IA Section B - Summary of Evidence (6 marks)
Markbands and student examples

 A suggested number of words for this section is 500–600.

 The summary of evidence should indicate what the student has found out from the sources he or she has used. It will take the form a bullet-pointed list. Any illustrations, documents, or other relevant evidence should be included in an appendix and will not be included in the word count.

This section should consist of factual material that is:

• drawn from sources that are appropriate for the investigation (scholarly books - not encyclopedias or brief overviews)
• correctly and consistently referenced  (Works Cited)
• organized thematically OR chronologically.

 This section should be organized and referenced and provide evidence of thorough research.

• Application and interpretation
• Present a summary of evidence
• Use of historical skills
• Demonstrate evidence of research skills, organization and referencing
  

 

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Guidelines and Suggestions


Everything that is included in this section WILL be analyzed in Section D.

You have to include evidence of different possible answers. Every question can have more than one correct perspective. 

You must have evidence that considers other interpretations. See above.

Do NOT use judgment or analysis in this section. You will do this in Section D.

Here you are simply listing excerpts from the research you have done and referencing them properly. And, by using bullet points, this promotes the idea that is a listing of relevant information.

• Section is is worth 6 / 25 marks (24% of your entire grade)
  
• Stay within 500 to 600 words. If you have less than 500 you probably do not have enough evidence.
• Your evidence must clearly be connected to your research question
• Present the most significant evidence that helps to answer your question. Non-significant evidence is a waste of words.
• Keep this a summary. Use short, clear sentences. Choose words carefully.
• Write [Subject, Verb and fact]
• Example: George Washington served as first president.
• NOT: George Washington was chosen by the people and served 8 years as the United States' first president.
  
• All of your evidence must be cited using the Turabian style. You should have at least five sources, if not more.
• Make sure you present ample evidence from the two sources you'll discuss in Section C.

Examples of Section B

For example, if your question is:

 "To what extent was the United States firebombing of Dresden in 1945 an act of terrorism?" you may want to approach it like this:

• Here is a summary of evidence from the various sources and viewpoints researched to help answer this question. This section will start with a couple of widely accepted definitions of terrorism:
  

• In order to fully answer this question, the bombing has to be put into historical context. Here are a few of the things happening during WWII that may help the reader judge whether it was an act of war or terrorism.
  

• Here is a summary of evidence that supports the idea that the bombing was indeed a terrorist act:
  

• Here is a summary of evidence that suggests the bombing was simply an act of war:
  

• You must gather enough evidence that will allow you to evaluate different interpretations. If you have evidence that supports only one possible answer, then you will have nothing to evaluate and analyze in section D.
  

• Make sure you define terrorism so you can evaluate whether the bombing fits the description. You may include different definitions from different views, which can be avaluated later in section D.
  

• Research 2-3 views that argue that it was terrorism.
  

• Try to get primary sources of people involved in the actual decision and/or were affected by the bombings .
  

• Research 2-3 views that argue is was NOT terrorism, but an act of war.
  

• Present evidence that puts the event into historical context, like the fact that Germany had bombed London, or was currently implementing the Final Solution. 
  

• Alternatively, part of the historical context could be the US knew the war was won by this time; but bombed them anyway!
  

• It is important that these suggestions to not limit your research but are designed to give you ideas! Go BEYOND my suggestions!
  

Example 1