Learning about annotated bibliographies

The first time that I had to write an annotated bibliography it was for an assignment as part of a first-year History module. This was quite a few years ago now (more than a few actually) and while the art of writing annotations hasn’t really changed, the method for gathering materials has. So much more is available in a digital format now that an annotated bibliography could be researched and written without ever entering a library. That’s not always the best way to go about it, of course, but it has become true in many cases.

So, what is an annotated bibliography (just in case you haven’t ever come across one)? Essentially it is a list of sources on a specific topic; the aim is to be comprehensive – to gather a collection of materials which speak to the topic, and which gives a good idea of the breadth of study and knowledge about it. Beneath each citation (which should be written using a citation style) you write a short paragraph that summarises, evaluates, and reflects on the source, its strengths and weaknesses, and its benefit to your topic of study.

Annotated bibliographies are a way for tutors to test a student’s ability to gather sources, and then to critically analyse them, but also to see how good they are at making connections between sources (ideas, theories, knowledge, etc.) and to assessing the potential quality of each source. These are all crucial research skills.

An annotated bibliography can, however, be more than just an assignment. I’ve used them many times over the years to build a picture of current knowledge and arguments on a particular topic, especially where my own knowledge of that topic is relatively new. They are great for establishing a foundation for research and can be used as the basis for a literature review.

More than that, I’ve taken the core skill of an annotated bibliography into the heart of my research processes. Whenever I read an article (for example), I will write a short annotation that summarises, evaluates, and reflects, which I will then attach to it. This way, when I come back to that article, I can quickly remind myself of what it’s about, its potential use, and my own thoughts about it, without having to look at the article itself. This is, admittedly, time-consuming, but before I did this, I ended up re-reading articles all the time because my notes – by themselves – were not enough for me to grasp the key salient points or uses. Annotations work better, at least for me.

Would you like to learn more?

I have built a short online course designed to guide you through the process of creating an annotated bibliography. This is a ‘holding hand’ type of course, where you will be expected to go off to gather a collection of sources on a topic, write up your citations and then critically analyse each source to write your annotations. The course itself, guides you through that process one step at a time, offering hints and tips, and explanations as you go. There are a lot of videos in this course and plenty of advice.

Its purpose is simple: it will help you to create an annotated bibliography of your choice. So, if you have an upcoming assignment (or know someone who has) or if you want to learn more about the skills that can underpin your research (and help you to become more efficient) then this course is for you.

If you would like to learn more, please look at the course outline and introduction video on the Udemy platform. If you would like to purchase the course, then I have a special introductory rate available. Just click this link and you will get the course for the discounted price of £9.99 (normal Udemy rates vary). The discount is available for 5 days.  

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