Worksheets · Sheet 4
Annotated bibliography
A working record of your critical reading. Fill a row the moment you finish a source, while its argument is still warm, and the bibliography at the back of your essay assembles itself.
The rules of the record
- Record every critic and source while you read it, not from memory afterwards
- Keep the critic’s words and your words visibly separate, so nothing strays into the essay unattributed
- Note exactly where the source lives (book and page, or the address of the page online)
- Write the reference in full now; the bibliography then writes itself
Sources read
| Source: author, title, year, where found | Its argument, in one sentence | A line worth quoting (short, with page) | How I will use it: agree, extend or challenge |
|---|---|---|---|
AO5 rewards a critic tested, not a critic pasted in. The last column is the one the examiner reads in your essay: it is where a source becomes part of your argument.
Looking for something to read? The critical reading page gathers verified starting points, and the library holds the out-of-copyright source texts.