Having dissected your sources and articulated your ideas about them, you can more easily draw upon them when constructing your paper. Here are some of the tips on how to write a good history paper: Select the best topic- the topic that you select will automatically dictate the grade that you are going to achieve in that paper. More information on referencing a piece of history writing can be found here. Notice that the library website has different databases you can search depending on what type of material you need (such as scholarly articles, newspapers, books) and what subject and time period you are researching (such as eighteenth-century England or ancient Rome). An essay question will set some kind of task or challenge. One helpful exercise for revising on the local level is to read your paper out loud. Only include evidence that backs up your ideas, gives a clear example or adds to your argument. This page was written with several goals in mind: to explain what historians do and how they approach the writing process, to encourage you to think about your history instructor’s expectations, and to offer some strategies to help you write effectively in history … What arguments do your sources allow you to make? Why do I advise this? You might be able to use some of those same words as search terms. If you think of writing as a process and break it down into smaller steps, you will find that paper-writing … The best of all is, to begin with, a brief context summary, then go to addressing the question and express the content. Do any additional questions or issues flow from the question? As you produce this list, notice if any paragraphs attempt to make more than one point: mark those for revision. Prompts will often have several questions you need to address in your paper. This process will likely involve some trial and error. You want to think big and bring in everything you know or suspect about the topic. This need not be complicated, a few lines or dot points is ample. This is an obvious tip – but one sadly neglected by some students. Writing a history paper is a process. … Between each major idea you need to use creatively phrased transition statements that allow the flow of the essay to not be disrupted. If you have trouble getting started or are feeling overwhelmed, try free writing. KCRW interviewed Kelly Lytle Hernandez and Marques Vestal for the "Archiving the Age of... History Graduate Student Association (HGSA), Faculty and Graduate Student Publications, Academic Freedom Guidelines and Best Practices, Academic Administrators, Lecturers, Postdocs and Visitors, UCLA History Department Board of Advisors, César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies. Remember it will almost certainly change as you move through the writing process. Perhaps you decide that your argument is most clear when presented chronologically, or perhaps you find that it works best with a thematic approach. You can organise paragraphs in two ways: chronologically (covering events or topics in the order they occurred) or thematically (covering events or topics based on their relevance or significance). Put it all together: the final draft. Congratulate yourself. An essay using this contention would then go on to explain and justify these statements in greater detail. When revising at the local level, check that you are using strong topic sentences and transitions, that you have adequately integrated and analyzed quotations, and that your paper is free from grammar and spelling errors that might distract the reader or even impede your ability to communicate your point. Have you followed all of the stated formatting guidelines (such as font-size and margins)? Get straight to the point – do not waste time with a rambling or storytelling introduction. Once you have finalised a plan for your essay, commence your draft. Getting the right materials: Look at the reading list for your history essay. You must both follow the proper citation style in your footnotes and bibliography, and document always but only when such documentation is required. Do paragraphs need to be expanded, fine-tuned or strengthened with more evidence? All good history essays have a clear and strong contention. It might ask you to describe and analyse the causes and/or effects of a particular action or event. Either way, start by rereading the relevant materials from class. 4. Good paragraphs also contain thorough explanations, some analysis and evidence, and perhaps a quotation or two. They offer ideas you might consider, but they are not, usually, the key question or questions you need to answer in your paper. Some writers find it helpful to begin with the section in which they feel most confident. Purpose. Essays are commonly used for assessing and evaluating student progress in history. Revisit some of the tips from Step 3. Writing a history essay, just like pretty much any other paper out there, implies fitting in a lot of relevant information into the required page count. If you think of writing as a process and break it down into smaller steps, you will find that paper-writing is manageable, less daunting, and even enjoyable. This is an obvious tip – but one sadly neglected by some students. Here is a checklist of questions to ask yourself while revising on both the global and local levels: - Does my thesis clearly state my argument and its significance? Or you might make an argument that draws on all of these factors. Resist the temptation to relate all historical arguments or concerns back to the present. Alpha History is an Australian-based site with writers and editors around the world. Begin with a plan. The