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Writing with APA Citation Style

This guide provides links to library and web resources for outlining, formatting, and citing research papers using the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style.

Let's Get Started

Now you are ready to begin writing your own annotated bibliography.

1) Choose your sources!

2) Before writing your annotated bibliography, you must choose your sources. This involves doing research much like for any other project. Locate records to materials that may apply to your topic.

3) Review the items, then review the actual items and choose those that provide a wide variety of perspectives on your topic. Article abstracts are helpful in this process.

4) Write the citation and annotation. When writing your annotation, the complete citation should always come first and the annotation follows. Depending on the type of annotated bibliography you are writing, you will want to include:

  • The purpose of the work
  • A summary of its content
  • Information about the author(s)
  • For what type of audience the work is written
  • Its relevance to the topic
  • Any special or unique features about the material
  • Research methodology
  • The strengths, weaknesses or biases in the material

Annotated bibliographies may be arranged alphabetically or chronologically, check with your instructor to see what he or she prefers.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is an organized list of sources (like a reference list). It differs from a straightforward bibliography in that each reference is followed by a paragraph length annotation, usually 100–200 words in length.
Depending on the assignment, an annotated bibliography might have different purposes:

  • Provide a literature review on a particular subject
  • Help to formulate a thesis on a subject
  • Demonstrate the research you have performed on a particular subject
  • Provide examples of major sources of information available on a topic
  • Describe items that other researchers may find of interest on a topic

Types of Annotated Bibliography

There are two major types of annotated bibliographies:

  • Descriptive or informative
  • Analytical or critical