Annotated Bibliographies & Literature Reviews

This guide is designed to provide an overview of annotated bibliographies and literature reviews, comparing their similarities and differences!

For more information on each of these topics, please visit their individual section or book an appointment with a Librarian.

• APA: The Basics Video Series
• APA Quick Guide by UCW Library
• Guide to Reading Scholarly Articles
• Book an Appointment with a Librarian

Remember that both annotated bibliographies and literature reviews require APA citations, just in different formats!

Overview

An annotated bibliography is an organized list of resources on a specific topic that includes a citation followed by a brief analysis, or explanation, of the source. The resources are listed alphabetically using an APA citation. Each resource listed in an annotated bibliography will have two parts:

1. APA Citation: Each resource in an annotated bibliography must have an APA citation.
2. Annotation: This is a short summary describing the resource.

Annotated bibliographies help you think critically about resources on your topic. This allows you to engage with current research, and use your skills to select relevant, credible resources.

When selecting references for your annotated bibliography, you will want to consider their relevance to the topic and the types of resources you are looking for. Types of resources may include books, academic journals, or other works depending on your assignment instructions.

Steps

Here are some steps to follow when preparing your annotated bibliography:  

1. Develop your research question
2. Search for and evaluate your sources
3. Analyse your findings
4. Outline your annotations (summarize and evaluate the resources, consider relevancy and your personal opinion)
5. Write your annotated bibliography! Don't forget to cite all sources referenced using APA!

Examples and More Information

You can find examples and more information on annotated bibliographies from these sources:

• Annotated Bibliography Template: Capilano University has an annotated bibliography template with examples of evaluative and summary annotations.
• APA Style Publication Manual: You can find another example of an annotated bibliography in the APA Style Publication Manual (7th edition) at Figure 9.3 (page 308). Find a copy of the physical Manual at the UCW Libraries.
• How to write an annotated bibliography: Simon Fraser University provides a concise guide to annotated bibliographies, including an example of an annotated bibliography with APA citation. Note that this guide also includes an example of a MLA style citation which is not used by the UCW.
• What's Included in an Annotated Bibliography? The University of Alberta has an example highlighting the different pieces of an annotated bibliography (summary, evaluation) using colours.
• Annotated Bibliographies: Purdue University has an useful explanation of the purpose of annotated bibliographies.
• Writing an Annotated Bibliography: This University of Toronto guide provides detailed information on how to select and assess the value of your resources. It also has a helpful chart with verbs that can help you summarize your resources in your annotated bibliography.

APA Citation

Each resource you include in your annotated bibliography must have an APA citation. This APA citation is placed in your annotated bibliography immediately before your annotation. You will list each resource in your annotated bibliography alphabetically by their APA citation.

Here are some places you can find more help on writing your APA citations:

1. Visit the How to Cite Page: This page features a variety of resources to familiarize you with APA guidelines. It includes UCW tools to give you a better idea of how to write and format your citations.
2. APA: The Basics: (self-guided): This self-guided workshop on basic concepts of APA style can be done independently and takes about 80 minutes to complete. To take the self-guided workshop, go to our Workshops page under "Explore Our Workshops." Please note the workshop will not save your work if you exit the page.
3. Watch the video series on APA: The Basics: This is a UCW specific resource based on our introductory APA: The Basics workshop. It provides short videos (3-5 minutes) introducing students to the APA Citation Style.
4. Consult the APA Quick Guide: This is a UCW specific resource for some of the most commonly used sources. It provides detailed guidelines and examples for formatting and citing your work.

Annotation

After creating an APA citation for each resource, you will write a short annotation that provides a brief summary of the resource. 

Make sure to check your assignment description for information on how long your annotation should be and what must be included in your annotation! Typically each annotation will include:

• Summary of the resource: Summarize the resource, its' content, any arguments, findings, and/or conclusions.
• Evaluation of the resource: How trustworthy, reliable and credible is it? What are the author's qualifications? Is the author's argument or reasoning reasonable? What are its' strengths and weaknesses? Use similar tools that you would use to evaluate a resource for any assignment!
• Relevancy of the resource: How is the resource relevant to your topic? Why did you include it in your annotated bibliography? How does it relate to other resources in your annotated bibliography?
• Your personal opinion on the resource: For example, what did you like or not like about it?
• Other: Depending on your assignment instructions and types of resources selected (such as quantitative journal articles), you may also include the research methods used by the author.

Tip! Deborah Knott, New College Writing Centre for the University of Toronto prepared a helpful chart with some verbs that can help you strengthen your argument, better summarize your resources, and write a more engaging annotated bibliography. You can use this chart to brainstorm different verbs and help you avoid repeating the same verb over and over!

Overview

A literature review collects, synthesizes, and analyzes published research on a particular topic. This allows you to understand what has already been researched, fill in the gaps of the research by offering opinions and critical analysis, and position yourself amongst the scholarly community. A literature review is not just a summary of research, but instead you can think of it as a critical discussion where you are investigating a topic, comparing and contrasting information, and highlighting potential issues in the literature.

The resources can be organized chronologically, alphabetically, or thematically within the review itself, and includes a complete reference list at the end as well. Whatever organization you follow, it is important that your review is well structured so that readers can understand the connection between the sources.

When selecting references for your literature review, you will want to consider their relevance to the topic, year of publication, and the types of resources you are looking for. Types of resources may include books, academic journals, or other works depending on your assignment instructions.

Steps

Here are some steps to follow when preparing your literature review:  

1. Develop your research question
2. Search for and evaluate your sources
3. Analyse your findings (identify themes, gaps, questions)
4. Synthesize your findings
5. Critical reading and evaluation
6. Outline (determine the organizational structure for your review)
7. Write your literature review! Don't forget to cite all sources referenced using APA!

