson, D. S., Thompson, M. J., & Kacmar, K. M. (2019). Double crossed: The spillover and crossover effects of work demands on work outcomes through the family. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(2), 214–228. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000348

            Carlson et al. (2019) conducted an empirical study to examine the multiple paths through which work and family variables can affect work outcomes. Whereas Barber et al. (2016) explored how work obligations can increase stress or enhance fulfillment at home, Carlson et al. viewed work demands as raising family stress, with potential negative consequences on work performance. Results supported a model in which direct effects of work demands and spillover effects of work demands to work-family conflict led to lower job satisfaction and affective commitment, as well as crossover effects of work-to-family conflict, spousal stress transmission, and later family-to-work conflict on organizational citizenship and absenteeism. Overall, the study demonstrated a link from work demands to work outcomes when considering the family, but those paths differed depending on whether attitudinal or behavioral work outcomes were examined.