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