Begin each citation with the appropriate standard entry using the APA format for citations.
Write the description or evaluation for each citation. Generally, use no more than 150 words (or four to six sentences) in the description or evaluation. Be concise. Include some or all of the following information: the main focus or purpose of the work; the intended audience for the work; the usefulness or relevance to your research topic; special features of the work that were helpful; the background and credibility of the author; the author's conclusions or observations; and your conclusions or observations.
List the name of the author first when citing books, then the year of publication in parentheses, followed by a period. Capitalize the title of the work (and the subtitle, if there is one), followed by a period. Give the place of publication, followed by a colon, then give the name of the publisher.
Here is an annotated book citation example from the Cal Poly website:
Liroff, R. A., & G. G. Davis. (1981). Protecting open space: Land use control in the Adirondack Park. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
This book describes the implementation of regional planning and land use regulation in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York. The authors provide program evaluations of the Adirondack Park Agency's regulatory and local planning assistance programs.
Write the author's name first for journal, magazine and newspaper articles, followed by the year in parentheses. Give the title of the article, the title of the periodical, the volume (or issue) number and the page range.
Here is an annotated journal citation from the Cal Poly website:
Gottlieb, P. D. (1995). The "golden egg" as a natural resource: Toward a normative theory of growth management. Society and Natural Resources, 8, (5): 49-56.
This article explains the dilemma faced by North American suburbs, which demand both preservation of local amenities (to protect quality of life) and physical development (to expand the tax base). Growth management has been proposed as a policy solution to this dilemma. An analogy is made between this approach and resource economics. The author concludes that the growth management debate raises legitimate issues of sustainability and efficiency.
List the author first for web pages, then the date of publication (in parentheses), the title of the page or document, then the URL. Write (n.d.) after the author's name if there is no date.
Here is an example of an annotated Internet citation from Dr. Joel Nicholson's APA Writing Style Assistance Page:
Mt. Holyoke College Library (n.d.). Style Guides for Citing Electronic Resources. October 10, 2003 from http://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/library/ref/elcstyle.htm
This site provides an interesting, topic-by-topic comparison chart of APA and MLA Style Guides. It also tackles some topics not seen elsewhere, including synchronous communication protocols, telnet, email, ISO protocols, and the Columbia Writing Style Guide.