Whether you are writing an in class essay exam or a 20 page research paper, there are some basic guidelines which you should keep in mind. The first part of this handout gives general information which is relevant to the writing of any historical essay. The second part gives tips which you should utilize in writing take home essays, exams, and research papers. You must organize the facts into themes which support a central argument or thesis. This thesis should be introduced in the beginning of the paper and developed throughout the paper one step at a time.

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The stronger your thesis, the easier it will be for you to develop a strong argument. Use an outline to organize your thoughts in a clear, coherent and logical manner and to guide you in writing the essay. Use the introduction to state your thesis, outline the main points you will make in the essay, and describe the conclusions which you will draw in the essay. History essays are not mystery papers the reader should know from the beginning what your conclusions are. The body is the bulk of your paper, the place where you present your facts and develop your thoughts and arguments. The body can be developed chronologically, thematically, geographically, or in any number of ways, but you must make it clear how you are approaching and organizing the material.

While you write the essay, keep in mind the following points: write in paragraphs. This includes writing in complete sentences, using past tense instead of present tense when appropriate, using active verbs instead of passive ones, varying your vocabulary, and avoiding sexist language i.e. Don't use the generic he or talk about the history of man when you mean the history of humans or people. If you have taken an english composition class, bring those skills into your essay. Do not just explain what happened, but also try to explain why it happened and why it is significant.

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Rather, it is more important that you are able to use the material to develop an argument which supports your point of view. Don't be afraid to give your opinions and interpretations of the material this is your thesis!. Don't assume that i as the instructor know everything that there is to know on your topic. It should emphasize your thesis, and briefly summarize how you have proven it in the body of the paper. You can also use the conclusion to state your own interpretations, to assess and argue with the material you have read, and to point to gaps in our historical knowledge. If your assignment is to write a three page paper, you may find it most useful to follow the five paragraph model where the first paragraph is the introduction, the next three form the body, and the final paragraph is the conclusion.

The introduction and conclusion frame your essay, and the body presents the information necessary to support your thesis. Each of the three paragraphs should concern one specific issue which supports your main argument. For example, if your assignment is to write a paper on the consequences of independence in latin america, these three paragraphs might touch on social, economic, and political aspects which demonstrate that independence resulted in either profound or minimal changes your thesis.

This format, of course, can be modified as necessary to meet the specific needs of your topic. If you are writing a 20 page research paper, the introduction might be several paragraphs long. the form of the research paper the physical form and appearance of a research paper is important.

Turabian's a manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations. This guide is available in the reference section of the library or in most good bookstores. Briefly, the following are important elements you should keep in mind when writing a research paper:

the title page

The text should contain an introduction, body, and conclusion as laid out above , and the pages should be numbered. references in any formal essay or research paper including three page papers you must document the information you use in the writing of the paper. This is to let the reader know the sources of the information you use and is accomplished through a system of citations and a bibliography. You must include both failure to do so will result in a lower grade for your paper. You must use a citation to give the source of a direct quotation or paraphrase of someone else's writings or ideas, statistical information, historical descriptions and events, or a date.

Failure to do so is plagiarism, which is cheating and can result not only in an f for the paper but also a failing grade for the course and ultimately expulsion from the university. According to the sixth edition of the turabian manual, a citation can take three forms: a footnote, an endnote, or a parenthetical reference. Footnotes and endnotes use a system of corresponding numbers or symbols to give the source of information, and parenthetical references are imbedded in the text. Footnotes and endnotes are similar except that footnotes appear at the bottom of the page separated from the text with a one and a half inch line and endnotes appear on a separate page entitled endnotes at the end of the text. Normally it is easier to type endnotes on a separate page, but some computer word processing programs allow for easy placement of footnotes on the bottom of pages. The form which footnotes or endnotes for books and journal articles should take is as follows: 1.

James lockhart, spanish peru, 1532 1560: a colonial society madison: university of wisconsin press, 1968 , 110. 2. Richard alan white, the political economy of paraguay and the impoverishment of the missions, the americas 31:4 april 1975 , 425. parenthetical references appear in the body of the text and take the following form: author year, page. bibliography all materials which you use in the writing and research of your paper must be listed in your bibliography in alphabetical order according to the author's last name.