Writing and Talking About History > Resources for Writing Papers > Topic Statement and Annotated Bibliography

Topic Statement and Annotated Bibliography

1. Receive approval of topic selection from the instructor by the date listed in the course calendar. Meet to discuss topic and preliminary research.
2. Begin research log so Mr. Bales can better help with future steps . . . and so that you can better understand the process you are following.
3. Consider meeting with Mr. Bales or another reference librarian to discuss potential research problems.
   
   On due date (in class), turn in:

• a one-sentence topic statement (at top of page) and
• (below that) a bibliography of ALL sources located to date, with AT LEAST TEN annotated.

Instructions and Examples

1. Prepare a one-"sentence" statement of your HISTORIOGRAPHICAL research-paper topic, making it as narrow as possible. If you can provide a thesis statement instead, do so.
2. Prepare a bibliography of All sources, with AT LEAST TEN annotated.
   An annotated bibliography is an alphabetically arranged list of sources accompanied by a brief explanatory note about the contents and/or value of each item. Annotations can vary in length from a single sentence or fragment to a paragraph or more, but you are not expected to provide more than a short (1-2 sentence) statement. A good note provides the book's thesis and the source's contents; it can be explanatory and/or critical and should provide just enough information to allow readers to decide about the usefulness and quality of your materials without having to look at them. (Consider the work's purpose, contents, audience, special features, weaknesses/biases/strengths.)

• Your bibliography must include at least one ARTICLE from a scholarly journal.
  
• DO NOT INCLUDE: finding aids or reference works, such as indexes, encyclopedias, and bibliographies (although you need to keep records of these on biblio-graphy cards and, of course, in your research log).
  
• Use the correct form (including spacing and indentation) for each entry.
  
• See Turabian for annotations: p. 174, sect. 10.36. (Please note: the sample annotation is mistakenly not indented properly.)
  
• Use chapters 9-11 for proper bibliographic forms. Exploit examples in chapter 11.
  
• Use Checklist (#3).
  
• Use the student samples in this Handbook and in notebooks in Monroe 209.
  
• Avoid justified right-hand margins; they distort spacing.
• Do NOT create two bibliographies, one for annotated sources and one for non-annotated ones. Put all sources in alphabetical order in one list, and an-notate the ten (minimum) that you wish to annotate.
  
• Do NOT attempt to read every word in every source; it is NOT necessary. You are doing preliminary work. Exploit the introduction, table of contents, foreword, conclusion, index, and parts of key chapters to decide how the work is useful in researching your topic (just as you would in deciding on the usefulness of any source).
  
• Use third person and present tense where appropriate. (FOR EXAMPLE, "SMITH COVERS THE WAR AND ARGUES THAT . . . .")
  
• Do not use such notes as "Interlibrary Loan has not yet provided this source" or "Based on what I have read so far in this book . . . ."
  
• Do not write too narrow annotations, i.e., ones that focus only on your research topic and not on the source in general; however, it often works well to provide a brief comment on the book and to relate the book to the proposed topic.

back to top^