10 Tips for Writing a Perfect History Essay
No doubt, essays are one of the most popular forms of college assignments. History teachers will probably assign you many of them. And for a good reason – this type of work shows your comprehension of the subject, ability to research, analytical skills, and writing itself, of course. When preparing a history essay, one must consider all the requirements, find relevant data and come up with a logical and well-organized paper.
Your main task is to reveal the topic, demonstrating your expertise. Yes, there’s a lot of work ahead, but thanks to the tips collected below, you will easily navigate all the stages of essay writing!
However, before we begin, here’s one extra recommendation. If you struggle to finish your paper before the deadline, don’t worry! More and more learners outsource their homework to experienced authors to have their essays completed at the highest level. Basically, all you have to do is google “write my essay,” and a great professional will be found in no time. This is certainly the best way to manage it all when the study load is simply overwhelming.
Make Sure You Understand The Topic Right
In fact, by assigning you an essay, teachers expect you to answer the question posed. At the same time, the work must be well-argued and well-evidenced. To do this, you need to understand the given topic correctly. If it contains controversial phrases and inaccurate expressions, discuss this with the teacher. In addition, they will appreciate your efforts and desire to write a brilliant essay.
It is also important to realize the key mission. It can be one of the following:
- Explain why historical events took place;
- Interpret and analyze a topic;
- Support or disagree with a specific idea;
- Justify a certain position.
It’s a great idea to focus on keywords – they’ll be defined at the essay’s beginning. And they will help you narrow your search. Otherwise, you run the risk of spending too much time on extra research that will not relate to your topic.
Do a Profound Research
History is certainly a field where every thought requires confirmation by a fact. And for this, you will rely on sources of two types. The first is information from people who participated in the events of that historical period. It can also be photos, texts, and videos created at that time. This will serve as strong evidence.
The second group is references to the works of scientists studying those events. You can also find inspiration in documentaries and fiction books. Why? They will help you feel the spirit of the era and give some great insights.
Organize Your Sources
At first, you may be intimidated by the amount of information that you will have to read. Or vice versa – its lack. However, all history students (especially the ones from the best universities) have proven ways to find the data they require.
- The first is positions in your reading list and bibliography course. The teachers recommended these sources for a reason, right?;
- The second is the library – try to get the most out of it. Talk to librarians, they may be able to point you to excellent materials;
- Next, come online journal databases. As a college student, you surely have access to them;
- Look through free platforms like Google Scholar. There are some high-quality academic materials. As for Wikipedia, it’s not a reliable source, but websites cited on it can help you advance your research.
Analyze The Information You’ve Gathered
Even with a lot of materials collected, you can spoil the work if you don’t analyze them properly. This can be compared to a trip to historical places. What is the point of visiting them if you didn’t come up with your conclusions? Analytical skills are some of the most vital to a researcher.
Struggling to understand whether the data is scholarly? Pay attention to these characteristics:
- Does the author have a position at the university?
- Is the book (article, review) published by the academic press?;
- What is the ending of the site that published the information? The endings “.gov” and “.edu” are best suited.
As you explore the data, be sure to take notes—let it be page numbers, specific resources, citations, or references.
Formulate Key Argument
When studying the topic, you will most likely formulate a thesis statement. With a clear idea in mind (maybe one or two sentences of it), you can move on to building a plan and a draft.
The main requirement for a thesis is that it addresses the essay’s topic and is followed by supporting arguments. By the way, you will include them in the body parts along with evidence.
Of course, the arguments may change as the essay is written (you will probably find deeper ideas during the research stage). But the main thing you will start from is a clearly defined thesis statement.
Come Up With a Plan
A plan is a skeleton of your essay. In fact, the more detailed outline you create, the easier it will be for you later. You will also be able to see how consistent your arguments are. Divide the work into three sections: introduction, main part, and conclusion.
Move On To the Introduction
The introduction is of key importance for the work, as it sets the overall tone of the story and intrigues the reader. First, you need to announce the topic and give a broader perspective on the problem. Your task is to make sure that the reader will be interested enough to move on to the next parts of the essay.
Also, indicate how you will answer the main question – give an overview of your arguments and the evidence you use to support them.
When Working On Body, Have a Clear Structure In Mind
This part of the essay requires special attention – it usually consists of three paragraphs:
- Argument, evidence;
- Argument, evidence;
- Argument, evidence.
In addition to being logical and consistent, the text must be readable and easy to perceive. For this, use transition words – they make the essay flow and link your thoughts together.
Summarize Your Key Points
A brilliant ending perfectly sums up your points of view, arguments, and evidence. Here, you are referring to the outline. Make sure that the conclusion contains the answer to the main question of the essay.
Proofread The Essay
When the last word is written, the work is still not ready. It certainly has errors and typos that are waiting to be corrected. The best advice is to rest a little after finishing the essay because you need to somewhat forget it. Then, use tools like Hemingway and Grammarly to clean up overly complex expressions, grammar errors, and long sentences.
Read the text aloud. Is it easy to read? Is the main idea clear? Great, it means proofreading went well!
To Wrap It Up
Perhaps the main mistake which students make when completing a history essay is describing events instead of analyzing them. Be sure to ask yourself the question: what is the point of this specific paragraph? How does it help support the thesis?
Another key point is references and a bibliography. There are several citation styles, so study them so as not to spoil the end of the work. Yes, it’s rather boring, but it will show the teacher your effort and diligence.
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