FINDING AND EVALUATING YOUR SOURCES Annotated Bibliographies LIZ GAGNON MAY 25, 2015

What is an Annotated Bibliography? An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of relevant sources on a given topic. Each citation is followed by a concise summary of the source and an assessment of its value or relevance to your paper.

Purpose Presents a comprehensive but focused selection of scholarly sources on a topic Encourages you to identify the source’s thesis and main themes Gives you an opportunity to think about how the source fits into your own research and argument

Your Assignment Compile an annotated bibliography for your major historiographic essay for HIST 2027: Canadian Post- Confederation History. The bibliography should include at least 5 scholarly articles and 5 books on the topic of your choice.

FINDING YOUR SOURCES Getting Started

Develop your Search Strategy Define your topic Brainstorm related terms and synonyms Consider the topic from a variety of angles Topic: Women and consumer culture in 20 th century Canada Keywords: (consumer OR consumption) AND (women OR femininity OR gender) AND 20 th century AND Canada

Starting your Search at Wishart Library

Refine your results Select full text or peer-reviewed titles Filter by subject Choose your source type You may also limit by publication date, geography, language, etc.

Search Tips and Tricks Check the subject terms and abstract for new keyword ideas Try these keywords in other databases

Search Tips and Tricks Continued… Build your knowledge of the literature  Read the source’s historiography section  Always check the footnotes or bibliography of the resource for further sources

CREATING YOUR ANNOTATIONS What’s next?

Components of an Annotation 1. Focus or scope of the work 2. Thesis or main argument 3. Intended audience 4. Author’s methodology: sources used, how is it organized, historical methodology used 5. Relevance to your topic: how it fits into the historiography, source’s scholarly contribution

Annotation Abstract Fahrni’s article explores how women’s heightened consumer consciousness during the war transitioned into organized activism over consumer issues in Montreal in the 1940s. Consumer concern developed over issues such as price, availability, and food standards and selection following the war. Fahrni’s emphasis on women’s consumer activism and their claim to economic citizenship rights is crucial to my examination of gender and consumption in Canadian historiography. Fahrni’s article was building on the works of previous feminist historians such as Ruth Frager and Joan Sangster who had previously examined women’s involvement in political activism from their position as consumers. In the 1940's, Montreal women drew on a sense of economic citizenship cultivated over the war years to organize around consumer issues. The federal government had encouraged a wartime consumer consciousness as part of its efforts on the home front. After the war, continued government controls, consumers' groups, and labor newspapers encouraged both middle- and working-class families to maintain their interest in prices, standards, and consumer choice. In cities across the country, women especially used their intimate knowledge of household finance to demand better social welfare measures and a reasonable cost of living. This article explores the grocer and butcher boycotts of and the battle to secure the legalization of margarine as a cheaper substitute for butter as two examples of a gendered politics of prices in 1940's Montreal. Fahrni, Magda. “Counting the Costs of Living”

Example Annotation Complete citation in Chicago Style Briefly summarize main thrust of article Relevance to your own research Critical assessment of source, situated in historiography

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Components of an Annotation 1. Citation for resource in Chicago Style 1. Bibliography is organized alphabetically by author 2. Critical annotation of the source 1. Main thesis or argument of the source 2. Historical research method used 3. How this source is relevant to your paper topic

Primary Sources Secondary Sources A document or object that was written or created during the time under study. They were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view into that event. Examples include: Original documents: diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, articles, advertisements Creative works: poetry, drama, novels, art, music A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Examples include: Publications: textbooks, encyclopedias, magazine articles, scholarly articles, news reports

What to consider 1. What is the focus or scope of the book or article? 2. What is the thesis or argument of the work? 3. Who is the intended audience of this source? 4. What is the author's methodology: What kinds of sources are used? Is it a case study or an overview of scholarship on the subject? How is the book/article organized? 5. How is this source is relevant to your paper topic? How does it support or influence your topic?

Writing A Good Evaluative Annotation Be critical – You must go beyond summarizing the article. The value lies in your assessment of each source. Be brief - Keep your annotation to a limit of 10 sentences. Be honest – Only include works that you will use and that are important to the historiography of your topic. 1 Source: