Writing Guidelines

Writing does more than express thoughts; it creates them. In order to become an effective thinker, you need to master the tools of effective writing. The History Department has assembled this guide to help you write high-quality history papers and to assist you with your writing in general.

Contents:

1. Critical Reading: The First Step To Good Writing
2. Writing Tips and Possible Pitfalls
3. Guide to Effective Revision
4. Department Grading Standards

In addition to this guide, you should keep handy one or more of the following:

The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers. 16th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.

Dodds, Jack. The Ready Reference Handbook: Writing, Revising, Editing. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

Trimmer, Joseph F. The Essentials of MLA Style: a Guide to Documentation for Writersof Research Papers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998.

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 7th ed. Revised by John Grossman and Alice Bennett. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.