National History Day 2015

Explore, Encounter, Exchange

What is a Bibliography?

Purpose: Show reader of your project what sources you

usedGive credit

Example:Bates, Daisy. The Long Shadow of Little Rock.

New York: David McKay. Inc., 1962.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

Purpose:Explain what the source is and why you chose to

use it. Shows that you actually used the source(s)

Example:Bates, Daisy. The Long Shadow of Little Rock. New York: David McKay Inc.,

1962.Daisy Bates was the president of the Arkansas NAACP and the one who met

and listened to the students each day. This firsthand account was very important to my paper because it made me more aware of the feelings of the people involved.

Annotated BibliographiesAre required for ANY type of product: website,

documentary video, research paper, etc.

List all usable sources – any sources that contributed to your research

Should include visual materials and oral interviews

Annotated Entries Include:

Who is the author of the source? What is his/her background?

What information did I get out of the source?

How did the source help me to understand the topic better?

Annotated Entries Include:

For websites: Description of WHO sponsors the site

Questions to consider:Is the website credible?Was it created by an expert? Or just a “random”

person?

Secondary vs. Primary Resource? (when relevant)

Secondary vs. Primary SourcesSecondary Source = by an author who was

not an eyewitness or a participant in the historical event or period

Examples:TextbooksHistory booksBiographiesOnline encyclopedias or databases

Secondary vs. Primary SourcesPrimary Source = something written or

produced in the time period you are investigating

Examples:Letters or diariesSpeechesOral Interviews of people from the time*Newspaper articles from the timeDocuments, photographs, artifacts

Tips for Annotated Bibliographies

Keep track of sources as you use them (Do this if there is any chance that you will use the source)

If you use Easy Bib or Noodle Bib to create bibliography entries, copy and paste into Microsoft Word to add annotations.

Plan for ResearchStep One:Choose a broad topic to begin withFocus on a time period that interests you

Tip:Keep focus on doing good research, not making

a product at this stageResearch process is the same whether your

final product will be a website, paper, documentary, etc.

Plan for Research

Step 2:

Begin with general research in Secondary Sources

Start with encyclopedias (online or print) and other sources designed for background research

Plan for Research

Step 3:

Start to narrow your topic to something more specific

Make sure topic relates to theme of “Exploration, Encounter, Exchange”

Secondary sources can direct you to good primary sources