Bibliography vs Annotated Bibliography
In order to properly provide information about the references used in the article, one should know the difference between bibliography and annotated bibliography. Academic documents and essays require copious amounts of reference material and support documents to help prove the points discussed within. It is through extensive research that one finds these. Academic research documents also require a list of references to be attached to the primary document and this list usually found at the end of an essay is referred to as a bibliography. Bibliographies can be written in different ways and bibliography and annotated bibliography are two terms that one comes across when it comes to these documents. So what is the difference between bibliography and annotated bibliography?
What is a Bibliography?
A bibliography, usually found at the end of an academic text provides a list of sources from which information has been gleaned, cited or consulted for the project. It is usually composed in alphabetical order according to the name of the author of the reference material. The main purpose of a bibliography is to give due credits to the author of the texts that have been cited or referenced in the document. Other purposes are to help the reader locate the evidence related to the project at hand as well as to help the reader find extended reading upon the subject if he or she desires so. An entry on a bibliography usually consists of the author, title of the source, publication information and the date. However, there are various ways of composing a bibliography such as MLA, APA, Turabian, etc. The manner in which the references are stated depends upon the style used. A bibliography is also sometimes referred to as works cited.
What is an Annotated Bibliography?
An annotated bibliography is also a list of available references upon a topic that has been referred to or has been cited in the project concerned. Each entry in an annotated bibliography gives a brief account of the references provided with concise descriptions and evaluations covering each entry.
An annotated bibliography can be either part of a larger project or a standalone project of its own. A short analysis or a summary of the resource is given with each entry. It showcases the quality and the amount of research that has gone into the project as well as exhibits the relevance of each source to the project. It also shows the depth of reading the author has accomplished in relation to the project. Not only is this useful to the reader, it is useful to the author of the project as well in realizing how relevant his or her resource is to the project at hand.
What is the difference between Bibliography and Annotated Bibliography?
Bibliographies are essential when it comes to any academic text whether it be a dissertation, research paper, etc. While there are many ways of composing a bibliography, there are many types of bibliographies as well. While one can go for a standard bibliography, an annotated bibliography is also an option. Both can be written in accordance with many formats such as MLA, APA, etc. and both give the reader a list of references that has been used in the essay. So what exactly is the difference between bibliography and annotated bibliography?
• A bibliography simply consists of a list of references. An annotated bibliography in addition to the list gives a brief summary or an account of the reference involved.
• An annotated bibliography may help the author of the essay realize the relevance of the reference when composing the document. A basic bibliography may not give the researcher this advantage due to the brevity of the document.
Further Reading:
- Difference Between Bibliography and Works Cited
- Difference Between Bibliography and Citation
- Difference Between Bibliography and Reference List