1 of 2

Annotated Bibliography

Nutshell:

600 to 1000 word paper.

See the example provided in the module for proper format.

Formal paper has three valid, college-level sources (one primary, one secondary, one your choice).

Submit to Drop-box before class AND turn in a hard copy.

Read the following information for process and more details.

Finding and Evaluating Historical Sources

When grading this assignment, I will look for a growing understanding of your chosen research topic. Pick your sources carefully. Finding good sources is a major portion of the assignment and while I do not expect graduate-level sources, neither will I accept sources appropriate for middle- or high-school level work.

Dictionaries and encyclopedias, whether in print or on-line, cannot be used for college papers. This includes about.com, Wikipedia.com, and ask.com. Use of the course textbook, Hunt’s Making of the West, encyclopedias, sites such as history.com, or study guides like SparkNotes do not demonstrate college-level research skills.

However, as a source to get an overview on your topic, as well as the key words that will help with your search, they can be very valuable. They will lead you to other, better sources. Since this assignment’s purpose is for you to demonstrate that you are examining the source’s viability, if you choose a source that is an encyclopedia there will be no credit for that source. (A caveat — any source that contains about.com in its address is considered an encyclopedia-type article, unless the source specifically states that it is a primary source and provides information on the origin of the source.)

You have some ideas of where to start your research now that you have asked your historical questions. This assignment is designed to help you learn to identify valid sources for research. You will need to find at least one secondary source, and at least one primary source. The third source will be your choice. If you wish to add information about the process used for finding the sources, that is fine. That information will not count towards individual sections’ word-count (200 minimum for each valid source); however, it will count towards the total minimum word-count of 600, not to exceed 1000 words.

The research process

1. Examine materials carefully to determine the kind of information they provide. You will find that choosing sources that contain different perspectives on your topic will help you.

2 of 2

2. Be very careful to correctly record citations for all materials that might contain useful information and ideas on your topic. You will probably find it helpful to save the source in its entirety, along with full citation information. Remember, with today’s technology we cannot be certain of finding the same site again with a general search, so be sure to copy all links correctly.

3. Choose the sites and sources you feel will help you most with your research and final presentation.

Format for the Assignment

Using ONLY Chicago Manual of Style bibliographical format begin your evaluation with a bibliographic entry of the source. If it is an online source, be sure to include a viable link and the date accessed.

Do not make this any harder than it needs to be — follow the directions I have given you for citing and use the link I have given you for the Chicago Manual of Style if you have questions.

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html_

These citations are graded for accuracy, so pay attention to the details and you will be fine.

As always, review the checklist for all papers before turning in the assignment.