A pocket guide to writing in history

Why Study History? : Historical questions.

Working with Sources : Identifying historical sources: Primary sources ; Secondary sources ; Primary or secondary? : the changing status of a source ; Accessing sources in history ; Uses of primary and secondary sources

Evaluating sources: Evaluating primary sources ; Evaluating secondary sources ; Evaluating online sources.

Approaching Typical Assignments in History : Reading actively in history

Writing about reading: Summaries ; Annotated bibliographies

Using primary sources: Single-source analysis ; Comparative papers

Using secondary sources: Critiques and book reviews ; Historiographic essays

Writing about film

Taking history exams: Preparing for an exam ; Answering identification questions ; Taking an essay exam.

Following Conventions of Writing in History : Approaching a history assignment

Thinking like a historian

Developing a thesis

Constructing an argument: Supporting your thesis ; Responding to counterevidence and anticipating opposing viewpoints

Organizing your paper: Drafting an introduction ; Writing clear and connected paragraphs ; Writing an effective conclusion

Revising for content and organization

Editing for style and grammar: Choosing appropriate language ; Choosing the appropriate tense ; Using active voice ; Knowing when to use the pronouns I, me, and you.

Writing a Research Paper. Moving from topic to research question: Choosing a topic ; Focusing on a research question

Developing a research plan

Conducting research: Consulting human resources ; Using the library's online catalog ; Using print and electronic reference sources ; Locating primary sources ; Locating secondary sources ; Finding Internet sources ; Distinguishing among electronic sources

Taking effective research notes

Developing a working thesis

Making an outline

Revising and editing your paper.

Plagiarism: what it is and How to Avoid It : What is plagiarism ; Avoiding plagiarism: citing sources to avoid plagiarism ; Paraphrasing to avoid plagiarism ; Downloading Internet sources carefully ; Plagiarism and the Internet.

Quoting and Documenting Sources : Using quotations: When to quote ; How to quote

Documenting sources: Footnotes and endnotes ; Bibliography ; Documenting nonwritten materials

Documentation models: Formatting guidelines for footnotes and endnotes ; Formatting guidelines for bibliographies ; Models for notes and bibliography entries

Sample pages from a student research paper.

Why study history?

Working with sources

Reading and writing in history : some typical assignments

Writing history papers

Writing a research paper

Plagiarism : what it is and how to avoid it

Quoting and documenting sources.