An annotated bibliography is a list of citations for various books, articles, and other sources on a topic. The annotated bibliography looks like a Reference page but includes an annotation after each source cited. An annotation is a short summary and/or critical evaluation of each source.
The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to provide information to the reader on the quality and content of the sources cited. Depending on the intended use, an annotation may point out strengths and weaknesses in the source material or provide a summary to entice a reader to further explore the citation. Properly formatted annotated bibliographies provide authoritative information in a consistent manner.
For sources formatted in APA style, the basic format of an annotated bibliography entry is:
Last Name, First Initial. (Publication Year). Article/book title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), Page Range OR Book Publisher. Annotation text [In this paragraph or two, describe the central theme and thesis of the source. Evaluate the authority or background of the author(s). Summarize the content including key points and perspectives. Identify the overall usefulness of the source for research.].
The annotated bibliography example entries that follow illustrate proper APA format for books and journal articles.
Book Example:
Bilmes, L. (2013). The financial legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan: How wartime spending decisions will constrain future national security budgets. Harvard University Press.
In this book, Bilmes examines the long-term financial consequences of spending on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. She outlines how the costs of medical care and disability compensation for service members will continue for several more decades. Bilmes draws on her extensive experience as a lecturer in public policy and an advisor to the US Department of Defense to analyze budget documents and assessments. This source provides valuable context for understanding the full economic impact of recent wars beyond initial government reports.
Journal Article Example:
Goldbach, T., & Havrilesky, T. (2014). Benefits of and barriers to a more natural social work and qualitative inquiry curriculum. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 34(3), 336–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2014.922938
Goldbach and Havrilesky conducted interviews with social work students and faculty to assess perceptions of natural inquiry qualitative methods compared to more traditional quantitative approaches. They found that while students saw benefits to qualitative methods for understanding human experiences, they faced barriers to learning and implementing such techniques due to lack of emphasis in classroom instruction and field practicum policies. This study sheds light on challenges and opportunities to enriching social work education with qualitative perspectives.
The key components of an APA annotated bibliography example are:
Author(s) last name, initials
Year of publication
Title of source
Title of container (journal, book, etc.)
Volume and issue number (for journals) or publisher (for books)
Page range (for journals) or URL (for online sources)
Annotation paragraph of 5-7 sentences analyzing authority, content, and usefulness
Additional guidelines for formatting APA annotated bibliographies:
Use 12-point Times New Roman font and double space throughout.
Alphabetize entries by author’s last name or title for sources without authors.
Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent.
Number entries to keep sources in the same order as References page.
Combine sentences and vary vocabulary when writing annotations to sound scholarly yet clear.
Remain objective and avoid slang, contractions, or overly casual language that could diminish credibility.
Proper formatting shows scholarly approach and ethical use of other authors’ work. Annotations in APA style provide readers with a clear, consistent overview to evaluate sources for their research. Applying guidelines correctly for citation structure and annotation content produces authoritative, persuasive annotated bibliographies.