HIST455 Syllabus - Dr. Kurt Hackemer

HIST455:CivilWar&Reconstruction–Fall2016
[email protected]–www.kurthackemer.com
203EastHall--677-5569
CourseTimeandPlace:
ThiscoursemeetsinOldMain305onTuesdaysandThursdaysfrom9:30-10:45am.
OfficeHours:
Mondays&Wednesdaysfrom10-11am,andTuesdaysfrom2-3pminEastHall203,althoughyoucanarrange
toseemeanytime.Givemeacallorsendanemail.IfI'min,chancesarewecanmeet.
RequiredReadings:
• GaryW.GallagherandJoanWaugh,TheAmericanWar:AHistoryoftheCivilWarEra(2015)
• JamesOakes,TheScorpion’sSting:AntislaveryandtheComingoftheCivilWar(2015)
• GlennD.Brasher,ThePeninsulaCampaignandtheNecessityofEmancipation:AfricanAmericansand
theFightforFreedom(2014)
• StephenAsh,AMassacreinMemphis:TheRaceRiotThatShooktheNationOneYearAftertheCivilWar
(2014)
CatalogDescription:
Explorestheeconomic,political,militaryandsocialaspectsoftheCivilWarandReconstructionera.
CourseObjectives:
ThiscoursecoverstheCivilWareraandReconstruction.Wewillstartwiththeantecedentsofthewar,spend
mostofthesemesteronthewaritself,andfinishupwithadiscussionofReconstruction.Thisisnotamilitary
historycourse,althoughwewillspendafairamountoftimeonmilitaryissues.Wewilldevoteanequalamount
oftimetothesocial,political,economicanddiplomaticissuesoftheperiod.Becauseoftimelimitations,wewill
nothavetheopportunitytogiveasmuchattentionasyoumaydesiretoeveryimportant,interesting,and
controversialtopicofthisperiod.However,wewilldiscussawiderangeofissuesaboutwhichyouwillbe
expectedtothinkandformyourownopinions.Youwillhavetheopportunitytoexploreparticularareasof
interestinyourresearchpaper.
CourseRequirements:
Theinstructorexpectseachstudenttokeepupwiththescheduleofreadingsthatappearsonthissyllabus.You
willhaveamuchbetterideaofwhat'sgoingonifyouhavedonethereading.Theseassignments,alongwith
informationfromthelecturesanddiscussions,willprovidethematerialfortheexams.Thereare420possible
pointstobeearnedinthisclass.Therewillbethree(3)essayexams.Eachexamwillbeworth100points.Bringa
bigbluebookandpen(s)toeachexam.Youwillalsowriteashortresearchpaperworth100points,whichis
explainedinmoredetailbelow.Apreliminarybibliographyforthepaperwillbeworth20points.Yourcourse
gradeisdeterminedbyyouraverageandisbasedonastandard10-pointscale.
Attendance:
Attendancewillbetakeneverydayinclass.Studentswithmorethantwounapprovedabsenceswillhavehalfa
lettergrade(20points)deductedfromtheirfinalgrade.
WorkingwithPrimarySources:
Oneofthemajorgoalsofthiscourseistoexposeyoutosomeofthetechniqueshistoriansusewhentheywrite
history.Todothat,youwillhavetolearntothinkforyourselvesratherthanjustreadingatextandacceptingits
contentsatfacevalue.Documentsareatthecoreofwhathistoriansactuallydo,whichistointerpretperiod
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sourcesanddrawinformedconclusions.Youaregoingtopracticethatskillinclassintwodifferentwaysthis
semester.
SelectedPrimarySourceswillbeintegratedintoseveralclassperiods.Onthosedays,youwillbeexpectedto
cometoclasspreparedtodiscussoneormoreprimarysourcedocumentsthathavesomebearingonthatday’s
subject.The“EvaluatingPrimarySources”guide,foundonD2L,willprovideaframeworkforourdiscussionof
thesecontemporarydocuments.
