History research paper
You do not write a paper "about the civil war," however, for that is such a large and vague concept that the paper will be too shallow or you will be swamped with information. For example, suppose that you decide to write a paper on the use of the films of the 1930's and what they can tell historians about the great depression. There are other questions, of course, which you could have asked, but these two clearly illustrate how different two papers on the same general subject might be. By asking yourself a question as a means of starting research on a topic you will help yourself find the answers. These two checks should make sure your paper is in the realm of the possible. The trick of good research is detective work and imaginative thinking on how one can find information. First try to figure out what kinds of things you should know about a topic to answer your research question. Many sources are also available your research paper takes shape you will find that you need background on people, places, events, etc. In other words, each bit of information you find should open the possibility of other research to use several research techniques. You cannot count on a good research paper coming from browsing on one shelf at the library. Preliminary research:If you do not already have a general background on your topic, get the most recent good general source on the topic and read it for general orientation. For specific article searches "uncover" (press returns for the "open access") or possibly (less likely for history) "first search" through "connect to other resources" in muse can also be do the bulk of your research. You can fill in the smaller gaps of your research more effectively a preliminary thesis statement, expressing what you believe your major argument(s) will be.
If you run into smaller research questions just mark the text with a searchable symbol. It is important that you try to get to the end point of this writing as soon as possible, even if you leave pieces still in outline form at first and then fill the gaps after you get to the al advice for larger papers:It is often more effective not to start at the point where the beginning of your paper will be. Especially the introductory paragraph is often best left until later, when you feel ready and "second draft" is a fully re-thought and rewritten version of your paper. After that break, read it over with a critical eye as you would somebody else's paper (well, almost! But keep questioning your paper along the following lines: what precisely are my key questions? How or in what order can i structure my paper most effectively to answer those questions most clearly and efficiently for my reader? You must write conceptually a new paper at this point, even if you can use paragraphs and especially quotes, factual data in the new is critical that in your new draft your paragraphs start with topic sentences that identify the argument you will be making in the particular paragraph (sometimes this can be strings of two or three paragraphs). Diethelm prowe, » college » social sciences » are herehome » steps for writing a history for writing a history g a history paper is a process. Successful papers are not completed in a single moment of genius or inspiration, but are developed over a series of steps. 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. Writing a history paper is your opportunity to do the real work of historians, to roll up your sleeves and dig deep into the is a history paper? 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. For example, suppose your professor has asked you to write a paper discussing the differences between colonial new england and colonial virginia.
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. Any history paper you write will be driven by an argument demanding evidence from y 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. Remember that the staff of the history writing center is here to assist you at any stage of the writing process. Make sure you know what the paper prompt is mes professors distribute prompts with several sub-questions surrounding the main question they want you to write about. They offer ideas you might consider, but they are not, usually, the key question or questions you need to answer in your paper. Otherwise, your paper may sound like a laundry list of short-answer essays rather than a cohesive argument. Brainstorm possible arguments and you even start researching or drafting, take a few minutes to consider what you already know about the topic. Use this information to guide you as you start your research and develop a thesis. Start ing 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. Find the parts from the textbook, from the primary source readings, and from your notes that relate to the you need to do outside research, the ucla library system offers plenty of resources. You might be able to use some of those same words as search that the library website has different databases you can search depending on what type of material you need (such as scholarly articles, newspapers, books) and what subject and time period you are researching (such as eighteenth-century england or ancient rome). Visit the library's history research guide for tips on the research process and on using library resources. You can also schedule an appointment with a librarian to talk specifically about your research project.
Take stock and draft a thesis this point, you know what the prompt is asking, you have brainstormed possible responses, and you have done some research. Based on the reading and research you have done, how might you answer the question(s) in the prompt? As you do more research, reread your sources, and write your paper, you will learn more about the topic and your argument. Once you have a thesis, you may find that you need to do more research targeted to your specific argument. Annotating sources means writing a paragraph that summarizes the main idea of the source as well as shows how you will use the source in your paper. Having dissected your sources and articulated your ideas about them, you can more easily draw upon them when constructing your paper. Even if you do not have to do outside research and are limited to working with the readings you have done in class, annotating sources is still very useful. Write down exactly how a particular section in the textbook or in a primary source reader will contribute to your paper. Draft an outline of your outline is helpful in giving you a sense of the overall structure of your paper and how best to organize your ideas. There is no one right way to organize a history paper; it depends entirely on the prompt, on your sources, and on what you think would be most clear to someone reading 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. Set a timer for five or ten minutes and write down everything you know about your paper: your argument, your sources, counterarguments, everything. The global level refers to the argument and evidence in your paper, while the local level refers to the individual sentences. 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.
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. Revising at the local level, check that you are using strong topic sentences and transitions, that you have adequately integrated and analyzed quotations, and that your paper is free from grammar and spelling errors that might distract the reader or even impede your ability to communicate your point. One helpful exercise for revising on the local level is to read your paper out loud. Hearing your paper will help you catch grammatical errors and awkward 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? Put it all together: the final you have finished revising and have created a strong draft, set your paper aside for a few hours or overnight. Read your paper out loud again too, catching any errors you might have missed this stage in the process, you need to make sure you have taken care of all the details. Your paper needs to have a title that does not just announce the topic of the paper, but gives some indication of your argument. Reread the paper assignment and make sure you have met all of the professor's requirements: do you need page numbers? C) - copyright 2017 social sciences division ucla - reale falcone y research ok for ok for to writing research papers for the history department at le moyne ng a paper sources can i use? Rasing and quoting to create an annotated ting endnotes/ting history are examples of wel-written, properly cited history e of full paper with first-year history e of an outline for a first year level history 110 paper e of a first-year level history and langdon book review/research paper - example and langdon book review/research paper - example 302 paper e of a paper for upper division history on presentation. Previous: avoiding reale falcone to write a research paper in wikibooks, open books for an open world the latest reviewed version was checked on 3 april 2013. There are template/file changes awaiting to: navigation, people who have not written a research paper in the genre of history often have difficulty with understanding where to start. This wikibook is an attempt to outline some of the basics for writing a research paper in history, ideally at the collegiate or graduate of contents[edit].
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