A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, Web sites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. Bibliographies are sometimes called "References" or "Works Cited" depending on the style format you are using. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).
An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following.
Summary: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of your article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book about, what would you say?Â
Assess: After summarizing a source, you should evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography, what information does this article give you that the others do not? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?
Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. How is this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?
(Purdue OWL, pars, 1-5)