An annotated bibliography is a list of sources formatted in proper citation style and arranged alphabetically. Each citation is followed by a paragraph about the source cited. The paragraph includes a description and evaluation of the source as well as a discussion of its relevance to your research.
An abstract is a summary of the main arguments in an information source. You often find abstracts at the beginning of scholarly journal articles. Annotations include a summary of the information in a source as well as a discussion of its reliability and relevance.
In order to write an annotation, you must read the source carefully and critically. This process will help you gather reliable and credible sources for your research. When you collect reliable and relevant sources, you will become familiar with important issues relating to your research.
By searching for books and articles now, you will see if there is sufficient information published that is relevant to your research. The sources you gather and read will help you refine your topic and approach. By examining sources you will determine if the scope of your topic is too narrow or too broad. You might need to borrow materials (articles and books) from other libraries. You will need to budget your time and plan ahead to do this.
Adapted from Purdue OWL's Annotated Bibliography guide