What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography?

When set as an assignment, an annotated bibliography allows you to get acquainted with the material available on a particular topic.

Depending on your specific assignment, an annotated bibliography might:

• review the literature of a particular subject;
• demonstrate the quality and depth of reading that you have done;
• exemplify the scope of sources available—such as journals, books, websites and magazine articles;
• highlight sources that may be of interest to other readers and researchers;
• explore and organize sources for further research.

Creating an annotated bibliography involves a range of academic skills:

• Research process: finding sources on your topic
• Information literacy: recognizing appropriate and credible resources
• Reading comprehension: understanding information presented in the sources
• Digital literacy: using computers and the Internet for both research and writing
• Citing: identifying elements to include in references and creating a reference list
• Writing: composing annotations that reflect, summarize, critique, evaluate or analyze the source
• Time management: allocating time to each step or piece required to complete the assessment

Guide content used and adapted with permission from the University of New South Wales.