History: It's about Time -- What's the Story with History? -- The Sources of History -- Good Answers Begin with Good Questions -- Search Engines, Research Ingenuity -- How to Read a Book without Ever Getting to Chapter One -- Analysis: The Intersection of Reading and Writing -- Making a Case: An Argument in Three Parts -- Defining Introductions -- Strong Bodies (I): The Work of Topic Sentences -- Strong Bodies (II): Exposition and Evidence -- Strong Bodies (III): Counterargument and Counterevidence -- Surprising Conclusions -- Scaling the Summit: Crystallizing Your Argument -- Writing is Rewriting: The Art of Revision -- Putting It All Together: The Research Essay (A Case Study) -- Conclusion: The Love of History.
Summary:
"Jim Cullen guides the reader through the nuts and bolts of producing good historical prose, discussing key strategies such as framing questions, developing a strong introduction and topic sentences, choosing good evidence, and the important role of revision. Beginning with a survey of the field, this book offers useful insight into how to read and understand a wide variety of historical sources, as well as providing an introduction to historiography, helpful tips for conducting research, and a discussion of what it means to think and read analytically. Cullen also offers a set of appendices that cover the major issues facing students of history today, among them the dangers of plagiarism, the role of the Internet, and the need for correctly annotated and formatted footnotes and bibliographies."-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.