Essay Writing Guide Essays form an integral part of your history courses. They can also be one of the most rewarding aspects of a course, giving you a chance to research the raw material of history (primary sources) and to analyze other historians’ interpretations of the past (secondary sources).Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins writing an essay. An ill-defined topic will never produce a good paper. A history essay is much more than a list of facts about events that happened in the past: it must explain. It is also more than a repetition of what other historians have already concluded: it must include your interpretation. A good historical essay is focused on a limited blogger.com Size: KB Mr. Mansour’s History and Contemporary World classes Page 3 of 5 Thesis Statement and the History Essay Format • Other than your thesis statement, do not underline text. • Use italics for foreign words. Otherwise, do not use bold or italicized text.. • Do not use headings. • Do
How to Write a History Essay (with Pictures) - wikiHow
Essays form an integral part of your history courses. Essay writing is an opportunity to develop your research and writing skills. It is ultimately a lesson in communication. No matter how comprehensive your research or how brilliant your ideas, the essay will flounder if it is not well-organized and presented in clear and grammatically correct English.
Obviously, good essay writing requires time. Pay attention to deadlines and history essay format yourself sufficient time to research, write and revise your essay. The following guidelines are geared to the writing of History essays. In many classes, you will be given a list of essay topics from which to choose.
It is wise to do some preliminary research to determine what topics really interest you and it is also advisable to clarify your chosen topic with your TA or instructor. If you are allowed to select your own topic or wish to substantially modify a given topic, be sure you have your topic approved by your TA or instructor, history essay format.
Finding and researching appropriate and adequate sources for your essay will be a critical part of its success. No essay should be attempted on the basis of text books or one or two sources. In the John Robarts Library, you have access to one of the major research libraries in North America and there are other more specialized libraries on campus, history essay format.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with the U of T library system. All holdings can be searched on-line; the on-line catalogue is an essential research tool. It can also be helpful to do an actual shelf search; several hours spent browsing through library shelves on areas indicated in your first sources often lead to valuable discoveries. Articles in periodicals are too often overlooked by students, although they may contain new approaches to and concise sources of information.
Discuss research problems with librarians and do employ all available aids for use of the library system. Websites: These days students are often turning to rapidly-proliferating websites for sources. Sometimes these can be helpful, especially if they are archival websites which can give you direct access to primary documents.
However, websites should be used with caution. If you want to use a website in your essay writing, you should adhere to the following procedure. Get the history essay format of your instructor in advance for websites that you are planning to use. Websites must be listed accurately in your bibliography and if you use material from them, history essay format, it must be properly footnoted.
You should make and revise outlines while researching the paper, emphasizing your developing perception of the major issues. Research cards are your main tools. They should be filed under topic headings, reviewed, and rearranged frequently in order to fill in gaps in information or analysis, history essay format.
This enables you to determine what is of value as you research the paper; to return to an orderly collection of material if you have to leave it for any reason; and to organize your thoughts when you finally history essay format down to write the paper.
Again, it must be emphasized that you should leave sufficient time for at least one draft. Work from an outline, coordinating your research notes, but leaving yourself enough flexibility to make changes. The first draft can be written quickly, as history essay format is for substance and arguments, which can be refined with each succeeding draft.
In later drafts you can concentrate on polishing your style. You should make sure:. the introduction is clear, indicating the historical context and the problem under discussion 2. the narrative and argument are presented logically and concisely in the body of the essay 3, history essay format.
the conclusion summarizes and unifies the arguments presented. Essays should be carefully proofread and checked for correct spelling and grammar. Academic are usually written in formal style. Thus you should generally avoid contractions and colloquialisms unless the subject matter particularly calls for such usage, history essay format.
Good academic writing is formal, history essay format, but also lively and direct. As a general rule, it is better to aspire to clarity and economy; few students find difficulty meeting the suggested length of the essay. Verbosity is demonstrated more often than brevity. Good writing is also precise. Try to choose words that express your intention exactly. Modern academic style requires care and precision in the use of language regarding race and gender.
