Trauma Informed Education: Annotated Bibliography

Bibliography: a list of sources (books, journals, Web sites, periodicals, etc.) you have used for researching a topic. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.)

Annotation: a summary and/or evaluation.  

Annotated bibliography: a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources.

Steps to writing your annotation

1. Summarize: What is the source saying? What was the author's purpose? What were the outcomes/findings? 

• This should be in your own words to help ensure you fully understand the content of your source. (No restating the Abstract)

2. Assess:  How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? 

• This is where you should EVALUATE your sources. Check for credibility and recheck for reliability.

3. Reflect: How does it fit into your research? Does it answer your questions? Does it add substance to your research? How can you use this source?

• We want to use our sources intentionally and with purpose!

(From OWL Purdue)