Resource Guides for Specific History Classes

Writing a Paper

Reading Your Assignment Picking a Topic Developing a Thesis Statement Planning your Research

Executing your Research Plan Evaluating Your Research Writing Your Paper Additional Resources

Reading your Assignment

Be sure that you understand

• how long your paper should be
• what type of resources you should use
  • print
  • digital
• what type of sources you should use
  • secondary
  • primary
• if a draft is due and when
• when the final paper is due
• what format your bibliography should be in
  • Chicago Manual of Style
  • Turabian
  • APA
  • MLA

Note: Citations examples are from B. Davis Schwarts Memorial Library, C. W. Post Campus, Long Island University. Citation manuals for all styles are at the reference desk of Hunt Library if you need additional examples or information.

If you are unsure about any of the above or have any questions about your paper, ask your instructor.

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Picking a Topic

Pick a topic

• that fits the limits of the assignment
• that interests you

This can be the hardest part of the assignment. To get topic ideas, think about

• why you selected this class
• what you hope to learn
• topics in your text or required readings
• personal interests

If you have a broad area of interest, use a subject encyclopedia to read about issues within that area which might make a good paper topic. Many are listed under "Background" on the Research Help: History pages or the Resource Guides for Specific History Classes pages. A reference librarian can help you find relevant ones, too.

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Developing a Thesis Statement

Usually papers have a thesis, an assertion about your topic. You will present evidence in your paper to convince the reader of your point of view. Some ways to help you develop your thesis are by

• stating the purpose of the paper
• asking a question and then using the answer to form your thesis statement
• summarizing the main idea of your paper
• listing the ideas you plan to include, then see if they form a group or theme
• using the points of controversy, ambiguity, "issues" to develop a thesis statement

If you're having trouble with your thesis statement, ask your instructor for help.

Your thesis may become refined, revised, or changed as your research progresses. Perhaps these sites may be helpful:

• Developing a Thesis (Maxine Rodburg and The Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University)
• Developing a Thesis Statement (Writing Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
• Developing a Thesis (The Writing Place, Northwestern University)

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Planning Your Research

Look at the available resource guides and plot out a strategy.

• Use the resources in Background on either the Research Help: History pages or the Resource Guides for Specific History Classes pages to fill in any gaps of knowledge or to get a general overview of your topic
• use the bibliography at the end of articles in encyclopedias to get some basic resources
• plan what types of resources and sources you need and which databases you'll use
• think of keywords or subject headings would be good for your topic
• plan your search strategy, thinking of what boolean or proximity operators you might need, if you'll use wildcards, etc. Make sure you know how to do the search in the databases you plan to use
• start your research early so that you have time to get materials that are not in the Libraries via Illiad or EZBorrow

If you are unsure of which databases to use or what keywords or subject headings to use, or what would make a good search strategy, talk to a reference librarian. Reference librarians can help you locate appropriate encyclopedias, suggest databases, help you find good terms to use, and develop a good search strategy.

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Executing Your Research Plan

Begin using the databases and other resources from your research strategy

• write down which databases you used and the search strategy
• read the titles and abstracts of articles to find those that best suit your paper topic and thesis statement
• when available, use the subject heading links of relevant materials to execute other searches
• when available, use the SFX button to find the full text of materials
• Use Illiad or EZBorrow to obtain materials that aren't in the CMU libraries.

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Evaluating Your Research

Take the time to look at your materials and make sure that you've accumulated enough to

• meet the requirements of the assignment
• write a cogent, well documented paper
• support your thesis

If you have gaps in your research or are having trouble locating information you need, this would be a good time to consult a reference librarian. If you've written down the databases used and your search strategy, this will easily let the reference librarian see what you've done, and make it easier to offer alternatives.

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Writing Your Paper

Some people like to write from an outline, some just like to start writing after some thought. In any case, give yourself enough time before the deadline so that you can

• concentrate on getting your ideas down on paper, without worrying that much about punctuation, spelling, etc.
• put the draft aside, then come back and refine and/or revise the content
• polish the paper paying attention to spelling, punctuation, grammar

While online spell checkers and grammar checkers are extremely helpful, they can not catch all typographical errors. You need to read your paper carefully to catch all errors. Dictionaries can help with spelling, and, of course, definitions, so that you use words correctly. The following may help:

• Oxford English Dictionary(Carnegie Mellon users only)
• Oxford Reference Online: English Dictionaries and Thesauruses (Carnegie Mellon users only)
• Oxford Reference Online: English Language Reference (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  For resources on grammar, usage, idioms,dictionaries, etc.

These sites might help, too.

• How to Write and Revise a Rough Draft (UT Learning Center, University of Texas at Austin)
• Writing Papers (Virginia Tech)

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