Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is simply a standard bibliography with a short summary of each text under the reference. It is not necessary to read every text in its entirety to write an annotated bibliography - selective, critical scanning should give you enough information to write a general summary. The point is to have surveyed the literature in order to have an initial idea of the field and which texts might be of most use to your project. A partially annotated bibliography is the same thing, except you only annotate some of the entries (your lecturer should give you an indication of how many you need to annotate).

The annotations should provide a critical evaluation of the text, its relevance to your topic and its intended audience. Although it will indicate your understanding of the texts and their perceived relevance, it need not be an extensive analysis or comparison of the scope of your field. For that, you would need to write a literature review. A typical annotation should be about 150 words, but you should always check with your lecturer to be sure. Below is a sample entry from an annotated bibliography.

Goldschneider, F. K., Waite, L. J., & Witsberger, C. (1986). "Nonfamily living and the erosion of traditional family orientations among young adults". American Sociological Review, 51, 541-554.

The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that non-family living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of non-family living.[Adapted from Cornell University Library]