This type writing parallels the writingin professional

History

• Try creating a compare/contrast chart before crafting a thesis, if you are writing about multiple documents. On a piece of paper, draw a column for each document. Describe each document in its own column, then take stock of how the documents compare. Such a chart can help you to produce a thesis that deals directly with the contents of the documents rather than your assumptions about the documents.

Keep in mind that your answer to the assignment’s question is your thesis. It usually appears in the first paragraph of the essay. Be sure to include

History: The Document-Based Essay 1

You can insert into your outline the various pieces of evidence needed to support your thesis.

Document-Based Essay Organization
Introduction: Setting and Thesis
Your paper should begin by describing the historical context of your topic: Where is the topic in space and time? Who are the main players? Set up the context at the beginning so readers will care about the information presented throughout the rest of the paper.

The introduction is where your thesis–an argument–should appear.

• Satisfy the introduction. Consider these questions: Do my
introduction and conclusion tie together? Do I have to add to/subtract from my introduction to make my paper a more coherent whole?

A conclusion should not:

Take Notice of Voice/Tone
Write in a formal, academic voice:

• Avoid passive voice as much as possible. Phrases like “it was done” don’t explain who did what, and why. For more help identifying passive voice–and advice in recasting it to be active–see our handout at http://www.gvsu.edu/wc.

Format And Cite Appropriately
Use Chicago Style for document formatting and in citing sources–typically footnotes, reference page, cover page, etc. Your professor’s assignment sheet should indicate any additional formatting or citation preferences.

Give context when incorporating research. From what document does the information come? Who is speaking/writing? Does the writer exhibit bias? What makes the source reputable? How is the quotation related to your paragraph?

Wikipedia is a great tool for learning the basics of a time period, event, or historical figure, and the entry on a topic might link to useful research. However, Wikipedia is essentially an encyclopedia–not the kind of source

historians use to support their arguments.

• Does the introduction set up the historical context of the situation?• Does the writer provide sufficient primary and secondary evidence?

• Starting with the thesis, outline the paper’s argument. Does the argument or the paper fit the outlined points or is revision needed? Do the introduction and conclusion agree or has the argument evolved or changed during the paper? If there are differences, the paper should be revised to offer a consistent argument.

• Are the introduction and conclusion effectively written?

Do the ideas and arguments smoothly transition from one to another •
throughout the paper? If not, how could those arguments be tied together more clearly and link back to the overall argument?