HistoryLaboratoriesaredayswheremembersoftheclasswillbesplituptousemultiplenewspaperstoexplore
theeventsofagivenmonthduringtheCivilWar.Onthosedays,Iwillaskforeverystudentwithalaptopor
tablettobringittoclass.Youwillthenbebrokenupintogroups.Duringthefirstpartofeachclassperiod,each
groupofstudentswillbeassignedaspecificnewspaperandwillidentifywhattheythinkaretheinteresting
pointsraisedinthatpublicationthroughouttheentiremonthinquestion.Wewillthencometogetherasaclass
totalkaboutwhatwecollectivelylearned,takingintoaccounttheperspective,bias,andlocationofeach
newspaper.Wewillalsodiscusswhatwasn’tfoundinthecourseofourinvestigations.
TermPaper
Everybodyintheclasshasdifferentintereststhatmayormaynotbecoveredinthelecturesorthereadings.
Thetermpapergivesyouthechancetoexploreatopicthatyoufindparticularlyinteresting.Irecognizethat
someofyoumaynothavewrittenthiskindofpaperbefore.Ifthatisthecase,makesureyoutalktomeearlyin
thesemestersoIcangetyouontherighttrack.Thispaperisnotanexerciseintorture--itshouldbefun.You
willwanttoconsulttheCivilWar&ReconstructionResearchPaperGuidelines(seeendofsyllabus)throughout
theprocess.
TOPIC
Youmaychooseanyappropriatetopicbetween1850and1877thatisrelevanttotheclass.Alltopicsmustbe
approvedbytheinstructornolaterthanSeptember13th.Approvalrequiresaone-on-oneconsultationduring
myofficehours.Iwillbeasflexibleaspossibleontopics.Ifyou'renotsureaboutatopic,we'llsitdowntogether
andfindonethatinterestsyou.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
YouwillturninabibliographyatthebeginningofclassonSeptember29thviaD2L.Thebibliographymust
containbothprimaryandsecondarysourcematerials,withseparatesectionsforeach.Primarysourcesmight
includeperiodnewspapersandmagazines,diaries,memoirs,governmentdocuments,andofficialrecords.
Secondarysourcesmustincludeacombinationofmonographsandjournalarticles.Thebibliographyshouldbe
ascompleteaspossiblebythistime,althoughIexpectyouwillincludeevenmorematerialinthefinalpaper.
FORMAT
Thetextofthepaperwillbenotlessthan8normorethan10pagesinlength.Iwillstopreadingatthebottom
ofpage10.Itmustbedoublespaced,typedinastandard12-pointfontwithappropriatemargins,andhave
pagenumbersintheupperrighthandcornerofthepage.Endnotesshouldstartonaseparatepageafterthe
text,arenotconsideredpartofthe8-10pages,andshouldbeusedforcitingbothdirectquotationsandideas
thatappearinthebodyofthepaper.NotesandformatwillfollowtheChicago-StyleCitationQuickGuide
(http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html).Thefinishedpapermusthaveacoverpage
listingthetitleofyourpaper,yourname,theclass,andthedate.Stapleeverythingtogetherintheupperleft
handcornerofthepage.
THESIS
Eachpapermustbebuiltaroundanorganizingthesisthatdemonstratesyourabilitytointerpretyoursources.A
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thesisdoesnotneedtobeparticularlycomplextobeeffective,butitmustbethere.
GRADING
Thepaperisworth100points,orapproximately1/3ofyourfinalgrade.Youwillautomaticallylose5pointsif
youmissthedeadlineforchoosingthetopic(September13th).Yourbibliography(dueonSeptember29th)is
worthanadditional20points.ThepaperisdueatthebeginningofclassonNovember17thandmustbe
submittedviaD2L.Thepaperwillbegradedforgrammarandstyleaswellascontent.
Makeups
Makeupsmustbetakenwithintwoweeksofamissedexamandwillonlybegivenifthestudenthasa
university-approvedabsence.Itisyourresponsibilitytoarrangethemakeup.Unlessthereareextenuating
circumstances,makeupsnotcompletedwithintwoweekswillhaveascoreofzeroenteredonthegradesheet.
Studentswithunexcusedabsenceswillnotbeallowedtotakeamakeup.
WritingEssayExamQuestions
Whenwritingessays,itisimportantthatyoubuildyouransweraroundsomekindofthesisstatement.Beblunt
andputyourthesisintheopeningparagraph.Theremainingparagraphsshouldstrengthenyourthesiswhile
answeringthequestion.Ioftenwriteessayquestionsthataskyoutoexplaindifferentaspectsofabasic
question.Youmayfinditeasiesttomakeeachoftheseaspectsthesubjectofitsownparagraph.Besureto
supportyouressaythroughoutwithdetailsfromlecturesandyourreadings.Makeitcrystalcleartomethatyou
understandthematerial.Finally,includeastrongconclusionwhereyoutellmewhatyoujusttoldmeintherest
oftheessay.
