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ANTC12: Culture and Society in Contemporary South Asia

Winter 2024 - Professor Waqas Butt

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography provides an overview of the research that has been done on a given topic. It is composed of an alphabetical list of research sources. Each source has two components:

  • A reference (bibliographic data about the source), prepared in a specific citation style (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago)
  • An annotation, which includes a summary of the source and/or an assessment of its value or relevance

An annotated bibliography may be one stage of a research project, or a stand-alone project.

Creating a Reference

References for your final paper must be formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition.

Writing an Annotation

Summary

The annotation should briefly summarize the main argument of the research source. It should identify the source's:

  • Thesis, research question, or hypothesis
  • Major methods of investigation
  • Conclusion

When summarizing, try to avoid listing the source's contents. Instead, try to think about why the contents are there. For example, what is the author trying to prove in the source? What is emphasized in the text?

Value and Relevance

Your professor may also want you to explain the value or relevance of your chosen sources. To do so:

  • Assess the source's contribution to the research topic
  • Identify how you intend to use the source and why

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