Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)The National History Day in Pennsylvania ContestGetting Started
Rules and Requirements
Research Tips and Sources
Bibliographies
Judging Process
The National History Day in Pennsylvania Contest1. What is National History Day?National History Day began in 1974 as a history fair sponsored by the history faculty at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Faculty created the competition to foster historical research and inquiry, to "reform the way history was taught and learned in the elementary and secondary school," and to "provide a positive learning environment in which students' work would be evaluated outside the classroom." Regional and state competitions developed in support of that first History Day fair. In 1980 the first National History Day competition offered students from all fifty states the opportunity to compete at the University of Maryland, College Park. Students who engage in History Day projects can develop self-confidence, communication and research skills, higher-level thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities. Getting Started1. Who may enter a regional History Day competition?Any student in grades 6-12 may enter a regional History Day competition. Any student from a public, private, or parochial school may compete in his/her choice of one of the five categories. Any homeschooled student may also enter the regional History Day competition in his/her region. 2. How many students may be in a group? A group may contain two to five students. This group may contain students from grades 6-8 or from grades 9-12. All members of a group may be from the same grade or from any combination within the competitive level. 3. May a student enter more than one history category in the same year of competition? No. A student must select only one of the five categories in which to compete. 4. What are the History Day categories? If a student wishes to prepare a History Day project individually, he/she is eligible to compete in any one of the following: Junior Individual Performance Junior Individual Documentary Junior Individual Exhibit Junior Historical Paper Junior Individual Web Site* Senior Individual Performance Senior Individual Documentary Senior Individual Exhibit Senior Historical Paper Senior Individual Web Site* If a student wishes to prepare a History Day project as a member of a group, he or she is eligible to compete in any one of the following: Junior Group Performance Junior Group Documentary Junior Group Exhibit Junior Group Web Site* Senior Group Performance Senior Group Documentary Senior Group Exhibit Senior Group Web Site* (*Note: in the Web Site category, the Group and Individual presentations will be judged together within the Junior and Senior Divisions.) 5. Do all groups, regardless of grade level, compete against each other in the History Day competition? No. There are two grade levels in History Day competition. In the junior level, students in grades 6, 7, and 8 compete against each other. In the senior level, students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 compete against each other. 6. Are students permitted to create their own History Day theme? No. The National History Day Advisory Committee has designated a specific theme for each competitive year. Students are encouraged to be creative in their research in order to identify a topic that will fit within that theme. Each student must establish a clear relationship between his or her topic and that theme when being judged. 7. How does a student get to go to The Kenneth E. Behring National History Day competition? A student must first prepare a project in one of the five categories associated with the National History Day competition. Upon registration at a regional level (Check with Regional Coordinator for information about fees and registration process), his/her project will be entered and judged in one of the regional History Day competitions. Each region, dependent on judges' evaluations, advances student entries to the National History Day in Pennsylvania competition. All of the students advancing from the regional level, upon completion of registration and payment of all fees, will meet at the state contest to compete to represent Pennsylvania at the National History Day competition. After registration has been completed and fees paid for the state competition, each regional winner will be entered into the system to receive his or her individual or group competitive site assignment, judging agenda, and residence hall and cafeteria assignments if using campus facilities. Entry assignments will be provided at the state competition and may be posted on-line at www.pa.nhd.org shortly before the state event. Only the first and second award winners in each of the five categories from the junior and senior divisions will then progress to The Kenneth E. Behring National History Day competition. http://www.nhd.org/ Getting Started on a History Day Project A Guide to Critical Thinking . . . on the Web Getting a Researcher Identification Card-NARA Do You Have a Good Topic for History Day Thesis Statement 8. What kind