StudentHistoryConference
IwillbeencouragingstudentstoplantopresenttheirresearchpapersattheFifty-SecondAnnualStudent
HistoryConference,tobeheldatUSDnextspring.Thisall-dayconferenceishostedbytheUSDHistory
Department,featuresoutstandingresearchpapersbyhistorystudentsfromadozenregionalcollegesand
universities,andconstitutestheregionalconferenceofPhiAlphaTheta,thenationalhonorsocietyinhistory.
SemesterSchedule
Topicsanddatesaresubjecttochange.
23Aug:
Introductiontothecourse
25Aug:
Compromise&Confrontation1820-1850
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.1.
30Aug:
TheSlaveSouth
-GeorgeFitzhugh,SouthernThought(excerpt)
-FrederickLawOlmsted,TheCottonKingdom(excerpt)
01Sept:
TheImpendingCrisis1850-1860
06Sept:
SectionalismandSecession
-AbrahamLincoln,“AHouseDivided”speech,1858
-AlexanderStephens,CornerstoneSpeech,1861
-DeclarationofCausesofSecedingStates
08Sept:
NOCLASS:WagingPeaceConference
13Sept:
HistoryLaboratory:May1861
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.2.
Assignment:Researchpapertopicsmustbeselected.
15Sept:
UnionandConfederateStrategy
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20Sept.:
Northern&SouthernLeadership
22Sept:
FIRSTEXAM
Readingscovered:TheAmericanWar,ch.1-2;Oakes,TheScorpion’sSting:Antislaveryandthe
ComingoftheCivilWar
27Sept:
WarintheEast,1861-62
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.3.
29Sept:
TheWarintheMississippiRiverValley,1861-63
Assignment:Researchpaperbibliographiesdue.
04Oct:
SoldiersandCombat
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.4.
-SoldierLetters
06Oct:
HistoryLaboratory:July1863
11Oct:
Fredericksburg/Chancellorsville
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.6.
13Oct:
Gettysburg
18Oct:
NavalWar&Blockade
20Oct:
Northern&SouthernPoliticalDissent
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.5.
25Oct:
SECONDEXAM
Readingscovered:TheAmericanWar,ch.3-6;Brasher,ThePeninsulaCampaignandtheNecessityof
Emancipation:AfricanAmericansandtheFightforFreedom
27Oct:
SouthernHomeFront
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.7.
-MaryLipscombtoJeffersonDavis(1862)
-SallyPutnam,RichmondDuringtheWar(1867)
-ReportofGen.GideonPillow(1863)
-EllaGertrudeThomasDiary(1861-1865)
-CatherineEdmonstonJournal(1865)
01Nov:
NorthernHomeFront
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.8.
-“AnAppealtotheWomenoftheRepublic”(1863)
-HenryW.Bellows,“TheSanitaryCommission”(1864)
-TheNewYorkPressDebatestheCausesoftheDraftRiots(1863)
-WorkingWomenProtestTheirLowWages(1865)
03Nov:
HistoryLaboratory:October1864
08Nov:
LegislativeImplicationsoftheWar
10Nov:
Tennessee/AtlantaCampaign&theMarchtotheSea
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.9.
15Nov:
ReconstructionPolicy
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.10.
-Wade-DavisBillDocuments
-Lincoln’sFinalPublicAddress(April1865)
17Nov:
GrantintheEast
Assignment:Researchpapersdue.
22Nov:
HistoryLaboratory:March1867
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24Nov:
NOCLASS:ThanksgivingBreak
29Nov:
ReconstructingSouthernPolitics
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.11.
-“TheLateConventionofColoredMen”(1865)
-AnUnreconstructedSoutherner(1868)
-OrganizationandPrinciplesoftheKuKluxKlan(1868)
01Dec:
EndingReconstruction
06Dec:
TheLostCauseandCivilWarMemory
Readings:TheAmericanWar,ch.12.
