Aug 04, · Firstly, avoid procrastination and start early. Secondly, leave yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, outline, research and write. Finally, follow these five tips to make your history essay shine: Write a substantial introduction. Particularly, it’s the first impression the professor will have of the paper Mar 25, · Use the bibliography/notes in your first general source, MUSE, and especially Historical Abstracts on cd-rom in the Library Reading Room (the computer farthest to the left in the front row as you walk past the Reference Desk — or ask there) Between each major idea you need to use creatively phrased transition statements that allow the flow of the essay to not be disrupted. The key to a good body portion of your essay is to remember to only discuss 1 major idea per paragraph. Make districtions between you major ideas in
How to write a History Essay
Last Updated: June 8, References. This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA. Emily Listmann is a private tutor in San Carlos, California. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewedtimes. Writing a history essay requires you to include a lot of details and historical information within how to start a history essay given number of words or required pages. It's important to provide all the needed information, but also to present it in a cohesive, intelligent way.
Know how to write a history essay that demonstrates your writing skills and your understanding of the material. To write a how to start a history essay essay, read the essay question carefully and use source materials to research the topic, taking thorough notes as you go. Next, formulate a thesis statement that summarizes your key argument in concise sentences and create a structured outline to help you stay on topic.
Open with a strong introduction that introduces your thesis, present your argument, and back it up with sourced material. Then, end with a succinct conclusion that restates and summarizes your position!
For more tips on creating a how to start a history essay statement, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. wikiHow Account. No account yet? Create an account.
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Cookie Settings. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Sample Essay. Related Articles. Article Summary. Co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA Last Updated: June 8, References. Part 1 of Evaluate the essay question.
The first thing to do if you have a history essay to write, is to really spend some time evaluating the question you are being asked. No matter how well-written, well-argued, or well-evidenced your essay is, if you don't answer the answer the question you have been asked, you cannot expect to receive a top mark.
Think about the specific key words and phrasing used in the question, and if you are uncertain of any of the terms, look them up and define them. Do this before you begin conducting your research to ensure that your reading is closely focussed to the question and you don't waste time. Consider what the question is asking you. With a history essay there are a number of different types of question you might be asked, which will require different responses from you.
You need to get this clear in the early stages so you can prepare your essay in the best way. Look at your set essay question and ask yourself whether you are being asked to explain, interpret, evaluate, or argue. You might be asked to do any number or all of these different things in the essay, so think about how you can do the following: Explain: provide an explanation of why something happened or didn't happen. Interpret: analyse information within a larger framework to contextualise it.
Evaluate: present and support a value-judgement. Argue: take a clear position on a debate and justify it, how to start a history essay.
Try to summarise your key argument. Once you have done some research you will be beginning to formulate your argument, or thesis statement, in your head. It's essential to have a strong argument which you will then build how to start a history essay essay around.
So before you start to plan and draft your essay, try to summarise your key argument in one or two sentences. Your thesis statement should clearly address the essay prompt and provide supporting arguments. For example, your summary could be something like "The First World War was a 'total war' because civilian populations were mobilized both in the battlefield and on the home front". Make an essay plan. Once you have evaluated the question, you need to draw up an essay plan. This is a great opportunity to organise your notes and start developing the structure which you will use for your essay.
When drawing up the plan you can assess the quality and depth of the evidence you have gathered and consider whether your thesis statement is adequately supported. Pick out some key quotes that make your argument precisely and persuasively. Part 2 of Distinguish between primary and secondary sources. A history essay will require a strong argument that is backed up by solid evidence.
The two main types of evidence you can draw on are known as primary and secondary sources. Depending on the essay you are writing, you might be expected to include both of these, how to start a history essay. If you are uncertain about what is expected be sure to ask your teacher well in advance of the essay due date.
Primary source material refers to any texts, films, pictures, or any other kind of evidence that was produced in the historical period, or by someone who participated in the events of the period, that you are writing about. Secondary material is the work by historians or other writers analysing events in the past. The body of historical work on a period or event is known as the historiography. Typically a research essay would need significant primary material, how to start a history essay.
Find your sources. It can be difficult to get going with your research. There may be an enormous number of texts which makes it hard to know where to start, or maybe you are really struggling to find relevant material.
In either case, there are some tried and tested ways to find reliable source material for your essay. Start with the core texts in your reading list or course bibliography.
Your teacher will have carefully selected these so you should start there, how to start a history essay. Look in footnotes and bibliographies. When you are reading be sure to pay attention to the footnotes and bibliographies which can guide you to further sources a give you a clear picture of the important texts. Use the library.
If you have how to start a history essay to a library at your school or college, be sure to make the most of it.
Search online catalogues and speak to librarians. Access online journal databases. If you are in college it is likely that you will have access to academic journals online.
These are an excellent and easy to navigate resources. Use online sources with discretion, how to start a history essay. Try using free scholarly databases, how to start a history essay, like Google Scholar, which offer quality academic sources, but avoid using the non-trustworthy websites that come up when you simply search your topic online.
Avoid using crowd-sourced sites like Wikipedia as sources. However, you can look at the sources cited on a Wikipedia page and use them instead, if they seem credible. Evaluate your secondary sources. It's very important that you critically evaluate your sources. For a strong academic essay you should be using and engaging with scholarly material that is of a demonstrable quality.
It's very easy to find information on the internet, or in popular histories, but you should be using academic texts by historians. If you are early on in your studies you might not be sure how to identify scholarly sources, so when you find a text ask yourself the following questions: Who is the author?
Is it written by an academic with a position at a University? Search for the author online. Who is the publisher? Is the book published by an established academic press? Look in the cover to check the publisher, if it is published by a University Press that is a good sign.
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Mar 25, · Use the bibliography/notes in your first general source, MUSE, and especially Historical Abstracts on cd-rom in the Library Reading Room (the computer farthest to the left in the front row as you walk past the Reference Desk — or ask there) May 15, · Have a Good History Essay Outline An outline acts as the map that guides you on where to place points. It is like the skeleton of the paper. Therefore, before you begin discussing your points, develop a sketch on a rough paper on how you want the points to be arranged You might as well start your paper with, “Attention: this essay will bore you to tears.”. You need to spice up an opening, add some pizzazz, and write a catchy hook, so readers actually want to read what you write. So let’s leave the dull introductions behind and move on to how to start a history essay with more engaging opening lines Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins
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