of equipment will be available for student use at each competition site? The student or group must bring all of the necessary materials or props to the competition site. Necessities, such as extension cords, amplifiers, overhead projectors, projection screens, laptops, chairs, tables, and various props, should be transported by the student or group to that competition site. The responsibility for the security of these items lies with each student or group. Students should also bring extra lightbulbs, batteries, etc. EXCEPTION: Students involved in either the individual or group documentary category will find a computer, VCR (VHS format only) and a television or screen on site. Students in the website category will also find a computer and monitor or screen on-ste. Students in the documentary and website categories are encouraged, as a back-up to bring their own laptop in case their entry does not open on the equipment provided on-site. Students should bring an extra copy of their videotapes or disks because tapes can break and disks can crack. Some students provide an additional backup on a thumb drive. Students must be capable of operating all of the equipment. EXCEPTION: Students creating an exhibit board will find appropriate table space or floor space (please make note of floor space as a need when registering on-line)available. No preference for a particular space may be requested. If electrical outlets will be needed, the student or group should make this request in writing to the regional coordinator, state coordinator, or national coordinator. The on-line registration provides a space for 'needs' and the request for access to an electrical outlet should be identified in that space. NOTE: When technology is lodged beneath the exhibit table provided, that space is added to the height and width limitations of that exhibit category. Rules and Requirements 1. Does each of the five categories use the same rubric? Each of the five categories is judged with a rubric specifically designed for that category. These rubrics are available from the teacher, the regional coordinator, or the state coordinator prior to regional competition. Each rubric identifies "clear expectations" for each competitor. The rubric may be accessed from the rule book available at www.nhd.org 2. Does a student have to present information in each of the components of the theme? A student is expected to develop his or her topic to the fullest extent possible within the limits of time or space/pages that the History Day rules indicate. A good rule to follow is to select a topic that identifies and elaborates upon all of the following: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? If the student addresses all of these questions within his or her category, he or she has provided links to all parts of the theme. 3. May a topic that was selected in a previous year be used in the current History Day competition? National History Day rule book says "Revising or reusing an entry from a previous year - whether your own or another student's is unacceptable and will result in disqualification." This does not restrict students from reusing a topic, but it is discouraged. since it can lead to confusion How the theme changes from previous years will affect the appropriateness of a reused topic and will require the student to take a different approach to the topic and research a different aspect of the topic. If a topic is reused, it must be researched from a different point of view and be appropriately related to the current theme. 4. May a student or group from one school or region pull together research, resources, and the annotated bibliography in order to compete in different categories? ABSOLUTELY NOT! To do so would negate the very premise on which History Day competition was founded. 5. What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of ideas, expressions, text or script, maps, charts, tables, graphs, etc., produced by others, but used as your own. Plagiarism does not have to be verbatim in order to be classified as "CHEATING." All of the writing, etc., completed and presented by History Day students must be cited in the annotated bibliographies or verbally recognized. To fail to do this would lay the groundwork for DISQUALIFICATION. http://plagiarism.com/ http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/plagiarism.html 6. What are the minimum requirements in each category? Individual and Group Web Site: (Judged together within the Junior and Senior divisions.) Multimedia clips must maintain a 45 second time limit maximum 500-word process paper annotated bibliography included with the process paper (primary and secondary sources separated) title page with required information No more than 1,200 visible, student composed words Home page must contain required information All pages must be connected with hypertext links No more than 100MB of file space Content must be stable and unchanged when the refresh button is hit Web Site must be virus free Web Site must address the theme Must submit 4 copies of the disk, 4 copies of the process paper with bibliography, and 4 paper copies of the website pages by