plan an essay for history

How to Write a History Essay with Outline, Tips, Examples and More

Before we get into how to write a history essay, let's first understand what makes one good. Different people might have different ideas, but there are some basic rules that can help you do well in your studies. In this guide, we won't get into any fancy theories. Instead, we'll give you straightforward tips to help you with historical writing. So, if you're ready to sharpen your writing skills, let our history essay writing service explore how to craft an exceptional paper.

What is a History Essay?

A history essay is an academic assignment where we explore and analyze historical events from the past. We dig into historical stories, figures, and ideas to understand their importance and how they've shaped our world today. History essay writing involves researching, thinking critically, and presenting arguments based on evidence.

Moreover, history papers foster the development of writing proficiency and the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively. They also encourage students to engage with primary and secondary sources, enhancing their research skills and deepening their understanding of historical methodology.

History Essay Outline

The outline is there to guide you in organizing your thoughts and arguments in your essay about history. With a clear outline, you can explore and explain historical events better. Here's how to make one:

Introduction

Hook: Start with an attention-grabbing opening sentence or anecdote related to your topic.
Background Information: Provide context on the historical period, event, or theme you'll be discussing.
Thesis Statement: Present your main argument or viewpoint, outlining the scope and purpose of your history essay.

Body paragraph 1: Introduction to the Historical Context

Provide background information on the historical context of your topic.
Highlight key events, figures, or developments leading up to the main focus of your history essay.

Body paragraphs 2-4 (or more): Main Arguments and Supporting Evidence

Each paragraph should focus on a specific argument or aspect of your thesis.
Present evidence from primary and secondary sources to support each argument.
Analyze the significance of the evidence and its relevance to your history paper thesis.

Counterarguments (optional)

Address potential counterarguments or alternative perspectives on your topic.
Refute opposing viewpoints with evidence and logical reasoning.
Summary of Main Points: Recap the main arguments presented in the body paragraphs.
Restate Thesis: Reinforce your thesis statement, emphasizing its significance in light of the evidence presented.
Reflection: Reflect on the broader implications of your arguments for understanding history.
Closing Thought: End your history paper with a thought-provoking statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

References/bibliography

List all sources used in your research, formatted according to the citation style required by your instructor (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago).
Include both primary and secondary sources, arranged alphabetically by the author's last name.

Notes (if applicable)

Include footnotes or endnotes to provide additional explanations, citations, or commentary on specific points within your history essay.

History Essay Format

Adhering to a specific format is crucial for clarity, coherence, and academic integrity. Here are the key components of a typical history essay format:

Font and Size

Use a legible font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri.
The recommended font size is usually 12 points. However, check your instructor's guidelines, as they may specify a different size.
Set 1-inch margins on all sides of the page.
Double-space the entire essay, including the title, headings, body paragraphs, and references.
Avoid extra spacing between paragraphs unless specified otherwise.
Align text to the left margin; avoid justifying the text or using a centered alignment.

Title Page (if required):

If your instructor requires a title page, include the essay title, your name, the course title, the instructor's name, and the date.
Center-align this information vertically and horizontally on the page.
Include a header on each page (excluding the title page if applicable) with your last name and the page number, flush right.
Some instructors may require a shortened title in the header, usually in all capital letters.
Center-align the essay title at the top of the first page (if a title page is not required).
Use standard capitalization (capitalize the first letter of each major word).
Avoid underlining, italicizing, or bolding the title unless necessary for emphasis.

Paragraph Indentation:

Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches or use the tab key.
Do not insert extra spaces between paragraphs unless instructed otherwise.

Citations and References:

Follow the citation style specified by your instructor (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago).
Include in-text citations whenever you use information or ideas from external sources.
Provide a bibliography or list of references at the end of your history essay, formatted according to the citation style guidelines.
Typically, history essays range from 1000 to 2500 words, but this can vary depending on the assignment.

How to Write a History Essay?

Historical writing can be an exciting journey through time, but it requires careful planning and organization. In this section, we'll break down the process into simple steps to help you craft a compelling and well-structured history paper.

