Key features of annotated bibliographies

• A
  A-78
  list of sources arranged in alphabetical order by author includes complete bibliographic information for each source.

  Maintaining a working bibliography

• A brief entry for each source is typically one hundred to two hundred words.

  Sample annotated bibliography entry (MLA style)

• A summary of each source states the work’s main ideas and key points briefly and accurately. The summary is written in the third person and the present tense. Summarizing helps you test your understanding of a source and convey its meaning responsibly.

  Summarizing without plagiarizing

• An evaluation of the source includes an assessment of the source’s strengths and limitations, the author’s qualifications and expertise, and the function of the source in your project. Evaluating a source helps you analyze how the source fits into your project and separate the source’s ideas from your own.

  Thinking about how sources might contribute to your writing