13Dec
FINALEXAMfrom3-5pm
Readingscovered:TheAmericanWar,ch.7-12;Ash,AMassacreinMemphis:TheRaceRiotThat
ShooktheNationOneYearAftertheCivilWar
DiversityandInclusiveExcellence:
TheUniversityofSouthDakotastrivestofosteragloballyinclusivelearningenvironmentwhereopportunities
areprovidedfordiversitytoberecognizedandrespected.
FreedominLearning:
UnderBoardofRegentsandUniversitypolicystudentacademicperformancemaybeevaluatedsolelyonan
academicbasis,notonopinionsorconductinmattersunrelatedtoacademicstandards.Studentsshouldbefree
totakereasonedexceptiontothedataorviewsofferedinanycourseofstudyandtoreservejudgmentabout
mattersofopinion,buttheyareresponsibleforlearningthecontentofanycourseofstudyforwhichtheyare
enrolled.Studentswhobelievethatanacademicevaluationreflectsprejudicedorcapriciousconsiderationof
studentopinionsorconductunrelatedtoacademicstandardsshouldcontactthedeanofthecollegeorschool
thatofferstheclasstoinitiateareviewoftheevaluation.
DisabilityAccommodations:
Anystudentwhofeelss/hemayneedacademicaccommodationsoraccessaccommodationsbasedonthe
impactofadocumenteddisabilityshouldcontactandregisterwithDisabilityServicesduringthefirstweekof
classorassoonaspossibleafterthediagnosisofadisability.DisabilityServicesistheofficialofficetoassist
studentsthroughtheprocessofdisabilityverificationandcoordinationofappropriateandreasonable
accommodations.StudentscurrentlyregisteredwithDisabilityServicesmustobtainanewaccommodation
memoeachsemester.Pleasenote:ifyourhomeinstitutionisnottheUniversityofSouthDakotabutoneofthe
otherSouthDakotaBoardofRegentsinstitutions(e.g.,SDSU,SDSMT,BHSU,NSU,DSU),youshouldworkwith
thedisabilityservicescoordinatoratyourhomeinstitution.
ErnettaL.Fox,Director
DisabilityServices,Room119ServiceCenter
WebSite:www.usd.edu/ds
(605)677-6389
E-mail:[email protected]
CollegeofArts&SciencesAcademicIntegrityPolicy:
TheCollegeofArtsandSciencesconsidersplagiarism,cheating,andotherformsofacademicdishonestyinimical
totheobjectivesofhighereducation.TheCollegesupportstheimpositionofpenaltiesonstudentswhoengage
inacademicdishonesty,asdefinedinthe“Conduct”sectionoftheUniversityofSouthDakotaStudent
Handbook.Nocreditcanbegivenforadishonestassignment.Astudentfoundtohaveengagedinanyformof
academicdishonestymay,atthediscretionoftheinstructor,be:
• Givenazeroforthatassignment.
• Allowedtorewriteandresubmittheassignmentforcredit.
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Assignedareducedgradeforthecourse.
Droppedfromthecourse.
Failedinthecourse.
KEEPTHISSYLLABUSANDREFERTOITOVERTHECOURSEOFTHESEMESTER.
WHENINDOUBT,ASKQUESTIONS.
Updated14August2013
HIST455-7
HIST455:CivilWar&Reconstruction
GuidelinesforResearchPapers
Fall2013
TopicSelection
Youhavetremendouslatitudewhenitcomestopickingatopicforyourpaper.Ingeneral,youmaychooseany
appropriatetopicbetween1850and1877.Becreative--therearelotsofperfectlyacceptabletopicsoutthere
thatdonothaveadirectbearingonthewar.Forexample,recentclasseshavewrittenabouttheoriginsof
baseball,19thcenturymedicine,the1862SiouxWar,abolitionism,andimmigrationpolicy.Thatisnottosay
thatgoodpaperscannotbewrittenaboutthewar--therearehundredsofwonderfulwartimetopicstochoose
from--butyoushouldnotunnecessarilylimityourself.
Ingeneral,youshouldbeginyoursearchbythinkingaboutthekindsofthingsthatinterestyou.Youmightbe
surprisedtofindsomeveryinterestingresearchsubjectsthatdealwiththesamequestionsandissuesthat
interestustoday.Onceyouhaveageneralinterestidentified(orifyouareabsolutelystumped)youshould
makeanappointmenttoseemeinmyoffice.WewilldiscussyourpotentialtopicandIwillhelpyourefineor
discarditinfavorofsomethingelse.
