Read the instructions carefully, highlighting the assignment’s major questions and goals. This resource provides a list of questions to consider about your assignment. 

If you have questions, ask your instructor or TA during their office hours, or make an appointment with a writing consultant from the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center.

If you’ve never written an annotated bibliography before or would like a refresher, review some common expectations and features.

You may also review three distinctly different samples, one for each of the possible citation styles your instructor might require you to use (MLA, APA, or Chicago).

Gather together any readings already assigned in your class, your notes from class lectures and discussions, and any other sources you’ve already identified for the project. 

Note: If your instructor’s guidelines are asking you to combine an annotated bibliography with some other type of assignment, make sure you keep that in mind as you go through these steps. 

(This step should take 5% of your project time.) Continue with the step in the next box or return to the Assignment Planners tool to start again.

Find sources related to your topic, using books, peer-reviewed articles, newspapers, or other reliable and relevant sources appropriate to your research.

• Use OneSearch in the UT Libraries to find sources. Use keywords that are central to your topic. You’re encouraged to ask a librarian for help finding sources. 
• If you’re taking a first-year composition course (English 101, 102, 112, 132, or 298), use the research guide that has been compiled by the Library.
• As you search for articles, read the abstract first–it will help you decide whether a source is a good fit for your annotated bibliography.

Evaluate the credibility and reliability of your sources

• Once you’ve determined that a source may be useful for your annotated bibliography, make sure it’s credible by using these guidelines or by viewing this tutorial.  

(This step should take 20% of your project time.) Continue with the step in the next box or return to the Assignment Planners tool to start again.

Prepare to read your sources by first understanding the structure and purpose(s) of scholarly sources: 

• Here’s a helpful guide on breaking down/understanding scholarly articles. 
• It’s important to know how to approach these articles that may feel different from the types of sources you’re used to.
• Spend some real time on this step so that you can better understand the articles you’ll be discussing in your annotated bibliography.  

Read your sources

• As you read, take notes on key ideas, themes, and important passages. 
• Tip: tools like PowerNotes help you keep track of your quotes and make notes on digital sources as you read them. (It also captures citation information!)

(This step should take 30% of your project time.) Continue with the step in the next box or return to the Assignment Planners tool to start again.

Write drafts of your annotations.

• If provided, follow your instructor’s guidelines about what to cover and how to format your annotated bibliography. 
• If you want some helpful tips in addition to your instructor’s guidelines, take a look at:
  • Some general annotated bibliography guidelines.
  • Guidelines for drafting your annotations.
  • A guide on helpful verbs to include in your annotations.  
• Here’s a great video that breaks down the different elements of an annotation. 
• Make sure you properly cite sources according to the citation style you’re using; e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago.

(This step should take 20% of your project time.) Continue with the step in the next box or return to the Assignment Planners tool to start again.

First, review the assignment guidelines and/or rubric.

Get feedback from your instructor or TA during their office hours, from the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center, or from a peer.

Review these tips for Incorporating Peer and Instructor Feedback.

(This step should take 10% of your project time.) Continue with the step in the next box or return to the Assignment Planners tool to start again.

Try the “read out loud” approach to review your work–it can help you find things you might otherwise miss.

Write at least 2-3 major things you need to revise. Before you focus on sentence-level concerns, prioritize revisions by asking yourself if your summaries are accurate and show your understanding of each article, if you’ve included the major findings/claims of each article, and if your citations are correct. 

Revise as needed, based on your review and the feedback you received.

If you need to do further research due to gaps in your annotated bibliography, use UT Libraries resources for finding sources–and remember, you can always ask a Librarian for help. 

(This step should take 10% of your project time.) Continue with the step in the next box or return to the Assignment Planners tool to start again.

Review the assignment guidelines and/or rubric one last time.

Proofread your work carefully and slowly. Review your annotated bibliography by assessing the text for accuracy, clarity, and consistency. Check for spelling and grammatical errors. 

Verify that you have cited all sources correctly according to the citation style you’re using; e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago, as your citations are a prominent part of your annotations/entries in your annotated bibliography. 

(This step should take 5% of your project time.) Return to the Assignment Planners main page.