RCI Research Assignment Part III

Part III - Primary Sources

Question 1 = For this question you will find two Primary Sources.

for example, will likely be the most helpful.  Keep in mind that when searching for older material, words have changed. For example, you're not going to find much on "nuclear bombs" in the pre-1950s press. However, you'll find information on "atomic bombs," because this was the more common descriptor of the time. Likewise, you may need to broaden the scope of your topic. For example, if you're researching intellectual property on the Internet, you're going to have to think about intellectual property law in the pre-Internet era. The point here is to be flexible with your search terms, and if one database does not yield fruitful results, try another one. Research is a trial and error process. Also consider using the The National Security Archives.  

Using  Purdue OWL Help Guide  and/or  Chicago Style Help Guide  (notes/bibliography format), enter the full Chicago citation for your pre-1990 documentary or non-documentary primary sources. Your citation will depend on what type of sources you found. For example, if it is a book (sometimes called published primary), then you would use the appropriate bibliographic citation for books. If you're accessing your primary sources online (and not in print), the citation should include a URL and "date accessed" (see the Chicago-style reference page).

Question 2 = Creating an Annotated Bibliography

You now have collected eight sources related to your topic: one contemporary newspaper article (LRA1), one specialized encyclopedia entry (LRA1), two scholarly monographs (LRA2), two scholarly journal articles (LRA2) and two primary sources (here in LRA3). For Question 2, present EACH of your seven items including the following information/format:

1. The bibliographic (not footnote) Chicago citation for the item, and...

2. In paragraphs of no less than eight sentences, provide summaries of the main points relevant to your topic addressed in each source.

The eight entries should be in alphabetical order by the authors' last names. (if any of your items do not have an author, use the title of the item to determine alphabetical order.) 

Question 3 = Research Question to Hypothesis / Thesis Statement

Please copy and paste or type your refined research question from LRA2 into your Word doc (or, if you changed your topic, be sure to clearly explain). Next, in light of your integrated analysis of collected sources to this point, and comments from either your instructor and/or teaching assistant provided in LRA1 and LRA2, type an initial hypothesis/thesis statement. A thesis statement is an answer to your research question. Remember when you craft your thesis statement that it should: (1) relate back directly to and clearly, fully answer your final, refined research question (from LRA2), and (2) you should be able to demonstrate your thesis through a study of the history of your issue. 

Upload your completed Word document for LRA 3 . Also, you need to be sure you labeled each question clearly.