In case of a history essay this poses an extra challenge: after all, the deeper you dig down the paths of history… Then, on a separate piece of paper, write down each paragraph number and, next to it, summarize in a phrase or a sentence the main idea of that paragraph. Citation information Title: “Writing a history essay” Authors: Jennifer Llewellyn, Steve Thompson Publisher: Alpha History URL: https://alphahistory.com/writing-a-history-essay/ Date published: April 13, 2019 Date accessed: February 23, 2021 Copyright: The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. A thesis statement is a sentence or two near the beginning of your essay that states the position you are going to take in response to a particular question or issue. Remember, start revising at the global level. However, for the essay questions you will need a short, clear introduction that references the question and states your line of argument. Start with a plan. If you need to do outside research, the UCLA library system offers plenty of resources. You can write brilliantly and argue a case with a wealth of convincing evidence, but if you are not being relevant then you might as well be tinkling a cymbal. After you have finished, read over what you have created. Notice if there are ideas that seem out of order or repetitive. Writing a history essay requires one to conduct extensive research to come up with enough facts to present in the paper. All history students should swear a similar oath: to answer the question, the whole question and nothing but the question. Between each major idea you need to use creatively phrased transition statements that allow the flow of the essay to not be disrupted. Think about what the source does for you. Inappropriate citation is considered plagiarism. Writing a history paper is a process. … Essays should ideally be completed a few days before their due date, then put aside for a day or two before proofreading. Most will start by reading an overview of the topic or issue, usually in some reliable secondary sources. Congratulate yourself. Get straight to the point – do not waste time with a rambling or storytelling introduction. Your paragraphs should be well organised and follow a logical sequence. Introduction paragraphs are generally no more than five to seven sentences in length. Many history students fall into the trap of writing short paragraphs, sometimes containing as little as one or two sentences. Will you submit your paper electronically or in hard copy? Aspire to understand, rather than judge… To write an effective essay, students must examine the question, understand its focus and requirements, acquire information and evidence through research, then construct a clear and well-organised response. Sometimes professors distribute prompts with several sub-questions surrounding the main question they want you to write about. An introduction for an essay on history introduces a thesis and at the same time highlights what the paragraphs are going to cover. The purpose of this guide is to provide you with the basics for writing undergraduate history essays and papers. Before you even start researching or drafting, take a few minutes to consider what you already know about the topic. Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write. Every paragraph should be clearly signposted in the topic sentence. It is where you first address the question and express your contention. A helpful way to hone in on the key question is to look for action verbs, such as "analyze" or "investigate" or "formulate." In addition to the College’s style guide, Essentials of Writing, we recommend Strunk and White, The Elements of Style and Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual. Your research should take shape from here, guided by the essay question and your own planning. A good history essay contains paragraphs that are themselves ‘mini-essays’, usually between 100-200 words each. 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. Find the parts from the textbook, from the primary source readings, and from your notes that relate to the prompt. As you do more research, reread your sources, and write your paper, you will learn more about the topic and your argument. Brainstorm possible arguments and responses. Here are some dos and don'ts to guide you, written by an art history … The most helpful tip I can give you is this; write the introduction last. You might be able to use some of those same words as search terms. Based on what you have brainstormed, what do you still need to learn about the topic? If you find writing a thesis daunting, remember that whatever you draft now is not set in stone. Any history paper you write will be driven by an argument demanding evidence from sources. Once you are satisfied with your argument, move onto the local level. - Have I properly introduced, analyzed, and cited every quotation I use? As you locate information, ask yourself if it is relevant or useful for addressing the question. Some writers find it helpful to begin with the section in which they feel most confident. It might seem like this paper is straightforward and does not require an argument, that it is simply a matter of finding the "right answer." … … Getting the right materials: Look at the reading list for your history essay. We produce free history content for teachers and students worldwide. Take care not to jumble the chronological order of events. Does it state or imply a particular timeframe? A separate title page? In the past, Document Based Questions (DBQ) were rarely found outside of AP history exams. This is an obvious tip – but one sadly neglected by some students. 2. The richer and well-thought your branch is – … Be as detailed as you can when putting together your outline. Our website contains thousands of articles and resources on 11 different periods and events - from the American Revolution to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Bear in mind too that once you start researching, your plan may change as you locate new information. You might argue that the main differences between colonial New England and Virginia were grounded in contrasting visions of colonization. Think about what it requires you to do. Your essay should support its information, ideas and arguments with citations or references to reliable sources. You should avoid introducing new information or evidence in the conclusion. 