How to Write an Annotated Bibliography (With Examples)

It's a reference list (APA/MLA/Chicago) where each citation is followed by a paragraph that does three things: summarizes the source, evaluates its credibility/relevance, and explains how you'll use it in your paper. Most students do the first; few do all three.

(1) Summary (2-3 sentences): What does the source argue / find / present? (2) Evaluation (1-2 sentences): How credible is the author? What's the methodology? Strengths and weaknesses? (3) Reflection (1-2 sentences): How does it fit your paper? What role will it play in your argument?

Smith, J. (2024). College stress in the post-pandemic era. Journal of College Health, 72(3), 245-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2023.2200000

Smith surveys 1,200 US undergraduates and finds that anxiety levels remain 30% above pre-pandemic baselines, with first-generation students disproportionately affected. The study uses validated instruments (GAD-7, PSS-10) and a representative sampling frame across 12 universities, lending strong external validity. This source will ground the empirical claim in Section 2 of my paper that pandemic-era stress effects persist beyond the immediate disruption period.

Smith, John. 'College Stress in the Post-Pandemic Era.' Journal of College Health, vol. 72, no. 3, 2024, pp. 245-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2023.2200000.

Smith argues that...\n[Then the same 3-part annotation structure]

(1) Annotations that are pure summary (no evaluation or relevance). (2) Vague reflection ('this source is useful', say HOW). (3) Citations in the wrong style or formatted inconsistently. (4) Annotations of wildly different lengths across sources.