Keeping a working bibliography

Page contents:

  • Relevant information about sources

  • An annotated bibliography

  • A customized annotated bibliography

A working bibliography is a list of sources that you may ultimately use for your project.

Relevant information about sources

As you find and begin to evaluate research sources—articles, books, websites, and so on—you should record source information for every source you think you might use. Relevant information includes everything you need to find the source again and cite it correctly; the information you will need varies based on the type of source, whether you found it in a library or not, and whether you consulted it in print or online. The emphasis in working bibliography is on working; the list will probably include materials that end up not being useful. For this reason, you don’t absolutely need to put all entries into the documentation style you will use (such as MLA, APA, Chicago, or CSE style). If you do follow the required documentation style, however, that part of your work will be done when you prepare the final draft.

Type of Source Information to Collect (if applicable)
Print book Library call number, author(s) or editor(s), title and subtitle, place of publication, publisher, year of publication, any other information (translator, edition, volume)
Part of a book Call number, author(s) of part, title of part, author(s) or editor(s) of book, title of book, place of publication, publisher, year of publication, inclusive page numbers for part
Print periodical article Call number of periodical, author(s) of article, title of article, name of periodical, volume number, issue number, date of issue, inclusive page numbers for article
Digital source Author(s), title of document, title of site, editor(s) of site, sponsor of site, publication information for print version of source, name of database or online service, date of electronic publication or last update, date you accessed the source, DOI, permalink, or URL

For other kinds of sources (films, recordings, visuals), you should also list the information required by the documentation style you are using and note where you found the information.

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An annotated bibliography

You might wish to annotate your working bibliography to include a summary of the source’s contents as well as publishing information (whether or not annotations are required) because annotating can help you understand and remember what the source says, as in this excerpt from Tony Chan’s annotated bibliography.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY

Diamond, Edwin, and Stephen Bates. The Spot: The Rise of Political Advertising on Television. 3rd ed., MIT P, 1992. Diamond and Bates illustrate the impact of television on political strategy and discourse. The two argue that Lyndon Johnson’s “Daisy Girl” ad succeeded by exploiting the advantages provided by the nascent television medium, using violent images and sounds and the words “nuclear bomb” to sway the audience’s emotions. Emphasizing Johnson’s direct control over the production of the ad, the authors illustrate the crucial role the ad played in portraying Goldwater as a warmonger.

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A customized annotated bibliography

Some annotated bibliographies can be very detailed—going beyond a summary of the main points in a source to examine research methods, evaluate the credibility of the source, reflect on its usefulness for a particular project, and more. Annotations that go beyond summaries can help you think critically about your sources and their place in your overall research project. Consider the kind of annotations that will be most useful for your annotated bibliography. Student Nandita Sriram’s reflective annotated bibliography includes summaries, descriptions of research methods, and evaluations of the sources.

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Talking the Talk: Research with an open mind

Student Writing: Annotated bibliography (Tony Chan)

Student Writing: Reflective annotated bibliography (Nandita Sriram)