prior deadline; please check www.pa.nhd.org for state deadline; and for the national competition see www.nhd.org Must respond to judges' questions Individual/Group Performance: 10 minutes maximum title page (3) maximum 500-word process paper (3) annotated bibliography (P+S)* Must respond to judges' questions Must be able to operate equipment 1-5 minutes setup time 1-5 minutes break down time Time begins: introduction of title/name Individual/Group Documentary: 10 minutes maximum title page with required information (3) maximum 500-word process paper (3) annotated bibliography (P+S)* Must respond to judges' questions Must be able to operate equipment Time begins: introduction of title/name No live verbalization until judges' Q & As Extra, back-ups if disk does not work: thumb drive, secondary disk, and if available the entry on student provided laptop Individual/Group Exhibit Board: title page (maximum 500-word process paper annotated bibliography (P+S)* Size limitations: maximum 40" x 30" x 6' Word limitation: maximum 500 words Visible title Theme clearly interpreted Must respond to judges' questions Individual Historical Paper: title page limit of 1,500 to 2,500 words annotated bibliography (P+S)* internal citiations/end notes page Must submit 4 copies of title pages, paper, annotated bibliography, and notes by prior deadline; see www.pa.nhd.org for date. Must respong to judges' questions *The annotated bibliography is to be divided into primary and secondary sources and should follow either Turabian (preferred)or MLA style. 7. May my parents or my teacher/adviser help me with my project? Parents, other students, friends, or a teacher/adviser MAY NOT:
8. What is the maximum length of time allotted for an individual or group performance, documentary, web site, or exhibit board presentation? All individual and group performances, all individual and group documentaries, all individual/group web site presentations, and all individual and group exhibit board presentations must be completed in a maximum of ten minutes. Students should plan to terminate all performances and all documentaries after approximately nine minutes, fifty-five seconds in order to ensure compliance with the rules of History Day competition. Any performance or documentary that exceeds ten minutes violates History Day rules. 9. Is setup time included in the ten-minute maximum time allotment for performances and documentaries? No. Students will be permitted five minutes of setup time to place props and background scenes after distributing their title pages, 500-word process papers, and annotated bibliographies to the judges. Students will also be granted an additional five minutes to tear down their sets and to remove props/scenery before they respond to questions from the judges. 10. Is it considered rude for a student/group to be setting up props/scenery while another group is still responding to questions from the judges? No. As a matter of fact, this procedure is expected. Also expected are decorum, as much silence as possible, and respect for the student/group being questioned by the judges. Accidents do occur. Responses to those accidents should be prompt, efficient, and as quiet as possible. Immediately after the completion of an individual or group performance, all participants will dismantle and move props/scenery from the stage area, so that the next individual/group will be able to set up; this is to be done while the previous individual/group is responding to questions from the judges. 11. Does the question-and-answer period following a performance, web site presentation or a documentary count as part of the ten minutes allotted for each student/group? No. The question-and-answer period that immediately follows a performance or a documentary is in addition to the ten minutes allotted to each student/group. Research Tips and Sources1.What should a 500-word process paper contain? Each student/group who produces a performance, documentary, we site, or exhibit must prepare a 500-word process paper explaining the research process, identifying what the most important resource was, how the project was developed, provide the reason why this topic and/or title was chosen and how it addresses the annual theme. The maximum number of words is 500. The title page, process paper and bibliography are stapled together. 2. What is a primary source? A primary source is an original resource. No one has interpreted it, evaluated it, or added or removed any words from it. The author of this type of source was present when he/she actually saw and/or heard the event happen. The written or oral account that followed was his/her viewpoint based on what really occurred. General Definitions Determining whether a source is primary or secondary is a challenging task. Even scholars debate one another about this issue. But while it is sometimes a matter of interpretation, there are some general guidelines to help in making a determination. The National History Day Contest Guide (page 1) defines primary sources as "materials directly related to a topic by time or participation. These materials include letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles from the time, oral history interviews, documents, photographs, artifacts, or anything else that provides firsthand accounts about a person or event. An interview with an expert ... is not a primary source. Quotes from historical figures in secondary sources are not considered primary." It goes on to define secondary sources as those that "are usually published books or articles by authors who base their interpretation on primary sources." Sources by Type It is not possible to classify sources by type as being always primary or always secondary. For example, a newspaper article can be primary in one case and secondary in another. If written by a reporter at the time of an event, an article is a primary source for that event; whereas one written thirty years after the event by a reporter who did not witness or participate in the event is a secondary source. However, a newspaper article written thirty years after the event by a participant in the event would be a primary source, though it should be used somewhat cautiously as time may have affected the author's memory and viewpoint. Sources by Topic A single source can be primary in one case, secondary in another, and totally unrelated for another topic. To be sure, one must examine the topic. For example, if John Smith viewed an event on April 3, 1938, he would be an excellent oral primary source if the research topic were the event that he viewed. However, the mere fact that Mr. Smith was alive on April 3, 1938, does not mean that he is a qualified primary source for all events in all places on that date. The Bottom Line Each source must be evaluated based upon the topic and its firsthand relevance to that topic. For each source, one must ask questions such as: Was the source an eyewitness to an event? Did the source participate in the event? Examples I. The topic is the migration of Mennonite farmers from Europe to Lancaster County in the eighteenth century. The following are examples of primary sources:
II. The topic is the impact of color-printing technology on the Pennsylvania German art of Fraktur making in the mid to late nineteenth century. The following are examples of primary sources:
Related QuestionsWhy is an expert not a primary source? An expert's knowledge has been obtained through research and his viewpoint is based upon his interpretation of the event. While someone might have devoted twenty or thirty years to the research of a topic, unless that person was an eyewitness to, or a participant in, the event being researched, then he is only a discoverer of information. When experts disagree it is because they interpret an event differently. If researchers base their information about a topic solely on the interpretation of experts, they risk missing part of the story. When would a diary not be a primary source? A diary is only a primary source if the information contained within it directly bears on the topic. If a person's diary contains only writings about what she ate for breakfast every day in 1902, it would not be a primary source for a project about what people did for recreation in 1902. What is the difference between an autobiography and a biography, and which is a primary source? An autobiography is an account of a person's life written by that person, whereas a biography is written about a person by someone else. Unless the research topic is biography, a biography is a secondary source because the information contained within is obtained secondhand. An autobiography is usually a primary source, but only when the portion of it used is primary to the topic. For example, if Ulysses S. Grant wrote about the Battle of Gettysburg in his autobiography but he did not actually witness or participate in the battle, then his account of it is not primary. 3. Where can primary sources be located?
Refer to: http: //www.ibiblio.org/lia/president/NARANL-Brochure.html http://www.archives.gov/ http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/news/faqs.html http://www.pamuseums.org/ http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/ http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/faq.htm http://www.pamuseums.org/directories/Dir-mho1.htm http://www.pamuseums.org/directories/Dir-cohs.htm http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/ http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/armhtml/armhome.html OR e-mail: library@roosevelt.nara.gov library@eisenhower.nara.gov library@johnson.nara.gov library@ford.nara.gov library@hoover.nara.gov library@truman.nara.gov library@kennedy.nara.gov library@carter.nara.gov library@reagan.nara.gov library@bush.nara.gov Nixon@arch2.nara.gov 4. What is a secondary source? A secondary source is a story retold or reprinted by someone who was not present at the original event. It is a reliable source based upon information that may have been interpreted, evaluated, shortened, lengthened, edited, or compiled by a person living at a later time. A historical fiction book or video is a secondary source because it is based on a fictitious story with a factual background. While many of the characters were real people, some characters were not real.
