National History DayHistorical Paper Guide

NHD Research Paper Rules• Minimum length is 1500 words, maximum is 2500- Word limit does not include footnotes/endnotes,

bibliography, or captions for any illustrations- Dates count as one word; each word in a name is

individually counted• Citations are required (in parentheses for MLA style, in

footnotes or endnotes for Turabian style - papers without citations will not be judged in the district contest)

• Cite the source of all ideas or information in your paper (except common knowledge), even if you are putting the information or ideas into your own words

Getting Started - Organization

• Organize your research materials- Helpful tools: highlighters, sticky notes, index cards,

rubber bands, a 3-ring binder with dividers (for photocopies or printouts from electronic sources) and a zipper pouch to keep index cards in the binder

- Some students prefer to work on the computer as much as possible, starting with early stages of research

- If you use a computer, PowerPoint works well as a substitute for note cards - you can rearrange the “note cards” using the slide sorter view

Working with Note Cards and Print-outs• Use a separate index card for each piece of information• Use rubber bands to keep note cards together in sections

according to subtopic• Photocopies from books and print-outs from electronic sources

are helpful - In these copies, highlight information you will likely use - To keep materials organized, use binder dividers or sticky notes

on the edge of copy to identify the part of your paper where you’ll use it (organize by subtopic)

- When you copy from a book, make a copy of the title page and book cover so you will have bibliography information

- When you are printing from electronic sources, copy into Word first so you can also save it in an electronic folder organized by subtopic; be sure to copy the URL and note the date accessed

First things first…• The bibliography is one of the very most important parts of

your NHD project• The bibliography shows how you meet 3 out of 6

components in the historical quality criteria:- Shows wide research- Uses available primary sources- Research is balanced

• There is no “magic number” of sources, but good projects are based on thorough research in books, primary documents, scholarly library databases, and even interviews and visits to museums or historic places – do not stop researching after a quick Google search; it is normal for very high quality entries to be based on 50+ primary and reliable secondary sources

Bibliography Tips• Create your bibliography in Word – even if you are using an online

bibliography tool such as www.easybib.com • Start your bibliography as soon as you find your first source• Add to your bibliography AS YOU GO, every time you find another

good source• As you add to your bibliography, place each bib citation in the

correct order alphabetically by the main author’s last name• If there is no author listed for your source, place the citation in the

correct order alphabetically by the first main word in the title (but be careful – most good sources will list an author)

• Write a brief annotation for each source AS YOU GO – for online secondary sources be sure to explain the author’s credentials if the source is not a book, scholarly article from a library database, or material published by a major museum, university, government agency, or well-known organization

Planning your Paper• Start with the 3-column chart you used to organize information

when you wrote your thesis statement• List your thesis statement• Below the thesis statement, write 4-6 sentences that advance the

argument of your thesis statement • Use these sentences as topic sentences for major sections of your

paper (you will likely revise these topic sentences some when you are writing your paper)

• Once you have decided on major sections, write a more detailed outline

• Once you have an outline, start writing – you do not have to start at the beginning; write the parts for which you have information

• The parts you get written will let you see what you still need to research and also show you how to effectively introduce and conclude your paper

To use PowerPoint for note cards, select a template – for typical note cards, the standard Two Content template works well.

Use this box to identify the information by “subtopic” (the section of your paper where it will likely fit best) and the author or title (and page number if it is a book source)

In this box, list the information in bullet form; this will help you effectively summarize and/or paraphrase without copying the original author’s words

In this box:a) If you find a passage that is worth

quoting because it makes a point in the original wording that would be less meaningful if paraphrased, copy/paste or type the exact quotation here

b) If you find an image you want to use to illustrate this section of your paper, copy it into the box along with a link to the source – while you are at it, go ahead and add the source to your bib!

c) If you don’t need the box, delete it and make the other box bigger if you want

Use the slide sorter view whenever you want to rearrange the order of your “note cards”

Historical overview of Indian Education(DeJong, p. 34)

• NW Ordinance 1787, law passed by Continental Congress, mentioned need for Indian education

• Quote “utmost good faith”

The Continental Congress first expressed its intentions regarding Indian education in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787: “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools, and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians” (DeJong, 34).

Tips:1. The book author, DeJong, quoted the NW

Ordinance in his book, but the paper writer got it from DeJong’s book. The citation (DeJong, 34) lets readers know where the paper writer found the information.

2. The quotation from the NW Ordinance is introduced or “set up” by the paper writer.

3. Notice the citation is part of the last sentence, followed by a period.

4. This is a good choice to quote – the original language shows the ironic contrast between the stated goal and the historical reality.

Historical Overview - (Burns, p. 47-49)Dawes Act consequences

- Tribal land holdings reduced because non-allotted reservation land was sold to white settlers

- More Indians moved to cities and towns (off reservations)

- Migration a factor in low economic development on reservations

- Migration took Indian students out of reservation schools into public schools near new homes

The cost of the Dawes Act to Indian America was enormous. The resulting reduction of the land base eventually caused greater Indian migration to cities and towns away from the reservations, which reduced the potential for the kind of economic development on the reservations that might have provided financial stability for future generations. It also transferred many students from government boarding schools and reservation day schools to public schools which were poorly prepared to receive them. An indirect result of the Dawes Act, then, was greater involvement by the states in the education of American Indians (Burns, 47-49).

Tips:1. The left-hand box shows bulleted notes and the right-hand box shows how the information might be written out in a paper.2. Remember to go beyond telling the facts! Include your interpretation – why are the facts significant? If you can work in a connection to the NHD theme, that is even better!3. Again, notice the citation – always required, even though the paper writer is not quoting; readers need to know where to find the information, and the original author must be credited.

Using Quotations• Quotations can add power to your writing• Be very selective – only quote if the words are very striking and

meaningful in their original form and that power would be lost if you paraphrase and/or summarize

• It is usually not a good idea to quote secondary sources• Exceptions:

- To quote primary material found in a secondary source (choose only very striking excerpts)

- When the secondary source gives expert opinion that supports your own conclusions

• Always introduce or “set up” a quotation; never simply drop it into your paper without context

• Use quotation marks for short quotations or indented margins with no quotation marks for 4+ lines of text

• Quote precisely and use [brackets] to indicate your editorial additions or ellipses … to indicate that you have omitted material

Direct Quotation Example

According to DeJong, “most Indian schools failed to produce what they promised: an educated individual who was fully assimilated and ready to take his or her place in American society” (12).

The author is identified in the quote “intro” – this source attribution is an important way to “set up” the quote for your reader. Even with this identification of the author, you still need a parenthetical citation giving the page number (MLA). You also need a full citation and annotation in your bibliography; remember to complete these as you go, at the same time you are recording your notes.

MLA bibliographic citation for the passage above:

DeJong, David H. Promises of the Past: a History of Indian Education in the United States. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Group, 1993. Print.

Direct Quotation Example

Here the writer does not explicitly introduce the quotation, but the explanatory “set-up” and correct formatting of the block quote (since it is more than four lines of text) make it clear that the quoted material comes from the letter Mrs. Strackbein received from her sister. In the sentence about Armistice Day, the writer does a good job of going beyond the facts to get the reader thinking about why the contents of the letter are important.

This example comes from a prize-winning NHD paper written for the 2005 theme, Communication in History: The Key to Understanding. It is well-written and based on outstanding research, and it is also a good example of Turabian format, the other style besides MLA that can be used for NHD. The entire paper is available at http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ht/39.1/frese.html#FOOT1

Mrs. Franz Strackbein received a letter from her sister describing the events of November 11, 1918, in Lowden, Iowa. It was Armistice Day, celebrating the end of World War I, but the scene in Lowden was anything but peaceful. Monday we had an awful time. People acted like savages. They came in mobs from towns all around and one mob got the minister and made him march through town carrying a flag. Then they made him stand on a coffin...and kiss the flag while a band from another town played [the] Star Spangled Banner. On the coffin was written, "Kaiser now ruler of Hell.".... Then he was ordered out of town.

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Direct Quotation Example

This paper was written for the 2006 NHD theme, Taking a Stand in History: People, Ideas, Events. The student’s thesis was that the cooperation of European powers standing against Napoleon because they considered him an illegitimate ruler was what finally brought him down for good.

The quote is a good choice to advance the writer’s thesis, and the student effectively introduces it as Napoleon’s last official letter.

This was it – this was the final fall of Napoleon. His army fled back to France with the allies not far behind. Four weeks later, Napoleon surrendered on board a British ship off the coast of France. In his last official letter he wrote, “Exposed to the factions which divide my people, and to the enmity of the greatest powers of Europe, I have terminated my political career.” 1

Direct Quotation Example Le Bret recalled that, although the school year could seem interminable by spring,

children were usually glad to return to school each fall (17). A girl named Mary wrote to

Agent Webster in November of 1905, inquiring hopefully about her possible enrollment.

Would you like to see me go to School up there? I want to go but I am afraid

to ask my Father he might say no. But I will ask him anyhow. To go to School

after Christmas. We all send our best regards and kindest wishes to you and

to your old woman and to your baby.

Hoping to meet you all soon.

I remain From Barnaby’s Daughter,

Mary

Mary wrote from Meteor, which was about five miles southwest of Inchelium

(Barnaby).The letter from Mary Barnaby is an example of correct precise quoting. In this particular research report, the researcher made a note at the beginning of the report, explaining that some of the primary sources were written by Native Americans whose English language literacy was at an emerging stage. The researcher felt it was appropriate and important to include these writings without editorial corrections or notations. Normally, if you find errors in spelling or grammar in material you want to quote, the correct way to do it is to leave the error as it appears in the original and insert [sic] afterward, italicized and in brackets – this means the error appears in the source, so your readers know it is not your mistake.

