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Creating an Annotated Bibliography: Content Analysis

Kia ora! This is a guide for writing annotated bibliographies. This guide provides quick guidelines to support your research.

Book

  • Read the preface to determine the author's intentions for the book
  • Scan the table of contents and the index to get an overview of the material it covers
  • Note whether bibliographies are included
  • Read the chapters that specifically address your topic

Journal Article

  • Look at the table of contents of the journal 
  • Read the author's credentials and the abstract of the article 
  • Look for a bibliography at the end of the article which may indicate the depth of the research
  • Read the article

Intended Audience

  • Note type of audience the author is addressing
  • Note intended level - elementary, technical, advanced

Objectivity

  • Note whether the information is fact, opinion, or persuasive (facts can usually be verified; opinions are interpretation of facts)
  • Note whether the information is well-researched, supported, objective and impartial.

Coverage

  • Note whether the work updates other sources 
  • Note whether the work substantiates other works have read, or adds new information 
  • Note whether your topic is extensively or marginally covered 
  • Note whether the material is from a primary or secondary source (scholars use this primary material to help generate an historical interpretation which is a secondary source)

Evaluating Web Pages

  • Accuracy whether the page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a means of contact 
  • Authority whether author credentials and whether they are included 
  • Objectivity whether accurate objective information is provided and advertising limited 
  • Currency whether the page is current, updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links are also up-to-date.