Annotated Bibliography Assignment DUE DATE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 16th

WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?

An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of citations to research sources such as books,
articles, and documents. In addition to the bibliographic data, each citation is followed by a brief
evaluative paragraph justifying the relevance of the source to your research, the annotation. The
purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the
sources cited.

*NOTE, a bibliography is also known as a work cited page*

THE PROCESS

1. Cite the book, article, document, or item using the appropriate MLA citation style.
(1pt/source)

2. Write an evaluative paragraph that will explain how the source illuminates your topic. Include
one or more sentences that remark on the following.

(a) Who is the author? What is the author's background? For example, is the author a professor
or scientist? (1 pt/source)

(b) Comment on the purpose of the work. (2 pts/source)

What is the reason that youll be using the source? Identify how it addresses the research
question (or thesis, or hypothesis).

Is it an overview to inform you?

Is it a critical analysis or editorial comment?
Is it scholarly, something written by an expert in the field?
**YOU WILL NEED 5 SOURCES TOTAL for a total of 20 points**

Sample Annotated Bibliography

Brown, David. Victorian and Victorianism. The Victorian Web. N.p., 8 Feb.
2005. Web. 10 Mar. 2010.

The essay, Victorian and Victorianism will help me define Victorian and understand ideas and events of
the Victorian period. Created by George P. Landow, Professor of English at Brown University, The Victorian
Web is a collection of essays about all things Victorian. The essay, Victorian and Victorianism, along with
other essays from The Victorian Web, provides a much needed background for topics of the Victorian
period related to Jane Eyre, including religion, gender, philosophy, science & technology.

Eagleton, Terry. Jane Eyre: A Marxist Study. Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre.
Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea, 1987. 29-45. Print.

Terry Eagleton, an Oxford University lecturer, analyzes Jane Eyre in terms of Marxist theory. In the section
Jane Eyre: A Marxist Study, Eagleton makes a connection between romantic elements in the novel and
Janes assuming power in her relationship with Rochester.
Schact, Paul. Jane Eyre and the History of Self-Respect. Modern Language

Quarterly (Dec. 1991): 423. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 18 Jan.

2007.

In Jane Eyre and the History of Self-Respect, Paul Schact, Professor of English at the State University of
New York Genesco, talks about how self-respect is representative of the economic, political, and social
condition of the 19th century in Jane Eyre. This article will help me highlight Jane Eyres struggle for
independence, self-control, and how Rochester fails to intimidate her.
Annotated Bibliography adapted from http://www.bancroftschool.org/
WHAT TYPE OF SOURCES
Goal to find a mix of primary and secondary sources

Primary Sources - A primary source is a piece of information about a historical event or period
in which the creator of the source was an actual participant in or a contemporary of a historical
moment. The purpose of primary sources is to capture the words, the thoughts and the
intentions of the past. Primary sources help you to interpret what happened and why it
happened.

Examples of primary sources include documents, artifacts, historic sites, songs, or other written
and tangible items created during the historical period you are studying.

Secondary Sources - A secondary source is a source that was not created first-hand by
someone who participated in the historical era. Secondary sources are usually created by
historians, but based on the historian's reading of primary sources. Secondary sources are
usually written decades, if not centuries, after the event occurred by people who did not live
through or participate in the event or issue. The purpose of a secondary source is to help build
the story of your research from multiple perspectives and to give your research historical
context.

An example of a secondary source is Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M.
McPherson, published in 1988.

Helpful Resources:
1. http://hapgoodlibrary.webs.com/onlinedatabases.htm
BLAs library website gives you many useful links to additional history databases to find
both primary and secondary sources. You will need your BPL library card number for some
to the websites
a. ABC-CLIO Database
b. History Resource Center
c. Newspapers Proquest

2. http://www.archives.gov
The national archives has overwhelming amount of primary sources on topics covering U.S
History. The easiest way to start is to browse the website through their topic search:
http://www.archives.gov/research/topics/

3. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
George Mason Universe has a catalog of primary sources secondary sources, and reliable
websites on U.S History. The easiest place to start is the keyword search at the top right
hand corner of the page

4. http://millercenter.org/president/speeches
Catalog of all presidential speeches from Washington to Obama with text, audio, and even
video. You can browse the titles of the speeches to find out what the president was telling
the American Public at a particular time.

5. Presidential Libraries
You do not need to take another field to have access to many of the primary sources
available surrounding many of out most recent presidents from Herbert Hoover to George
W. Bush. (Links to the libraries can be accessed through the National Archives
- www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries
6. U.S Census Data
These cites provide demographic data taken from U.S censuss dating all the way back to
1790. The data is particularly useful when analyzing average income, homeownership,
education level, language, ethnicity, race, or family size
- http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu (user friendly browser for data from 1790-1960)
- www.census.gov (catalogs all census data from 1790- 2010)