Preface
A Note to Students
1. The Subject of History
What History Can Tell You
How Historians Work
Approaches to History
How You Can Use History
2. Succeeding in Your History Class
Keeping Up with Reading Assignments
Taking Notes in Class
Classroom Participation
Communicating Online
3. Working with Historical Evidence
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
When a Secondary Source Becomes a Primary One
Accessing Sources in Print, in Person, and Online
Reading Written Sources
“Reading” Nonwritten Sources
4. Building a History Essay
Why Clear Writing is Important
Preparing to Write
Drafting Your Essay
Revising Your Essay
Proofreading Your Essay
The Danger of Plagiarism
5. Preparing Specific Writing Assignments
Writing about Primary Sources
Writing about Secondary Sources
Writing Short Essays
Giving Presentations
Taking Exams
6. Researching a History Topic
Beginning the Research Process
Conducting Research
Evaluating Sources
Interpreting Sources and Taking Notes
Avoiding Plagiarism
7. Writing a Research Paper
Asserting Your Thesis
Organizing Your Evidence with an Outline
Writing the Text
Revising and Rewriting
Example of a Research Paper
8. Documenting Your Paper: Citing Sources in Chicago Style
Formatting Footnotes and Endnotes
Organizing a Bibliography
Documentation Models
Appendix A: Resources for History Research
Appendix B: Historical Sources in Your Own Backyard
Glossary
Index