The Best Free Annotated Bibliography Templates to Get Started Now

Looking for an easy way to get started on your annotated bibliography research? 

Save yourself the hassle and check out these free templates! 

Now, with this simple guide, we’ll show you how easy it is to start writing your own annotated bibliography.

So stop scrambling around in a sea of notes and references—it's time for some relief!

Introduction to Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography lists citations to books, articles, and other sources. 

Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. 

Annotated bibliographies can be part of a larger research project, or can be a stand-alone report in itself. 

They are sometimes used to provide a literature review on a particular subject, summarizing the findings of several authors. Annotations can evaluate the quality of the work. They can suggest its relevance to the research being conducted and indicate its possible uses for the project.

The extent of the annotation should depend on the purpose and scope of the project.

What Does an Annotation Include? 

Let’s explore the components of annotation and how they can help make your research paper shine! 

• An Evaluation of the Work 

 The most important part of any annotation is an evaluation of the work itself. This includes a summary of the main points or arguments presented in the source material.

• A Description of Arguments or Findings 

Annotations also include a description of any arguments or findings mentioned in the source material. 

This should include any relevant facts or statistics from the work, as well as any claims made by its authors. 

• The Qualifications/Credibility of Author(s) or Publishing Source 

When writing an annotation, it is also important to include information about who wrote it.

• How The Source Will Support Your Argument/Thesis 

Finally, annotations should explain how each source will help support your argument or thesis statement.

4 Different Types of Annotations

Whatever your purpose, there are several types of annotations that can help you in your studies. 

Let’s look at four types of annotations and how they can be used while studying. 

Indicative/Descriptive Annotations

An indicative or descriptive annotation summarizes the main points of a text without offering any analysis or opinion. 

It typically includes the author’s name, title, and publication information as well as key ideas from the text. 

For example,if you were annotating an essay about gun control, you might include statements such as 

“The author argues that stricter gun laws are needed to reduce gun violence” and “The author suggests that background checks should be mandatory for all gun purchases.” 

Informative/Summary Annotations

This type of annotation is similar to indicative or descriptive annotation but goes into more detail. 

In addition to summarizing, an informative or summary annotation may also provide some analysis or evaluation of those points.

For instance, if you were annotating an article about poverty in America, you could include summaries like 

“The author claims that poverty is caused by structural issues in society” along with comments like “The author effectively uses statistics and examples to support his argument.” 

Evaluation Annotations

Evaluation annotations provide more than just a summary. They offer opinions about the quality of a text’s ideas and arguments. 

Check out this video to learn more about evaluation annotations!

They may also comment on the structure of the piece 

For example 

“This essay is organized very clearly”

 or its use of language 

“The author uses vivid language throughout this piece".

If you are reading an article about climate change, for instance, your evaluation annotation might read something like

 “Although there are some flaws in the author's logic, overall this article presents a convincing case for immediate action on climate change." 

Combination Annotations

As its name implies, combination annotations combine elements from two or more other types of annotations into one note. 

For example,

If you are reading an essay on immigration reform, your combination annotation may summarize certain points.

Free Annotated Bibliography Templates

Creating an annotated bibliography can be a tedious task. Fortunately, CollegeEssay.org has developed several free annotated bibliography templates to make the process easier! 

Our templates are designed to help you quickly and easily organize your source material.

So without further ado, let's dive into these templates!

APA 7th Edition Annotated Bibliography Template

This template is specifically designed to help you format your annotated bibliography according to the (APA) 7th Edition style guide.

APA 7th Edition Annotated Bibliography Template

1. Article

Author last name, First Initial. Second Initial. (year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), page numbers.  Annotation: Here the annotation should summarize the main argument or purpose of the article in one to two sentences.

2. Book 

Author last name, First Initial. Second Initial. (year). Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher name.  Annotation: Here the annotation should summarize the main argument or purpose of the book in one to two sentences.

3. Chapter in an Edited Book

Author last name, First Initial. Second Initial. (year). Title of chapter. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial. Last name (Ed.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Place of publication: Publisher name  Annotation: Here the annotation should summarize the main argument or purpose of the chapter in one to two sentences.

4. Website 

Author last name, First Initial. Second Initial. (year, month day). Title of webpage. Retrieved from URL  Annotation: Here the annotation should summarize the main argument or purpose of the website in one to two sentences.

5. Journal Article (online) 

Author last name, First Initial. Second Initial. (year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), page numbers. doi or Retrieved from URL  Annotation: Here the annotation should summarize the main argument or purpose of the journal article in one to two sentences.

Check these free downloadable templates to get an easy start on your annotated bibliography.

MLA Format Annotated Bibliography Template

This template is specifically designed to help you format your annotated bibliography according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide. 

Chicago Style Annotated Bibliography Template

This template is specifically designed to help you format your annotated bibliography according to the Chicago Style guide. 

Whether you’re using APA, MLA or Chicago style, CollegeEssay.org has you covered! 

Download our free templates today and get started on your annotated bibliography in no time! 

Critical Annotated Bibliography Template

This template is designed to help guide you in creating an annotated bibliography that provides a critical assessment of each source. It also includes space for additional notes and reflections. 

Writing an annotated bibliography can seem daunting, but with templates from CollegeEssay.org, it doesn't have to be! 

Download our templates and get started right away!

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