Writing Guidelines for History

Currently the history department requires many types of writing. Writing in the history department requires the ability to discern and find information, an ability to write analytically and persuasively through the use of research papers, reflective writing, biography essays, position essays, self-evaluations, narrative, summary, reports, short answers, and journals. 

RESEARCH PAPERS:

Research papers would be based on researching an issue and creating a thesis based on the research and then supporting and attempting to prove this thesis in the body of the paper. The length of said paper would depend on the complexity of the assignment, and would generally be 3-5 pages. 

REFLECTIVE WRITING:

This form of writing generally requires the student to show comprehension in the form of discussion and extension of ideas related to the issue. Students are required to write assessments of pertinent issues.

BIOGRAPHY ESSAYS:

This form of writing might be similar to a research paper but without a central thesis.  In such a form of writing a student would be asked to demonstrate researched knowledge and expertise in the subject but also will be expected to think critically, analyzing information rather than merely summarizing it. It is critical that students use their own words and language in this type of written assignment. If a student comprehends the subject matter and research there is no reason a student can’t insert evaluations in the forms of opinions in the paper or even predictions and analogies to other situations. Such a paper would generally be 3-5 pages.

PERSUASIVE ESSAYS:

These essays would require the student to take a position on some issue researched or discussed in class.

Such an essay might  

• Introduce the subject vividly

• Explain why it is important and matters

• Describe options, possibilities, or consequences

• State a clear position

• Explain and support the position

• Explain and evaluate other options

• Conclude

SELF-EVALUATION:

This form of writing is a type of critical and reflective writing. Students will need to know that these self-evaluations will be read and will be considered part of a larger assignment. The goal of this writing is for students to realize how they can improve in similar situations in the future, and become aware of their own learning styles.

Such assignments might commonly ask:

How much and what kind of work the student performed?

What kind of grade has been earned and why?

What they did best?

What needs to be improved?

What did they learn about the topic?

What did they learn about themselves as history students?

What else they learned that could be connected to future situations?

Future goals?

NARRATIVE WRITING:

This form of writing involves recalling an event or telling a story. This might be used if a student were writing a piece based on another persona. This assignment would ask the writers to place themselves in someone else’s shoes. Vivid history details would need to be inserted into this writing based on what had been studied or researched. In such writings students would be expected to show historical accuracy demonstrating understanding of the era about which they are writing, and empathy (not using contemporary values to make judgments about issues occurring in another era). In writing about some issues (e.g., genocide, slavery, the Native American experience, the Holocaust), moral absolutes may apply. In writing, students are expected to form judgments based on their research of a topic that they can apply to contemporary situations.

SUMMARIZING:

This writing points out the main issues in a larger text. 

Students doing this would generally have to discern the main point of the text and its most important aspects. It would generally be shorter than the original and logically present the main ideas in the writer’s own words.  Students are encouraged to read critically and be aware of bias.

REPORTS:

Reports for history would attempt to elicit factual information from more than one source so that the student presents a variety of perspectives. Reports should state factual information relating to events, locations, and primary source accounts. Students should be able to demonstrate their sources through the use of a bibliography.

SHORT ANSWERS:

Commonly found on exams and homework assignments, this type of writing is an answer to a question. The questions generally do not ask for a simple answer, but ask students to think critically and formulate their response based on class work or the reading.

JOURNALS:

Journals are assigned within the history department and can be responses to what is being discussed in class or a project based on a persona, or a series of events in history.

NOTE: All history department exams and tests include an essay component where students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge of a subject by taking a position on a topic and supporting it.

REWRITES: 

In history classes there may be rewrites depending on the assignment.

PLAGIARISM:

Broadly stated, plagiarism occurs when students use someone else’s work or ideas and claims them as their own. Students need to cite the work or ideas of others.  Even when citing is used, however, it is unacceptable to the history department for a student to submit work that contains no self-generated thesis, but only lengthy sections from work generally available on the Internet. Students should use the MLA format when citing sources in the history department.

The most common examples of plagiarism are:

• Using another author’s work without citing a source

• Submitting an entire paper as the student’s work, when it is not theirs

• Paraphrasing closely an original source without proper attribution

A useful website for research writing is

http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml

Paraphrasing is perhaps the grayest issue here. 

Successful paraphrasing would require a new explanation and/or interpretation of the original source, not mere summary. One other way to paraphrase successfully would be to make an example or analogy, utilize the information, or extend the idea, and make connections to other ideas.

 WRITING STYLE/DEPARTMENT STYLE:

This may be teacher specific, but in preparing for SATs and AP exams students should be encouraged to write in a formal style on tests, quizzes, and papers.  Slang, colorful language, and overly comedic writing should be minimized in such formal arenas. 

INTRODUCTIONS/CONCLUSIONS:

Introductions should introduce the reader to the subject, be engaging, state a thesis, and support it. The conclusion should reiterate the thesis.

OUTLINES:

An outline of a project or writing is used as a first step in producing a longer work.

ESSAY AND SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS: 

For the purpose of exam writing, a short answer is usually 1-3 paragraphs (half page) and an essay is 3-5 paragraphs (half to full page).

TITLES/TITLE PAGES:

The use of title page is required for a major assignment. Students should strive to write a title that is engaging and interesting.

PROOFREADING: