An 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 the History Paper The Challenges of Writing About (a.k.a., Making) History At first glance, writing about history can seem like an overwhelming task. History’s subject matter is immense, encompassing all of human affairs in the recorded past — up until the moment, that is, File Size: 81KB · A. Outline: Write a preliminary thesis statement, expressing what you believe your major argument(s) will be. Sketch out a broad outline that indicates the structure — main points and subpoints or your argument as it seems at this time. Do not get too detailed at this point. B. The First Draft
How to Write a History Research Paper – History – Carleton College
See also: How to Write a Good History Essay. Picking a topic is perhaps the most important step in writing a research paper. To do it well requires several steps of refinement, historical research paper outline.
The next step is to narrow your topic. Are you interested in comparison? social change? Once you reach this stage try to formulate your research topic as a question. By asking yourself a question as a means of starting research on a topic you will help yourself find the answers. You also open the door to loading the evidence one way or another. It will help you decide what kinds of evidence might be pertinent to your question, and historical research paper outline can also twist perceptions of a topic.
For example, if you ask a question about economics as motivation, you are not likely to learn much about ideals, and vice versa. No one should pick a topic without trying to figure out how one could discover pertinent information, nor should anyone settle on a topic before getting some background information about the general area. 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 historical research paper outline one can find information.
First try to figure out what kinds of things you should know about a topic to answer your research question. Are there statistics? Do you need personal letters? What background information should be included?
Then if you do not know how to find that particular kind of information, ASK. Use the footnotes and bibliographies of general background books as well as reference aids to lead you to historical research paper outline studies.
If Carleton does not have the books or sources you need, try ordering through the library minitex. Many sources are also available on-line. As your research paper takes shape you will find that you need background on people, places, events, etc. Do not just rely on some general survey for all of your background. Check the several good dictionaries of biography for background on people, or see if there is a standard book-length biography.
If you are dealing with a legal matter check into the background of the judges who make the court decision and the circumstances surrounding the original incident or law. Try looking for public opinions in newspapers of the time, historical research paper outline. In other words, each bit of information you find should open the possibility of other research paths. Learn to use several research techniques. You cannot count on a good research paper coming from browsing on one shelf at the library.
A really pertinent book may be hidden in another section of the library due historical research paper outline classification quirks.
R4 is not the only source for magazine articles, nor the card catalog for books. There are whole books which are listings of other historical research paper outline on particular topics.
There are specialized indexes of magazine articles. Modern History Journals are indexed in the Social Studies and Humanities Index Ref. R before After use the Social Sciences Index REF A S62 and the Humanities Index Ref. See also Historical Abstracts Ref. Reference Librarians would love to help you learn to use these research tools, historical research paper outline. It pays to browse in the reference room at the library and poke into the guides which are on the shelves.
It also pays to browse the Internet. 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. On the basis of that reading formulate as clearly focused question historical research paper outline you can. You should generally discuss with your professor at that point whether your question is a feasible one. If there is a specialized bibliography on your topic, you will certainly want to consult that as well, but these are often a bit dated.
Read the recent articles or chapters that seem to focus on your topic best. This will allow you to focus your research question quite a bit. Use such tools as Historical Abstracts or, depending on your topic, the abstracts from a different field and a large, convenient computer-based national library catalog e.
Now do the bulk of your research. But do not overdo it. Do not fall into the trap of historical research paper outline and reading to avoid getting started on the writing.
After you have the bulk of information historical research paper outline might need, start writing. You can fill in the smaller gaps of your research more effectively later. Write a preliminary thesis statement, historical research paper outline, expressing what you believe your major argument s will be. Sketch out a broad outline that indicates the structure — main points and subpoints or your argument as it historical research paper outline at this time.
Do not get too detailed at this point, historical research paper outline. On the basis of this thesis statement and outline, start writing, even pieces, as soon as you have enough information to start. Do not wait until you have filled all the research gaps. Keep on writing. 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 end.
Critical 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, historical research paper outline, when you feel ready and inspired.
It is at the heart of the writing process. First, lay your first draft aside for a day or so to gain distance from it. You will probably find that your first draft is still quite descriptive, rather than argumentative. That is perfectly normal even for experienced writers even after 40 years and a good deal of published work! You will be frustrated. But keep questioning your paper along the following lines: What precisely are my key questions?
What parts of my evidence here are really pertinent to those questions that is, does it help me answer them? How or in what order can I structure my paper most effectively to answer those questions most clearly and efficiently for my reader? At this point you must outline your paper freshly. Mark up your first draft, ask tough questions whether your argument is clear and whether the order in which you present your points is effective!
You must write conceptually a new paper at this point, even if you can use paragraphs and especially quotes, factual data in the new draft. It 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.
The individual steps in your argument must be clearly reflected in the topic sentences of your paragraphs or a couple of them linked. You are now ready to check for basic historical research paper outline of good writing, historical research paper outline.
This is when you need to check the diction, that is, the historical research paper outline and suitability of words. Eliminate unnecessary passive or awkward noun constructions active-voice, verbal constructions are usually more effective ; improve the flow of your transitions; avoid repetitions or split infinitives; correct apostrophes in possessives and such.
Make the style clear and smooth. Check that the start of your paper is interesting for the reader. Last but not least, cut out unnecessary verbiage and wordiness. Spell-check and proof-read. What Should We Search? Search all of Carleton. edu Just. Campus Directory A-Z Guide. How do I pick a topic? How do I put this together? Research Guide Writing Guide See also: How to Write a Good History Essay 1.
Research Guide A. 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, historical research paper outline. Building a Full Bibliography: Read the recent articles or chapters that seem to focus on your topic best.
Major Research: Now do the bulk of your research. Writing Guide A. Outline: Write a preliminary thesis historical research paper outline, expressing what you believe your major argument s will be, historical research paper outline.
The First Draft: On the basis of this thesis statement and outline, start writing, even pieces, as soon as you have enough information to start.
The Third or Final Draft: You are now ready to check for basic rules of good writing.
How to write a research paper (in history)
, time: 12:03Art History Paper Outline : Art History Research Paper Assignment - iWriteEssays
An 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 GUIDELINES FOR HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND WRITING HOW TO APPROACH RESEARCH AND WRITING A. Fourteen Steps to a good historical research paper. In A Short Guide to Writing About History Richard Marius outlines fourteen steps that every student should follow in writing a historical research paper. 1. Identify your audience The following is an art history paper outline: 1. Introduction. Your introduction should: State the name of the artist. State the title of the work of art. State the date that the work of art was created. Indicate the medium. Give the current location of the art work
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