Writing History A Guide for Students

by Storey, William Kelleher

• ISBN13: 9780195122206
• ISBN10: 0195122208
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-11-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Writing History provides the undergraduate student of history with awealth of tips and advice on the ways professional historians write in a simple,concise manual. Beginning with how historians find topics and research them, thebook sharpens such skills as interpreting source materials, drawing inferencesfrom sources, and constructing arguments. The three closing chapters containclear practical suggestions for writing effective sentences, using precisewording, and revising.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction	1	(2)
Chapter 1 Getting Started	3	(14)
Explore Your Interests	3	(1)
Move from a Historical Interest to a Research Topic	4	(1)
Use General References in the Library	5	(1)
Find Reference Works That Are Specific to Your Topic	6	(1)
Speak with a Librarian	7	(1)
Use Other Guides to Discover More Sources	8	(1)
Start to Explore Your Library's Catalogue	9	(1)
Approach Your Topic from a Particular Angle	10	(1)
Go to the Library and Do Some Background Reading	10	(1)
Browse for More Sources	11	(1)
Form a Hypothesis	12	(1)
Craft a Proposal	13	(1)
Write an Annotated Bibliography	13	(1)
Talk to People About Your Topic	14	(1)
If you Have to Abandon a Topic, Do It Early	15	(2)
Chapter 2 Interpreting Source Materials	17	(8)
Work Systematically	17	(1)
Distinguish Primary Sources from Secondary Works	18	(1)
Refine Your Hypothesis with Who, What, Why, Where, and When	19	(2)
Be Sensitive to the Biases of Your Sources	21	(1)
Select the Most Important Source Materials	22	(1)
Take Notes by Being Selective	23	(2)
Chapter 3 Writing History Faithfully	25	(18)
Collect and Report Your Sources Carefully	25	(1)
Incorporate the Ideas of Others with Care and Respect	26	(1)
Summarize and Paraphrase Fairly	27	(1)
Quote Occasionally	28	(2)
Use Ellipses and Brackets, but Do Justice to Your Sources	30	(2)
Learn How to Use Quotation Marks	32	(1)
Don't Plagiarize	33	(2)
Be Honest, but Don't Give Unnecessary Citations	35	(1)
Choose a Citation System That Suits Your Audience	36	(7)
Chapter 4 Use Sources to Make Inferences	43	(16)
Be True to Recognized Facts	44	(1)
Transform Facts into Evidence	44	(1)
Check Your Facts	45	(1)
Check the Internal Consistency of Primary Sources	45	(1)
Check Primary Sources Against Each Other	46	(1)
Compare Primary Sources with Secondary Works	46	(1)
Box 1: Conduct Interviews Systematically	47	(2)
Juxtapose Sources to Make Inferences	49	(3)
Box 2: Make Inferences from Material Sources	52	(1)
Move from Inferences to Arguments	53	(1)
Make Reasonable Inferences from Your Sources	53	(1)
Make Inferences That Are Warranted	54	(2)
Avoid Unwarranted Comparisons	56	(1)
Avoid Anachronistic Inferences	56	(3)
Chapter 5 Get Writing!	59	(6)
Consider Narratives and Analysis	59	(1)
Create a Draft Outline of an Analytical Essay	60	(1)
Create a Draft Outline of a Narrative Essay	60	(1)
Complete Your Analytical Outline	61	(1)
Complete Your Narrative Outline	62	(1)
Choose a Framework for Your Essay	63	(2)
Chapter 6 Build an Argument	65	(12)
Start to Write a First Draft	65	(1)
Grab Your Reader's Attention, but Do It Gently	66	(1)
State Your Intellectual Interests Early	67	(1)
Build Your Essay with Good Paragraphs	68	(2)
Define Your Key Terms Early	70	(1)
Set an Appropriate Tone	71	(2)
Treat Other Writers with Consideration	73	(1)
Account for Counterarguments	73	(1)
Lead Your Readers to an Interesting Conclusion	74	(3)
Chapter 7 Narrative Techniques for Historians	77	(6)
Write a Narrative to Tell a Story	77	(1)
Write a Narrative to Support an Argument	78	(1)
Combine Chronology with Causation	78	(1)
Get a Sense of Change and Continuity	79	(1)
Select the Key Participants in Your Story	80	(1)
Find Your Own Voice as a Narrator	80	(1)
Choose Your Own Beginning and End	81	(2)
Chapter 8 Writing Sentences in History	83	(8)
Choose Verbs That Are Precise	83	(1)
Make Passive Sentences Active	84	(1)
Write in the Past Tense	84	(1)
Avoid Split Infinitives if You Can	85	(1)
Put Verbs in Your Sentences	85	(1)
Put Your Ideas in an Intelligible Order	86	(1)
Keep Related Words Together	86	(1)
Keep Pronouns Close to the Words They Represent	86	(1)
Keep Subjects and Verbs Close Together	87	(1)
Begin a Sentence on Common Ground and Gradually Build a New Point	87	(1)
The Emphasis Comes at the End	88	(1)
Construct Parallel Forms for Emphasis	88	(1)
Form the Possessive Correctly	89	(1)
Break the Rules if You Must	90	(1)
Chapter 9 Choose Precise Words	91	(12)
Be Concise	91	(1)
Write in Language That Your Audience Can Understand	92	(2)
Avoid Pretentious Language	94	(1)
Avoid Colloquial Language	94	(1)
Be Sensitive to the Politics of Diction	94	(1)
Be Sensitive to Gender-Specific Language	95	(1)
Avoid Euphemisms	95	(1)
Choose Figurative Language Carefully	96	(1)
Use Metaphors and Similes Judiciously	96	(1)
Use Color, but Avoid Cliches	97	(1)
Use Foreign Words That Are Familiar to Your Audience	97	(1)
Check for These Common Diction Problems	98	(5)
Chapter 10 Revising and Editing	103	(6)
Get Some Perspective on Your Draft	103	(1)
Revise Your Draft	104	(1)
Evaluate Your Own Arguments and Narratives	104	(1)
Evaluate Your Sentences and Word Choices	105	(1)
Proofread the Final Draft	105	(1)
Proofread for Punctuation	106	(1)
Proofread for Spelling	106	(1)
Check Your Formatting	106	(1)
Read Your Paper Aloud	107	(1)
Keep the Rules in Mind, but Enjoy Your Writing	107	(2)
Notes	109	(6)
Index	115