5. May a student use one-of-a-kind artifacts or expensive props in his/her History Day Project? Yes. History Day officials however, are NOT responsible for any losses sustained by student participants. The responsibility of security lies entirely with each student who brings these artifacts to the competition. It is suggested that the student set up the exhibit or performance, and after being questioned by the judges, remove the item(s) from the exhibit area to a "safe place" for the remainder of that competition. There is a period before and after a performance when the student(s) once again must take "special care" to protect any item(s) used in the performance, because these competitions are held in public places. No potential weapons are permitted. Students may use props but are not allowed to have any potentially dangerous items, such as unloaded guns, knives, mace, etc. Bibliographies1. What is a bibliography? A bibliography is an alphabetical listing of ALL of the media items that were actually used in the research, the creative thinking, and the creation, or actual writing of each History Day project. Important data (author's name, title, publisher, date, pages, Web site address, etc.) for each source is listed in a predetermined order (use Turabian or MLA bibliographical format). The student must be alert to gather all of the required bibliographical data at the time that the research is conducted, so that an accurate reference can be made to each. Otherwise, important bibliographical data might be missing. Special attention must be paid to bibliographical entries for sources accessed on the Internet. Students should follow the appropriate Turabian or MLA format for this unique type of bibliographical entry. 2. What format should the bibliography follow? National History Day suggests that bibliographical entries and historical papers be prepared using the Turabian format because that is what most historians use. Kate Turabian format http://www.bridgew.edu/depts/maxwell/turabian.htm http://learning.loc.gov/learn/resources/cite/index.html Bibliographical entries may also follow the MLA format. MLA format http://www.mla.org/ It is in the best interest of the students to be accurate and consistent in the completion of all bibliographical entries because of the scrutiny by judges at the regional, state, and national competitions. 3. How should a final draft of a bibliography for History Day look? A final draft should be divided into primary sources and secondary sources. The primary sources are always listed first in the bibliography. All of the different sources that the student used and identified as primary should be alphabetized beneath the primary source heading, using either the Turabian or MLA bibliographical format. Use only one side of the paper when listing these bibliographical entries. List secondary sources on a separate page. Do not mix primary sources and secondary sources ON THE SAME PAGE. Follow the same bibliographical format for listing all secondary sources that have actually been used in researching, preparing, or writing your History Day project. Listing of identical material by different authors for the purpose of making the bibliography appear to be longer or thicker is not acceptable. 4. Do all students have to complete an annotated bibliography? ABSOLUTELY! Each student who participates in the exhibit, documentary, website and performance categories must prepare an annotated bibliography to accompany his/her title page and 500-word process paper. Students who compete in group performance, documentary, website or exhibit will need to submit only one copy of the annotated bibliography to accompany the group's 500-word process paper. All students must have been involved in the researching and writing of the annotations and each bibliographic entry. Historical paper entries must have a title page, the paper narrative properly cited and annotatated bibliography separated into primary and secondary sources using for the paper and bibliography Turabian (preferred) or the MLA style. 5. What comes first, the bibliographical entry or the annotation for that entry? The bibliographical entry always comes first. Follow the Turabian or MLA format. Always begin the first line of each new bibliographical entry at the left margin of your document. 6. What is an annotated entry? After each primary and secondary bibliographical entry, double-space and then write an annotated entry that identifies specifically what information from that source was used during the research process and why that information was selected to develop the topic. Be specific in listing the unique qualities of each source. 7. When should an appendix be included in an annotated bibliography? At no time should an appendix appear in an annotated bibliography submitted with an individual or group performance, documentary, website or exhibit. An appendix may appear only as an attachment to an annotated bibliography of a historical paper. 8. Should a bibliography contain only Internet sources? No. Historical research should be balanced and should reflect the use of a wide variety of media sources. This is a History Day competition. All levels-regional, state, and national-are seeking to identify those students who successfully do research to uncover unique and interesting data and present that data in a revealing, informative performance, documentary, website,exhibit, or historical paper. 9. How many Internet sources may appear in a bibliography? This is a very difficult question. Each student should strive to create a well-balanced bibliography that includes many different types of media. Each Internet source must be evaluated by the student as either a primary source or secondary source. Its importance is identified in the annotated bibliography. What data was found in the Internet source and what role that data played in developing the History Day topic will alert the judges to the source's relevance. Be able to defend the selection of primary source data. Primary sources accessed through the National Archives, the Library of Congress, presidential libraries, etc., are invaluable as primary and secondary sources. Secondary sources on the Internet also provide a substantial amount of background material in the research process. Each student should make a sincere attempt to include a wide variety of primary sources in his/her bibliography. 