NATIONAL HISTORY DAY:
TITLE PAGE, PROCESS PAPER, AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
(Sources: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/teachers/historyday/documents/studentguide.pdf and
http://nhd.org/TeacherResources.htm)
National History Day entries in the exhibit, documentary, web site, and performance
categories* must include a process paper and bibliography. This paper introduces your topic, explains
how you developed your entry, and documents your research. It is important to do a good job on this
part of your entry because it is the first thing viewers will look at when they evaluate your work and
may be the only part they take with them when they are done viewing your project and interviewing
you. These supplemental materials include three parts: the title page, a process paper, and the
annotated bibliography.
* The research paper category requires a title page and annotated bibliography, but does not include a
process paper. See the Contest Rule Book for complete details.
Title Page
The title page includes the title of your entry, name(s) of the student(s) who developed the
entry, and the age division and category of the entry. It does not include your school, hometown, or
teacher/class. It is important to come up with a good title for your entry. A good title will not only
introduce your topic, but also helps the viewer understand your point of view. Including ideas from
the theme in your title also helps show your topic’s connection to it.
The title page is size 12, Times New Roman font. It is not bolded. There are no images. An
example of a title page is included on the next page.
An example of a title page is included on the next page.
Process Paper
A process paper describes how you conducted your research and created your entry. It is NOT a
summary of your topic. The purpose of the process paper is to give your judges a better idea of how
you went about creating your project. If you had a unique research experience or an interesting reason
that you chose your topic, highlight it in your process paper in order to explain this to your judges.
Important:
If you are doing an exhibit, documentary, performance, or website YOU MUST have a
process paper for the entry.
 If you are working in a group, you only need one process paper per entry.
 Group process papers must be written from the perspective of all group
members and contain words like "we" and "our" to reflect that everyone in the
group contributed to the project.
The Historical Paper category does not require a process paper.
When to Write Your Process Paper
Most students write it toward the end of their process. Since the paper describes the process you
went through to do your research and create your entry, you have to be far enough along in your
project to write it. This means you need to know your topic and thesis, have most of your research
done, and know overall what your project will look like.
Writing the Paper
The process paper doesn't need to be as formal as your NHD project itself. It’s okay to write in
first person and use words like "I" and "we" when talking about your project. You should be careful,
however, not be too informal. Using slang is never appropriate. Using proper grammar, punctuation,
and spelling is also a must. Your process paper is one of the few things the judges get to take with
them after they are done viewing your project. Leave them with a good impression!
The process paper has a title page (see page ____ for directions) and four sections. The sections
allow judges to get insights into your specific topic and processes. It can be no more than 500 words!
Four sections must include:
1. How you selected your topic
The first section should explain how you selected your topic.
2. How you conducted your research:
The second section should explain how you conducted your research. For example, was it
difficult to find primary sources for your topic? Where did you go to find your sources?
3. How you selected your presentation category and created your project:
The third section should explain how you selected your presentation category and created your
project.
4. How your topic fits this year’s theme:
The fourth section should explain how your project relates to the NHD theme and why is your
topic significant in history. How did you develop the ideas of your thesis to make it fit the
theme? Make sure that your theme connection and thesis are clear in your project itself, as well
as in your process paper. This paragraph is often the most important part of your process paper.
An example of a process paper is included on the next page.
Annotated Bibliography
A bibliography is an alphabetized list of sources you used to create your project. An annotated
bibliography not only lists the sources, but also gives a short description of the source and how you
used it in your entry. There is NO word limit. The National History Day annotated bibliography has
three important characteristics:
1. Primary vs. Secondary: Your bibliography must be separated into primary and secondary sources. As
you are creating your bibliography, think carefully about the correct category for each source. If a
source could be classified as either primary or secondary, make sure to use your annotation to explain
your reasoning to the judges (See page ____ for a reminder about the different types of sources).
National History Day Hint!
2. Citations: The citation is composed of all the vital
It is much easier to create your
information a researcher would need to know in
bibliography if you don’t wait until
order to find the same source that you used. This
the night before. Record citation
information, found on your bibliography cards,
information and write brief notes
for your annotations as you work
should be combined to form your annotated
with each source.
bibliography. You should format your citation in
MLA style. For specific guidelines on bibliographic
style you should refer to the style guide of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA),
Owl.english.purdue.edu, and/or Easybib.com.
*If you are using NoodleTools your citations should already be properly formatted.
3. Annotations: The annotation for each source is a short description of the source and how you used
it in your entry, usually one to three sentences long. Extensive annotations are not appropriate ways to
get around the word limit. Annotations for Internet sources should also include a description of who
sponsors the site.
An example of an annotated bibliography is included on the next page.
*Reminder about sources:
Primary
Diaries
Autobiographies
Government Records
Photographs
Interviews with participants
Manuscript Collections
Newspapers form the time period
written by eyewitnesses
Letters
Music from the time period
Historical object
Secondary
Biographies
Encyclopedias
History Textbooks
Media Documentaries
Interviews with Scholars
Books about the Topic
Articles about the Topic
Most websites
Primary Sources:
These are documents from the actual participant in the historic event and include artifacts,
historic sites, songs, or other written and tangible items created during the historical period you
are studying. This would include photographs!
Secondary Sources:
This is where you usually start your research. These are documents that were not created firsthand by someone who participated in the historical era. They are usually created by historians
and written decades, if not centuries, after the event occurred by people who did not live
through or participate in the event or issue. The purpose of a secondary source is to help build
the story of your research from multiple perspectives and to give your research historical
context. They are important because they provide background information on your topic and
give further evidence.
You should be using the Source Matrix to help you collect a variety of sources.
Site likes Wikipedia, Google, Ask.com, and About.com are NOT scholarly resources. You may have
begun your research with some of these sites but they SHOULD NOT appear in your bibliography!
Thesis Statement
What is a Thesis Statement?
A statement that explains what the project is trying to prove.
How do I write a Thesis Statement?
1. Start with a Research Question. What do you want to find out about?
Some examples are below. Notice how each question would take some research to answer.
Why was Thomas Jefferson opposed to slavery?
What happened to the Juvenile Court system to bring it to the crisis point?
2. Research enough to be able to take a stand. Add your opinion about the topic. What is the
issue or concern? Make sure it’s arguable.
Even though Thomas Jefferson had slaves, he showed that he valued every human being in his
words and actions.
The Juvenile Court system was established to remove children from the adult criminal justice
system and help youth reform, but over the years it became a source of punishment and
imprisonment.
A strong thesis will include the following:
-
Addresses all elements of the theme.
States the main topic.
Clearly states the impact of the topic.
Topic is placed in relevant historical context.
Important, who, what, when, where, why included.
Technical details are all correct (no I, we, they, us).