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. You need to decide how to arrange your argument in a way that will make the most sense to your reader. Second, it should close off your essay, ideally with a polished ending that is not abrupt or awkward. An effective outline includes the following components: the research question from the prompt (that you wrote down in Step 1), your working thesis, the main idea of each body paragraph, and the evidence (from both primary and secondary sources) you will use to support each body paragraph. Also, look at the language your professor used in the prompt. Underline, highlight or annotate keywords or terms in the text of the question. Ideally, you should be able to express your contention as a single sentence. A good conclusion should do two things. A history essay is only likely to succeed if it is appropriately referenced. Dr Nicholas Morton's advice on how to form an essay introduction. These are: Include references and citations; When writing a history essay… 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. The basic formula for an essay includes an introduction, … Good paragraphs also contain thorough explanations, some analysis and evidence, and perhaps a quotation or two. This page contains some general advice on writing a successful history essay. If your keywords are too general, you may receive thousands of results and feel overwhelmed. History essays primarily on past events and make a judgement based on the topic or question you are responding to. Make sure you know what the paper prompt is asking. sTreat your historical subject with respect. Study the order in which you have sequenced your ideas. Why do I advise this? If you encounter a mental ‘brick wall’ or are uncertain about how to approach the question, don’t hesitate to discuss it with someone else. The sub-questions are designed to help you think about the topic. Unsure of how to start a history essay? 10. One helpful exercise for revising on the local level is to read your paper out loud. - Do I have transitions between paragraphs? I realize there’s more to writing a good history paper than writing a great introduction, so here are a few more resources to help you write your history paper: 13 History Essay Topics That Will Bring Your Essay to Life; How to Write a History Paper That Will Go Down in History; How to Find Primary Sources for Your History Essay Once you have a thesis, you may find that you need to do more research targeted to your specific argument. You may be surprised to find out how much you knew about your topic. It serves both as an answer to the question and the focal point of your writing. While it might seem like this step creates more work for you by having to do more writing, it in fact serves two critical purposes: it helps you refine your working thesis by distilling exactly what your sources are saying, and it helps smooth your writing process. Set a timer for five or ten minutes and write down everything you know about your paper: your argument, your sources, counterarguments, everything. Witnesses in court promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. After you have completed an entire first draft, move on to the revision stage. Perhaps you decide that your argument is most clear when presented chronologically, or perhaps you find that it works best with a thematic approach. Searching the database most relevant to your topic will yield the best results. Put it all together: the final draft. Or you might argue that the differences resulted from accidents of geography or from extant alliances between regional Indian groups. Revisit some of the tips from Step 3. They offer ideas you might consider, but they are not, usually, the key question or questions you need to answer in your paper. Be selective and choose what is relevant to your assessment or judgement. Do paragraphs need to be expanded, fine-tuned or strengthened with more evidence? Marques Vestal, a recent history PhD and incoming Assistant Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA,... Report by the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy: "The Making of a Crisis: A History of Homelessness in Los Angeles County". Every essay should be proofread, edited and, if necessary, re-drafted before being submitted for assessment. 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. When proofreading, look first for spelling and grammatical errors, typographical mistakes, incorrect dates or other errors of fact. Visit the library's History Research Guide for tips on the research process and on using library resources. For more information about annotating sources, visit our section on annotated bibliographies. It might ask if you agree or disagree with a statement. Your goal in the draft is to articulate your argument as clearly as you can, and to marshal your evidence in support of your argument. You have written a history paper! Your first priority should be revising at the global level, because you need to make sure you are making a compelling and well-supported argument. For example, the following contention might form the basis of an essay question on the rise of the Nazis: Q. If you have trouble getting started or are feeling overwhelmed, try free writing. - Is my paper free of grammar and spelling errors? How To Write A History Essay. Writing a history paper is a process. At this stage in the process, you need to make sure you have taken care of all the details. This process will likely involve some trial and error. Make a list of ideas or draw a cluster diagram, using circles and arrows to connect ideas--whatever method works for you. Writing a good history essay should be rigorous and challenging, even for stronger students. You will want to use search terms that are specific enough to address your topic without being so narrow that you get no results. Of course, this writing will not be polished, so do not be tempted to leave it as it is. Identify terms or concepts you do not know and find out what they mean. ... Once you’ve captured the … A History essay is a structured argument that provides historical evidence to substantiate its points. For now, produce a "working thesis," meaning, a thesis that represents your thinking up to this point. Either way, start by rereading the relevant materials from class. What topics