An annotated bibliography provides a list of research sources on a given topic that includes concise descriptions and evaluations of each source.  

The annotated citation usually contains a brief summary of content and a short analysis or evaluation. Your assignment may require you to reflect, summarize, critique, evaluate or analyze the source. While an annotation can be as brief as one sentence, the standard annotated bibliography consists of a citation followed by a brief paragraph.  Annotations have a descriptive and critical tone.

Example:

Brander SM, Fontana RE, Tawny MM, Gravem SA, Hettinger, A, Bean, JR, Szoboszlai AI, Keiper CA, Marrero ME. 2011. The Ecotoxicology of Plastic Marine Debris. The American Biology Teacher. 73(8): 474-478.

This article from a journal for biology teachers provides background on the toxicology of plastic as well as important concepts in ecology and oceanography that are necessary for understanding the scope of the problem that plastic poses for the environment. The authors present lesson plans for several activities designed to teach students about marine plastic. This article will be used to argue that teaching children about plastics started at a young age is one of the most important steps society can take to combat the environmental degradation caused by debris and will also be used as an example of mainstream acceptance of scientists’ concerns about plastic in oceans.