Just as you would avoid racist slurs and words that convey old-fashioned racial stereotypes, it is important to avoid phrases and words that are gender exclusive, unless you consciously intend them to be so.
Use double spacing, history essay format, except for long quotations over twenty-five words and footnotes which should be single spaced, history essay format. Remember to number all pages.
The essay should have a title page which includes your name, student number and course number and tutorial section history essay format appropriate. Be sure you keep a copy of your paper. It is obvious that most ideas presented in an undergraduate essay will derive from other sources, so it is necessary that these be acknowledged.
In general, footnotes should be used to make clear to the reader on what authorities you are basing your statements. The History Department prefers what is called the traditional system of footnotes and endnotes, as illustrated below. In particular, footnotes should:. indicate the exact source of every quotation used 2. acknowledge indebtedness to others for opinions and ideas 3.
give authority for a fact which the reader might question 4. call attention to other interpretations, additional authorities or more extended treatment of the topic. Footnotes can appear either at the bottom of the page or collected together at the end of the essay where they are referred to as history essay format. The numeral indicating the footnotes should come at the end of the quotation or the sentence, usually as a superscript.
Think of a footnote as conveying four pieces of information which are set off by commas in the following order:. Careless, Canada, A Story of Challenge Toronto,history essay format, p.
In subsequent references, a shorter reference can be used. For example:. Where the reference is exactly the same as the history essay format one, the Latin abbreviation ibid. can be used; where it is the same, but the page history essay format is different, use ibid.
However, the short title form is preferable for subsequent references and the use of other Latin abbreviations such as op. is not recommended, history essay format. All works consulted, not just those cited in the footnotes, should be indicated in the bibliography.
You may be required to prepare an annotated bibliography, wherein you comment on the contents, utility, or worth of each source. If so, make sure you understand what the instructor expects, in particular the length as well as the nature of each annotation. Generally, list the sources in alphabetical order, by author.
In some assignments, you may be required to subdivide the bibliography into primary and secondary sources. There are numerous other sources to assist you in essay writing. A good place history essay format start is with the History essay format. Writing website which offers excellent advice on academic writing. Published guides include:. Essays are expected to be handed in on the due date. Instructors are required to inform students on the course outline what their penalties for lateness are.
If you have good reason to request an extension, it is advisable to do this before rather than after the fact. Research does not mean hunting for books, or just reading them. It means reading your sources with definite questions in mind. Essays should not be written from open books, but from notes made while reading sources. Orderly arrangement of these is imperative, including the author, title, and page number of the source.
Whether you are taking notes by hand or by computer, be sure your are systematic and accurate. There are a number of methods for organizing your notes.
Bibliography cards give relevant information about the sources used. They include the name of the author, the full title, and the location and date of the edition used. You will need this summation if you are asked to do an annotated bibliography. The research card contains your notes on the topic, with a separate card for each important idea or piece of information. Note-taking by computer should be an adaptation of these basic procedures.
You should keep all your research notes. In some junior-level history essay format, you may be required to submit them with your essay. Sample bibliography card:. Sample research card:. Skip to main content. Google Tag Manager. Universal Navigation U of T Quercus ACORN, history essay format.
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How to Write a history essay: Advice and Tips
, time: 7:38History Essay Outline: History Essay Format - iWriteEssays
Mr. Mansour’s History and Contemporary World classes Page 3 of 5 Thesis Statement and the History Essay Format • Other than your thesis statement, do not underline text. • Use italics for foreign words. Otherwise, do not use bold or italicized text.. • Do not use headings. • Do Proofreading and Evaluating Your Essay 1. Proofread your essay. After writing your essay, you are entailed to proofread your essay in order to make it sound 2. Analyze, don’t describe. One thing to look out for when you read through your history essay is whether or not you 3. Check your writing an essay. An ill-defined topic will never produce a good paper. A history essay is much more than a list of facts about events that happened in the past: it must explain. It is also more than a repetition of what other historians have already concluded: it must include your interpretation. A good historical essay is focused on a limited blogger.com Size: KB
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