CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
PLAGIARISM
When you use the words or original ideas of another person, you must cite that person’s
work in your essay. If you use the exact words from another person, you must use quotation
marks to indicate that those words are not your own in addition to citing them. While
paraphrasing or rewording another work in your essay does not require quotation marks, a
citation is still necessary. Failure to cite information is PLAGIARISM.
The Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition) uses many different citation systems, all of
which can be modified to suit the individual preferences of the professor. For this reason, be sure
to follow the instructions provided by your professor or instructor. This handout is a basic
guideline to The Chicago Manual of Style’s annotated bibliography and may not match the exact
specifications of your professor.
BASIC ELEMENTS OF A BIBLIOGRAPHY
• All bibliographic entries must be alphabetized by the authors’ last names, and
authors’ names are inverted (last name first, first name last).
• Elements of a citation are separated with periods.
• The publication facts of a source should not be enclosed in a parenthesis.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Annotated bibliographies serve the same function as normal bibliographies but also
contain a brief summary and/or statement about a given source. Citations should be listed
alphabetically and retain the same format as bibliographies that correspond with endnotes and
footnotes. If only a few works require annotation, the annotated bibliography writer’s comments
follow the sources’ publication facts in brackets. When more in depth annotations are necessary,
the annotations should begin on a new line immediately following the entry. Annotations often
begin with a paragraph indentation.
Note: Annotated Bibliographies are not to be confused with a bibliographic essay.
EXAMPLE AND SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Format for a book with a single author.
Last name, First name. Title of a good book. City of publication: Publishing company, Year.
This is where you would write the annotation to a given work. A brief summary of
the source, the source’s relevancy to your research, or additional comments about
the information or publishing facts of the source are all appropriate for an
annotation, but not all of these elements are required. See the example below.
• For successive entries by the same author, editor, translator, or compiler, you may
use the 3-em dash to replace that author’s, editor’s, translator’s, or compiler’s name
in the bibliographic entry; however, check with your professors before you do this
because each professor might prefer the 3-em dash be handled a different way.
• Sample annotated bibliography following:
