Short Guide to Writing about History, A
Description
A Short Guide to Writing about History is an ideal complement for any history course intended to teach students to think and write like historians. This engaging and practical text will teach students how to go beyond reporting the basic dates and facts of their history books and show them how to infuse their writing with their own ideas and unique perspective.
Covering brief essays and the documented resource paper, the text explores the writing and researching processes, different modes of historical writing (including argument), and offers guidelines for improving style as well as documenting sources.
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Content
Preface
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1 Writing and History
Stories About the Past Intended to Be True
Writing History as a Way of Thinking
Basic Principles for History Essays
Writer's Checklist of Basic Principles
Paraphrase and Plagiarism
Writer's Checklist for Avoiding Plagiarism
2 Thinking About History
Historical Questioning
Historical Fallacies
Making Inferences
Evaluating Materials
Writer's Checklist for Evaluation
3 Gathering Information
Focusing on a Topic
Making Initial Inquiries
Identifying Key Sources
Concluding Your Research
Writer's Checklist for Research
4 Notes and Drafts
Recording Information and Ideas
Writer's Checklist for Taking Notes
Organizing Your Essay
Writing and Revising Drafts
Writer's Checklist for Peer Editing
5 Voice and Style
Modes of Writing
Simple and Direct Writing
Word Forms and Punctuation
The Final Presentation
Writing for Speaking
Writer's Checklist for Expression and Conventions
6 Documenting Sources
Basic Principles
Electronic Sources
Notes and Bibliographies
Writer's Checklist of Source Citations
Appendix A Sample Student Research Paper
Manifest Destiny: A Characteristic of Nations
Things to Notice About This Paper
Writer's Checklist for Sample Research Paper
Appendix B Writing Reviews
Reviewing as a Special Form of Writing
A Sample Student Review
Thomas Fleming's Discovery of Another War
Things to Notice About This Review
Writer's Checklist for Reviews
Appendix C Short Essay Assignments
Writer's Checklist for Short Essays
Select Bibliography of Student Resources
Text Credits
Index