A Pocket Guide to Writing in History

An essential writing, reading, and research tool for all history students, A Pocket Guide to Writing in Historyoffers a best-selling combination of concise yet comprehensive advice in a portable and accessible format. This quick-reference guide provides a practical introduction to typical history assignments, exercising critical reading skills, evaluating and documenting sources, writing effective history papers, conducting research, and avoiding plagiarism. Building on its time-tested approach, the seventh edition offers expanded, hands-on guidance for writing and researching in the digital age, and additional coverage on working with primary and secondary sources.

MARY LYNN RAMPOLLA (Ph.D., University of Toronto) is associate professor of history at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her scholarly work focuses on medieval and early modern Europe, and her publications include articles in Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies and entries in the Dictionary of the Middle Ages. She is active in the fields of history and composition.

1. Introduction: Why Study History? Historical questions How this manual can help you  2. Working with Sources Identifying historical sources      Primary sources      Secondary sources      Primary or secondary? The changing status of a source      Uses of primary and secondary sources Evaluating sources      Evaluating primary sources      Tips for Writers: Questions for Evaluating Text-Based Primary Sources      Tips for Writers: Questions for Evaluating Nonwritten Primary Sources      Evaluating secondary sources      Tips for Writers: Questions for Evaluating Secondary Sources      Evaluating online resources      Questions for Evaluating Websites  3. Approaching Typical Assignments in History Reading actively in history      Tips for Writers: Writing as You Read Writing about reading      Summaries      Annotated bibliographies Using primary sources      Single-source analysis      Comparing primary sources      Tips for Writers: Writing a Comparative Essay Secondary Sources: Typical Writing Assignments      Critiques and book reviews      Historiographic essays Film reviews Taking history exams      Preparing for an exam      Answering identification questions      Taking an essay exam  4. Writing History Papers Approaching a history assignment Thinking like a historian Developing a thesis Constructing an argument      Tips for Writers: Constructing a Thesis      Supporting your thesis      Responding to counterevidence and anticipating opposing viewpoints Organizing your paper      Drafting an introduction      Writing clear and connected paragraphs       Writing an effective conclusion Revising for content and organization Tips for Writers: Revising for Content and Organization Editing for style and grammar      Choosing appropriate language      Choosing the appropriate tense      Using active voice      Knowing when to use the pronouns I, me, and you  5. Writing a Research Paper Moving from topic to research question      Choosing a topic      Focusing on a research question Developing a research plan Conducting research      Consulting human resources      Using the library's online catalog      Using print and electronic reference sources      Locating secondary sources: using print and electronic periodical databases      Tips for Writers: Electronic Databases      Finding Internet sources      Distinguishing among electronic sources Taking effective research notes Developing a working thesis Making an outline Revising and editing your paper  6. Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Avoid It What is plagiarism? Avoiding plagiarism      Citing sources to avoid plagiarism      Paraphrasing to avoid plagiarism      Tips for Writers: Avoiding Plagiarism      Downloading Internet sources carefully to avoid plagiarism Plagiarism and the Internet  7. Quoting and Documenting Sources Using quotations      When to quote      How to quote Documenting sources      Footnotes and endnotes      Bibliography      Documenting nonwritten materials Documentation models Sample pages from a student research paper