Annotated Bibliography Essay Writing Basics

Before you learn how write an annotated bibliography essay correctly, it’s a good idea to understand exactly what it is. Unlike a works cited page or bibliography you might find at the end of an academic research paper or published journal article, this is basically a complete list of all books, articles, presentations, videos, documents, etc. that in addition to brief citation information, also includes a short (150 word) explanation for why the work is relevant to your topic and why someone else may find it interesting. Here are the basics you should know:

• Understand Your Audience
  When students first find out about this assignment they tend to go overboard with the kind of information they feel needs to be included an annotated bibliography essay. Topic should be a good compass for pointing you in the right direction. Does the audience already know the topic inside and out or are you introducing something to it that they know very little about?
• Feature the Important Parts
  Next, when you start writing the actual annotated portion for each citation you will want to determine which parts are the most important and need to be communicated to the audience. You are limited to about 150 words (there’s no actual rule but this is the accepted standard in most fields) and that is pretty limiting, so be sure the information you include is vital and interesting.
• Keep the Writing Simple
  Your instructors have probably told you over and over again that the best English writing should be clear and concise. This means choose shorter and more direct words over longer and indirect. Each citation is basically a short explanation of some tangential element the audience will find useful in understanding the larger topic. The text shouldn’t confuse your audience in any way.
• Make Sure It Is Accurate
  This goes without saying, but all of your annotations must be written accurately. There’s no space for you to direct your audience to another citation, quote, or fact. You are paraphrasing all of the pertinent information and double check to ensure that it is correct.
• Always Edit and Proofread
  Finally, don’t forget that editing and proofread are two essential phases in all academic and non-academic writing. If you are in doubt, just have a look at some examples of annotated bibliography essay and you will see that the writing is perfect and completely free of any errors. Take your time when doing these final two things and you’ll have a great finished assignment.