An annotation is a brief description of a book, article, or other publication. Its purpose is to characterize the publication in such a way that the reader can decide and judge the value of the work. Annotations, in addition to describing the contents, evaluate the usefulness of a site, book, or article for particular situations.
Elements of an annotation:
1.    Begin with the complete bibliographic entry. Look in the Paly student handbook
2.    Include some or all of the following: (to help derive the bias in the source)
a.    Authority and qualifications of the author or company, unless extremely well known. e.g. “Based on twenty years of study, William A. Smith, professor of history at XYZ University...”
b.    Scope and main purpose of text, e.g. “Discusses the positive impact of Medicare on the psychiatric profession.” The relation, if any, of other works. “This corroborates the findings of the Corporate Report Card”  Do not try to summarize the whole work.
c.    Audience and level of reading difficulty. Such a comment warns readers of writings that are too elementary or scholarly for their purposes. e.g. “A Volkswagen technical bulletin designed to inform consumers.”
e.    Summary comment, e.g. “A popular account directed at Taco Bell enthusiasts not balanced or informative.”
f.    Add statement on how you used the source? What part of your argument did this source support?  e.g. "This work provided support for my thesis: even "Real TV" ain't real"
5.    Be concise.
6.    Proof read! You can assess the quality of your annotated bibliography by reading it aloud and then asking yourself: can someone else understand the limits, potential bias, and how I used this source in completing the assignment?
SAMPLE ANNOTATION
London, Herbert. “Five Myths of the Television Age.” Television Quarterly 10(1) Spring 1982:81-89.
Herbert London, a Dean at New York University and author of several books and articles, explains how television contradicts five ideas commonly believed by most people, using specific examples seen on television. His examples contradict such truisms as “seeing is believing” and, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” London uses logical arguments to support his ideas, and doesn’t refer to any previous works on the topic: the article is his personal opinion. His style and vocabulary would make the article accessible to any reader. The article clearly illustrates London’s points, but does not explore their implications, leaving the reader with many unanswered questions. This work provided support for my thesis: even "Real TV" ain't real.

For more information please see information about annotations from Purdue OWL.