Nursing & Health

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your sources. Commonly used citation styles include APA, MLA, and Chicago.

For help with creating citations, take a look at our citation guides and resources:

What is Plagiarism (And How to Avoid It)

For help citing textbooks, consider the "Chapter in Edited Book" section on our APA Guide (7th ed.) and our FAQ: How do I cite a nursing textbook?

For help citing CPS entries, consider the "Online Reference Work" and "CPS (formerly RxTx)" sections on our APA Guide (7th ed.).

For help citing clinical practice references including drug information, consider the "Clinical Practices References" section on the official APA (7th ed.) Style blog.

For help citing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), consider the "Diagnostic Manual References" section on the official APA (7th ed.) Style blog.

An annotated bibliography is the same as a “regular” bibliography (also known as a Works Cited or References list), with the addition of annotations (short paragraphs about each source). Two types of annotated bibliographies are the most common:

• Descriptive: annotations describe the content of a source
• Evaluative: annotations describe AND critically evaluate the source

What is an annotation? 

A short paragraph (50-200 words) that describes and/or evaluates each citation (source of information listed in your bibliography). An evaluative annotation judges, in your opinion, the relevance, quality, and accuracy of each citation, in addition to describing the work.

Annotations usually consist of the answers to the following questions:

Do I have to read the entire book/article?

Not necessarily! Look for information in:

• introductions/abstracts
• conclusions/results/discussion sections
• book reviews
• table of contents

Unless otherwise advised, make sure your Annotated Bibliography is in alphabetical order. Start each annotation with a correct citation in the required citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).

APA (7th ed.)

The specific requirements for annotated bibliographies are usually set by your instructor. However, the APA Manual (7th ed.) has some suggested guidelines for formatting:

1. References in an annotated bibliography should be in alphabetical order, the same as you would order entries in a reference list
2. Each annotation should be a new paragraph below its reference entry.
3. The annotation should be indented 0.5 in. from the left margin.
4. Do not indent the first line of the annotation. If the annotation spans multiple paragraphs, indent the first line of subsequent paragraphs. (pp. 307-308)

Additional Resources:

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a review of the existing literature on your topic. A literature review summarizes and synthesizes the existing research about a particular topic. A literature review also analyzes and critiques the existing research.

The purpose of a literature review is to organize and evaluate the major concepts, arguments, and themes of the existing research on a topic.

When writing a literature review, you may notice a gap in the existing research, such as an aspect of your topic that no one has researched yet. You can note these gaps in your literature review as well.

How do I write a literature review?

There are 4 steps to completing a literature review:

1. Choose your topic
   • Your literature review should be guided by a central research question. Before you start searching, consider the key ideas you are searching for, as well as any possible synonyms.
   • Remember, it's okay if your topic changes! As you review the existing research, you may need to revise your initial ideas. This is a normal part of the process!
2. Search for appropriate sources
   • You will probably use library resources for your literature review. You can find library resources for your subject area using the Subject Guides.
   • Remember to check your assignment requirements! Your assignment may require specific types of sources (e.g. peer-reviewed or scholarly sources), a minimum number of sources, or sources published within a particular time frame (e.g. current sources from the past 5-10 years).
   • For help finding sources for your literature review, please contact an RDP Librarian.
3. Review the sources
   • Consider the following questions:
     1. What was the research question of each study? What were the authors trying to discover?
     2. What are the shared themes?
     3. Are there similarities in the findings? Differences?
   • Remember, you usually don't need to read the whole article! See RDP Library's Parts of a Scholarly Article tutorial for tips on reading efficiently.
4. Write the literature review
   • Consider how you want to organize your literature review. Literature reviews are usually organized chronologically (by order of publication) or thematically (by topic or issue).
   • Your literature review should synthesize and analyze the existing research on your topic.
   • Remember, the literature review is more than just a description of each article! Your literature review should make connections between the articles.
   • For writing help, please contact the Writing Skills Centre.

Further Resources

• Literature Review: Conducting and Writing (University of Southern Florida)

The Writing Skills Centre is available for free for all RDP students!

• Want someone to check over your work?
• Need some advice on how to use quotations from your sources?
• Have questions about your thesis statement?

Book an appointment or come by for a drop-in session in the library!

Citation tools can help quickly generate and manage your citations. Remember to double-check citations for accuracy. Some tools to try: