Sample Annotated Bibliography

Matsen, Brad. The Incredible Hunt for the Giant Squid. Enslow Publishers, Inc. Berkeley Heights, NJ: 2003.

This source is intended for a younger reading audience. It includes lots of pictures and illustrations. The book addresses the topic in very broad terms. Topics include what squids eat and where they live to what eats them and other mysterious creatures. This is a nonfiction chapter book that is organized with chapters by topic. It includes a table of contents, chapter notes, glossary, and an index. This is an effective source for my topic of “Giant Squids” because it contains a lot of valuable information about many different characteristics of squids.

Owen, James. “Holy Squid! Photos Offer First Glimpse of Live Deep-Sea Giant.” National Geographic News. Internet Explorer. Accessed October 6, 2005. Http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0927_050927_giant_squid_2.html .

This source is intended for a young adult to adult audience. It does not include pictures, but provides links to view pictures elsewhere. It includes quotations and citations from professionals on the subject of the giant squid discovery in Japan. The article addresses the topic in very specific terms about one particular event in which scientists captured the first video of a living giant squid in its natural environment. Towards the end of the article, the scope becomes broader to include brief descriptions of giant squids in general. This is a news article organized with the most important information about the discovery in the beginning to the least important and more general information in the end. As a source, it is a very valuable and effective source because it provides insight that none of the other sources can provide, but it is too specific to be used by itself.

“The Hunt for the Giant Squid.” Discovery Channel. Video. Date recorded: ___.

This source is intended for young adult to adult viewers. It includes a lot of video, photos, and interviews about squids and giant squids. It is about an hour in length. It addresses the topic of giant squids in very broad terms in that it does not provide very much information about giant squids specifically, but more about the habits and lifestyles of all squids in general. It becomes more specific and narrow near the end when it describes using sperm whales as guides to giant squid haunts. It is organized in the form of a movie, from very broad and general facts to more specific and important. This is an effective source because it provides a lot of information about all types of squids as well as giving background information about the myth surrounding giant squids. It is also very interesting because it goes into depth about how researchers have tried to locate giant squids using sperm whales.

Annotated Bibliography

Ø Alphabetize your sources

Ø Must be typed

Ø Times New Roman Font

Ø 12 point font

Ø Double space

Ø 1 inch margins