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Annotated Bibliography

Formatting Rules

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed. - pp 307.) states the following formatting rules for Annotated Bibliographies:
  • Format and order references in an annotated bibliography in alphabetical order, the same as you would order entries in a reference list

  • Each annotation should be a new paragraph below its reference entry. Indent the entire 0.5 in. from the left margin, the same as you would a block quotation. Do not indent the first line of the annotation. 

  • If the annotation spans multiple paragraphs, indent the first line of the second and any subsequent paragraphs an additional 0.5 in., the same as you would a block quotation with multiple paragraphs.          

Sample Page: APA-formatted annotated bibliography

The example below is based on the APA style guide, but your instructor may give you other formatting instructions. Always follow your professor's instructions!