thesis statement and the hook are the two most important parts of the intro. As with other skills, essay writing develops and improves over time. Regardless, when you make these types of assertions, you are making an argument that requires historical evidence. How to Write a DBQ Essay. The sub-questions are designed to help you think about the topic. Draft a thesis statement in which you clearly and succinctly make an argument that addresses the prompt. When writing your history assignment or any other academic paper, there are a few tips that are likely to help you get better results. For more information on usage, please refer to our Terms of Use. This step can feel overwhelming, but remember that you have already done a lot of work and--armed with your working thesis, source annotations, and outline--have all the tools needed. For more information about annotating sources, visit our section on annotated bibliographies. How To Write A History Essay. Write out the key question at the top of your draft and return to it often, using it to guide you in the writing process. Depending on the paper prompt, you may be required to do outside research or you may be using only the readings you have done in class. If your keywords are too general, you may receive thousands of results and feel overwhelmed. For more information about how and when to cite, visit our section on citations. History essays primarily on past events and make a judgement based on the topic or question you are responding to. - POSTPONED, Professor Andrew Robichaud, “Animal City: The Domestication of America”, Preston McBride, "Lethal Education: Native American Boarding Schools, 1879-1934. If you need to do outside research, the UCLA library system offers plenty of resources. Inappropriate citation is considered plagiarism. Notice if there are ideas that seem out of order or repetitive. 9. Introduction Paragraph. Each essay you complete helps you become more competent and confident. - Do I have transitions between paragraphs? Of course, this writing will not be polished, so do not be tempted to leave it as it is. Take stock and draft a thesis statement. You should avoid introducing new information or evidence in the conclusion. ", Jenna Gibb, "Protesting Slavery, Asserting Freedom, and Defying Racism at the African Grove Theatre in New York in the early 1820s. For more information, visit our section, "Understanding Paper Prompts.". It is the reader’s first experience of your essay. An outline is helpful in giving you a sense of the overall structure of your paper and how best to organize your ideas. Read your paper out loud again too, catching any errors you might have missed before. Think about revising on two levels: the global and the local. Most will start by reading an overview of the topic or issue, usually in some reliable secondary sources. We produce free history content for teachers and students worldwide. Prepare for research by brainstorming and jotting down your thoughts and ideas. For example, an essay discussing Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 might close with a couple of sentences about how he consolidated and strengthened his power in 1934-35. The purpose of this guide is to provide you with the basics for writing undergraduate history essays and papers. The global level refers to the argument and evidence in your paper, while the local level refers to the individual sentences. For example, the following contention might form the basis of an essay question on the rise of the Nazis: Q. First, it should reiterate or restate the contention of your essay. The richer and well-thought your branch is – … Does it state or imply a particular timeframe? Besides, one should also be able to structure the … Use this information to guide you as you start your research and develop a thesis. One effective way to do this is with a brief summary of ‘what happened next’. Identify terms or concepts you do not know and find out what they mean. Writing a history essay requires one to conduct extensive research to come up with enough facts to present in the paper. For now, produce a "working thesis," meaning, a thesis that represents your thinking up to this point. - Do my topic sentences effectively introduce the main point of each paragraph? A. When writing a history essay these are the steps that you will need to follow: 1. Look closely at your set question: First of all look at the question carefully and underline what you consider to be the most important words. Look for any gaps in your logic. Start constructing a plan as soon as you have received your essay question and given it some thought. After studying the question and developing an initial plan, start to gather information and evidence. Think about what it requires you to do. Take care not to jumble the chronological order of events. Find such words in the paper prompt and circle them. Does the argument flow and make sense? This is the number one rule. A particularly helpful exercise for global-level revision is to make a reverse outline, which will help you look at your paper as a whole and strengthen the way you have organized and substantiated your argument. In other words, you have to think very carefully about the question you are asked to ans… Introduction paragraphs are generally no more than five to seven sentences in length. Once most of your research is complete and you have a strong contention, start jotting down a possible essay structure. This page contains some general advice on writing a successful history essay. You should begin by reading the essay question several times. 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