The goal of the annotated bibliography assignment is both to help you stay on track and find trends or gaps in the sources you′ve gathered as well as to make your research visible to readers. It also helps you notice patterns in the sources you′ve gathered–for example, whether there are important researchers, scholars, or thinkers who appear frequently in the sources, which can tell you something about the prevailing thinking and significant experts on your topic. It can also help you identify any gaps or missing perspectives in the information you have gathered. Last, it can help you identify relevance or connections that will directly shape how you draft your synthesis. An annotated bibliography is both a research tool for the writer and a map of relevant sources for a reader. As Chapter 9 explains, research writers often use an annotated bibliography to help them keep track of their sources–what the key points are, the source′s rhetorical context, and how it might be relevant to the writer′s specific purpose and goals. It can also be useful for readers, because it shows the writer is doing their homework, and documents the writer′s research process. Annotated bibliographies are typical in many academic disciplines and contexts and are used by advanced researchers who are building a foundation of previous knowledge and work in the field that speaks to their research question. For the annotated bibliography, you should first find 6-8 sources related to your research questions. After you have compiled 6-8 relevant sources for your research, refer to “Putting Together an Annotated Bibliography” in Chapter 9 for specific details about how to construct an annotated bibliography.
