Historical Studies Library Guide: Research and Writing

Historical sources -- Bibliography and footnotes -- Criticism of evidence and form in history -- Existing literature : evaluation and originality of sources -- Application of thought and research in formulation of research topic in the criticism of historical evidence -- Objectivity and problems in history -- Communication in history: psycho-pedagogic critique.

Pt. 1. The craft of history. The past ; Story ; History ; Metahistory ; Antihistory ; The present ; The future -- Pt. 2. The tools of history. Doing history: an overview ; Sources and evidence ; Credit and acknowledgment ; Narrative and explanation ; Interpretation ; Speculation -- Pt. 3. The relevance of history. Everyday history ; Oral history ; Material culture ; Public history ; Event analysis ; History on the Internet.

Pt. I. Elementary statistical analysis: Introduction -- Descriptive statistics -- Correlation -- Simple linear regression -- Pt. II. Samples and inductive statistics: Standard errors and confidence intervals -- Hypothesis testing -- Non-parametric tests -- Pt. III. Multiple linear regression: Multiple relationships -- The classical linear regression model -- Dummy variables and lagged values -- Violating the assumptions of the classical linear regression model -- Pt. IV. Further topics in regression analysis: Non-linear models and functional forms -- Logit, probit, and tobit models -- Pt. V. Specifying and interpreting models: four case studies: Case studies 1 and 2: unemployment in Britain and emigration from Ireland -- Case studies 3 and 4: the Old Poor Law in England and leaving home in the United States, 1850-1860.

Introduction to the student: Why would you look at a book like this? -- pt. I: Reading to get writing. It's about time -- What's the story with history? -- The sources of history -- Good answers begin with good questions -- Search engines, research ingenuity -- How to read a book without ever getting to chapter one -- Analysis: the intersection of reading and writing -- pt. II: Writing to get read. Making a case: an argument in three parts -- Defining introductions -- Strong bodies (I): the work of topic sentences -- Strong bodies (II): exposition and evidence -- Strong bodies (III): counterargument and counterevidence -- Surprising conclusions -- Writing is rewriting: the art of revision -- Putting it all together: the research essay (a case study) -- Conclusion: the love of history -- Appendix A: Writing an essay: ten easy steps in review -- Appendix B: Lending a hand: bibliographies and footnotes -- Appendix C: Credit scams: the dangers of plagiarism -- Appendix D: Web of lies?: weighing the Internet -- Appendix E: DBQs and reviews -- Ap

What is history? -- Locating the sources -- Tools for analysis--secondary sources -- Primary evidence -- Writing -- Finishing the paper.