Writing History A Guide for Students

by Storey, William Kelleher

• ISBN13: 9780195166095
• ISBN10: 0195166094
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-07-17
• Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PR

Summary

Bringing together practical methods from both history and composition, Writing History provides a wealth of tips and advice to help students research and write essays for history classes. The book covers all aspects of writing about history, including finding topics and researching them,interpreting source materials, drawing inferences from sources, and constructing arguments. It concludes with three chapters that discuss writing effective sentences, using precise wording, and revising. Using numerous examples from the works of cultural, political, and social historians, WritingHistory serves as an ideal supplement to history courses that require students to conduct research. The second edition includes expanded sections on plagiarism, interviewing, and topic selection, as well as new sections on searching and using the Internet.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	1	(2)
Getting Started	3	(14)
Explore Your Interests	3	(1)
Move from a Historical Interest to a Research Topic	4	(1)
Use Print Sources to Begin a Project	5	(1)
The A.H.A Guide	6	(1)
Speak with a Librarian	7	(1)
Use Electronic Resources in the Library	8	(1)
Be Skeptical About Other Online Resources	9	(2)
Approach Your Topic from a Particular Angle	11	(1)
Go to the Library and Do Some Background Reading	12	(1)
Browse for More Sources	13	(1)
Form a Hypothesis	13	(1)
Craft a Proposal	14	(1)
Write an Annotated Bibliography	15	(1)
Talk to People About Your Topic	16	(1)
If You Have to Abandon a Topic, Do It Early	16	(1)
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 Points of View in Your Sources	21	(1)
Select the Most Important Source Materials	22	(1)
Take Notes by Being Selective	23	(2)
Writing History Faithfully	25	(20)
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	(3)
Be Honest, but Don't Give Unnecessary Citations	36	(1)
Choose a Citation System That Suits Your Audience	36	(9)
Use Sources to Make Inferences	45	(16)
Be True to Recognized Facts	46	(1)
Transform Facts into Evidence	46	(1)
Check Your Facts	47	(1)
Check the Internal Consistency of Primary Sources	47	(1)
Check Primary Sources Against Each Other	48	(1)
Compare Primary Sources with Secondary Works	48	(3)
Box 1: Conduct Interviews Systematically	49	(2)
Juxtapose Sources to Make Inferences	51	(4)
Box 2: Make Inferences from Material Sources	54	(1)
Move from Inferences to Arguments	55	(1)
Make Reasonable Inferences from Your Sources	55	(1)
Make Inferences That Are Warranted	56	(2)
Avoid Unwarranted Comparisons	58	(1)
Avoid Anachronistic Inferences	58	(3)
Get Writing!	61	(6)
Consider Narratives and Analysis	61	(1)
Create a Draft Outline of an Analytical Essay	62	(1)
Create a Draft Outline of a Narrative Essay	62	(1)
Complete Your Analytical Outline	63	(1)
Complete Your Narrative Outline	64	(1)
Choose a Framework for Your Essay	65	(2)
Build an Argument	67	(14)
Start to Write a First Draft	67	(1)
Grab Your Reader's Attention, but Do It Gently	68	(1)
State Your Intellectual Interests Early	69	(1)
Build Your Essay with Good Paragraphs	70	(2)
Define Your Key Terms Early	72	(1)
Set an Appropriate Tone	73	(2)
Treat Other Writers with Consideration	75	(1)
Account for Counterarguments	76	(2)
Lead Your Readers to an Interesting Conclusion	78	(3)
Narrative Techniques for Historians	81	(6)
Write a Narrative to Tell a Story	81	(1)
Write a Narrative to Support an Argument	82	(1)
Combine Chronology with Causation	82	(1)
Get a Sense of Change and Continuity	83	(1)
Select the Key Participants in Your Story	84	(1)
Find Your Own Voice as a Narrator	84	(1)
Choose Your Own Beginning and End	85	(2)
Writing Sentences in History	87	(8)
Choose Verbs That Are Precise	87	(1)
Make Passive Sentences Active	88	(1)
Write in the Past Tense	88	(1)
Avoid Split Infinitives If You Can	89	(1)
Put Verbs in Your Sentences	89	(1)
Put Your Ideas in an Intelligible Order	90	(1)
Keep Related Words Together	90	(1)
Keep Pronouns Close to the Words They Represent	90	(1)
Keep Subjects and Verbs Close Together	91	(1)
Begin a Sentence on Common Ground and Gradually Build a New Point	91	(1)
The Emphasis Comes at the End	92	(1)
Construct Parallel Forms for Emphasis	92	(1)
Form the Possessive Correctly	93	(1)
Break the Rules If You Must	94	(1)
Choose Precise Words	95	(12)
Be Concise	95	(1)
Write in Language That Your Audience Can Understand	96	(2)
Avoid Pretentious Language	98	(1)
Avoid Colloquial Language	98	(1)
Be Sensitive to the Politics of Diction	98	(1)
Be Sensitive to Gender-Specific Language	99	(1)
Avoid Euphemisms	99	(1)
Choose Figurative Language Carefully	100	(1)
Use Metaphors and Similes Judiciously	100	(1)
Use Color, but Avoid Cliches	101	(1)
Use Foreign Words That Are Familiar to Your Audience	101	(1)
Check for These Common Diction Problems	102	(5)
Revising and Editing	107	(6)
Get Some Perspective on Your Draft	107	(1)
Revise Your Draft	108	(1)
Evaluate Your Own Arguments and Narratives	108	(1)
Evaluate Your Sentences and Word Choices	109	(1)
Proofread the Final Draft	109	(1)
Proofread for Punctuation	110	(1)
Proofread for Spelling	110	(1)
Check Your Formatting	110	(1)
Read Your Paper Aloud	111	(1)
Keep the Rules in Mind, but Enjoy Your Writing	111	(2)
Notes	113	(4)
Index	117