Keep a record of any sources you decide to consult. You will need this record, called a working bibliography, when you compile the list of sources that will appear at the end of your paper. Your working bibliography will probably contain more sources than you will actually include in your list of works cited. It is called a working bibliography because you develop it as you work, as a list of potentially useful sources.
The format of the working bibliography depends on the documentation style you are using: MLA style, APA style, or Chicago style.
Most researchers print or save information for a working bibliography from the library’s computer catalog, its periodical databases, and the Web. If you download a visual, you must gather the same information as for a print source.
For Web sources, some bibliographic information may not be available, but spend time looking for it before assuming that it doesn’t exist. When information isn’t available on the home page, you may have to drill into the site, following links to interior pages. Look especially for the author’s name, the date of publication (or latest update), and the name of any sponsoring organization. Do not omit such information unless it is genuinely unavailable.
Once you have created a working bibliography, you can annotate it. Writing several brief sentences summarizing key points of a source will help you to identify the source’s role in your paper. Also, clarifying the source’s ideas at this stage will help you avoid plagiarizing them later.
Information for a working bibliography
Guidelines for writing an annotated bibliography
Sample annotated bibliography (MLA)
Sample annotated bibiliography (APA)
working bibliography A preliminary bibliography, containing items that might be useful eventually as support in a research paper.