Examples and More Information

You can find more information on literature reviews from these online sources:

• Academic writing: What is a literature review? Simon Fraser University provides a concise guide to writing literature reviews HERE. Note that this guide also includes an example of a MLA style citation which is not used by the UCW.
• Literature reviews for graduate students: Simon Fraser University also provides a more detailed guide on literature reviews aimed at graduate students HERE.
• The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It: This University of Toronto guide provides detailed information on literature reviews, including a helpful list of questions to ask yourself about each selected resource HERE.
• Introduction to Literature Reviews: The University of British Columbia's comprehensive literature review guide provides a helpful overview and suggestions on tracking your search results HERE.

Structure

Make sure to check your assignment description for information on how long your literature review should be and what must be included! Typically a literature review will include:

1. Introduction: A literature review starts with an introductory section. Typically this section includes:
   1. Background information: What information do readers need to know about the topic of your literature review? Are there any keywords or vocabulary that must be explained to understand the topic? Why is this topic significant, i.e. why did you select this topic for your review?
   2. Research question: What is the question you are trying to answer in your literature review?
   3. Overview of points in the review: Highlight the key points you will discuss in the body of your literature review. Indicate if you have identified an issue, cause for concern, or gap in the literature.
2. Body: After your introduction, you will write the body of your literature review. You can organize your content either chronologically, alphabetically, or thematically; whatever you choose, the structure and overall argument should be clear to the reader. Typically this section includes:
   1. Introductory sentence: Restate your research topic/question.
   2. Synthesis of your findings: Synthesize the information you have gathered from your sources. Are there any relationships (similarities or differences) between the different sources? Do any sources contradict each other? Who are the authors and what are their credentials? If relevant, discuss research methodologies.
   3. Identify gap/analyse: Make connections between other sources in your literature review. Are there any critical gaps in the research that has been conducted? Can you identify an issue with the research?
   4. Author evaluation/opinion: What is your opinion on the research? Has this topic been written about extensively or not a lot? If so, why might that be? What makes this source important and why have you included it in your literature review? What kind of contribution does it make to the discipline and scholarship?
   5. Conclusion: Finally you will conclude your literature review, providing a summary of your research. This is an opportunity to provide a broader perspective of the literature, highlight any issues or gaps, critically engage with the material, and indicate to the reader where the research can go in the future - and importantly, where you can contribute to the scholarly discussion as well. 

APA Citation

Don't forget to cite all sources referenced using APA. Each reference mentioned must be cited in two places: the body of the assignment (in-text) and in a reference list at the end of your literature review!

Here are some places you can find more help on writing your APA citations:

1. Visit the APA and Plagiarism Page: This page introduces the fundamentals of APA Style Citation and includes sample documents to give you a better idea of how to write and format your citations. Check it out HERE.
2. APA: The Basics: (self-guided):This self-guided workshop on basic concepts of APA style can be done independently and takes about 80 minutes to complete. To take the self-guided workshop, go to our Workshops page under "Explore our Workshops." Please note the workshop will not save your work if you exit the page.
3. Watch the video series on APA: The Basics This is a UCW specific resource based on our introductory APA: The Basics workshop. It provides short videos (3-5 minutes) introducing students to the APA Citation Style. Check it out HERE.
4. Consult the APA Quick Guide: This is a UCW specific resource for some of the most commonly used sources. It provides detailed guidelines and examples for formatting and citing your work. THIS PAGE is a good one to bookmark for easy access! 

Follow these steps to help you find resources for your annotated bibliography and/or literature review!

1. Understand: Ask yourself: do I understand my assignment expectations and what I need to look for? For more information on understanding your assignment and topic click HERE.
2. Brainstorm: Have you brainstormed a few keywords that will help get you closer to finding resources on your literature review topic? For more information on how to brainstorm keywords click HERE. Determine the scope and purpose of your research here. If your topic is too narrow you might not find enough resources to support your research. If your topic is too broad, there will be too much research and you might start to feel overwhelmed.
3. Search: Navigate to UCanSearch in the UCW Library portal. Tip: use the advanced search function!
   Narrow down your results by using the filters down the left-hand side – you can change the date, source type, and choose a specific subject.
4. Evaluate: Click on a source that looks interesting and read the abstract. Can you add the subject terms and keywords to your search? Is this source type what you need for your annotated bibliography assignment? For more information on assessing sources click HERE.
5. Cite: Happy with the source? You can save the PDF to read offline, use the cite tool (but remember to double check it against the quick guide!), and use the permalink to ensure you can get back to the page easily!

There are a lot of additional support services available while you are a student here at UCW - make the most of them!

• UCW Writing Centre: Book appointments with writing coaches. They can offer virtual or written feedback and work with you to develop strong writing skills.
• UCW Tutors: UCW tutors are students or alumni who have excelled in a course or shown extraordinary promise. They are available to meet with their peers for a 45-minute study session in order to clarify questions, work through practice examples and help students who are struggling with course content. Book an appointment with a peer tutor.
• Learning Strategists: If you are having issues with study skills, feeling lost of struggling to keep up with your studies, reach out to the learning strategists!
• Career Development Centre: Looking for a job? Need help developing your resume and cover letter? Not sure what career path you want to take? The CDC can help you!

The Library is here to offer support with APA and Academic Integrity, building research skills, finding sources, and a whole lot more!

• Get Help from a Librarian: Book an appointment, send us an email, use the AskAway chat service, or visit us in person!
• Library Workshops: Register for a workshop! Note: these typically run from week 3 - week 7 of every term. Please use your Office 365 account (not your portal email) to register. If you have missed a workshop, we also offer a few self-guided ones as well.