Within the History discipline, research projects typically require a combination of primary sources and secondary sources.
A primary source is a first-hand account of an event, topic, or historical period. A primary source can also be anything that contains original information on a said topic, event, or historical period.
Examples of primary sources:
Secondary sources are sources that inform, interpret, or analyze events, topics, or historical periods. These sources offer second-hand accounts that have conclusions made from researching primary sources.
Examples of secondary sources
What should a primary source annotation include?
With primary sources, its annotation adds context to the source and how it will aid in analyzing the topic, event, or historical period. Most primary source annotations will NOT include an Assess section but will include a more in-depth Reflect section to put the material in the context of the historical period.
For example, an annotation of:
A photo/piece of artwork will include information about the medium, year of production, and its cultural significance. If the photo cited is only one out of a collection, include the whole collection and discuss how this one photo aids in the research.
A memoir, diary, or journal will include information about the author, its significance, and contextual information on how this source relates to the topic of the research. If only using a small section of the source, mention this in the annotation but also discuss the source as a whole.
Gast, John. “American Progress.” Manifest Destiny, 1872. Autry Museum of the American West. Los Angeles, California.
Created by Prussian-born painter, John Gast, who lived in New York for the majority of his life. American Progress has been tied to the allegory of Manifest Destiny, as well as other kinds of American West art. With the figure of Columbia painted like a light heading from the East to the West carrying a string of telegraph wire, holding a book, and showing the different stages of economic advancements. This painting gives a context into the advancements of the late Ninetieth Century and process of American westward expansion. As the West is depicted as a dark and uncivilized place and the east as a bright place of growth and advancement. It is with these depictions that this painting was used to depict the justification of the expansion to the west and modernization of these lands. This painting will help in supporting the views and perceptions that much of society held during this period when it came to expansion. It will also support this research in the fact of how this painting was distributed among communities to push them west and give a feeling that it was a need or American right to expand, further justify some of the atrocities committed during this period.
(Information and image from Bill of Rights Institute, Resource Library. Chapter 7: 1944-1869. URL https://billofrightsinstitute.org/activities/art-analysis-american-progress-by-john-gast-1872)
Typically, when formatting a historical annotated bibliography, primary and secondary sources are separated into two sections.
If you are using the Notes/Bibliography type of Chicago Style, authors may add their annotations within the footnotes or endnotes. Check with your instructor if annotations should be included in your footnotes or endnotes.