An annotated bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, websites, etc.) with short paragraph about each source. An annotated bibliography is sometimes a useful step before drafting a research paper, or it can stand alone as an overview of the research available on a topic.
Each source in the annotated bibliography has a citation - the information a reader needs to find the original source, in a consistent format to make that easier. These consistent formats are called citation styles. The most common citation styles are MLA (Modern Language Association) for humanities, and APA (American Psychological Association) for social sciences.
Annotations are about 4 to 6 sentences long (roughly 150 words), and address:
Annotations versus Abstracts
Many scholarly articles start with an abstract, which is the author's summary of the article to help you decide whether you should read the entire article. This abstract is not the same thing as an annotation. The annotation needs to be in your own words, to explain the relevance of the source to your particular assignment or research question.
To see annotated bibliography formatting examples in APA and MLA citation styles see the University Library's Annotated Bibliography page.
Citation Managers are bibliographic management programs that will help you keep track of articles and books as you find them, organize your references and create bibliographies in 100s of citation styles (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.)
They will also allow you to:
Below are some popular citation managers and their differences. Remember to always check with your professor if you are not sure.
| Criteria | Zotero | Mendeley | EndNote and EndNote Web |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website |
There is also Zoterobib, which allows you to create an instant bibliography from your browser on any devices. |
https://www.mendeley.com/ |
FREE EndNote Web: https://www.myendnoteweb.com/ |
| Web based? | Yes, works with Firefox browser and can sync with online account; connectors for Chrome and Safari available | Yes | EndNote is a standalone app but it can transfer library to EndNote Web. |
| Operating System | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac | Windows or MAC |
| Cost | Free for basic account and the standalone app. Some cost for more online storage space | Free for basic account, with paid options for additional storage and features | Free for EndNote Web but $$ for the standalone app. |
| Important citation styles available/not available | Available: MLA, APA, Chicago, ACS, AMA, IEEE, and thousands more via CSL editor Not Available: No major styles missing |
Available: APA, IEEE, Chicago Not Available: MLA, ACS (ACS may require premium features) |
Available: APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE Not Available: ACS (requires full EndNote) |
| Import from databases | Yes | Yes | Direct export from specific databases |
| Import citation info from web pages | Yes, also archives the page and you can add annotations | Yes, via a web importer tool
|
only with EndNote Web bookmarklet |
| Attach associated files (PDFs, etc.) | Yes, with option to attach automatically | Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs | Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs |
adapted from American University Library, Penn State University Libraries, and official websites of these tools
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