About this site
Intended to serve as a practical and concise research and writing resource, this online adaptation of Jules R. Benjamin's A Student's Guide to History, Seventh Edition (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998) provides clear guidelines, concrete examples, and concise explanations to students researching and writing about any historical topic.

Organized into short topical sections, An Online Student's Guide to History can be used directly online for student reference or printed for the classroom. The site can be easily navigated using the table of contents, which takes users quickly and directly to the section they need.

How to Research a History Topic

I. Deciding What to Write About

Choosing a Topic for Your Paper

Coming Up With a Theme for Your Paper

Finding a Theme in Your Topic

Finding an Appropriate Scope for Your Theme

Using Research to Formulate a Theme

II. Creating a Research Outline

Sample Research Outline

Using Your Research Outline

III. Using Evidence

Types of Evidence

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Determining the Reliability of Evidence

Testing Consistency and Collaboration

Looking for Bias

Interpreting and Organizing Evidence

The Computer and Historical Research

IV. Reading Non-Written Sources

Reading Maps

Reading Statistical Data

Tables and charts

Graphs

V. Reading Written Sources

Determining Whether a Book Will Be Useful

Understanding an Author's Bias

Using the Table of Contents

Using the Index

The Introduction, Conclusion, and Bibliography

Skimming

How to Read Your Sources

Tackling Academic Vocabulary and Prose

Understanding the Author's Arguments

Guidelines for Reading Your Sources

VI.How to Take Notes from Your Sources

Deciding What Notes to Take

When to Use a Direct Quotation

How to Use Index Cards

Writing a Note for a Direct Quotation

VII. Avoiding Plagiarism

Ways to Avoid Plagiarism

The Art of Paraphrasing

VIII. Organizing Your Research

Preparing a Writing Outline

Choosing a Method of Organization for Your Paper

Chronological Organization

Sample Chronological Outline

Topical Organization

Sample Topical Outline

Organizing Your Notes

How to Write a Research Paper

I. Preparing to Write

Why Your Paper Needs a Theme

Adapting Your Writing Outline

II. Writing the Text

The Rough Draft

Writing Your Introduction

Making Your Paper the Appropriate Length

Writing Your Conclusion

III. Guidelines for Writing an Essay Exam

IV. Guidelines for Writing a Short Paper

V. Documenting Your Paper: Citing Your Sources

Footnotes and Endnotes

When to Use Footnotes

How to Write Footnotes

Footnote Form

Quotations: When and How to Use Them

Quotation Form

Organizing a Bibliography

Revising and Rewriting