A Pocket Guide to Writing in History

1 Introduction: Why Study History

1a Asking historical questions

1b Developing historical reading skills

2a Identifying historical sources

2a-1 Primary sources

2a-2 Secondary sources

2a-3 Primary or secondary? The changing status of a source

2a-4 Accessing sources in history

2a-5 Uses of primary and secondary sources

2b Evaluating sources

Tips for Writers: Questions for Evaluating Text-Based Primary Sources

2b-1 Evaluating primary sources

Tips for Writers: Questions for Evaluating Nonwritten Primary Sources

2b-2 Evaluating secondary sources

Tips for Writers: Questions for Evaluating Secondary Sources

2b-3 Evaluating online sources

2b-4 Identifying fake news

Tips for Writers: Questions for Evaluating Websites

3a Reading actively in history

Tips for Writers: Writing as You Read

3b Writing about reading

3b-1 Summaries

3b-2 Annotated bibliographies

3c Writing about primary sources

3c-1 Single-source analysis

3c-2 Comparative papers

Tips for Writers: Writing a Comparative Essay

3d Writing about secondary sources

3d-1 Critiques and book reviews

3d-2 Comparing secondary sources

3e Writing about film

3f Taking history exams

3f-1 Preparing for an exam

3f-2 Answering identification questions

3f-3 Taking an essay exam

4a Approaching a history assignment

4b Thinking like a historian

4c Developing a thesis

4d Constructing an argument

Tips for Writers: Testing your Thesis

4d-1 Supporting your thesis

4d-2 Responding to counterevidence and anticipating opposing viewpoints

4e Drafting your paper

4e-1 Drafting an introduction

4e-2 Organizing your paper

4e-3 Writing clear and connected paragraphs

4e-4 Writing an effective conclusion

4f Revising for content and organization

Tips for Writers: Revising for Content and Organization

4g Editing for style and grammar

Tips for Writers: Common Grammatical Errors (and How to Avoid Them)

4g-1 Choosing appropriate language

4g-2 Choosing the appropriate tense

4g-3 Using active voice

4g-4 Knowing when to use the pronouns I, me, and you

5a Moving from topic to research question

5a-1 Choosing a topic

5a-2 Focusing on a research question

5b Developing a research plan

5c Conducting research

5c-1 Consulting human resources

5c-2 Using a library’s online catalog

5c-3 Using print and electronic reference sources

5c-4 Locating primary sources

5c-5 Locating secondary sources

5c-6 Finding internet sources

Tips for Writers: Electronic Databases

5c-7 Distinguishing among electronic sources

5d Taking effective research notes

5e Developing a working thesis

5f Making an outline

5g Revising and editing your paper

6a What is plagiarism?

6b Avoiding plagiarism

6b-1 Citing sources to avoid plagiarism

6b-2 Paraphrasing to avoid plagiarism

Tips for Writers: Avoiding Plagiarism

6b-3 Downloading internet sources carefully to avoid plagiarism

6c Plagiarism and the internet

7a Using quotations

7a-1 When to quote

7a-2 How to quote

7b Documenting sources

7b-1 Footnotes and endnotes

7b-2 Bibliography

7b-3 Documenting nonwritten materials

7c Documentation models

7c-1 Formatting guidelines for footnotes and endnotes

7c-2 Formatting guidelines for bibliographies

7c-3 Models for notes and bibliography entries

7d Sample pages from a student research paper