Annotated Bibliographies and Literature Reviews

Annotated bibliographies? Literature reviews? You've probably never heard of these until college (unless you were particularly unlucky in high school). And you probably wouldn't mind if you never hear about them again. In the world of college term papers, however, these assignments are common. In preparation for a final research paper, your professor may assign one or both. Their basic purpose is to motivate you to find sources for your next research paper-and to deter you from procrastinating until the last minute. But what exactly are these time-stealers?

Annotated Bibliographies

Think of an annotated bibliography as an extended works cited or bibliography page. You will alphabetically cite each source according to your citation style (typically APA, MLA, or Chicago). However, unlike a works cited page, after each citation you must write a paragraph that assesses it-its thesis, its main points, its strength, its weaknesses, and how it will support your research paper. Sometimes your professor may ask you to include the author's research methodology too. Generally, each entry will be 4-6 sentences, although your professor may prefer more or less detail.

Example (MLA):

Plume, Nom. "Hyperbolic half-statement: More detailed explanation about my actual topic." Pretentious Journal 85 (2008): 250-281.*

In his article, Plume claims [thesis]. He believes that [major point] and [major point] corroborate his view. To support his thesis, he conducts a survey that examines the political viewpoints of college students. The survey is [list strength]; however, it lacks [list weakness]. This article is useful to my own research paper, because it illustrates [this support] for my thesis.

(*Note: Due to formatting issues, I cannot show an indentation on the second line of the citation, but it is a required part of citations)

Literature Reviews

A literature review builds on your annotated bibliography. After all, both have the same objective: motivating you to find and evaluate your sources. However, unlike your annotated bibliography, you will compare and contrast your sources in a literature review. The format is also different. A literature review will have the same look as an ordinary research paper. In fact, a literature review is very similar to normal research papers, only you devote more time discussing the merits of your sources.

Examples of literature reviews abound. Just pick up any academic journal and one of the first sections will be labeled, "literature review" or "a review of the literature." Your own literature review will most likely be different in two ways. First, you will use fewer sources (in academic journals, some literature reviews might use 40+ sources). Second, you will examine sources in greater detail, since you use fewer of them (usually 8-15, depending on the professor).

Example:

This is one major point for my paper. Here is Source A and how it relates to this point. Source A additionally states this, this, and this. Source A contributes this to the field. However, Source A doesn't cover that, that, and that. Source B refutes A's conclusion. Source B's conclusion points to this, that, and the other thing. Source B also points out this and supports my point.

Source C corroborates with B in the following ways. Additionally Source C says this and that. However, Source D disagrees with Source C, attributing another cause. In fact, Source D supports Source A's conclusion by stating that this causes that and not the other way around. But Source D...

...And I think you get the picture.

If done well, your final research paper will have substantial sections lifted directly from your literature review. If you're writing a "real" research paper as you would submit for an academic journal, then your literature review should show other researchers that you've done your homework and are qualified to contribute to the field.

Conclusion

Having fun yet? It may seem like busy work (especially annotated bibliographies), but when the deadline for the final research paper rolls around, you'll be glad you've at least done something. Well, at least in hindsight you'll be happy.