WRITING A HISTORICAL ESSAY

WRITING A HISTORICAL ESSAY

FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Essay: Main idea

• What are you writing about?

• What is your focus?

Brainstorm

• Look through the reading material.

• Select details, examples and ideas that pertain to your main idea.

• Organize your material by topic.

• Make connections between the ideas, examples, and details.

Outline• Write a thesis statement. The thesis is your

argument statement and the organizing statement for your essay. Your essay will develop and prove your thesis.

• Select the main points that support your thesis. Each point (topic) will be developed in its own paragraph.

• Find examples and details to support each point.

• The outline should be done in note form.

The Outline cont…..Thesis statement: ________________________

Topic sentence 1:____________________

examples details

Topic sentence 2:____________________

examples details

Topic sentence 3:____________________

examples details

Conclusion: Wrap up your essay. Make your final statements and arguments. The conclusion is always written last.

First Draft

Once you have the content worked out in the outline, write it out in full. Remember to develop the introduction and the conclusion.

Edit for content

• Read for logic (does it make sense). Check that your thesis is concise (to the point), that your topic sentences are clear and that the examples support your points. Check for logical transitions between points and paragraphs.

Edit for expression

• Read for flow and correct expression of your ideas. Check spelling, grammar and sentence structure.

Proofread

• Check for typing and printing mistakes.

TITLE PAGE: A Traditional Title Page

• About one third of the way down the page, center the title.

Capitalize the appropriate first letters but do not underline, italicize, use bold or oversize type. If it occupies more than one line, single-space it.

• Near the bottom of the page, center your name, the name and number of the course, your teacher’s name and the due date of the paper.

(The final line should be approximately an inch from the bottom of the page.)

Footnotes• In a term paper, the exact sources of your research information must be

shown even though most of it is summarized in your own words. One method of citing sources is the use of footnotes, which appear at the bottom of the page wherever research information has been used.

Two types of footnotes.

• 1. Direct Quotation: If copy information directly from a book or journal article you must put a footnote at the end of the sentence.

Example: “John A MacDonald was the prime minister of Canada”. (footnote)

• 2. Paraphrasing: When you summarize a paragraph or several pages you have to use a footnote. Try to insert a couple of footnotes in every paragraph.

FOOTNOTE EXAMPLE FOR A BOOK

Elizabeth Greene, The Art of the Italian Renaissance (New York: Simon & Shuster, 1995) 31-32.

Example of a footnote with two to three authors

Claire Smith, P. F. Harris and Rita G. Hicks, Practical Nursing (Toronto: Danforth, 1990) 117-119.

FOOTNOTE EXAMPLE FOR A JOURNAL ARTICLE

James Bly, “Beyond Oedipus,” Canadian Psychological Journal 51.3 (1997): 48.

HOW TO FOOTNOTE IN MIRCOSOFT WORD

• At the end of your paragraph or direct quote complete the following steps.

1. Click on insert.

2. Select footnote

3. Type in your footnote information.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• The bibliography is the final item in a term

paper. It is a formal list of all the sources

used in your research. Sources of all types

appear together in this list, simply arrange

in alphabetical order according to the first

letter of each entry.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Basic Format for a Book:

One Author

Smith, Robert. The Essentials of Clinical Psychology. 4th ed. New York: Gotham Publishers, 1997.

Two or more authors

Wilson, Alan, Katherine Miller and Edna Morgan. A Social History of Medieval Europe. London: Tower Press, 1976.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Basic Format for a Journal

One Author  

Woodridge, Frank. “The Private Company.” Business Law Quarterly 56 (1990): 317-331.

Two or three authors

Woodridge, Frank, Mike Dotsie and Joe Leonard. “The Private Company.” Business Law Quarterly 56 (1990): 317-331.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS!

I will offer tutoring on how to footnote, write a bibliography and write an essay in ped support.