Synopses & Reviews
A portable and affordable reference tool, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History provides reading, writing, and research advice useful to students in all history courses. Concise yet comprehensive advice on approaching typical history assignments, developing critical reading skills, writing effective history papers, conducting research, using and documenting sources, and avoiding plagiarism — enhanced with practical tips and examples throughout — have made this slim reference a best-seller. Now in its sixth edition, the book offers more coverage of working with sources than ever before.
About the Author
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.
Table of Contents
Preface
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?
Uses of primary and secondary sources
Evaluating sources
Evaluating primary sources
Tips for Writers: Evaluating Text-based Primary Sources
Tips for Writers: Evaluating Nonwritten Primary Sources
Evaluating secondary sources
Tips for Writers: Evaluating Secondary Sources
Evaluating online sources
Tips for Writers: Evaluating Web Sources 3. Reading and Writing in History: Some Typical Assignments
Reading actively in history
Tips for Writers: Writing as You Read
Writing about reading
Summaries
Annotated bibliographies
Critiques and Book Reviews
Film reviews
Single-source Analysis
Historiographic essays
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
Tips for Writers: Testing your Thesis
Constructing an argument
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: Questions for Revising: 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 and a working thesis
Gathering and managing sources
Developing a working thesis
Conducting research
Consulting human resources
Locating primary sources
Using the librarys online catalog
Using print and electronic reference sources
Using print and electronic periodical databases
Tips for Writers: Electronic Databases
Finding Internet sources
Distinguishing among electronic sources
Taking effective research notes
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
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
Directory to Documentation Models
Formatting notes
Formatting bibliography entries
Models for notes and bibliography entries
Sample pages from a student research paper Appendix A. Writing Guides of Interest to Historians
Appendix B. Selected Print and Online Resources in History
Index