WRITING FOR HISTORY

There are universals in writing

There are also rules and practices specific to disciplines

 Do you understand the assignment?

Do you understand all components of it?

Do you know the material about which you are

writing? (Did you read the book?)
 Book Review
Not a Book Report
A critical analysis of the author’s work
What was the author trying to do and did he or she do it
successfully?
Analyze the following in your paper: Thesis/Argument*,
Sources, Sub-Arguments, Structure, Bias, other strengths and/or
weaknesses
(Prioritize!)
 Introduction
-Lays out your paper to provide a sense of what it is going to do

-Introduces the book (full title) and briefly explains what it is

about

-Introduces the author by full name (last name for later

references)

-Identifies the author’s thesis (In your words!)

- Suggests the degree to which the author was successful
 Body Paragraphs

Support the introduction

Have a topic sentence that lays out the paragraph

Include evidence and examples to support claims

 Conclusion

Ties the work together

Offers broader (but reasonable) conclusions

Not merely a recounting

 Priorities
Wrestle with the main ideas/argument

Elaborate/prove your points (Don’t skirt around them)

Order matters (Smaller details should be given less attention)

Avoid comments on things of lesser importance (Footnotes, pictures,

cover)
 As You Write
Don’t write to impress
Multiple clauses, colons and semicolons can be friends or enemies
Avoid driving your paper with questions
Description is not analysis
Refer to the book in its proper form (History books are NOT novels!)
Be fluid and avoid being too “on the nose.” He supports his thesis . . .
Stay focused. It is NOT about you but the work you are reviewing.
Avoid comparisons to “how it is today.”
 Still More!
Be efficient
Avoid Contractions
Write in the third person (no “I”)
Do not begin papers or paragraphs with quotations
Do not use casual or inappropriate language
Avoid the passive voice – “The ball was hit by the boy.”
Use active verbs and vary them
Do not use: “good job,” “in-depth” or “the reader” “dives into”
Sweat the Small Stuff
Proper Length
Page numbers
Title
Margins
Spacing
Font
Footnotes
 How do I Cite? (Chicago Style)
According to Lee, “hundreds of Chinese immigrants were turned away
annually.”1
(Period, Quotation Marks, Footnote)

First Footnote:
Erika Lee, At America’s Gates: Chinese Immigration During the Exclusion Era,
(Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003), 109.
Following footnotes:
Lee, At America’s Gates, 109.
 Quotations
Introduce your quotations.

Wrong: “Settlers feared the storm would result in many deaths.”

Right: According to Laskin, “Settlers feared the storm would result in

many deaths.”
Good writing is directly related to effort!

Revise, Revise, Revise!