LIBRARY
HTY 499: History Senior Seminar (Dubois): Sources and Citing
Types of Sources
Understanding what sources you need for Senior Seminar will be important, so this website will help you understand the types of sources you are looking at. www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.htm
Citing
What is an "Annotated Bibliography"? How do you create an annotated bibliography? What is included?
An annotated bibliography can simply describe the source (summary annotation) or it can also include an evaluation (evaluative annotation). For summary annotations, briefly write about the source. Focus on describing your source, such as the author’s qualifications and why was the source created. Describe the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology, and identify the intended audience of the cited source Explain the author’s expertise, point of view, and any bias they may have about the topic.
Evaluative annotations include both a short description and your evaluation of the cited source. In your evaluation, critically assess the selected source for accuracy, relevance, and quality. Compare to other sources on the same topic that you have also cited to show similarities and differences. Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the source. Identify the observations or conclusions of the author.
Your professor may want you to focus on one or the other type of annotation, or may want you to summarize one type of format such as journals, and critically evaluate others, such as books. If you are not sure what is expected by your professor, ASK.
- Each annotation should be one paragraph, between three to six sentences long (about 150- 200 words).
- Start with the same format as a regular Works Cited list.
- All lines should be double-spaced. Do not add an extra line between the citations.
- If your list of citations is especially long, you can organize it by topic.
- Try to be objective, and give explanations if you state any opinions.
- Use the third person (e.g., he, she, the author) instead of the first person (e.g., I, my, me)