From Writing Center at Harvard College http://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/
Handout http://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/files/hwp/files/bg_writing_history.pdf
As you compose or revise your history paper, consider these guidelines:
Write in the past tense. Some students have been taught to enliven their prose by writing in the “literary present” tense. Such prose, while acceptable in other disciplines, represents poor historical thinking. Since all historical events (including the composition of primary and secondary sources) took place at some point in the past, write about them in the past tense.
Avoid vague generalizations. Historians value specificity, not equivocal phrases like “once upon a time” or “people always say that….”
Avoid presentism or anachronisms. Resist the temptation to relate all historical arguments or concerns back to the present. Rather, investigate the past on its
own terms. Take care not to jumble the chronological order of events.
Treat your historical subject with respect. Aspire to understand, rather than judge, the past. Remember that historical actors were not privy to contemporary values or assumptions and that no historical generation (including our own) is perfect.
Paraphrase if you can, quote if you must.
Many students rely on quotations as a crutch, missing an opportunity to develop their skills of historical analysis. Instead, quote sparingly. When you do quote, introduce the source and context of every remark for the benefit of an unfamiliar reader. (See Integrating Source Material using Signal Phrases)
Provide necessary context. Good historical writing involves active commentary and rigorous engagement with the material. As a historian, you are responsible for
interrogating sources, interpreting evidence, and reporting your findings about the interplay of text and context.
Employ a responsible and consistent citation style.
Historians generally use footnotes or endnotes (in keeping with the Chicago humanities style) to provide references or supplemental information, though some assignments might allow parenthetical citations. Remember that your credibility and integrity as a scholar is at stake. See Gordon Harvey’s Writing with Sources and Kate L. Turabian’s Manual for detailed instruction.
Write in a formal, academic voice. Avoid using the first or second person (e.g., “I” and “you”), and shy away from passive sentence constructions. Phrases such as “I think” or “in my opinion” are redundant in expository writing.
Proofread, proofread, proofread. Your readers will thank you.
The Resources section of the Harvard College Writing Center provides guides on the following topics.
- How to Read an Assignment
- Moving from Assignment to Topic
- How to Do a Close Reading
- Overview of the Academic Essay
- Essay Structure
- Developing a Thesis
- Beginning the Academic Essay
- Outlining
- Counterargument
- Summary
- Topic Sentences and Signposting
- Transitioning
- How to Write a Comparative Analysis
- Conclusions
- Revising the Draft
- Editing the Essay, Part 1
- Editing the Essay, Part 2
- Tips on Grammar, Punctuation, and Style