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Modern Language Association (MLA) Guide 9th Edition: Annotated Bibliography

A guide to using MLA 9th citation style created by Ms. Sweis.

Annotated Bibliography Examples

Guide to How to Write an Annotated Bibliography

Style a source in an annotated bibliography just as you would one in a list of works cited, and then append an annotation to the end of the entry, indented an inch from the start of the entry (to distinguish it from the half inch hanging indent of entries composed of more than one line).

Annotations describe or evaluate sources or do both. They should not rehash minor details, cite evidence, quote the author, or recount steps in an argument. Annotations are generally written as succinct phrases.
 

Example: Moore, Nicole. The Censor’s Library: Uncovering the Lost History of Australia’s Banned Books. U of Queensland P, 2012. Comprehensive history of Australian print censorship, with discussion of this history’s implications for questions of transnationalism and the construction of the reader.

But annotations can also be given as complete sentences.

Moore, Nicole. The Censor’s Library: Uncovering the Lost History of Australia’s Banned Books. U of Queensland P, 2012.
The book provides a comprehensive history of Australian print censorship and discusses its implications for questions of transnationalism and the construction of the reader.

 

In an annotated bibliography, the annotations should generally be no more than one paragraph. If, however, you need several paragraphs, indent each one but do not add an extra space between paragraphs. 

The list should be titled Annotated Bibliography or Annotated List of Works Cited. Writers may organize the bibliography alphabetically by author or title (as for a normal list of works cited), by date of publication, or by subject.

 

How to make a hanging indent using Google Docs: 

To indent the second line (create a hanging indent) in Google Docs, highlight the text, go to Format > Align & indent > Indentation options, select "Hanging" under Special indent, and click "Apply".

 

MLA Handbook, 9th Ed. p. 226