Analyze the Question

Before diving headfirst into writing, take a moment to dissect the essay question. Read it carefully, and then read it again. You want to get to the core of what it's asking. Look out for keywords that indicate what aspects of the topic you need to focus on. If you're unsure about anything, don't hesitate to ask your instructor for clarification. Remember, understanding how to start a history essay is half the battle won!

Now, let's break this step down:

Read the question carefully and identify keywords or phrases.
Consider what the question is asking you to do – are you being asked to analyze, compare, contrast, or evaluate?
Pay attention to any specific instructions or requirements provided in the question.
Take note of the time period or historical events mentioned in the question – this will give you a clue about the scope of your history essay.

Develop a Strategy

With a clear understanding of the essay question, it's time to map out your approach. Here's how to develop your historical writing strategy:

Brainstorm ideas : Take a moment to jot down any initial thoughts or ideas that come to mind in response to the history paper question. This can help you generate a list of potential arguments, themes, or points you want to explore in your history essay.
Create an outline : Once you have a list of ideas, organize them into a logical structure. Start with a clear introduction that introduces your topic and presents your thesis statement – the main argument or point you'll be making in your history essay. Then, outline the key points or arguments you'll be discussing in each paragraph of the body, making sure they relate back to your thesis. Finally, plan a conclusion that summarizes your main points and reinforces your history paper thesis.
Research : Before diving into writing, gather evidence to support your arguments. Use reputable sources such as books, academic journals, and primary documents to gather historical evidence and examples. Take notes as you research, making sure to record the source of each piece of information for proper citation later on.
Consider counterarguments : Anticipate potential counterarguments to your history paper thesis and think about how you'll address them in your essay. Acknowledging opposing viewpoints and refuting them strengthens your argument and demonstrates critical thinking.
Set realistic goals : Be realistic about the scope of your history essay and the time you have available to complete it. Break down your writing process into manageable tasks, such as researching, drafting, and revising, and set deadlines for each stage to stay on track.

Start Your Research

Now that you've grasped the history essay topic and outlined your approach, it's time to dive into research. Here's how to start:

Ask questions : What do you need to know? What are the key points to explore further? Write down your inquiries to guide your research.
Explore diverse sources : Look beyond textbooks. Check academic journals, reliable websites, and primary sources like documents or artifacts.
Consider perspectives : Think about different viewpoints on your topic. How have historians analyzed it? Are there controversies or differing interpretations?
Take organized notes : Summarize key points, jot down quotes, and record your thoughts and questions. Stay organized using spreadsheets or note-taking apps.
Evaluate sources : Consider the credibility and bias of each source. Are they peer-reviewed? Do they represent a particular viewpoint?

Establish a Viewpoint

By establishing a clear viewpoint and supporting arguments, you'll lay the foundation for your compelling historical writing:

Review your research : Reflect on the information gathered. What patterns or themes emerge? Which perspectives resonate with you?
Formulate a thesis statement : Based on your research, develop a clear and concise thesis that states your argument or interpretation of the topic.
Consider counterarguments : Anticipate objections to your history paper thesis. Are there alternative viewpoints or evidence that you need to address?
Craft supporting arguments : Outline the main points that support your thesis. Use evidence from your research to strengthen your arguments.
Stay flexible : Be open to adjusting your viewpoint as you continue writing and researching. New information may challenge or refine your initial ideas.

Structure Your Essay

Now that you've delved into the depths of researching historical events and established your viewpoint, it's time to craft the skeleton of your essay: its structure. Think of your history essay outline as constructing a sturdy bridge between your ideas and your reader's understanding. How will you lead them from point A to point Z? Will you follow a chronological path through history or perhaps dissect themes that span across time periods?

And don't forget about the importance of your introduction and conclusion—are they framing your narrative effectively, enticing your audience to read your paper, and leaving them with lingering thoughts long after they've turned the final page? So, as you lay the bricks of your history essay's architecture, ask yourself: How can I best lead my audience through the maze of time and thought, leaving them enlightened and enriched on the other side?

