If you ever have to write a research paper in your college career (and you will), your professor will probably ask you to compile an annotated bibliography beforehand. A bibliography is simply a list of citations for sources you will use in your paper. An annotated bibliography, then, is when each of these citations is followed by a short description of the source and an evaluation of its main argument, the context in which it was written, and, most importantly, its relevance to your paper. But why look up a bunch of sources and try to explain how you’re going to use them in a paper you haven’t even begun writing yet?
Half the point of compiling a good annotated bibliography is to weed out bad sources. I know, you really feel like that blog post captures what you want to say—but a blog post is not a reliable source in most academic papers. Similarly, Wikipedia is often accurate, but unless you’re willing to trace the information on Wikipedia back to its original source and then verify the accuracy of that source, you should not cite Wikipedia in your paper.
So what types of sources should you include in your annotated bibliography? Well, the absolute best way to find out if you have a useful source is to find out if the source is peer-reviewed, which means that the source has been checked for accuracy by other experts in the field. Most scholarly, academic, and professional journals are peer-reviewed. Some sources, such as reputable newspapers, are acceptable even though they are not peer-reviewed. For other tips and tricks to tell if you have a reputable source, look online or check back for another article later in the semester!
So you’ve decided your source is reliable. Now what? The answer, friends, is trust: Trust your own instincts to tell you which sources (and which parts of those sources) are important. If you think you can use the source but aren’t sure which part to use, bookmark the source so you can return to it later. Better yet, write down the full citation. That way, when you decide (because you have such killer instincts) that you are going to use that one article, you already have the most painful part of the annotated bibliography finished! Now you can just write a brief summary of the source, make a note of how you might use it in your (still-hypothetical) paper, and move on. You might even look online for annotated bibliographies to see some examples (note: your requirements may be different from the examples! Always check the specific directions on your professor’s prompt).
Most important of all, don’t panic! The annotated bibliography can help hugely, but really it’s just practice for using sources in your paper. Treat it as a way to help you develop your ideas and to see what other scholars are saying about your subject. Then come up with your own point of view and enter into the conversation. That’s what writing at the university level is all about!
September 30, 2014