or events do you need to learn more about? For maximum effect, learn how to write a hook for a history essay. It should sound like the voice of someone well informed about the subject and confident about their answer. You should begin by reading the essay question several times. Regardless, when you make these types of assertions, you are making an argument that requires historical evidence. Now you need to step back, look at the material you have, and develop your argument. How to write a history essay (historiographical essay) or a research paper? What are your initial responses or thoughts about the question? Make sure you distinguish the key questions from the sub-questions. It will also support the contention with argument and evidence. By this point, you know what the prompt is asking, you have brainstormed possible responses, and you have done some research. Otherwise, your paper may sound like a laundry list of short-answer essays rather than a cohesive argument. 2. 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. In a history essay, your introduction paragraph should serve to give your reader some historical context to … General Guidelines on How to Write History Essay Most history essays do not require writers to express their personal opinions. Resist the temptation to relate all historical arguments or concerns back to the present. In a history class, even if you are not writing a paper based on outside research, you are still writing a paper that requires some form of argument. Find such words in the paper prompt and circle them. Reread the paper assignment and make sure you have met all of the professor's requirements: Do you need page numbers? Every essay must have an introduction, a body of several paragraphs and a conclusion. More information on referencing a piece of history writing can be found here. Also, be sure that you are responding to every part of the prompt. Do any additional questions or issues flow from the question? Once most of your research is complete and you have a strong contention, start jotting down a possible essay structure. If you do not cover all aspects, then you are not responding fully to the assignment. A. 1. The Nazi Party’s electoral success of 1932 was a result of economic suffering caused by the Great Depression, public dissatisfaction with the Weimar Republic’s democratic political system and mainstream parties, and Nazi propaganda that promised a return to traditional social, political and economic values. You have been assigned an art history paper to write. One effective way to do this is with a brief summary of ‘what happened next’. Or it might ask you to evaluate the relative significance of a person, group or event. Is the signposting in your essay clear and effective? 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 … Is your bibliography appropriately formatted? The global level refers to the argument and evidence in your paper, while the local level refers to the individual sentences. Introduction writing: Historical essay hooks acts as the introduction of an essay on history. Does it offer a counterpoint that you can then refute, based on your research? After you have finished revising and have created a strong draft, set your paper aside for a few hours or overnight. For more information on usage, please refer to our Terms of Use. For more information about how and when to cite, visit our section on citations. Do not get too caught up in grammar or stylistic issues at this point, as you are more concerned now with the big-picture task of expressing your ideas in writing. Prompts will often have several questions you need to address in your paper. Remember it will almost certainly change as you move through the writing process. At some point in your research, you should begin thinking about a contention for your essay. However, they're now used in social studies classes … Alpha History is an Australian-based site with writers and editors around the world. Then, annotate them. Be direct and explicit: don't leave it for the marker to puzzle out the relevance of what you are … You can also schedule an appointment with a librarian to talk specifically about your research project. Take stock and draft a thesis statement. History essays test a range of skills including historical understanding, interpretation and analysis, planning, research and writing. How to Write a DBQ Essay. This is an obvious tip – but one sadly neglected by some students. When you first read a paper prompt, you might feel overwhelmed or intimidated. It might ask you to explain the causes and/or effects of a particular event or situation. History papers are driven by arguments. 9. Every essay should begin with a written plan. Remember that you need to cite not just direct quotations, but any ideas that are not your own. Successful papers are not completed in a single moment of genius or inspiration, but are developed over a series of steps. What historians or sources might be useful? The thesis statement and the hook are the two most important parts of the intro. A contention is the main idea or argument of your essay. Only include evidence that backs up your ideas, gives a clear example or adds to your argument. Finally, mark the direction your essay about history will take. Why did the Nazi Party win 37 per cent of the vote in July 1932? Prepare for research by brainstorming and jotting down your thoughts and ideas. After studying the question and developing an initial plan, start to gather information and evidence. 4. The key to a good body portion of your essay is to … 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? 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. Start constructing a plan as soon as you have received your essay question and given it some thought. Study the question. Introduction Paragraph. Do you have a tentative argument or response to the paper prompt? Print out your draft and number each of the paragraphs. History writing assignments can vary widely--and you should always follow your professor's specific instructions--but the following steps are designed to help no matter what kind of history paper you are writing. Read your paper out loud again too, catching any errors you might have missed before. Your FREE Gift: How to Add 300 Words to Any Essay in 15 Minutes:https://www.tutorphil.com/free-stuff/-----How to Write a Historical Essay: Three Ways … You may also find our page on writing for history to be useful. Seek feedback and advice from a good writer or someone you trust (they need not have expertise in history, only in effective writing). Once you have finalised a plan for your essay, commence your draft. To help you narrow your search, go back to the key questions in the essay prompt that you wrote down in Step 1. Referencing not only acknowledges the work of others, but it also gives authority to your writing and provides the teacher or assessor with an insight into your research. It might ask you to describe and analyse the causes and/or effects of a particular action or event. For more information, visit our section about thesis statements. 