1. UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
Fenwick Library
Reference Department
Writing an Annotated Bibliography of Books
This exercise contains many research skills you will need to be an effective researcher in college:
1. Finding books
2. Citing sources
3. Summarizing information
4. Evaluating materials for your research need
A bibliography is a list of sources that were used as resource material for the paper or project at
hand. For this exercise:
 Search the library catalog for your topic.
 Find five books on your topic and retrieve them.
 Examine the books you found and determine whether or not they are appropriate for your
topic.
 If they are not appropriate, go back to the library catalog until you have identified five
appropriate books.
 Print out the full bibliographic record from the catalog for each of the five books. Next,
photocopy the title page of each of the books.
 On a separate piece of paper, following the example provided below, type the citation for
each book, providing all relevant information. The citation should follow this format:
Last name of Author, First name. The Title of the Book is capitalized and put in italics: The
Subtitle is also included. City: Publisher, Year.
Beneath each citation, using your own words, type an annotation. An annotation is a brief
descriptive and evaluative note that provides enough information about the book so a person can
decide whether or not to consult the book.
To write an annotation, you will comment, in paragraph form, on the following elements:
 Content—What's the book about? Is it relevant to your research?
 Purpose-—What's it for? Why was this book written?

2.  Methods used to collect data—Where did the information come from?
 Usefulness—What does it do for your research?
 Reliability—Is the information accurate?
 Authority—Is it written by someone who has the expertise to author the information?
 Currency—Is it new? Is it up-to-date for the topic?
 Scope/Coverage/Limitations—What does it cover? What does the author state that he or
she will cover? What doesn't the book provide that would be helpful?
 Arrangement—How is the book organized? Are there any special "added-value" features?
 Ease of use—Can a "real person" use this book? What reading level is the book?
Here is a sample citation and annotation to get you started:
List, Carla J. Information Research. Dubuque, la.: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 2002.
In this book, Carla List, an award-winning teacher and librarian, defines and describes information
and provides step-by-step instruction on doing research. In seven chapters, she covers the
organization of information, information technology, and the presentation, analysis, evaluation,
and citation of information. A bibliography, glossary, and index are included. This book is aimed at
the college-level student and is useful to the inexperienced researcher.
Burkhardt, Joanna M., Mary C. MacDonald, and Andrée J. Rathemacher. Teaching Information Literacy: 35 Practical,
Standards-based Exercises for College Students. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003, pp. 57-58 (Exercise 25).