10. What type of Internet data should not be used in a bibliography? Under no circumstance should opinions from student reports, college reports, or contributors without educational or professional credentials be used to research a History Day topic. While a student may access this Internet information as "common knowledge," he/she should never include it as a source in his/her bibliography. The student should check with his/her teacher/adviser regarding this type of Internet source. 11. May encyclopedias be used as secondary sources in a bibliography? Only specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries should be included in a secondary source bibliography. Only rarely are these types of reference books readily available in school libraries, due to the complexity of the material they offer. They are often located in college libraries, law offices, doctors' offices, hospitals, etc. More common encyclopedias (e.g., Encyclopedia Britannica, Compton's, World Book, etc.) may be used to build a "common-knowledge base" in order to determine student interest or to develop a working bibliography to determine whether a sufficient amount of material can be gathered to support research on a given topic. These commonly used encyclopedias should not appear as secondary sources in a History Day bibliography. Judging Process1. Is each of the five categories judged by the same criteria?Yes. Three criteria are the basis for each rubric: Historical Quality (60%) Clarity of Presentation (20%) Relation to Theme (20%) http://www.nhd.org/JudgingCriteria.htm 2. What must each student/group give to the judges at each level of the History Day competition? Each student/group who selects a performance, documentary or exhibit must provide three copies of the title page, a 500-word process paper, and an annotated bibliography separated by primary and secondary sources using either the Turabian or MLA style. These should be taken to the regional, state, and national competitions and personally handed to a judge immediately prior to setting up the props (performance), checking the equipment (documentary), or waiting to be questioned (exhibit). An additional copy of all should be retained by the individual/group for the runoff round in case it is needed. Four copies of the Historical Paper category entries to include title page, paper content, annotated bibliograpy and any appendices and notes must be forwarded to the regional, state or national office prior to each competition. Please check with each for the deadline date to receive the materials. Those submitting website entries, must send in by the deadline for each level of competition four copies of the website on disk using formats in the rules, four copies of the process paper to include title page and annotated bibliography and four copies of the website printed out. PAY SPECIFIC ATTENTION TO THE DATE ON WHICH THESE HISTORICAL PAPERS AND WEBSITES WITH ALL THEIR RELATED INFORMATION MUST ARRIVE AT EACH LEVEL OF THE COMPETITION. If these items arrive LATE or are LOST in the mail, those students will be DISQUALIFIED from that competition. Each student who submits a historical paper and each student/group with a website entry should bring to the competition a minimum of two copies of entry as a point of reference while the student(s)responds to on-site interview questions. 3. Must all students/groups provide the judges with a 500-word process paper explaining the research process? For all categories EXCEPT the Historical Paper. Each student/group who produces a performance, documentary, web site, or exhibit must prepare a 500-word paper explaining the research and development process, identifying the most important resource, and giving the reason behind why the topic was chosen and how it relates to the annual theme. Students who compete as a group in a performance, documentary, web site or exhibit will need to submit only one 500-word process paper. All of the students in the group must participate in compiling this 500-word paper. The names of all of the participants must appear on that process paper's title sheet. 4. How many copies of the 500-word process paper and annotated bibliography are needed? When and to whom are these to be given? As each student/group advances to higher levels of History Day competition, copies of each of the above will be needed to distribute at the judging venues. Check with each level for the minimum numbers to have available or that need to be submitted prior to the event. It is suggested to bring an additional copy or two to the event 'just in case.' 5. What types of questions will the judges ask a student/group? The judges will seek to determine whether the student(s) really did personally research, compile, and write his/her historical paper, did personally research and create that documentary, performance, web site or exhibit board, along with title page, 500-word process paper, and annotated bibliography. The judges will also want the student/group to provide the facts that prompted the selection of the topic and show how that topic relates to this year's History Day theme. A clear pattern of development should be readily apparent throughout the History Day project. All students should be aware of the components of the rubric(s) for evaluating each of the five categories and all students should be prepared to respond to all questions that might relate to that rubric. During the question-and-answer period the judges will ask all of the questions. Students should not attempt to offer memorized responses. While students may anticipate questions, they should respond to the judges in a spontaneous, confident, informative manner. 6. Do all students in a group have to respond during the question-and-answer period? No, because of the brief time available |
