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In academic writing, the style of writing is key. Ma ybe you are a student or just academic writing fan interested in writing an annotated bibliography in MLA style. Wonder no more as this article offer you solution on annotated bibliography using MLA format.

For one, what is annotated bibliography? What is the standard outline of an annotated bibliography? What are some of the examples of an annotated bibliography MLA? What is MLA formatted annotated bibliography? Finally, the article also offers you guidelines on how to write an annotated bibliography MLA.

May you have a come across annotated bibliography or not. Notably, an annotated bibliography is simply a list of citations or a document comprising of a given number of articles, books as well as other sources of information about a given topic. Interestingly, an annotated bibliography is relatively the same as works cited page but have annotation after each cited source. However, annotation is a short summary, critical evaluation or both a given source.  In other words, annotated bibliography gives you room to think and critically evaluate the sources about your given or chosen topic.

Outline of an annotated bibliography

Just like any writing style, annotated bibliography has a specific outline. Notably, the annotated bibliography usually incorporates 3 fundamental things:

image 02 citing bibliography

The citation must be in the correct format either in MLA or APA format. Usually, a great or standard source has both APA and MLA formats from a range of media. Therefore, you can easily cite from the media either in MLA or APA.

image 03 summarize

Each citation/reference is followed by a brief summary. Notably, the summary is descriptive in nature.  The summary captures a number of points. For one the summary comprises of the main points or arguments of the source. Secondly, the summary entails the topics covered in the source. This guideline gives you answers to questions like what is the capture of the main point in the source. What topics are covered? How does one plan to use the source in relation to the topic given?

image 04 evaluate

After the summary, it is followed by critical evaluation.  During the evaluation point, you will get answers to a number of questions. For instance, who is the author of the source? Where was the work published? What does it say about the source? What credentials does the author have? Are there biases of the source? Was the source clearly written? How does the source compare with other sources you found for your topic?  What are the weaknesses in the article/source? Finally, is the source still relevant?

image 05 annotated bibliography MLA style

Examples of an annotated bibliography Modern Language Association (MLA) format

The AMLA style is unique and has its own arrangement about the reference/ work cited. Like if we are looking for a topic, “Verbal Communication”. The order is as below;

“Ng, Sik Hung, and James J. Bradac. Power in language: Verbal communication and social influence. Sage Publications, Inc., 1993.”

“Joanette, Yves, et al. Right hemisphere and verbal communication. Springer-Verlag Publishing, 1990.”

“Pavlenko, Aneta. “The Verbal Communication of Emotions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Su.” (Re) constructing Gender in a New Voice: A Special Issue of the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education (2019): 317.”

“Lemonnier, Pierre. Mundane objects: Materiality and non-verbal communication. Routledge, 2016.”

Based on this style, MLA format, it cites the names of the author(S), name of the article name, and the year of publication.  For example, as per the below article,

“Ericsson, K. Anders, and Herbert A. Simon. Protocol analysis: Verbal reports as data. the MIT Press, 1984.”

Names of the authors; – Ericsson, K. Anders, and Herbert Simon

Title/ name of the article: – Protocol analysis: Verbal reports as data

Year of publication: 1984

image 06 annotated bibliography MLA format

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MLA formatted annotated bibliography

image 07 annotated bibliography MLA format example 1

According to Ken Battle in his work entitled, “Child Poverty: The Evolution and Impact of Child Benefits,” he draws on a close study of government documents, as well as his own research as an extensively-published policy analyst, to explain Canadian child benefit programs.

He also outlines some fundamental assumptions supporting the belief that all society members should contribute to the upbringing of children. His comparison of child poverty rates in a number of countries is a useful wake-up to anyone assuming Canadian society is doing a good job of protecting children. 

Ken puts the close focus on the National Child Benefit arguing that it did not deserve to be criticized by politicians and journalists. He outlines the NCB’s development, costs, and benefits, and laments that the Conservative government scaled it back in favor of the inferior Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB). 

However, he relies too heavily on his own work; he is the sole or primary author of almost half the sources in his bibliography. He could make this work stronger by drawing from others’ perspectives and analysis.

Battle does offer a valuable source for this essay because the chapter provides a concise overview of government-funded assistance currently available to parents. This offers context for analyzing the scope and financial reality of child poverty in Canada.

image 08 annotated bibliography MLA format example 2

This is a government site on the topic of lightning safety. The site is comprehensive and covers topics such as the science of lightning, indoor and outdoor safety, and the medical care of lightning victims.

Photos, video clips, and other graphics make the site interesting and easy to understand. No spelling or grammatical errors were found. All articles appear to be credible and objective. There is no update information on this page. This was the most comprehensive site on all aspects of lightning safety and included extensive links to other sites. There were no dead links found. There is an address provided along with links for Comments and Questions.

image 09 annotated bibliography MLA format example 3

According to Child Poverty and Family Structure in Canada article, the authors Kerr, Don, and Beaujot analyze the demographics of impoverished families. Drawing on data from Canada’s annual Survey of Consumer Finances, the authors consider whether each family had one or two parents, the age of single parents, and the number of children in each household.

They analyze child poverty rates in light of both these demographic factors and larger economic issues. The authors use the data to argue the assertions on factors in relation to child poverty and family structure in Canada.

How to write an annotated bibliography MLA

Interestingly, writing annotated bibliography specifically in MLA format involves 3 steps.

image 10 citation of the source

In this first step, you need to correctly cite your source in the write MLA format.

For instance, you are researching the topic “Apples and oranges: serious chronic illness in adults and children”. From standard media such as Google scholar, you will find 5 formats such as APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and Vancouver.  Like, in this case, you choose the MLA format.

APA Format

Schor, E. L., & Cohen, E. (2016). Apples and oranges: serious chronic illness in adults and children. The Journal of pediatrics, 179, 256-258.

MLA Format

Schor, Edward L., and Eyal Cohen. “Apples and oranges: serious chronic illness in adults and children.” The Journal of pediatrics 179 (2016): 256-258.

image 11 summary of the source

In this step, you need to offer a brief descriptive summary of the topic. This involves the key points, main arguments as well as topics covered in the source/article being used.

Using the article “Schor, Edward L., and Eyal Cohen. “Apples and oranges: serious chronic illness in adults and children.” The Journal of pediatrics 179 (2016): 256-258 the summary can be done as below.

The summary of the article is about the importance of vegetables and fruits in human nutrition. According to Schor, Edward, and Eyal Cohen fruits and vegetables are important sources of dietary fiber, nutrients, and phytochemicals. They conclude that increased consumption of vegetables and fruits should be encouraged as they reduce the risk of chronic diseases like stroke, cancer, diabetes among others.

image 12 evaluation of the source

Under the evaluation, you will need to know the author of the source. You will also need to notice where was the work published.  What does it say about the source? What credentials does the author have? You will also need to evaluate for any biases of the source. Also, the source clarity and relevance should also be checked under the evaluation step. Moreover, are there weaknesses in the article/source?

Using the article “Schor, Edward L., and Eyal Cohen. “Apples and oranges: serious chronic illness in adults and children.” The Journal of pediatrics 179 (2016): 256-258 the evaluation can be done as below

For one, the article is clear and relevant to the topic. Secondly, there is no form of biases in the article. The article shows a clear indication of publication year, 2016 and authors as Schor, Edward L., and Eyal Cohen. The article is comprehensive and informative on the importance of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition.

image 13 annotated bibliography MLA format

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