Writing a Historical Essay

How do we make our research papers and arguments better?

Wait WHAT????We MUST be able to understand what you are trying to say!

FIRST: Answer the Question!An academic essay attempts to address an intellectual problem or question. The first rule, therefore, of successful essay writing is making sure you are actually writing an essay on the topic or question your

instructor has set before you, rather than some other, random question. (http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/history/resources/tips.html)

Short Answer• RESTATE THE QUESTION PRECISELY

– What was the significance/importance of the land run for someone who was poor or low on the socioeconomic ladder?• “The land run was significant

for one who was low on the socioeconomic ladder for many reasons. First…”

Essay• an essay is analytical rather than

descriptive. It is not enough to describe what happened or to write a narrative of past events. You must argue a position.

• You may need to develop your own question then restate it as your THESIS statement

A = AnswerBe Specific

Second: Prove the AnswerTo convince your reader that your thesis is correct, you must support your point of view with evidence. Use quotations and examples from your readings and from lectures to prove your

points. (http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/history/resources/tips.html)

Short Answer• Prove the answer to the

question by using specific examples from a source.– “First, ‘this was the last major

land open to the public’ (book p. 30). Additionally, the land was free, requiring only a five year improvement period in exchange for title (book p. 31)”

Essay• Write an Outline – Organize the

information• Include only the information in your essay

that is relevant to the question you are addressing. Other information, whether factually correct or not, is irrelevant. It confuses your reader and obscures the point you are trying to argue.

• Take your reader by the hand (so to speak) and guide him or her through the process of thought leading to the conclusions you want your reader to draw. You should assume that your reader is intelligent but does not necessarily know the material you are presenting.

(http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/history/resources/tips.html)

A= Answer P=ProofA – be specific

P – use a source

Third: Explain or Extend

Short Answer• Explanation of our fact:

“New and free land would have given those who are poor a new start at life. Individuals would have been able to obtain land, build a home, and start a new life.”

Essay• Each paragraph should

contain a single general idea or topic, along with accompanying explanations and evidence relevant to it.

A= Answer P= Proof E= Explain or ExpandA – be specific

P – use a sourceE- explanation required

APEAnswer, Prove, Explain

Conclude

Short Answer• Summarize your

explanation and restate your thesis – Never Ever introduce new information– “In summary, the land run

provided free land for all participants. This was particularly significant for those who were poor because it could have lead to a better position in life.”

Essay• Before you end a discussion

of one major topic and begin another, it is important to summarize your findings and analyze their importance for your thesis. It is also necessary to write a transition to alert your reader that you have begun a new topic.

(http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/history/resources/tips.html)

Additional Tips for Writing Excellent Essays

• Do not write one-, two-, or three-sentence paragraphs. Paragraphs have topics, introductory sentences, evidence, and conclusions.

• Do not write two- or three-page paragraphs. A paragraph generally explores a single idea, rather than a dozen.

• Avoid colloquialisms (e.g., cool, kind of, totally, hung up on, OK, sort of, etc.)

• Avoid contractions (e.g., don't, can't) in a formal written piece of work

• When you first discuss an author or historical figure, use first and last name. After this, you are free to use last name only

• Stick to the past tense as much as possible. Do not write about long-past events and long-dead people in the present tense.

• Think carefully when you use the passive voice in favor of the active voice. Luther believed that… is better, clearer, and punchier than It was believed by Luther that…, andA.G. Bell invented the telephone is better than The telephone was invented by A.G. Bell, because Luther and Bell were acting rather than being acted upon.

• Do not use an apostrophe for decades (i.e., 1920s, not 1920's)

• Adjectives make for interesting writing, but they should be used sparingly. The Communist Manifesto was really, truly very much a work of ground-breaking importance is not as good as The Communist Manifesto was ground breaking

• In most cases, it is wise to avoid using the same word twice in a single sentence or many times in a single paragraph.

• Quoted material needs to be introduced. You cannot simply throw in a quotation without introducing it in a way that allows your reader to see what it is doing there (i.e., This is clearly the case when Smith writes… or For example, Athanasius argued that…)

• Examples or quotations should not, however, be introduced as follows: On page five it says… or In the book it says…

• Indent and single-space long quotations (generally anything more than three lines). When you have indented a quotation, do not use quotation marks. The indentation, itself, marks this as a quotation.

• Check all quotations carefully against the text. The price of using someone else's words to prove your point is quoting them accurately!

• All punctuation marks go inside quotation marks. (Correct: "like this." Incorrect: "like this".)

• Avoid exclamation points!!!!!• Titles such as "king," "bishop," "senator," and

"prime minister," when attached to a personal name, should be capitalized (e.g., Saint Martin, Senator Kennedy). They should not, however, be capitalized if they are used as nouns unattached to personal names (e.g.,According to Gregory, all bishops…)

• Always number the pages of your paper.• Always double-space your papers, use a ten- or

twelve-point font, and stick to the standard margins set by your word-processing program.

• Papers should be stapled. Paper clips, plastic clips, and ornamental binders should not be used.

• Never turn in a paper without running it through your spell-check program.

• Always reread your paper carefully before you print out a final draft.

(http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/history/resources/tips.html)

APA Format

http://www.apastyle.org/• 1 inch margins• Title Page

– Title, Running Head, Author, Institutional Affiliation

• Running Header (on all pages)– Running Head: Title of paper in 50

characters p#

• In APA Style, include a reference list rather than a bibliography with your paper.– What’s the difference? A reference

list consists of all sources cited in the text of a paper, listed alphabetically by author’s surname. A bibliography, however, may include resources that were consulted but not cited in the text as well as an annotated description of each one. Bibliographies may be organized chronologically, or by subject, rather than alphabetically.

• In-text citations consist of the surname(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication.

• If there is no author, use the title (or a short form of the title, if it is lengthy) and the year. Titles that are italicized in the reference list are italicized in text; titles that are not italicized in the reference list appear in quotation marks.

• If there is no date, use “n.d.” (without quotation marks) instead.

• In text citation for a website– Author, A. (date). Title of document

[Format description]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx

• Informational interviews: If you have interviewed someone for information about your topic and that person has agreed to be identified as a source, cite the source as a personal communication (in text only):– (G. Fink-Nottle,

personal communication, April 5, 2011)

• Here’s the general format for creating a reference for a video found on YouTube and other video-posting websites:

• If both the real name of the person who posted the video and the screen name are known:– Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (year,

month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx

• If only the screen name of the person who posted the video is known:– Screen name. (year, month

day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx The in-text citations include the author name outside of brackets (whichever that may be) and the date.

SO….What do I need for my paper?

• Title Page• Running Headers on all

pages• Title at the top of every

page• In Text Citations• Reference Page– Only list references used– alphabetically

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples