History: Home

Identify and Develop a Topic

Selecting a research topic is much like deciding on a travel destination. Once you have narrowed your ideas to an interesting subject, write down a brief statement about this topic. For example: "Rock groups of the 60s, their popularity and major influence on the music industry."  Once the topic is selected, write down specific questions that you'll want to answer. The research process will drive your destination. Your original topic may develop into something entirely different. You may choose to follow an alternate path and go down a different road.

Find Background Information

After determining the topic, you can map out your route. You must identify the types of sources that will provide the information needed, then determine where to find these sources. Types of sources that should be considered include books, periodicals, the Internet, and other libraries (through interlibrary loan).

The key to finding books is the online library catalog called Discovery.  Search in Discovery by selecting a keyword that best describes your topic. You can also search by title, author, subject, or keyword. In addition to books, the catalog allows you to search for periodicals, government documents, audiovisual material, and Special Collections.   

 If you get lost during your sight-seeing trip, stop and ask directions. The following reference sources will be most useful to acquire quick answers to any questions you may have.

•  Begin with Encyclopedias, then to get off the main drag, use Subject Encyclopedias.

•  What does it mean?  Use a Dictionary.       

•  How much, how many?  Find Statistical Information.

•  Who?  Find Biographical Information.

•  How can I get in touch?  Use a Directory.

•  Where do I go from here?  Bibliographies.

Find Journal Articles

Periodicals include newspapers, magazines, and journals. They are published regularly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly. Journals are periodicals containing articles written by experts in a particular field of study. If the researcher wrote the article, is it a primary source. If reporters write the article, such as in popular magazines, it is a secondary source. Typically, journal articles contain extensive bibliographies that lead to additional sources.

Journal List - If there is a specific journal that you are looking for, this will take you directly to McFarlin's holdings.

Discovery - If there is a specific article that you are looking for, you can search Summon with that article's title.

Database List - If you don't have a specific journal or article in mind, then McFarlin's databases will allow you to search multiple journals with a keyword.

Historical Paper

The key difference between a history paper and a general research paper lies in the use of primary sources and the focus on making an original argument or interpretation. These papers rely heavily on analysis of primary source materials from the time period being studied, such as letters, diaries, government documents, etc. The primary sources provide the core evidence for the argument. These papers also engages with existing scholarly work, called secondary sources, on the topic to show how the paper's argument agrees, disagrees, or complicates the current scholarship. These papers aim to make an original contribution to historical knowledge through fresh analysis of primary sources and addressing gaps in the existing research. A history paper should include the following components:

Introduction

• Provide historical context and background information necessary to understand the topic and thesis.
• Define any key terms or concepts that will be used.
• Outline the overall structure and main points that will be argued in the paper.

Thesis

• Make an argumentative claim or interpretation, not just state facts.
• Take a clear stance that will be defended with evidence throughout the paper.
• Be historically specific and focused on analyzing the deeper significance or meaning of the topic.
• Provide a "roadmap" for the main points the paper will cover to prove the thesis.

Use of Primary Sources

• Don't just quote or summarize primary sources - analyze them critically. Ask questions about the author's perspective, purpose, audience, and potential biases. Consider the historical context in which the source was created.
• Primary sources should be used as evidence to support your argument and thesis. Introduce relevant quotes or details from the sources, and then analyze how they prove your point.
• If you find primary sources that contradict your argument, don't ignore them. Address the contradictory evidence and explain why your interpretation remains valid despite it.

Engagement with Secondary Sources

• Use secondary sources to situate your research within the existing scholarly conversation on the topic. Summarize how your argument agrees, disagrees, or builds upon previous historians' interpretations and analyses.
• Apply theoretical frameworks or methodological approaches from secondary sources to offer a new perspective or lens for analyzing your primary source evidence.
• Selectively cite secondary sources that provide evidence corroborating or lending credibility to specific claims in your argument. However, rely primarily on your own analysis of primary sources as the main evidence.
• Properly introduce secondary sources and clearly analyze how each one relates to and supports your specific argument and interpretation.
• Use secondary sources to identify gaps or unaddressed areas in the existing research that your paper can fill.

Conclusion

• Restate your main argument or thesis in a new way, without repeating it verbatim from the introduction.
• Briefly summarize the key points or sub-arguments you used to support your thesis throughout the body of the paper. Don't simply list the points, but synthesize them into a few concise sentences.
• Discuss the larger significance or implications of your argument and why it matters for our understanding of the historical issue.
• Suggest areas where additional research is still needed related to your topic. Identify any limitations of your study that could be addressed by future scholarship.