How to do

Research,
Citation, and
Annotation
Annotated Bibliography:
• After choosing a topic for your Historical Research Project
from the list on Moodle, or after approving one with me,
you will find 5-6 academic sources
• Your assignment will include:
• A Thesis Statement: a potential central argument for your
upcoming project
• An annotated bibliography for your 5-6 academic sources

• The Annotated Bibliography is due on October 17th

 Primary
Sources:
• Primary sources are documents produced by first-
hand witnesses to a historical event (writing, oral
history, physical artifacts) that have survived from the
past.
• They are original materials that convey new ideas,
discoveries and information from the time period
under study
• These sources are the building blocks of the study of
history

• Examples include letters, original research, personal

papers, government documents, oral accounts, diaries,
maps, photographs, artifacts, memoirs, telegrams, e-
mails, etc.
 Secondary
Sources:
• Secondary sources are created by someone
who was either not present when the event
occurred or removed from it in time.
• Secondary sources usually analyze primary sources
to draw larger critical evaluations or conclusions
about a particular historical event or period.
• Secondary sources are great for starting
research as they can help identify gaps or
conflict in the existing body knowledge that
might prove promising topics

• Secondary sources can include academic

scholarly books and articles, or chapters in an
edited volume.
 Popular vs.
Scholarly
Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Yv-e9ZvsbOA

• Scholarly sources are

peer-reviewed, meaning
that publications are
verified and closely
examined by experts in
that field
A Note about Sources:
• “Primary” or “Secondary” says NOTHING about the value
of a source it is simply a neutral description of how it’s
being used.

• What sources should you read? It depends on the question

you’re asking.
• If your question is on how the Government of Canada responded to the
start of WW1, then you would use government records.
• However, if your question is on how the national newspapers responded
to the declaration of war, then you would use newspaper sources.
Questions for Analyzing a
Source:
• Ask the 5 “W”s
• Who wrote it?
• When was the source written?
• Where was the source written?
• What is the source about?
• Why was the source written?
 Bias or
Perspective:
• Most evidence that historians analyze is
biased in one way or another. It represents a
certain perspective from one person or a
group. Historians use the following guidelines
when reviewing evidence from the past:
• Every piece of evidence and every source must
be read or viewed skeptically and critically.
• Evidence should not be taken at face value. The
author’s point of view must be considered.
• Each piece of evidence and source must be
crosschecked and compared with related sources.
How to Find
Sources:
• Secondary sources can be found in the
CNC Library, or online through places like
Google Scholar

• Primary sources can similarly be found

online (
https://guides.library.queensu.ca/history-c
anadian/primary-sources
) for example, or through databases,
archives, or through your textbooks
 How to Take Notes:
• Make sure you include all the bibliographic information required
for citing sources in the Chicago Manual of Style:
• It usually includes information like author(s), title of source, title of journal or book
it is from, date of publication, publisher, location of publication, page numbers
• Remember to check with the citation style required in your classes as
each style requires different formats/information for the citations

• When taking notes, write down a summary of what was said in

that source with page numbers referring to particular topics or
passages of note
• However you organize your notes and keep them, make sure that you can
accurately recall where you’ve gotten them from and what the context is
 How to make a
thesis statement
 Introduction
Your introduction should start
Don’t start off
relatively “broad” (for your
with “for this
specific
history oftopic), then
I will narrow
quit my
down
mankind to yourjob
diseases thesis
if I read
have killed at this.
least a couple of
dozen people…”

Conclude
introductory
paragraph with the
THESIS
STATEMENT
The Parts of a Thesis Statement

Your
Argu
Topic Reas
ment
ons
The Functions of a Thesis Statement

To announce the topic to the

reader
To give the argument that your
paper will spend the rest of its
time defending
To provide the reader with a
blueprint of what is to come in the
paper
Thesis
Statement:
Imagine that
your paper is
taking you from
Point A to Point B
Your Thesis
Statement is
your paper’s
road map
Without it, you
AND your
readers will get
Your paper without a thesis statement
lost
An example:
• I argue that the fur trade encountered difficulties by the
1800s as a result of unsustainable fur-extraction
practices, the rise of colonial settlement, and the shift
away from manufacturing hats from furs to silk

• Do not “explain”, “describe”, “explore”, etc. in your thesis

statement
• You are making an argument, so use words like “argue”,
“contend”, “assert”, etc.
Citing your
sources
Chicago Manual of Style -
Books:
• Footnote: First name last name, Title of Book (Place of
Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number.
• Matthew Barager, Citing Books is Fun (Prince George, BC: CNC
Publishing, 2024), 2.

