Annotated Bibliography

Historians base their writing of history on a variety of sources, many of which fall under the label of documents. Primary documents include official records, letters, diaries, newspaper articles, photos, posters, cartoons, music, and visual art. Historians also utilize materials to write history from secondary sources, such as books, articles, and Web sites about historical topics.

Identifying primary and secondary sources. Primary sources would be the words and deeds of Lincoln himself, and those of his contemporarieslike Frederick Douglasswhile secondary sources would be what have been written about Lincoln based upon primary sources. The foundation of the paper must be primary sources, with secondary sources being used to present and/or support the thesis based on the work of other scholars.

Students will write a multi-page annotated bibliography.  This assignment will list and describe a minimum of 12 primary and secondary sources, with specific requirements detailed below, that the student may use in his or her finished paper.  You may NOT use encyclopedias or the text books as sources. AT LEAST HALF OF YOUR SOURCES SHOULD BE USED IN YOUR PAPER!  THIS IS MANDATORY TO GET A PASSING GRADE!

The annotated bibliography should involve a variety of primary and secondary sources, including two full-length books from reputable academic presses, two primary sources, and articles from at least two scholarly, academic journals; it should not include encyclopedias, dictionaries, or non-professional websites.  Each annotation should include a full, properly-formatted Chicago citation and one to two complete paragraphs explaining the basic argument the work makes and the type of evidence used to prove the thesis.  If it is not acceptable, you will be allowed to rewrite it.  Here are 2 web sites that will be of help to you.  BE CERTAIN TO FOLLOW ALL OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER IN ORDER TO GET A PASSING GRADE!

Cornell < Caution-http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill28.htm >

Purdue < Caution-http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/ >