What Is An Annotated Bibliography: Criminology, MU, Ireland

1. What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is essentially abstract, like those you would see at the beginning of an academic journal article, but with the element of critical analysis. . It concisely summarises and evaluates the paper/chapter you have been asked to look at.

2. Why are they important?

• Annotated bibliographies are great for developing your academic writing skills. They promote the practice of…
• Critical thinking: the ability to evaluate the positives and negatives of something and effectively communicate those in…
• Clear and concise language: showing you understand something clearly and can explain it fully in simple, concise language.

3. Does a critical analysis have to be negative?

Nope! Critical analysis is simply evaluating something and saying why it’s bad AND/OR It can be a positive critical analysis, it can be a negative critical analysis, it can be a critical analysis that points out positives and negatives. Just so long as it’s critical and supported with references, it can be either, or both.

4. Does my critical analysis need to be backed up with a reference(s)?

Yes! If you are critically analyzing anything, those criticisms must be backed up with a reference. E.g., if you’re criticizing the methodology, what does the literature on this methodology say? – It’s good because… (reference). It’s bad because…. (reference).

5. How do I appropriately split the 300-word limit to address the, i) introduction, ii) main arguments, iii) methodology, iv) main findings, and v) conclusion?

This will depend on the paper/chapter you have been assigned. Some may require more words for the main argument(s)/methodology/main findings than others. You will have to judge each paper as it comes but try addressing each of these points in one or two sentences. The more legitimate and appropriately supported critical analysis you can do, the better!

6. I’m struggling to stick to the 300-word limit. What do I do?

Concise academic writing is a skill – one that needs to be developed. First and foremost, be patient with yourself. You are still learning. After that, if you need to condense your annotated bibliography, read through it and ask yourself, “do I need to include this?”, or, “Is this relevant to what I’m being asked to address?”.

1. 1. If the answer is no – cut it out.
   2. If the answer is yes – ask yourself, “how can I say this as simply as I can in as few words as I can manage?”.
   3. If you’re unsure, ask yourself the above question anyway and you might be surprised!

7. What if there is no obvious methodology, i.e., the paper/chapter is a literature review?

If there is no empirical methodology used (i.e., there is no data collection by qualitative or quantitative methods), then that’s okay. You must identify and discuss the methodology used where appropriate. If a paper/chapter is a literature review, simply identify it like that and explain what that means.

8. How am I supposed to submit the annotated bibliography?

A submission link is available on the Moodle dashboard. A physical copy is not required for in-person submission – submission is online only. The annotated bibliographies should be compiled into a single document, with each week one clearly signposted, and they should be submitted as a single document.