What makes a good annotated bibliography?
• A strong bibliography has a well defined subject that is neither too broadly defined (e.g., globalization, North American archaeology, medical anthropology, capitalism) nor too narrowly defined (e.g., impacts of globalization in central Indiana–a good research subject, but it lacks much scholarship right now–, archaeological analysis of Ramsey incised ceramic assemblages). Find a topic that includes a reasonably rich scholarship with a fair number of publications. • An interesting topic matters a lot. Don’t choose a topic just because it has a long scholarly record, choose it because the research itself is interesting to you. If the subject bores you then find something else. • The literature should include a fair amount of recent scholarship. Weak bibliographies are often filled with sources more than 20 or 30 years old; a few of those classic resources are great, but there should be a rich and active scholarship right now. • A wide range of resources always is most powerful. Incl
