The Annotated Bibliography
As a researcher, it is important to give credit to sources that you have used in your research. Any source that has informed your project must be listed in your bibliography. Annotations are simply 1-4 sentences that explain how the source helped you create your project. This will help the judges in determining how balanced your research was and in determining the depth of your reading into the sources.
Most judging teams like to see the primary sources first. Remember, a primary source is anything that was created during a historical event. This could be a journal, newspaper article, memo, or a memory that was later written down in an autobiography. Judges like to see these first because it shows the extent of investigation that you have done.
Secondary sources should be listed second. It is very important to annotate these carefully. You should state the main idea of the source, the most important evidence that was offered to support the main idea, and how the source influenced your project. Judges, especially at the national level, will be looking at your selections and how carefully you read them. They are impressed by quality annotations of important secondary sources. However, it is important to not make your annotations too long. Judges want to be able to scan all of your sources quickly while they review your bibliography.
Most judging teams like to see the primary sources first. Remember, a primary source is anything that was created during a historical event. This could be a journal, newspaper article, memo, or a memory that was later written down in an autobiography. Judges like to see these first because it shows the extent of investigation that you have done.
Secondary sources should be listed second. It is very important to annotate these carefully. You should state the main idea of the source, the most important evidence that was offered to support the main idea, and how the source influenced your project. Judges, especially at the national level, will be looking at your selections and how carefully you read them. They are impressed by quality annotations of important secondary sources. However, it is important to not make your annotations too long. Judges want to be able to scan all of your sources quickly while they review your bibliography.
Examples of Annotated Bibliographies
Primary Source
Droke, Maxwell. Good-by to G.I. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1945.
Distributed to servicemen after World War II, this book gives some insight into life in the 1940s. Soldiers returning from war were given instruction on how to assimilate back into American society. For my project on the psychological effects of war, I found the tone of this book very interesting. Several direct quotes from this manual appear in my research paper.
Secondary Source
LeBor, Adam. Hitler’s Secret Bankers: The Myth of Swiss Neutrality during the Holocaust.
Secaucus, NJ: Carol Publishing Group, 1997.
In this book, LeBor takes on the idea of Swiss neutrality during World War II. Most accounts of the war show Switzerland as a neutral country, but LeBor has uncovered evidence of collaboration between the Swiss government, Swiss banks, and Nazi Germany. LeBor relies on a great deal of unclassified primary documents, and his book gave me a great framework for my research.
Droke, Maxwell. Good-by to G.I. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1945.
Distributed to servicemen after World War II, this book gives some insight into life in the 1940s. Soldiers returning from war were given instruction on how to assimilate back into American society. For my project on the psychological effects of war, I found the tone of this book very interesting. Several direct quotes from this manual appear in my research paper.
Secondary Source
LeBor, Adam. Hitler’s Secret Bankers: The Myth of Swiss Neutrality during the Holocaust.
Secaucus, NJ: Carol Publishing Group, 1997.
In this book, LeBor takes on the idea of Swiss neutrality during World War II. Most accounts of the war show Switzerland as a neutral country, but LeBor has uncovered evidence of collaboration between the Swiss government, Swiss banks, and Nazi Germany. LeBor relies on a great deal of unclassified primary documents, and his book gave me a great framework for my research.