• Bibliographical Entry: Last name, First name. Title of Book.

Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
• Barager, Matthew. Citing Books is Fun. Prince George, BC: CNC
Publishing, 2024.
Chicago Manual of Style –
Journal Articles:
• Footnote: First name Last name, “Title of the Article,” Title of the
Journal volume number of journal, number of article (date of
publication): page number.
• Matthew Barager, “Citing Articles is Fun Too,” Journal of Matthew 3, no. 2
(September 2024): 42.

• Bibliography: Last name, First name. “Title of the Article.” Title of

the Journal volume number of journal, number of journal (date of
publication): page article starts on – page article ends on.
• Barager, Matthew. “Citing Articles is Fun Too.” Journal of Matthew 3, no. 2
(September 2024): 39-50.
Chicago Manual of Style –
Web Sources:
• Footnote: First name Last name, “Title of Web Page,” Name of Website,
Publishing Organization, publication or revision date if available, access
date if no other date is available, URL.
• Matthew Barager, “Citing Web Pages Isn’t Fun,” Citing Tricks and Tips, CNC
Publishing, 31 August 2024, accessed 31 August 2024, www…..

• Bibliography: Last name, First name. “Title of Web Page.” Name of

Website. Publishing organization, publication or revision date if
available. Access date if no other date is available. URL
• Barager, Matthew. “Citing Web Pages Isn’t Fun.” Citing Tricks and Tips. CNC
Publishing, 31 August 2024. Accessed 12 September 2024. www…
 To Cite or Not To Cite?
• Make sure that you cite EVERY TIME you use someone else’s research or
source

• When citing, you use quotation marks around a passage if you are directly
pulling that information from another source

• You do not need quotation marks if you are paraphrasing

• Regardless of if you are paraphrasing or quoting, you need to use a footnote
citation!

• Topics that are considered to be common knowledge do not require a citation.

• For example, you can consider the starting and end dates of World War II to be common knowledge
• It is what the average, reasonably informed, reader should know and would accept as being accurate without
having to look it up.
What is an annotated
Bibliography?
• An annotated bibliography includes a summary and evaluation of each
source. These annotations are written in paragraph form and for the
purposes of this class should include the following information:

• 1. an explanation of the main purpose of the source

• 2. a short summary of key findings or arguments of the source
• 3. the academic/intellectual credentials of the source. Does it appear
in a peer-reviewed journal? Is the author someone who has expertise
in the area?
• 4. any shortcomings or biases you notice
• 5. the value of this work as a contribution to the topic you are
exploring.
An example:
Barager, Matthew. The Fur Trade in Canada. Prince George, BC: CNC Publishing, 2024.
Barager’s work on the fur trade argues that the growth in the fur trade in
Canada declined owing to the growing demand of the British North American colonies,
and soon to be Canadian government, to settle the lands held by the Hudson’s Bay
Company. This argument helps contextualize how colonial activities helped to
undermine and redirect the efforts of the fur-trading company and its operations.
Barager also argues that the fur trade began to decline owing to the unsustainable
fur-extraction practices used by the company and its fur harvesters and partners. In
this regard, Barager’s extensive use of primary sources has been incredibly useful in
building up the documentary evidence for this project. However, this source does not
discuss some of the other factors historians have associated with the fur trade’s
decline, such as the shift away from using fur to make hats and a shift towards using
silk. As a result, I found other sources that discuss these silences in greater detail…
• Battle, Ken. "Child Poverty: The Evolution and Impact of Child Benefits." In A Question of Commitment:
Children's Rights in Canada, edited by Katherine Covell and Howe, R. Brian, 21-44. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid
Laurier University Press, 2007.

• Ken Battle draws on a close study of government documents, as well as his own research as an
extensively-published policy analyst, to explain Canadian child benefit programs. He outlines some
fundamental assumptions supporting the belief that all society members should contribute to the upbringing
of children. His comparison of child poverty rates in a number of countries is a useful wake-up to anyone
assuming Canadian society is doing a good job of protecting children. Battle pays particular attention to the
National Child Benefit (NCB), arguing that it did not deserve to be criticized by politicians and journalists. He
outlines the NCB’s development, costs, and benefits, and laments that the Conservative government scaled
it back in favour of the inferior Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB). However, he relies too heavily on his
own work; he is the sole or primary author of almost half the sources in his bibliography. He could make this
work stronger by drawing from others' perspectives and analyses. However, Battle does offer a valuable
source for this essay, because the chapter provides a concise overview of government-funded assistance
currently available to parents. This offers context for analyzing the scope and financial reality of child
poverty in Canada.