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Bio 264 - Genetics: A Human Perspective - Jacob - Fall 2023

This guide is for Oxford College students enrolled in Bio 264.

How do I write an annotated bibliography?

The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to provide an overview of the current state of research on a selected topic. It should:

  • Identify important scholarship already done on the topic.
  • Place each selected resource in the context of what it means for the specific issue you're researching.
  • Describe the relationship of each source to the others that you have selected.
  • Help highlight gaps in our current knowledge and understanding of the topic.
  • Point the way forward for further research.

An annotated bibliography makes the process of research easier by collecting and explaining existing research on your topic. It may also help you put pieces of literature into conversation with each other - a process we call "synthesis," or making connections between your sources. Identifying the similarities, differences, relationships, and patterns of your sources will help you decide what questions still exist in your research area.

Choosing Sources for an Annotated Bibliography

There are multiple ways you can select a good set of sources for an annotated bibliography - choose a strategy that works for your topic and that you feel helps make the topic easier to understand. If you're struggling with your choices, consider what resources you would need to fully explain your topic to a friend. Where would you start? What are important things they need to know that scholars discovered or argued? Here are a couple structures you can try:

  • Chronological: How has your topic developed over time? Try not to just list your sources in chronological order - explain why or how our understanding changed. Why did research in this field move in this direction? Where is research going from here?
  • Thematic: Focus your review on specific themes, especially if you will be developing this bibliography into a paper. For example, if you are writing about political action on climate change, you could divide your sources by national and international organizations.

For more information about writing an annotated bibliography, check out the Purdue Online Writing Lab's guide or ask your librarian!

Evaluating Sources

Make sure your research is thorough when writing an annotated bibliography and choose reliable sources.

In assessing each source, consider:

  • What is the author's expertise in this particular field of study (credentials)?
  • Are the author's arguments supported by evidence (e.g. quantitative/qualitative studies)?
  • Is the author's perspective too biased in one direction or are opposing studies and viewpoints also considered?
  • Does the selected source contribute to a more complete understanding of the subject?

Adapted from the Concordia University Library Library Research Skills Tutorial. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International license.