| Annotated Bibliography | Literature Review | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | To serve as a list of sources for background on a more general topic. | Informs the reader of the researcher's knowledge of the relevant research already conducted on the topic under discussion, and places the author's current study in context of previous studies. Makes a case for further investigation and highlights research gaps. |
| Structure | Sources are presented in an alphabetical list of APA citations. Each citation is accompanied by a brief summary of the article as well as an explanation of why it is credible and/or relevant to the topic. | Presented as a prose document arranged into paragraphs. Items are not listed but incorporated into the body of the paper and may be listed more than once. A summary of the overall background is presented at the end. |
