Annotated Bibliography

Instructions: Annotated Bibliography

What youre turning in (Due 11:59 pm Feb. 8)

Submit an annotated bibliography to Blackboard that includes at least 5 peer-reviewed research articles. Each entry must include:

1. a full APA 7 reference (correctly formatted), and
2. an annotation (a short paragraph) that summarizes and explains how the article connects to your topic.

Think of this as your research foundation for the upcoming literature review.

Step-by-step process

1) Choose your 5 articles (minimum)

Pick articles that clearly relate to your topic and research question(s) later. Aim for:

• Peer-reviewed journal articles (not blogs, magazines, random websites)
• Mostly recent (often last 1015 years), plus any classic theory piece if needed
• Articles that represent different angles (e.g., different populations, methods, or key constructs)

Good databases for HDFS: PsycINFO, PubMed, ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, Google Scholar (with care).

2) Format the bibliography in APA 7

• Alphabetize by first authors last name.
• Use double spacing throughout (unless your instructor said otherwise).
• Use a hanging indent for each citation (first line flush left, next lines indented).
• Put the annotation directly under the citation (same entry).

3) Write the annotation for each article

Your annotation should usually be one well-developed paragraph (often ~150200 words).

Include these 3 parts (in this order works well):

A. Summary (What did they do and find?)

• Purpose/research question
• Sample (who, age range, N)
• Method/design (cross-sectional, longitudinal, experiment, qualitative, etc.)
• Key results (main findings, not every detail)

B. Evaluation (How strong/useful is it?)

• Strengths (e.g., longitudinal design, strong measures, diverse sample)
• Limitations (e.g., self-report, single site, cant infer causality)

C. Relevance (Why does it matter for YOUR project?)

• Which construct(s) it supports (e.g., parenting, stress, attachment, coparenting)
• How it helps your developing literature review or research questions
• Any gaps it reveals (e.g., missing populations, unclear mechanisms)

Example of an Annotated Bibliography Entry (APA + annotation) – Use this as an example but do NOT copy/paste.

Lastname, A. A., & Lastname, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), pagepage. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx

Annotation:

In this study, the authors examined [topic] among [population] using [design/method]. The sample included [who, age, N], and key measures included [main variables]. Results indicated that [12 main findings]. A strength of this study is [strength], though a limitation is [limitation]. This article is relevant to my proposed topic because it supports the link between [construct A] and [construct B] and helps justify why [your outcome/relationship] matters in an HDFS context. It also highlights a need for additional research on [gap], which informs the direction of my research questions.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Not in APA format (missing hanging indent, incorrect journal formatting, missing DOI when available)
• Using non-peer-reviewed sources when the assignment expects journal articles
• Only summarizing without stating why it matters for your topic
• Too vague (This was interesting) instead of specific relevance (This supports X, informs Y)

Quick self-check before you submit

• At least 5 articles
• Entries are alphabetized
• Each entry has APA 7 citation + annotation
• Each annotation includes summary + evaluation + relevance
• Clean grammar, consistent tense, and professional tone