Length: Generally, annotations constitute one paragraph and are approximately 100 -150 words long, with a goal of concise and explicative annotations

Person: The third person is the standard, though first person may be appropriate for certain types of annotated bibliographies.

Language and Vocabulary: Use the vocabulary of the author, as much as possible, to convey the ideas and conclusions of the author. If you use a quotation excerpted from the work set it within quotation marks. Vary your sentence structure and try to avoid repetivitive vacuuous phrases in your annotations, such as, "The author states," "This article concerns," or "The purpose of this report is," as well as sentences starting with "It was suggested that," "It was found that," and "It was reported that."

Format - Sentences: Whole sentences are preferable, but single descriptive words, and simple phrases or lists may be acceptable.

Format - Paragraphs: Annotations should be one paragraph long. The paragraph should contain a statement of the work's major thesis, from which the rest of the sentences can develop.