ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH APA CITATIONS

Annotated bibliographies provide brief accounts of available research materials on a given topic. A professor may request an annotated bibliography during your research process in order to provide guidance in your research and to ensure that you understand your research materials, and to provide you with the basis to get started on your research project. If your professor requests a particular format for an annotated bibliography, follow it; otherwise, this is the standard format of an annotated bibliography:

1) a citation for all the sources that you reviewed in your research2) three or four sentences summarizing the source

Sample APA Annotated BibliographyThe following is a brief example of an annotated bibliography for a psychology research paper on “Emotions and Language” by Gretchen Vollmer in APA format.

Annotated Bibliography

Gendron, M. (2012). Emotion words shape emotion percepts. Emotion 12(2), 314-325.

doi:10.1037/a0026007

Gendron explores how perceptions of emotions are affected by the words associated with those emotions. The experiment shows that when a word is not associated with an emotion (in this case, “anger” with the visual facial expression of scowling) the perception of that emotion is changed. He also analyzes what the possible repercussions for this connection between the language and the resulting perception of emotions may be. This article is a current and up-to-date exploration of emotions and language, and Gendron is an expert in the field.

Kirkland, T. (2012). Mapping emotions through time: How affective trajectories inform

the language of emotion. Emotion, 12(2), 268-282. doi:10.1037/a0024218

Kirkland investigates the complexity of emotional states and how they are affected by a variety of factors, including but not limited to what emotional states an individual was in before the current emotion. She then looks at how the emotion is labeled in concordance with the prediction. If the emotion is predicted to be bad and is worse than it is predicted to be, the situation causing the emotion is thought to cause “sadness.” Kirkland explores the emotional trajectories and how they are applied to the language for emotions. Kirkland does not limit her research to a single factor, but rather discusses and explores a variety of ways in which emotional states can be affected. Kirkland’s research is among the most current available, and she is also a leader in the field.

512-245-3018 • ASB North, 1st Floor • Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m./Friday: 12-5 p.m./Sunday: 6-10 p.m.writingcenter.txstate.edu

How to Make an Annotated Bibliography

Locate the sources you want to use for your research and prepare an annotated bibliography for these sources according to the instructions below. For each entry,

1. prepare a Works Cited entry following MLA format.2. compose a short summary of the source.3. evaluate the text, discussing reasons it is or is not a good source. Consider

issues of when the source was published, whether or not the author is reliable (i.e. what makes him or her credible?), any bias that may be apparent, and how the article is documented.

4. arrange them on the page in alphabetical order.

* A bibliography differs from a reference page in that a bibliography lists all the sources you read during the research process whereas a reference page only lists sources you refer to within the text.

How to Write Summaries

Read the source carefully. Determine its structure. Identify the author’s purpose in writing the document. This will help you find the most important information in the source and help you to know what to summarize.

Re-read, label, and underline. Divide the passage into section or stages of thought. The author’s use of paragraphs will often be a useful guide. Label, or leave notes, on each section or stage of thought. Underline key terms and ideas.

Write one-sentence summaries on a separate sheet of paper for different sections of the article.

Write a thesis. This should be a one-sentence summary of the entire passage that expresses the main ideas. (Do not copy the author’s thesis because this would be plagiarizing!) Look through the underlined sections to help you determine the main idea.

Write a first-draft summary by combining the thesis with your list of one sentence summaries coupled with significant details from your source. Eliminate repetition. Disregard minor details or generalize them (for example, Reagan, Bush, and Obama might be generalized as “recent presidents”).

Check your summary against the original passage and make adjustments necessary for accuracy. Make sure the summary conveys the overall sense of the information from the source.

Revise your summary. Insert transitional words or phrases so that the sentences flow together. Check for style and avoid series of short, choppy sentences; combine sentences if they logically work well together. Check for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

2