Bringing together practical methods from both history and composition, Writing History provides a wealth of tips and advice to help students research and write essays for history classes. The book covers all aspects of writing about history, including finding topics and researching them, interpreting source materials, drawing inferences from sources, and constructing arguments. It concludes with three chapters that discuss writing effective sentences, using precise wording, and revising. Using numerous examples from the works of cultural, political, and social historians, Writing History serves as an ideal supplement to history courses that require students to conduct research. The third edition includes expanded sections on peer editing and topic selection, as well as new sections on searching and using the Internet.

"Storey's book is a first-rate guide for students who are new to the field of history and to the processes of historical research and writing. He offers a useful framework for organizing and successfully completing a major research project in a history class."--Ellen Stroud, Oberlin College

"It is rare that books about writing are well-written. This is a well-presented story that should keep students' attention throughout. It is also brilliantly practical. This is the computer manual that tells you to plug in the machine first. It is a work that students will read and that faculty can rely on."--Mark A. Kishlansky, Harvard University

William Kelleher Storey is Associate Professor of History at Millsaps College. Formerly Preceptor in Expository Writing at Harvard University, he is the author of Guns, Race, and Power in Colonial South Africa (2008) and Science and Power in Colonial Mauritius (1997).

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1. Getting Started

Explore Your Interests

Move from a Historical Interest to a Research Topic

Use Print Sources to Begin a Project

The A.H.A. Guide

Speak with a Librarian

Use Electronic Resources in the Library

Be Skeptical About Other Online Resources

Approach Your Topic from a Particular Angle

Go to the Library and Do Some Background Reading

Browse for More Sources

Form a Hypothesis

Craft a Proposal

Write an Annotated Bibliography

Talk to People About Your Topic

If You Have to Abandon a Topic, Do It Early

Chapter 2. Interpreting Source Materials

Work Systematically

Distinguish Primary Sources from Secondary Works

Refine Your Hypothesis with Who, What, Why, Where, and When

Be Sensitive to the Points of View in Your Sources

Select the Most Important Source Materials

Take Notes by Being Selective

Chapter 3. Writing History Faithfully

Collect and Report Your Sources Carefully

Incorporate the Ideas of Others with Care and Respect

Summarize and Paraphrase Fairly

Quote Occasionally

Use Ellipses and Brackets, but Do Justice to Your Sources

Learn How to Use Quotation Marks

Don't Plagiarize

Be Honest, but Don't Give Unnecessary Citations

Choose a Citation System That Suits Your Audience

Chapter 4. Use Sources to Make Inferences

Be True to Recognized Facts

Transform Facts into Evidence

Check Your Facts

Check the Internal Consistency of Primary Sources

Check Primary Sources Against Each Other

Compare Primary Sources with Secondary Works

Box 1: Conduct Interviews Systematically

Juxtapose Sources to Make Inferences

Box 2: Make Inferences from Material Sources

Move from Inferences to Arguments

Make Reasonable Inferences from Your Sources

Make Inferences That Are Warranted

Avoid Unwarranted Comparisons

Avoid Anachronistic Inferences

Chapter 5. Get Writing!

Consider Narratives and Analysis

Create a Draft Outline of an Analytical Essay

Create a Draft Outline of a Narrative Essay

Complete Your Analytical Outline

Complete Your Narrative Outline

Choose a Framework for Your Essay

Chapter 6. Build an Argument

Start to Write a First Draft

Grab Your Reader's Attention, but Do It Gently

State Your Intellectual Interests Early

Build Your Essay with Good Paragraphs

Define Your Key Terms Early

Set an Appropriate Tone

Treat Other Writers with Consideration

Account for Counterarguments

Lead Your Readers to an Interesting Conclusion

Chapter 7. Narrative Techniques for Historians

Write a Narrative to Tell a Story

Write a Narrative to Support an Argument

Combine Chronology with Causation

Get a Sense of Change and Continuity

Select the Key Participants in Your Story

Find Your Own Voice as a Narrator

Choose Your Own Beginning and End

Chapter 8. Writing Sentences in History

Choose Verbs That Are Precise

Make Passive Sentences Active

Write in the Past Tense

Avoid Split Infinitives if You Can

Put Verbs in Your Sentences

Put Your Ideas in an Intelligible Order

Keep Related Words Together

Keep Pronouns Close to the Words They Represent

Keep Subjects and Verbs Close Together

Begin a Sentence on Common Ground and Gradually Build a New Point

The Emphasis Comes at the End

Construct Parallel Forms for Emphasis

Form the Possessive Correctly

Break the Rules if You Must

Chapter 9. Choose Precise Words

Be Concise

Write in Language That Your Audience Can Understand

Avoid Pretentious Language

Avoid Colloquial Language

Be Sensitive to the Politics of Diction

Be Sensitive to Gender-Specific Language

Avoid Euphemisms

Choose Figurative Language Carefully

Use Metphors and Similes Judiciously

Use Color, but Avoid Cliches

Use Foreign Words That Are Familiar to Your Audience

Check for These Common Diction Problems

Chapter 10. Revising and Editing

Get Some Perspective on Your Draft

Revise Your Draft

Evaluate Your Own Arguments and Narratives

Evaluate Your Sentences and Word Choices

Proofread the Final Draft

Proofread for Punctuation

Proofread for Spelling

Check Your Formatting

Read Your Paper Aloud

Keep the Rules in Mind, but Enjoy Your Writing

Notes

Index