Annotated Bibliography

Overview:
An annotated bibliography is a comprehensive bibliography on a topic that includes annotations. Annotations are
summaries identifying the main argument, evaluating the argument (assessing its value), and explain why it is
important/relevant for your topic. (Your final annotated bibliography will also include a two-page topic summary
explaining what the topic is and why it is important to learn about.) Researchers use annotated bibliographies to
become familiar with a topic before they write a research paper or do a research project on that topic. Going
through this process helps you learn about a topic of interest to you without writing out a full research paper on
it. It’s a method of independent study with a certain degree of flexibility.
The annotated bibliography project for our class involves two assignments: a proposal and the final annotated
bibliography (the final annotated bibliography builds on the work you did for the proposal). To complete both,
you must choose an anthropological topic, find six sources on the topic, four of which must be scholarly
sources about it, and read up on the topic. You will then turn in an annotated bibliography on your topic.
The topic you choose can be anything related to one of the subfields of anthropology. You need a topic that is not
too specific such as: macaque food procurement in Varanasi, India. It also shouldn’t be too broad: primate-human
interactions. Instead, choose a narrowed topic that you will still be able to find information on such as: primatehuman interactions in major cities.
The Proposal:
Write at least one page (double-spaced) explaining your idea for a topic and why you think it’s an important
topic to study in anthropology. Then you must include a bibliography with at least two sources you’ve found on
that topic and an annotation of two paragraphs for each of the two sources.
Here is an excellent resource on annotated bibliographies: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-typesof-writing/annotated-bibliography
Example #2 is what you need to do for your first paragraph of each annotation. For the second paragraph, read
where it says “Assessing the relevance and value of sources” further down the page.
In sum, for the proposal submit:
• One page in which you explain your idea and why it’s important to study in anthropology
• A bibliography with at least two sources listed in MLA format
• An annotation of two paragraphs for each source on your bibliography
Sources:
For the proposal, you need to include two sources out of the six you need for your final bibliography. (For the
final annotated bibliography, you must find six sources on the topic, four of which must be scholarly sources.)
• Scholarly sources include: articles from library databases, reference materials from library databases,
and books from the library. Four of your sources must be from these materials.
• Other sources: you may use websites for two of your sources if they are credible, thorough, and make
their sources clear. For example, the Primate Info Net is a website of University Wisconsin-Madison:
http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/ It is not a beautiful site, but it is credible and informative. (If you aren’t sure
about a source you found, get in touch with me and I can look it over.)