Hisw2Dis

Primary & Secondary sources

Primary source – Anything that is from an ancient contemporary context – a primary source on ancient Egypt must have been produced in ancient Egypt .

Archaeology

Art

Written stuff

Administrative documents

Narrative histories

Secondary Source – Anything written about ancient times by people after that time.

Later writings from other historians

Modern scholarship

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What is a scholarly resource

Websites, blogs, documentaries, novels, popular history, and such are not acceptable sources when writing a research paper.

Scholarly material is peer reviewed

- Peer review is where a panel of scholars check your research to make sure it is credible.

Almost anything you find in an academic library is a scholarly resource.

- Logic, then, would dictate you should make use of these resources and facilities

A scholarly monograph is a piece of research where an expert makes an argument about a specific topic.

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The use of primary sources & scholarly works

The key to using primary & scholarly texts is actually to find & read them

After reading a bit – formulate an idea

Transform the idea into a thesis – a clear statement of argument

Make the thesis statement – support the thesis with specific claims

Use recent scholarly work to support the thesis – John Smith also thinks what I think about World War II - this gives credibility to your work.

Prove your thesis by using Primary sources - this means marshaling evidence to support your case – persuading others you are correct.

Ideal Thesis statement: “Based on overwhelming allied reports from the 7th army, testimonies from the Nuremburg trials, and the later writings of Nazi officers, Nazi Germany was entirely the creation of Adolf Hitler and not the German intelligentsia. Therefore this essay argues that most of Germany was swept up in the wake of Hitler’s charisma and great efforts of a few devoted followers, and not largely to blame for the destruction of WW II.”

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Be realistic about your topic theme

You do not have the time, space, or expertise to write an entire history of Egypt

Choose two or three key primary sources for your work

Craft a well argued essay over a single theme over a short period of time.

I am always here to assist you in cutting the topic down to size.

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