All You Need To Know About Annotated Bibliography For Your Dissertation!

The dissertation is a long piece of work consisting of various sections. Each section is important and needs research and hard work. The bibliography is usually the last section of a dissertation, but it is not the least important one. It holds a lot of importance and requires much effort. This sometimes becomes the reason why students seek dissertation help. An essential form of a bibliography is an annotated bibliography.

What is annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography consists of citation of various sources of information including books, articles, journals, etc. in a listed form. The key thing about it is that it consists of an evaluation and a descriptive paragraph about the citation. This annotation aims to inform the reader about the accuracy of the source and insight into it so that he can decide whether it is useful for him or not.

Types of Annotated Bibliographies

Two types of annotated bibliographies are there – 

1. Descriptive Annotation – It simply describes the source and gives information about the usefulness of the source to the reader. It does not evaluate or criticize any source but just describes its features and major arguments given by the author.

2. Evaluative Annotation – This kind of annotation also evaluates the source apart from summarizing it. The reader can know about the relevance and accuracy of the source and decide whether it will be useful for his assignment or project. The target is to assess the source critically.

Why do we need an Annotated Bibliography?

According to dissertation writing help experts, “The purpose of writing annotated bibliography is to –

· Provide a detailed overview of the source and the issues & arguments it covers.

· Give a literature review.

· Exhibit your research.

· Show the relationship of the source with other studies in the same field.”

How to get started with writing your Annotated Bibliography?

You must perform some tasks before you begin with your annotated bibliography – 

1. Research - The first thing you have to do is to find the right sources for your work. Choose the sources which are best suited to your dissertation.

2. Evaluation – Evaluate and review the research material to verify its usability.

3. Write Annotation – Finally, write the annotation bibliography of each source as per the format.

Which is the Correct Citation Style?

There are different styles that you can use to write your annotated bibliography. They are Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Chicago style of referencing. You need to consult your supervisor to select the one which is most suitable for your dissertation or as per the guidelines provided by the university.

How to format Annotated Bibliography?

Although different styles offer different format, still there are some generalised rules which you can follow to write an impressive annotated bibliography for your dissertation.

· It has two parts: citation and annotation. 

· The citation part includes the details of the source. They are usually in alphabetical order by author surname. The formatting can be done as per the selected citation style.

· The annotation part can be either descriptive or evaluative. It reflects your research and its usefulness.

· The annotation should not be more than one paragraph.

· Use double-space between lines. 

· Use third person instead of first-person for the author.

Writing annotated bibliography requires a lot of intellectual skills and terse elucidation. It should be crisp and to the point. Hope this article is helpful for you in writing your annotated bibliography.

About the Author: 

Joseph iliaz has been working with Global Assignment Help for the past three years. He is known to provide assignment writing help to students struggling with it. He loves listening to music in his free time.