Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology

Annotated Bibliographies

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, websites, images, etc.) with their complete citation information plus an annotation. Here are the elements of an annotated bibliography:

Citation - All of the elements needed for your citation style (MLA, Chicago, etc) such as author/creator name, titles, creation date, publisher. (See the specific style information on this page for more about citations.)

Annotation - the annotation, depending on your needs or the assignment specifications can include:

• Summary: Summarize the source including main points, arguments, and topics covered. For some projects it may be helpful to include a physical description as well such types of images included.
• Assessment: Evaluate the source in terms of its reliability, quality of the arguments made, whether it is objective or biased, and what the goal of the source is.
• Application: How the source relates to your research including its value to your project, how it relates to your argument, and what benefit it gives to your work.

If you are unsure which elements your annotated bibliography should include, refer to your assignment guide or consult your professor.

TIP! Annotated bibliographies can also be a really great tool for keeping track of your research, especially for sources you may use in more than one project. They help you remember what an article was about and also help make decisions about how to prioritize what you read.