Bringing together practical methods from both history and composition, Writing History: A Guide for Students, Fifth Edition, provides a wealth of tips and advice to help students research and write essays for history classes.

Preface ; Introduction ; 1. GETTING STARTED ; 1.A. Explore Your Interests ; 1.B. Find a Historical Motive ; 1.C. Focus Your Interests Early ; 1.D. Work with Bibliographies ; 1.E. Search Preselected Databases on the Internet ; 1.F. Use Reference Sources to Begin a Project ; 1.G. Conduct a General Search on the Internet ; 1.H. Scan the Search Results ; 1.I. Get a Quick First Impression ; 1.J. Critically Assess Sources on the Internet ; 1.K. Speak with a Librarian ; 1.L. Speak with Your Professor ; 1.M. Approach Your Topic from a Particular Angle ; 1.N. Browse for More Sources ; 1.O. Form a Hypothesis ; 1.P. Craft a Proposal ; 1.Q. Write an Annotated Bibliography ; 1.R. Talk to People about Your Topic ; 1.S. If You Have to Abandon a Topic, Do It Early ; Flowchart Chapter 1: Constructing an Argument Based on Sources ; 2. INTERPRETING SOURCE MATERIALS ; 2.A. Distinguish Primary Sources from Secondary Works ; 2.B. Refine Your Hypothesis with Who, What, Why, Where, and When ; 2.C. Be Sensitive to Points of View in Your Sources ; 2.D. Select the Most Important Source Materials ; 2.E. Take Notes by Being Selective ; Flowchart Chapter 2: Taking Notes ; 3. WRITING HISTORY FAITHFULLY ; 3.A. Collect and Report Your Sources Carefully ; 3.B. Incorporate the Ideas of Others with Care and Respect ; 3.C. Know the Difference between Summaries and Paraphrases ; 3.D. Learn How and When to Quote ; 3.E. Use Ellipses and Brackets, but Do Justice to Your Sources ; 3.F. Learn How to Use Quotation Marks ; 3.G. Don't Plagiarize ; 3.H. Be Honest, but Don't Give Unnecessary Citations ; 3.I. Choose a Citation System That Suits Your Audience ; Exercise: How to Cite ; 4. USE SOURCES TO MAKE INFERENCES ; 4.A. Be True to Recognized Facts ; 4.B. Transform Facts into Evidence ; 4.C. Check Your Facts ; 4.D. Check the Internal Consistency of Primary Sources ; 4.E. Check Primary Sources Against Each Other ; 4.F. Compare Primary Sources with Secondary Works ; 4.G. Conduct Interviews Systematically ; 4.H. Compare Sources to Make Inferences ; 4.I. Make Inferences from Visual and Material Sources ; 4.J. Move from Inferences to Arguments ; 4.K. Make Reasonable Inferences from Your Sources ; 4.L. Make Inferences That Are Warranted ; 4.M. Avoid Unwarranted Comparisons ; 4.N. Avoid Anachronistic Inferences ; Flowchart Chapter 4: Understanding Sources ; 5. GET WRITING! GET ORGANIZED ; 5.A. Craft a Thesis Statement ; 5.B. Create a Draft Outline of an Analytical Essay ; 5.C. Create a Draft Outline of a Narrative Essay ; 5.D. Complete Your Outline ; 5.E. Start to Write a First Draft ; 5.F. Grab Your Reader's Attention, but Do It Gently ; 5.G. State Your Intellectual Interests Early ; 5.H. Review the Historical Literature ; 5.I. Build Your Essay with Good Paragraphs ; 5.J. Define Your Key Terms Early ; 5.K. Set an Appropriate Tone ; 5.L. Treat Other Writers with Consideration ; 5.M. Account for Counterarguments ; 5.N. Lead Your Readers to an Interesting Conclusion ; Flowchart Chapter 5: Writing Your First Draft ; 6. NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR HISTORIANS ; 6.A. Combine Chronology with Causation ; 6.B. Get a Sense of Change and Continuity ; 6.C. Select the Key Participants in Your Story ; 6.D. Find Your Own Voice as a Narrator ; 6.E. Choose Your Own Beginning and End ; 6.F. Write a Narrative with Well-Chosen Details ; 6.G. Write a Narrative to Support an Argument ; Flowchart Chapter 6: Representing the Past ; 7. WRITING SENTENCES IN HISTORY ; 7.A. Choose Verbs That Are Precise ; 7.B. Make Passive Sentences Active ; 7.C. Write in the Past Tense ; 7.D. Avoid Split Infinitives If You Can ; 7.E. Put Verbs in Your Sentences ; 7.F. Put Your Ideas in an Intelligible Order ; 7.G. Begin a Sentence on Common Ground and Gradually Build a New Point ; 7.H. Place the Emphasis at the End ; 7.I. Construct Parallel Forms for Emphasis ; 7.J. Form the Possessive Correctly ; 7.K. Break the Rules If You Must ; 8. CHOOSE PRECISE WORDS ; 8.A. Be Concise ; 8.B. Write in Language That Your Audience Can Understand ; 8.C. Avoid Pretentious Language ; 8.D. Avoid Colloquial Language ; 8.E. Be Sensitive to the Politics of Diction ; 8.F. Be Sensitive to Gender-Specific Language ; 8.G. Avoid Euphemisms ; 8.H. Choose Figurative Language Carefully ; 8.I. Use Metaphors and Similes Judiciously ; 8.J. Use Color, but Avoid Cliches ; 8.K. Use Foreign Words That Are Familiar to Your Audience ; 8.L. Check for These Common Diction Problems ; 9. REVISING AND EDITING ; 9.A. Get Some Perspective on Your Draft ; 9.B. Work with a Peer Editor ; 9.C. Revise Your Draft ; 9.D. Evaluate Your Own Arguments and Narratives ; 9.E. Evaluate Your Sentences and Word Choices ; 9.F. Proofread the Final Draft ; 9.G. Keep the Rules in Mind, but Enjoy Your Writing ; Flowchart Chapter 9: Writing Your Final Draft ; Notes ; Answers for Exercise: How to Cite ; Index

This is an outstanding book for students embarking on the process of writing history. It is clear. It is comprehensive. It is thoughtful. It does the kinds of things I like to do in class. And it does them well. * Allan Winkler, Miami University of Ohio *If there were one book that an undergraduate should have at her side when approaching a major research project, this would be the one. * David Van Heemst, Olivet Nazarene University *Its greatest advantage is its organization. I really like the way in which it presents the steps of the research process. It is not only well organized but also very thorough when explaining each and every one of these steps. When it comes to this combination of organization and comprehensiveness, it is, in my opinion, the best text currently in the market. * Esperanza Brizuela-Garcia, Montclair State University *This is a good guide! Pictures and lists clarify steps and make the process less daunting for students. It can be useful for students just beginning to write research papers and for graduate students who need the breakdown of the process to help them better organize their lengthy thesis projects. * Annamarie Vallis, California State University, Fresno *