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How to Write an Annotation on a Book

Effective annotations help researchers make informed decisions about what sources to pursue further and what sources to dismiss. Creating an annotation also helps researchers prepare for an essay or larger project. At its most basic, an annotation is a brief description of a source and consists of a few to 200 words. Many annotations offer evaluative comments about the source or author as well.

Things You'll Need

  • Writing style manual
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take notes on the topics and main points in your book. Read the preface, introduction and conclusion (when available) to determine the main issues and arguments. If you need more information, read the chapter titles and the first and last paragraphs of each chapter.

    • 2

      Draft an annotation that includes the information you noted in Step 1. Add a statement about how the source is relevant to your research or other similar sources, and a statement about the author's qualifications or biases.

    • 3

      Set up your document using an appropriate writing style manual. Select the proper margins, font, font size, spacing and other formatting. Different academic disciplines use different style manuals. If you are not sure which manual to use, refer to Duke University's list of style manuals by discipline (see "Resources.")

    • 4

      Cite your book using the style manual you selected. Citations contain the bibliographic information (such as title, author, publisher and copyright date) necessary for any researcher to locate the source. For a book, this information is typically found on the book's title page.

    • 5

      Review your annotation and citation to make sure you have followed the guidelines of your professor or style manual. Check your work for clarity, and correct any mistakes of spelling or grammar.

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