New order of topics puts evaluating evidence before instruction about writing assignments. To ensure that instruction about one skill builds logically upon the next, culminating in the final chapters about how to write a research paper, instruction about how to evaluate historical evidence (Chapter 4) now comes before the chapters on writing assignments (Chapters 5 and 6).
Revised discussion of the dangers and, at times, opportunities of Wikipedia. In Chapter 7, the skills needed to evaluate online sources include the careful use of Wikipedia. The rules for assessing other kinds of reference sources and web sites are applied to this particular information source.
Consistent attention to thesis construction. Emphasized as an essential task throughout, Chapter 6 now calls out examples of an effective thesis and an ineffective thesis, Chapter 7 discusses how to come up with a research question that will lead to a strong thesis, and Chapter 8 covers the thesis from the angle of a longer research paper.
New information about career opportunities for history students. Chapter 1 discusses the field of public history and includes a new chart, "Career Opportunities: Public and Private Sector Organizations." Discussion includes the private sector, recognizing the growing number of history graduates who have established themselves in many different fields.