Bib Citation Examples Le Bret, Frances. Fort Spokane. n.d. TS Memoir.

Eastern Washington Historical Society.

Barnaby, Mary. Letter to Captain John Webster. 10 Nov. 1905. MS. Webster Papers, Box 1 Folder 4; Holland Library Special Collections, Washington State University, Pullman, WA.

The source by Le Bret is an undated memoir in the collection of the Eastern Washington Historical Society – n.d. is an abbreviation for “no date” and TS means that it is a typescript document (written on a typewriter).

The letter from Mary Barnaby to Captain Webster was dated Nov. 10, 1905, and MS means that it was a manuscript (handwritten).

These MLA citations were formatted using www.easybib.com.

How can this be improved?The most shocking of all the hardships the boat

people faced during their journey was the pirates, people “who [would] not hesitate to rob, rape, beat and murder” the hapless and, usually, defenseless boat people (Wan). Many of these pirates were from Thailand. “Some pirates were professional bandits. Others were poor fishermen. The treasure from one overcrowded refuge boat could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, as refugees often transferred all their assets into gold before leaving Vietnam” (“Pirates and Sinking Ships”).

All material in this passage should be paraphrased – the quoted material is not particularly striking or powerful, so there is not a good reason to quote.

In the early eighties an American, Ted Schweitzer, landed on a pirate island and heard how 238 refugees had been shipwrecked there. Eighty had been killed and the women were raped and forced to dance naked. Schweitzer tried to stop this but was knocked unconscious…. When he awoke he found dismembered limbs and evidence of cannibalism.

http://www.fortunecity.co.uk/amusement/golf/200/viet.html

These pirates committed appalling atrocities:

In the research paper, the student correctly cited and formatted this quoted material; however, even the URL is a clue that this is not a reliable source. A look at the source reveals it is part of a website called “Buffalo Bill’s Hero Pages” on a webhosting server (anyone can publish on these platforms), and neither the website author nor the sources the website author used are identified. While the incident involving Ted Schweitzer may be true, there is no way to verify it from this source – as one teacher observed, it is like a “friend of a friend” story, or hearsay, not credible historical information.

Illustrations• Illustrations are permitted but not required in NHD research

papers• If you use illustrations such as maps, photos, or drawings,

identify the item with a brief caption (does not count in word limit) and list the source in your bibliography if it is a separate item (that is, not part of a book or website you are already citing)

• Be very selective – your paper is not a photo essay; only include illustrations if they will truly enhance your writing, and remember your writing must stand on its own

• Any images you include must be of high quality – do not use highly pixilated images or ones that will not look good produced on the printer you have available

For a strong research paper,• your paper should be mostly your own writing rather than many

quotes strung together.

• work in connections to the NHD theme when you can – a good guideline is at least once per page.

• never simply recount the historical events – always explain, analyze, and interpret.

• to make sure you are connecting to the NHD theme and adding higher level analysis, temporarily highlight in your paper all of your references and connections to the theme and all of the places where you are going beyond the facts to include your own analysis and interpretation; this will let you be confident you have these critical elements or discuss them with your teacher if you need help.

After you have written much of the body of your paper…..

• You should have a clear sense of how to effectively introduce and conclude your paper

• Both the introduction and conclusion should clearly address the NHD theme – make the connection explicit rather than leaving it for readers to make the connection themselves

A strong introduction….• will immediately engage readers’ interest and make them

want to continue reading.• will “set the stage” with a well-told anecdote, intriguing

historical facts, a carefully selected quotation, or a combination of these elements.

• will probably not begin with “_______ was born on ________ in _______ and……”

• will definitely not begin with “In this paper I am going to tell you about…..”

• will include a well-written thesis statement that makes a meaningful connection to the NHD theme; the thesis statement generally comes at the end of the introductory paragraph.

A strong conclusion…..

• will bring the reader to a sense of closure.• will come back to the thesis without simply

restating it.• will leave your reader thinking you really have a

good understanding of your topic and its significance and connection to the NHD theme.

• will never end with “Now you know all about __________.” or “Thank you for reading my report.”

Self-assessment – make sure your paper…..

• relates to the NHD theme in a meaningful way – the connection should be clear; avoid topics that only relate to the theme if readers really stretch and think in a certain way.

• is focused – everything in it directly supports the thesis statement.

• is correctly documented with every piece of information that is not common knowledge properly cited in parentheses or a footnote/endnote within the paper and all sources listed in the bibliography with correct citations and annotations.

• is carefully revised to have the best possible organization – each paragraph has a main controlling idea that supports the thesis, and paragraphs are logically arranged to tell the story effectively.

• is painstakingly proofread and edited – after you have done this, ask someone else to proofread as well.