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Writing in History
History papers follow the same format as any research paper in the humanities. Other
disciplines which History writing can be compared to are English, Philosophy, and
Political Science. History essays require an introduction, thesis, body of evidence and
conclusion. In these papers, there are no headings or sub-headings; rather, you are
expected to have each paragraph lead logically into the next. The most effective way to
create a sense of logic is by following this basic paragraph format:
Topic Sentence
(Introduces the sub-argument of your thesis the paragraph will address)
Evidence
(Supports the claim made in the topic sentence)
Transition Sentence
(Summarizes the point the paragraph is making and ‘sets up’ the next paragraph)
At the university level, History papers are invariably meant to be argumentative rather
than descriptive unless otherwise stated. There is a tendency for the student to simply
compile facts – probably to show the teacher how much they have read – when this is
not the exercise. The instructor wants to see that you have “dialogued” with the
material; this includes analyzing primary sources for the evidence they contain and
forming your own opinion about the significance of their implications. Have you thought
critically about the sources you are using? Have you asked yourself questions about the
event or time that you are looking at? Approaching a topic with these elements in mind
will likely lead to an original and cogent argument, which will not only impress your
professor but provide you with a more fulfilling experience of historical study.
It is extremely easy to be overwhelmed by the complexities of a topic; history is multicausal and multi-faceted, and you may feel that handling only a fraction of the causes is
insufficient. However, the same rule applies as in other disciplines: If you can’t get the
thesis statement narrowed down to one or two coherent sentences, then you are
probably handling too broad an issue.
Narrowing a topic can be done once you have an overview of the issues. For example,
under the general topic of Confederation you may wish to discuss why British Columbia
in particular decided to join (i.e., promise of a railway, prominent pro-confederates,
economic factors, etc.). Methods for this process will vary with each person (i.e., some
will use mindmaps or brainstorming, others may like making lists, etc.).
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Once your topic is sufficiently narrowed it is much easier form an opinion and defend it
using your skills of analysis. Writers of history papers are often unsure if what they are
saying in their paper qualifies as an argument. A good rule of thumb is if there is an
alternate explanation for the position you have taken towards the event or element you
are dealing with, you have an argument. Take sides, be brave!
History has two source classifications: primary and secondary. Both primary and
secondary sources are used in undergraduate papers. Primary sources are those
documents that were produced by someone who witnessed or represents an event or
era: a diary, an autobiography, a newspaper account, a photograph, statistics,
recordings, etc. A secondary source is something which is ‘second-hand’ knowledge: a
history book, a biography, a textbook, a journal article, etc. These categories are not
cast in stone, however. Each source you consult has been created by someone with
certain values, opinions and objectives. It is widely accepted today that no one is
capable of writing purely “objective” history. This does not make everything invalid,
however. We must learn to assess each source we use for its validity, its objectives (who
was the author writing to and why), and its value to our project. In higher-level papers
(3rd and 4th year), it is often expected that a section of your paper will be dedicated to an
analysis of existing scholarship and how you will utilize or refute the theoretical
frameworks that have been applied to your topic.
Citation
The citation used for History is Chicago Style, and the best, most widely used handbook
is Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers (available at the ASC). This style uses
footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography.
The basic format for a reference in the works cited is
Name of author (s)
Title and (if any) subtitle
Name of editor, compiler or translator (if any)
Number or name of edition (if other than first)
Name of series in which book appears (if any), with volume or number in the
series
Facts of publication, consisting of
Place of publication
Name of publishing agency
Date of publication
Page numbers of article (if applicable)
Example:
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. 6 ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
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For footnotes (at the bottom of the page) or endnotes (at the end of the essay) it is the
same basic order with a few modifications. (See footnote below.) 12
ASC 2011
1
Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. 6 ed.
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996), 123.
2
Once a document has been cited in the footnotes, it is unnecessary to give a full
citation again the next time the source is used. If you have used the source more than
once in a row, then you can use the term ‘Ibid.’ If it is the same source but from a
different page, you can use Ibid., page number. If one or more different sources
separate your first reference to the document from subsequent uses, then all that is
needed is the last name of the author, a short title (if you are using more than one
document by that author), and the page number. (Note: Some teachers prefer a short
title even if you are using only one source from an author. If in doubt, use a short title.)