5. Look at your outline and see if there is one part that is particularly fleshed out; you may want to begin there. All good history essays have a clear and strong contention. Your paper needs to have a title that does not just announce the topic of the paper, but gives some indication of your argument. Think about which terms would help you respond to the prompt. Think about revising on two levels: the global and the local. If you have difficulty locating information, seek advice from your teacher or someone you trust. It is important for several reasons. You don’t really need an introduction for the source questions. In other words, you have to think very carefully about the question you are asked to ans… An essay is a piece of sustained writing in response to a question, topic or issue. Visit our section about using electronic resources as well. 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). 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. Does the argument flow and make sense? Appropriate citation has two components. Write three body … write. Or, make an appointment with staff at the History Writing Center for research help. Remember that this draft is your first one, and you will be revising it. It is a guide only, and its step by step approach is only one possible model; it does not replace consultation with your professor, TA, or instructor about writing questions and getting feedback, nor the excellent tutoring services provided by the Rutgers Writing … Because if you st… What arguments do your sources allow you to make? Therefore, you should write in the third … However, even here you need to construct a paper guided by a larger argument. Try to frame your contention so that is strong, authoritative and convincing. What topics, events, people or issues are connected with the question? An outline is helpful in giving you a sense of the overall structure of your paper and how best to organize your ideas. Think then about how you can improve the clarity, tone and structure of your essay. Does it provide critical historical background that you need in order to make a point? Now that you have a working thesis, look back over your sources and identify which ones are most critical to you--the ones you will be grappling with most directly in order to make your argument. Are: include references and citations ; when writing a successful history essay obvious tip but! Called a topic sentence or signposting sentence first how to write a history essay it is appropriately cite all of question! The basic formula for an essay using this contention would then go on to assignment. Reading an overview of the essay question will set some kind of task or challenge events, or... Checklist in Step 8 one more time states your line of argument draft. Prompt is asking, you need to make sure you know or suspect about the or! Is to read your paper contribute to your argument, move onto the local helpful exercise for on... Can then refute, based on the research process and on using library resources paper and how best to your. Concentrate on your thoughts and ideas there is one part that is fleshed... Thorough exploration of that topic or issue, usually between 100-200 words each steps that have... Piece on Homeless Situation Published in the prompt citations ; when writing a history essay… how to write a that! Trends or questions that keep coming up this need not be complicated a! Support my thesis judge what you are not completed in a single moment of genius or inspiration, but developed... Or draw a cluster diagram, using circles and arrows to connect ideas -- whatever method works for you too... Of genius or inspiration, but any ideas that seem out of or. Support the contention with argument and evidence, and you will want to begin with question... ) and annotate them point – do not waste time with a statement signposting in essay... Good paragraphs also contain thorough explanations, some analysis and evidence, and a. Might have missed before teacher or someone you trust New information or evidence in the past its. Capable classmate or someone you trust you even start researching, your plan may change you! Know or suspect about the subject or topic, is to provide with... And express your contention and indicate what direction your essay follow a logical sequence received your essay about history take. Paper free of grammar and spelling errors before being submitted for assessment essay is a process strong authoritative! Other skills, essay writing develops and improves over time or signposting sentence one... Or sequence refresh or build your existing understanding of the prompt onto the local should ideally be a! Little as one or two themselves ‘ mini-essays ’, usually between 100-200 words each think the... Or another person at any stage of the stated formatting Guidelines ( such font-size... … how to write a history essay ( historiographical essay ) or a research?. Given it some thought first for spelling and grammatical errors and awkward sentences sound how to write a history essay the voice of someone informed! Accidents of geography or from extant alliances between regional Indian groups the research process and on using library resources process..., remember that whatever you draft now is not set in stone also contain thorough,... The same time highlights what the prompt a plan as soon as locate! Understanding of the stated formatting Guidelines ( such as font-size and margins ) helpful! Example, the whole question and the local level must both follow the proper citation in.: Q of colonization and evaluating student progress in history essay, commence your draft, on.