HLTD22: Special Topics in Health - Chronic Diseases

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.

To prepare a reference for your source, follow the APA guidelines for its source type (e.g. book, journal article, newspaper, website, etc.).

For help creating references, check out the resources below, or visit the UTSC Writing Centre.

The annotation should briefly summarize the main argument of the source. It should identify these three things:

• Objective or purpose of the research: author's thesis, research question, or hypothesis
• Major methods of investigation
• Main findings or conclusion

The annotation should also explain the value or relevance of your source. To do so:

• Assess the source's contribution to the research topic
• Evaluate the quality of the source's arguments
• Identify why the source is useful to you (for example, how you would use it in follow-up assignments)

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Formatting Tips

References should be listed in alphabetical order by the first author's name.

The annotation is a new paragraph below the reference and follows block quotation format (indent the annotation 0.5 inches from the left margin).

Annotations are generally one paragraph long, between 100 - 300 words (aim for 150). 

Writing Tips

Your annotated bibliography should have a narrow focus and answer a specific research question.

Annotations should be descriptive and critical. This means that they should provide an overview of the source and evaluate it. Annotations are not the same thing as an abstract! An abstract only provides a summary of the source's content but leaves out an assessment of its value or contributions.

Make sure that you are not copying the source's abstract. Any content you are using from the abstract should be reorganized and rewritten in your own words.

Tips for Selecting Sources

Prioritize sources that are the most relevant to your specific research question. Keep your scope narrow. Consider what your reader would most need to know to understand the state of research about your topic.

Try to include the key works about your topic. Which sources have been the most influential? Which sources have contributed the most essential knowledge about your research question?

Provide a variety of perspectives and approaches. Good bibliographies capture the “scholarly conversation,” so try to reflect the debates or unanswered questions in the field.

Your choices can reinforce or mitigate inequalities, so try to include works from scholars from a variety of backgrounds.