INSTRUCTIONS
How to Write an Annotated Bibliography:
1. Decide which source is best for your topic:
Source Summary:
For Primary Sources:
-State briefly the topic and main argument of your source
-What problem is the author trying to address?
-What holes in our knowledge does the writer intend to fill?
-If you had to describe this source to someone who never read it, what would you
say?
-Explain the type of source (letter, newspaper, census report, etc)
-Identify the author (include author's position and other information to help the reader
-understand the writer's perspective and why he/she was in that position to create the
source)
-State the author's intended audience
For Secondary Sources:
-State briefly the topic and main argument of your source
-What problem is the author trying to address?
-What holes in our knowledge does the writer intend to fill?
-If you had to describe this source to someone who never read it, what would you
say?
-Give information about how the source is organized
-What are the main types of evidence the author relies on
-How the author makes his/her argument
Source Evaluation:
-Discuss the strength and weaknesses of the source
-Is the argument persuasive? If so, why?
-What evidence does the author use to support his/her case
-Is there enough evidence? Do you agree with how the author interpreted the evidence
-How does this source fit with other sources you've read
-Does it agree with them, disagree, did you find some sources more convincing
than others
-What does this source teach us that we did not know before?
-Is it filling in a particular gap in the field?
-Is it refuting a long-held assumption?