Asian Studies (AS 3330): Annotated Bibliography Tips

Header:  Your name, the class number or name, the date or semester, and a brief title should appear in a header, not in the body of the text. The header should be single spaced in 10-point type. It should be two lines, not more. In Word, press Insert - Header. 

Page numbers: If you put the page numbers at the bottom right, they will not interfere with your header or footnotes. This is recommended.  In Word, press Insert - Page numbers.

Title:   The title of your research should be at the top, centered and underlined.

Spacing and indentation: Use a standard font in 12-point type for all academic writing. Text should be double spaced. Use standard paragraph indentation by pressing the Tab key at the beginning of a paragraph. If there is extra space between paragraphs, remove it: highlight the text, go to the spacing icon (with horizontal lines), and select Remove space before paragraph.

Title:  The title of your research is at the top, centered and underlined.

Introduction:  Write one or two paragraphs to introduce your topic. Explain how your topic is focused and how you plan to approach it. Tell how your research is organized.

Sub-headings: Your research may be organized chronologically, geographically, or by sub-topics. Organize your sources under the sub-headings to which they are appropriate. 

Entries and annotations:  Give the full citation for each source. Write a thorough annotation that includes information about the author(s) or an evaluation of the reliability of the material, some information about the content, and how it will contribute to your research project.  Give the entries in logical order if that is appropriate; if they are all of equal importance, list them alphabetically by the first name or word in the citation.

Conclusion: Write a brief summary to tie all your research together. Re-state what you intend to show through your research and how these materials will help you.