The evaluation-This type of annotation examines the source’s strengths and weaknesses.
The summary often begins by describing the source's purpose, then describes the method the source author(s) used in their argument or study, and ends with providing the main finding(s) or conclusion(s). The summary-This type of annotation provides a summary of the source. There are three main types of annotations, and the different kinds of information can be combined, such as the summary and evaluation or evaluation and reflection, etc. Reading annotated bibliographies is a great way to see if specific sources are useful. When you are researching a topic, browsing through another writer's annotated bibliography can help guide your research.
Composing annotations also helps you look at your sources more carefully and critically. Writing an annotated bibliography gives a researcher a way to organize their sources as well as aiding other researchers interested in the same topic. Why write or use annotated bibliographies? Also, check with your professor on the length of each annotation. Note: Always check with your professor to see exactly what they want included in your annotations. They can sometimes be organized by subject, but the entries in every group should be listed in alphabetical order.įor each source, provide the bibliographic citation (the citation as it would appear in a Works Cited or References page) in your chosen citation style. The sources are typically listed in alphabetical order. The second paragraph provides an analysis or evaluation of the source, taking into consideration the validity, audience, holes in the argument, etc. Generally, the first paragraph of the annotation provides a summary of the source in direct, clear terms. An annotation is a one or two paragraph summary and/or analysis of an article, book, or other source. As ever, consult with your professor about the specifics of your analytical project and the particular expectations he or she may have for a given assignment.An annotated bibliography is a list of sources on a single topic, with an annotation provided for each source. Often hybrid approaches, approaches than combine aspects of two or more of these analytical traditions, are very successful, so long as the thesis remains focused and the support specific and well-documented.
For example, while we might gain a great deal by interpreting a short story through a psychoanalytic lens, focusing only on this approach may foreclose the possibilities for our analysis to become as deeply grounded in formalist analysis, or may offer only a passing look at historical issues.Īnalytical writers should not base their essays on a particular approach simply for the sake of following that school of thought, but rather to further their understanding of, and appreciation for, the literature in question, as well as the clarity of the interpretation offered. Today, many literary scholars engage in the practice of intersectionality , that is the attention to the complexity of how cultural views and traditions often fall into more than one category. Reader-Response analysis seeks to reveal the activity of the reader as contributing to - even completing - the meaning of the text by applying his or her own experiences, perspectives and cultural values this approach is not done personally, but in consideration of “the reader” as a type or a social category.