BasicRequirements
Everysuccessfulresearchpaperwilldothefollowing:
• Thetextofthepaperwillbenotlessthan8normorethan10pagesinlength.Iwillstopreadingatthe
bottomofpage10.Thepapermustbedoublespaced,typedinastandard12-pointfontwith
appropriatemargins,andhavepagenumbersintheupperrighthandcornerofthepage.Endnotes
shouldstartonaseparatepageafterthetextandarenotconsideredpartofthe8-10pages.
• Yourpapershouldbebuiltaroundaclearlydefinedthesis.Inotherwords,yourpapershouldbemaking
anargumentofsomekind.Often,thesimplertheargument,thebetter.Samplethesisstatementslook
likethis:
o Forapaperaboutantebellumpolitics:"TheeconomicupheavalcharacterizedbytheMarket
RevolutionshatteredthespiritofaccommodationthatexistedbetweentheNorthandthe
SouthbeforetheMexicanWar.Asthecountryconsideredwhattodowithlandacquiredinthe
war,thatupheavaltransformednationalpoliticalpartiesintosectionalparties."
o ForapaperabouttheBattleofAntietam:"RobertE.Lee'sarmywasnotabletobringitsfull
powertobearontheBattleofAntietambecauseenvironmentalconditionsandsupplyissues
greatlyreduceditsmanpowerbeforethebattlewaseverfought."
o ForapaperaboutReconstruction:"AndrewJohnson'spersonalityflawsandpoliticalineptitude
createdtheclashwithCongressthatultimatelyledtohisimpeachmentandnearremovalfrom
office."
• Bepatientwhenitcomestoformulatingathesis.Realistically,youwillhaveageneralideaaboutwhere
yourpaperisgoingwhenyoustartyourresearchbutwillnothaveimmersedyourselfenoughinthe
sourcestogenerateasuccinctthesis.Don'tworry,thatwillcomewithtime.Whenyoustartwriting,you
shouldhaveaclearerideabutwillprobablynothaveafullydevelopedthesisuntilyouarewellintoyour
paper.Atthatpoint,youwillneedtogoback,revisewhatyou'vewrittenandintegratethefinished
thesisintoyourpaper.
• Yourpapershouldincludeaconciseconclusionwhereyoureiteratetheargumentdevelopedfromyour
thesisandassessthevalidityofyourinterpretation.
• Yourpapershouldincludeaminimumoffive(5)differentprimarysources.Primarysourcesareany
materialsgeneratedatthetimeoftheevent/person/conceptyouarestudying.Youwillprobablyuse
writtensourcesthemost,butbeawarethatphotographs,music,art,andstatisticaltablesmightalsobe
consideredprimarymaterials.
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Yourpapershouldcontainaminimumofeight(8)differentsecondarysources.Secondarysourcesare
booksandarticleswrittenbyhistoriansaboutthesubject(orrelatedsubjects)thatyouareresearching.
StyleforyourpaperwillfollowtheBasicGuidetoWritingResearchPaperspostedonmywebsiteat
http://www.kurthackemer.com/guides/basic.html.StyleforyourendnoteswillfollowtheChicago
ManualofStyle,whichcanbefoundathttp://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
orinarecenteditionofKateTurabian,Student'sGuideforWritingCollegePapers.
Grading
Paperswillbegradedaccordingtothefollowingcriteria:
• The"A"Paper–Excellent
Characterizedbysoundorganizationandrichcontent.Thispaperhasastrongthesis,withequallystrong
supportingevidenceintermsofbothnumbersandqualityofsources.Thepointsmadeareveryspecific,
clearlyprovingtheefficacyofthewriter'sargument.Thepaperisextremelywell-written,showing
evidenceofseveraldraftsandrepeatedpolishingofstyle.Thisisapaperthatwouldteachanyonebuta
Europeanmilitaryhistoriansomethingnewaboutthetopic,andwoulddoitinawaythatwouldmakea
readerwanttorereadthepaper.
• The"B"Paper-AboveAverage
Morethanmeetsthebasicrequirementsoutlinedaboveandcontainsminimalspellingandgrammatical
errors.Thepaper'sthesisiscogent,clearandwell-developed.Theargumentssupportingthethesisuse
compellingevidenceandprovideclearanswerstothereader,leavinglittletotheimagination.
