This page explains the requirements for creating an annotated bibliography found in the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.
All requirements below are taken from page 226 of the MLA Handbook.
Check with your instructor to determine whether these guidelines are appropriate for your assignment.
Formatting 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 each entry, indented half 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)."
"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."
Creating your Annotations
Unless you receive different instructions from your professor, "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, but can also be provided as complete sentences. Annotations should generally be no more than one paragraph. You may include additional paragraphs if required by your assignment; "indent each [paragraph] but do not add an extra space between paragraphs."
Check with your instructor to determine whether these guidelines are appropriate for your assignment.
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