UCLA 16th Century Ottoman Empire Annotated Bibliography

I will need an annotated bibliography for 8 secondary and 2 primary sources. 

I will need the first two sources to be primary and the next eight to be secondary. Each source will need to be accompanied by two 200-word paragraphs. 

You will have to find the sources. The topic is the 16th-century ottoman empire and their use of spies and espionage. Primary sources should include accounts by spies at the time; secondary sources could include sources by Emrah Safa Gurkan and other Ottoman Empire authors. 

What are the components of an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography usually contains three parts:

Source Citation: Like a regular bibliography, an annotated bibliography provides proper citation information for each source. 

Source Summary: The first part of your entry will summarize the source concisely by briefly stating the topic and the main argument of the source source. If you are annotating a secondary source in addition to summarizing the main idea, you need to give information about how the source is organized, the main types of evidence the author relies on, and how the author makes his or her argument. 

If you are annotating a primary source, in addition to the main idea, explain

1- the type of source (e.g. a letter, newspaper, census report, etc.), 

2-Identify , if possible, the author, his/her position and any other information to help the reader understand the writer’s perspective, and why were he/she able to write the source ( example: a historian commissioned to write the history of a certain event 

3- State the author’s intended audience.

Source Evaluation: Your source evaluation explains how the source contributes to a certain subject or particular topic. How you will use the source in your paper. What does the source do for your argument? Is it one of the key pieces of evidence supporting your case? Does it offer crucial background information? Does it present a counterpoint to your argument that you need to address? 

Continue by evaluating the source itself, for example was the argument persuasive? Or was it unconvincing? Why? Were the authors claims well backed up? What did you learn from the source that you did not know prior to reading it? Does it refute a well-established paradigm? These last points an usually be seen in the introduction of the book.

Is it filling in a particular gap in the field? Is it refuting a long-held assumption? 

Importance of the source to your topic: How does the source contribute to your project? How will you use it? 

Steps for writing an annotated bibliography

1. Start by deciding which sources will be most critical and useful for your topic. Begin by thinking about your research question, or your possible choice of subject then think about which sources would best help you answer those questions. A major benefit of writing an annotated bibliography is that, by the end of it, you will have a far better idea of what your project looks like, what you are arguing, and what evidence you have to support your argument.

2. Once you have identified your key sources, you need to introduce your source and identify the main argument and thesis. The best way of understanding the main thesis is to look at the introduction and conclusion.

3. Evaluate the source or document, which is essentially your analysis of the source. How successfully does the author support his/her argument. Look back through the source and see exactly what evidence the author has used to make his or her case. Is there enough evidence? Do you agree with how the author interpreted the evidence? Is the argument convincing? 

4. Evaluate how useful the source is to your project. What did you learn from this source? Has your thinking on the subject change based on the source? Think about the actual structure or outline of your paper. How will you use this source in your paper?