Professor Fleming's Brief
Guides: Writing Papers for History Class
Writing a paper for your history class is not always fun. There are
books to read, journals to track down, maybe even a day spent piecing together
parts of old newspaper articles - and all of it done while you try to take
copious (and accurate) notes. It can be frustrating, but it can also
be rewarding. Not only is your chance of receiving a good grade bettered,
but the skills you develop doing writing for your college professors will
also benefit you in your future employment endeavors.
To that end, I have prepared a short and by no means comprehensive guide to
writing a paper for your history class. That is, for MY history class.
I have presented citation and bibliography examples, writing style examples,
and a list of grammar and punctuation "do nots". It is with
this last item that you begin your journey to writing better papers for college.
subject
restrictions - formatting guidelines - bibliography
examples - in-line citations - grammar
& punctuation do-nots
- If you are writing
an essay, answer the question. It really is that simple. Form
an argument, support it with concrete examples and details, and do not get
too wordy.
- If you are writing
a biography, choose a subject from the appropriate time covered in your
class. To simplify:
- US History I - pre-Colonial
times to the end of the Civil War
- US History II - 1866
to the Reagan Administration - this means no Civil War figures!
- Western Civilizations
I - pre-recorded times to the Protestant Reformation
- Western Civilizations
II - post-Reformation to the collapse of the Soviet Union
- For a biography paper,
you must choose somebody that actually had an effect on the course of history
in the region you are studying. A good option is to review the study
guides for your class and simply choose somebody from one of them.
For example:
- US History - an American,
or at least somebody who became an American (or would have, had they lived
long enough)
- Western Civilizations
- a European (Western or Eastern), North African (primarily Egypt), or
someone from the Middle East (Persia, Sumeria, etc.)
subject
restrictions - formatting guidelines - bibliography
examples - in-line citations - grammar
& punctuation do-nots
-
Use
1" margins all around and print with black ink on a quality printer.
-
Use
12-point type in a readable font such as Times New Roman or Verdana.
Never use a script, hollow, or any other weird font.
-
Pulled
quotes - which, incidentally, should never be used in any paper under 10
pages - are done single-spaced, in type 1 point smaller than the main text,
and are indented one additional tab stop from the left (compared to the
indent point for a paragraph start).
-
Do
not put your name, class information, or other information at the top of
your first page of text - that is why I require a cover page. If you
feel you must include your name on each page of your paper, put it in the
footer.
-
Use
one staple in the upper left corner and do not staple your paper together
until they are in the right order. Number them if you must - at the
bottom.
-
Do
not use any folders, binders, covers, or plastic of any kind when turning
in your paper.
-
Do
not pad your paper with blank lines between paragraphs.
subject
restrictions - formatting guidelines - bibliography
examples - in-line citations - grammar
& punctuation do-nots
Complete guide to a proper MLA style bibliography.
The determination for using an in-line (or in-text) citation is simple.
If what you write is wholly your idea and entirely your words, it does not
need a citation. Common knowledge facts do not need citations (such
as the dates of someone's death or that Kissinger traveled to China).
If you take the words directly from another work, a citation is necessary
every single time.
It is a bit harder to determine when to use a citation if you paraphrase.
Paraphrasing is taking a larger chunk of material from somebody else's work
and restating it in your paper using your own words. The problem here
is that you have used your words, put your spin on the material, but the IDEA
was not yours to start with. Technically, you must cite the idea.
The formats for in-line citations are simple:
- General citation:
(Lastname Pg#)
- If the author's name
is in the sentence: (Pg#)
- Multiple authors:
(Lastname and Lastname Pg#)
- Different authors with
the same last name: (P. Lastname Pg#) (R. Lastname Pg#)
- No author available:
("Article Title" Pg#)
- Source within a source:
(Lastname, qtd. in Lastname Pg#)
- Author with multiple
books cited: (Book Title Pg#)
subject
restrictions - formatting guidelines - bibliography
examples - in-line citations - grammar
& punctuation do-nots
- Do not - ever - write
exactly as you speak. People use vastly different vocabulary sets
and pace differently in writing than they do when speaking. Reading
your work aloud can often clue you in to pacing problems, so do not neglect
this important tool in your editing process - but remember not to let it
govern your writing.
- Never start a sentence
with And, But, or Or. If you feel the need to do so, review the previous
sentence's structure and determine if a subordinate clause would be more
appropriate. Otherwise, just start a new sentence.
- Do not use contractions.
Apostrophes used for possessives do not indicate contractions.
- Do not ask rhetorical
questions, even if you plan on answering them. Do you know what I
mean?
- Do not use the first
person. You are writing about historical events and unless you were
actually in attendance, there is no need to involve yourself with I, me,
my, or mine. Since there is no need to involve yourself, there is
subsequently no need to involve the reader. To help avoid first person
writing, investigate the proper uses of the word "one", as in
"One must study hard to pass a college history class."
- Learn the difference
between the following word sets: their, they're, there; too, to, two;
its, it's - and many, many more.
- Avoid passive voice
and write actively. For instance, do not write "It is believed
to have been the most destructive battle ever"; write "it was
the most destructive battle ever." Of course, a statement of this kind
would need an in-line citation (if somebody else wrote or said it) or proof
to support it.
- USE THE SPELL CHECK
FUNCTION OF YOUR WORD PROCESSOR. In this modern age there is no excuse
for turning in a paper with misspelled words - ever. Keep in mind
that your spell check will not inform you if you are using "two"
when you should be using "too".
subject
restrictions - formatting guidelines - bibliography
examples - in-line citations - grammar
& punctuation do-nots