Nursing: Annotated Bibliography

So you’ve been assigned an annotated bibliography . . . what does that mean?

An annotated bibliography is a descriptive list of resources (books, articles, films, sound recordings, Web sites, etc.) focusing on a common theme. Each entry in an annotated bibliography has a full citation and an annotation ranging from a few sentences to several paragraphs.

The citation provides information about the author, title, date, source, and publisher of the item. Citations should be formatted according to APA format.

The annotation is a concise and informative description that summarizes and evaluates the contents of a resource. It differs from an abstract, which just summarizes the original content. An annotation usually strikes a balance between summary and evaluation by addressing some of the following:

• Describe briefly the content of a resource
• Evaluate the usefulness of the item for the particular topic being studied
• Explain the methodology that was used
• Draw attention to any themes addressed
• Highlight strengths and/or weaknesses
• Discuss the reliability of the author or source
• Critically evaluate the content for accuracy, bias and authority

Remember! Any computer-generated citations should be considered a "rough draft." It's up to you to verify the correct formatting!