I'm Supposed to Include Annotations with My Sources. What Does That Mean?

In a descriptive annotation, provide a short summary of the content or plot, and state the thesis or theme of the work. This enables your reader to make an informed choice about which of your sources would be of interest to them. Descriptive annotations demonstrate that your have read and understood your sources and used them wisely. Address such questions as:

• What are the author's credentials or qualifications relevant to my topic or purpose?

• Or, in the case of a sponsoring institution, what is its mission or goal that is that relevant to my topic?

• What is the scope of this source? Is it an overview, a manual, a critical analysis of one point of view, an in-depth explanation of a phenomenon? 

• What is the purpose of this source? Is the author's intention to persuade, to inform, to analyze, to inform, or to argue for a point-of-view?

• What is the writing genre and format? Is it an essay, a Web page, a peer-reviewed journal article, a reference work, a blog entry?

• What distinctive features does it have?

• What knowledge level is expected of the reader? Has it been written for a general reader, a scientist, a high school student, an instructor?

• How much information did you get from this source? Did its bibliography lead you to new sources?
  
  

In a critical annotation, evaluate the source and explain its value to your research. This enables your readers to select the most valuable sources. Critical annotations demonstrate that you have judged the accuracy, currency and credibility of your sources and identified relevant information within them. Address these revised questions which require judgment and evaluation:

• What are the author's credentials or qualifications relevant to my topic or purpose? What is the author's reputation among other experts?

• Or, in the case of a sponsoring institution, what is its mission or goal that is relevant to my topic? What is its reputation among experts? With what kind of organizations is it aligned?

• What is the scope of this source? Is it an overview, a manual, a critical analysis of one point of view, an in-depth explanation? How relevant and useful was it for your particular topic? What was missing?

• What is the purpose of this source? Is the author's intention to persuade, to inform, to analyze, to inform, or to argue for a point-of-view? Is there evidence of bias or distortion? Are there errors or weaknesses in the author's argument or thought process?

• What is the writing genre and format? Is it an essay, a Web page, a peer-reviewed journal article, a reference work, a blog entry? Is the work a quality example of the genre and format?

• What distinctive features does it have? Are these features unique among my sources? 

• What knowledge level is expected of the reader? Has it been written for a general reader, a scientist, a high school student, an instructor? Is the writing style and information appropriate to the audience?

• How much information did you get from this source? Did its bibliography lead you to new sources? How did this source influence your thinking?
  
  

All forms in NoodleTools end with an Annotation field, so that you can create descriptive or evaluative comments for each citation. If you add annotations, you may wish to add the word "Annotated" to your source list title (e.g., "Annotated List of Works Cited") via Print/Export --> Formatting Options... on the Sources screen.