• The"C"Paper–Average
Meetsthebasicrequirementsoutlinedaboveandcontainsfewspellingandgrammaticalerrors.The
paperisreasonablywellorganized,withathesisthatbecomesobviousinthefirstfewpagesandthen
maturesthroughtherestofthepaper.Theactualinformationpresented,however,doesnotgrabthe
reader'sattention.A"C"paperoftenfailstotakethereaderbeyondsimplegeneralities,prompting
frequentquestionslike"Howmany?""When?""Ineverycase?"and"Why?"Italsocouldoftenuse
bettersources;whileitmeetsthegeneralcriteriafornumbersofsources,thequalityislacking.
• The"D"Paper–Minimal
Mightbemistakenforaroughdraftratherthanafinishedproduct.Thereareprobablyafewgoodideas
floatingaroundinitspages,buttheyhavenotbeenorganizedorwell-developed.Thepapermayalsobe
marredbyseriousstylistic,grammaticalandspellingerrors.Sourcesareminimalintermsofboth
numbersandquality.
• The"F"Paper-ACompleteDisaster
Thisisnotacollege-levelpaper.Thesubjectmatterisgarbled,unorganizedandcontainsfeworno
acceptablesourcematerials.Thepaperisprobablytheresultofonequicktriptothelibraryortheweb,
andonenight(andnotaverylongoneatthat)ofnon-stopwriting.
NOTE:Itispossibleforawell-written,clearlyorganizedandwell-sourcedpapertoearnan"F".Any
paperthatshowsevidenceofplagiarismwillautomaticallyreceiveafailinggrade.Iwillshownomercy,
whichmeansnosecondchances.
OtherHelpfulHints
• Rangebroadlyinyoursearchforsourcematerials.Often,studentsgetsoengrossedintheirtopicthat
theyfailtoestablishabroadresearchbase.Justbecauseyouhavetrackeddownasubstantialbodyof
relevantprimarymaterialdoesnotmeanthatyourpaperhasacompletebibliography.Whatisoften
missingisthesupportingsecondaryliteraturetoshowthatyouhaven'twrittenyourpaperinavacuum
andthatyouunderstandthebasichistoricalissuesconnectedtoyourtopic.Becreativeinbuildingboth
aprimaryandsecondarybibliography.Manystudentslimitthemselvestomaterialsontheimmediate
topicathand.Thatshouldnotbethecase.Forexample,ifyouwerewritingapaperonwomeninthe
war,youcouldeasilyincludemonographs/journalarticlesabouttheroleofwomeninthe19thcentury,
HIST455-9
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reformmovements,womenandlabor,theMarketRevolution,classstructure,religion,etc.
Avoidusingcontractions.
Avoiduseof"feel"and"felt."Tobeparticularlyavoidedisanyconstructionwiththephrase"hefelt
he"/"Smithfelthe."Useinstead,asappropriate,suchverbsasbelieved,concluded,asserted,argued,
described,contended,judged,andnoted.
Avoidusingthefirstperson.
Usetheactivevoicewheneverpossible,butrememberthattherearetimeswhenthepassivevoiceis
moreappropriate.
Useaconsistentshorttitleforabook,article,documentcollection,etc.,afterthefirstcompletecitation
inthenotes.
Checkpublicationinformationtobesurethatyougiveoriginalpublicationinformationaswellas
appropriatereprintinformation.
Becarefulwhenusingabbreviations--avoidusingthemtoomuch.Explainordefineabbreviationsthat
areused.
Quotations:itmustbeclearwhoisbeingquoted.Isitamodernauthororanhistoricalfigure?Inmost
casesitisbestnottoletaquotation"standalone."Instead,besuretoprefaceoridentifythesourceof
thequotation.
Donotusethephrase"alot."
Avoidoverusingblockquotations.Usuallyalongquotecanbebrokenupandworkedintotheflowof
thenarrative.
Nevercompletelytrustyourspell-checker.Alwaysreadthroughthefinishedpaperyourself,checking
homonyms,unusualproperandplacenames,etc.
Justbecausesomethingiswritteninabookdoesnotnecessarilymeanitistrue.Bediscriminatingin
youruseofevidence.