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ENG 360: Modern British Poetry: All About Annotations

The purpose of this guide is to aid you in your research and classwork for ENG 360: Modern British Poetry

Annotated Bibliography Guides and How-Tos

Formatting an Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is basically an enhanced Reference List. It contains an alphabetical list of References, with each one followed by a descriptive or critical annotation. Longer annotated bibliographies can be divided into different sections. Format an annotated bibliography the same way you would a reference list:

  • Use a hanging indent for each reference (every line but the first is indented)
  • Always double-space
  • Use a readable, 12pt. font like Times New Roman or Arial

See the Perdue OWL for an Annotated Bibliography Sample in MLA format. 

What is an annotation?

An annotation is a brief paragraph (100-200 words, usually) describing and/or critiquing a resource. Annotations may address some or all of the following points:

  • A basic description of the resource
  • What is the purpose of the work? Its main argument?
  • How qualified is the author? What is his/her reputation?
  • Are there any obvious biases?
  • A note on the scope of the work: What is covered? What is left out?
  • What is the intended audience of the resource?
  • Is the format suitable for the content? 
  • Is it well written? Well constructed? Easy to use?
  • Are there any really helpful features? Any glaring omissions?

One of the purposes of an annotated bibliography is to aid you in your research. By keeping notes related to the resources you look at, you will be able to refer to them later and know which ones would be most suitable to look into at a later date. With that in mind, you may also want to include in each annotation a brief description of how the resource in question is helpful to YOU specifically. Note what features, ideas and/or perspectives it will be contributing to your particular research.