Annotated bibliography template and example
Write useful annotations with a source citation, summary, evaluation and relevance to your question. Download a free worksheet and a worked example using a real source.
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Annotated bibliography
Research question: [what are you investigating?] Required citation style and annotation length: [assignment instructions]
Repeat for each source
Full citation
[Verify author or organization, date, title, publication and link or DOI. Format them in your required style.]
Summary
What does the source argue or explain? What evidence or method does it use? Paraphrase the relevant point and retain a page, section or timestamp.
Evaluation
Who produced it? What makes it useful for this question? What are its limits, assumptions and possible conflicts? Distinguish a practical guide from an empirical study.
Relevance
How will you use it? Which claim can it support? Which question will it not answer? What other source should you compare it with?
Worked example — MLA 9
“The Cornell Note Taking System.” Learning Strategies Center, Cornell University, lsc.cornell.edu/how-to-study/taking-notes/cornell-note-taking-system/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.
Summary: This university learning guide introduces a way to organize notes, cue questions and a summary, with follow-up recall and review. The relevant evidence is the page's explanation of the note-taking system.
Evaluation: The university center is an identifiable source for its own study method. This page is practical instruction; it does not by itself establish that the method outperforms every alternative for every learner.
Relevance: I can use it to describe the structure of a Cornell notes worksheet. A claim about learning outcomes would need separate research comparing methods and populations.
Source record behind the example
Organization: Cornell University Learning Strategies Center
Title: The Cornell Note Taking System
URL: https://lsc.cornell.edu/how-to-study/taking-notes/cornell-note-taking-system/
The citation starts with the title because this example supplies no named individual author. It includes the date the source was checked, without inventing a publication date from a copyright year.
Before submitting
Follow the assignment: it may request summary only, evaluation or a different structure.
Check every source against the original and order entries as the required style directs.
Distinguish quotations from your own paraphrases.
Replace placeholders; never invent a date, DOI or page number.
Annotation reference: Purdue OWL — https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/index.html Citation references: MLA Style Center — https://style.mla.org/works-cited/citations-by-format/ and https://style.mla.org/access-dates/
View Markdown source
# Annotated bibliography Research question: [what are you investigating?] Required citation style and annotation length: [assignment instructions] ## Repeat for each source ### Full citation [Verify author or organization, date, title, publication and link or DOI. Format them in your required style.] ### Summary What does the source argue or explain? What evidence or method does it use? Paraphrase the relevant point and retain a page, section or timestamp. ### Evaluation Who produced it? What makes it useful for this question? What are its limits, assumptions and possible conflicts? Distinguish a practical guide from an empirical study. ### Relevance How will you use it? Which claim can it support? Which question will it not answer? What other source should you compare it with? ## Worked example — MLA 9 “The Cornell Note Taking System.” *Learning Strategies Center*, Cornell University, lsc.cornell.edu/how-to-study/taking-notes/cornell-note-taking-system/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026. Summary: This university learning guide introduces a way to organize notes, cue questions and a summary, with follow-up recall and review. The relevant evidence is the page's explanation of the note-taking system. Evaluation: The university center is an identifiable source for its own study method. This page is practical instruction; it does not by itself establish that the method outperforms every alternative for every learner. Relevance: I can use it to describe the structure of a Cornell notes worksheet. A claim about learning outcomes would need separate research comparing methods and populations. ### Source record behind the example - Organization: Cornell University Learning Strategies Center - Title: The Cornell Note Taking System - URL: https://lsc.cornell.edu/how-to-study/taking-notes/cornell-note-taking-system/ - The citation starts with the title because this example supplies no named individual author. It includes the date the source was checked, without inventing a publication date from a copyright year. ## Before submitting - Follow the assignment: it may request summary only, evaluation or a different structure. - Check every source against the original and order entries as the required style directs. - Distinguish quotations from your own paraphrases. - Replace placeholders; never invent a date, DOI or page number. Annotation reference: Purdue OWL — https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/index.html Citation references: MLA Style Center — https://style.mla.org/works-cited/citations-by-format/ and https://style.mla.org/access-dates/
What goes in an annotated bibliography?
A full citation plus the annotation your assignment asks for. This worksheet separates summary, evaluation and relevance so you can see what each passage contributes.
Is the example in APA, MLA or Chicago style?
The complete example uses MLA 9, followed by a summary, evaluation and relevance. The blank worksheet is style-neutral: apply APA, Chicago or another style if your assignment requires it. The source record shows what was verified.
How long should each annotation be?
Use the length in your assignment. Keep the main argument, assessment and relevance concise enough to help you decide how the source belongs in your project.
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