An annotated bibliography is a bibliography that gives a summary of each of the entries. The purpose of annotations is to provide the reader with a summary and an evaluation of each source. Each summary should be a concise exposition of the source's central idea(s) and give the reader a general idea of the source's content. Main components of annotated bibliographies The following are the main components of an annotated bibliography. Not all these fields are used; fields may vary depending on the type of annotated bibliography and instructions from the instructor if it is part of a school assignment. Full bibliographic citation: the necessary and complete bibliographical information i.e. (author, title, publisher and date, etc.), Author's background: the name, authority, experience, or qualifications of the author. Purpose of the work: the reasons why the author wrote the work Scope of the work: the breadth or depth of coverage and topics or sub-topics covered. Main argument: State the main informative points of the paper Audience: For whom was it written (general public, subject specialists, student? Methodology: What methodology and research methods did the work employ? Viewpoint: What is the author's perspective or approach (school of thought, etc.)? E.g., an unacknowledged bias, or any undefended assumptions? Sources: Does the author cite other sources, and if so, what types? Is it based on the author's own research? Is it personal opinion? Reliability of the source: How reliable is the work? Conclusion: What does the author conclude about the work? Is the conclusion justified by the work? Features: Any significant extras, e.g. visual aids (charts, maps, etc.), reprints of source documents, an annotated bibliography? Strengths and Weaknesses: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the work? Comparison: How does the source relate to other works done by other writers on the topic: does it agree or disagree with another author or a particular school of thought; are there other works which would support or dispute it? Voice / Personal Conclusion: Provide an opinion of the work or a reaction to the source based on other available works, prior knowledge of the subject matter or knowledge pools done by other researchers. Types of annotations Annotations may be written with different goals in mind. There are three types of annotations, depending on what might be most important for the reader or according to a professor's instructions. It is impossible to describe a standard procedure for