Create an Engaging Introduction

Creating an engaging introduction is crucial for capturing your reader's interest right from the start. But how do you do it? Think about what makes your topic fascinating. Is there a surprising fact or a compelling story you can share? Maybe you could ask a thought-provoking question that gets people thinking. Consider why your topic matters—what lessons can we learn from history?

Also, remember to explain what your history essay will be about and why it's worth reading. What will grab your reader's attention and make them want to learn more? How can you make your essay relevant and intriguing right from the beginning?

Develop Coherent Paragraphs

Once you've established your introduction, the next step is to develop coherent paragraphs that effectively communicate your ideas. Each paragraph should focus on one main point or argument, supported by evidence or examples from your research. Start by introducing the main idea in a topic sentence, then provide supporting details or evidence to reinforce your point.

Make sure to use transition words and phrases to guide your reader smoothly from one idea to the next, creating a logical flow throughout your history essay. Additionally, consider the organization of your paragraphs—is there a clear progression of ideas that builds upon each other? Are your paragraphs unified around a central theme or argument?

Conclude Effectively

Concluding your history essay effectively is just as important as starting it off strong. In your conclusion, you want to wrap up your main points while leaving a lasting impression on your reader. Begin by summarizing the key points you've made throughout your history essay, reminding your reader of the main arguments and insights you've presented.

Then, consider the broader significance of your topic—what implications does it have for our understanding of history or for the world today? You might also want to reflect on any unanswered questions or areas for further exploration. Finally, end with a thought-provoking statement or a call to action that encourages your reader to continue thinking about the topic long after they've finished reading.

Reference Your Sources

Referencing your sources is essential for maintaining the integrity of your history essay and giving credit to the scholars and researchers who have contributed to your understanding of the topic. Depending on the citation style required (such as MLA, APA, or Chicago), you'll need to format your references accordingly. Start by compiling a list of all the sources you've consulted, including books, articles, websites, and any other materials used in your research.

Then, as you write your history essay, make sure to properly cite each source whenever you use information or ideas that are not your own. This includes direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. Remember to include all necessary information for each source, such as author names, publication dates, and page numbers, as required by your chosen citation style.

Review and Ask for Advice

As you near the completion of your history essay writing, it's crucial to take a step back and review your work with a critical eye. Reflect on the clarity and coherence of your arguments—are they logically organized and effectively supported by evidence? Consider the strength of your introduction and conclusion—do they effectively capture the reader's attention and leave a lasting impression? Take the time to carefully proofread your history essay for any grammatical errors or typos that may detract from your overall message.

Furthermore, seeking advice from peers, mentors, or instructors can provide valuable insights and help identify areas for improvement. Consider sharing your essay with someone whose feedback you trust and respect, and be open to constructive criticism. Ask specific questions about areas you're unsure about or where you feel your history essay may be lacking.

History Essay Example

In this section, we offer an example of a history essay examining the impact of the Industrial Revolution on society. This essay demonstrates how historical analysis and critical thinking are applied in academic writing. By exploring this specific event, you can observe how historical evidence is used to build a cohesive argument and draw meaningful conclusions.

FAQs about History Essay Writing

How to write a history essay introduction, how to write a conclusion for a history essay, how to write a good history essay.

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How to Write a History Essay?

04 August, 2020

10 minutes read

Author: Tomas White

There are so many types of essays. It can be hard to know where to start. History papers aren’t just limited to history classes. These tasks can be assigned to examine any important historical event or a person. While they’re more common in history classes, you can find this type of assignment in sociology or political science course syllabus, or just get a history essay task for your scholarship. This is Handmadewriting History Essay Guide - let's start!

Purpose of a History Essay

Wondering how to write a history essay? First of all, it helps to understand its purpose. Secondly, this essay aims to examine the influences that lead to a historical event. Thirdly, it can explore the importance of an individual’s impact on history.

However, the goal isn’t to stay in the past. Specifically, a well-written history essay should discuss the relevance of the event or person to the “now”. After finishing this essay, a reader should have a fuller understanding of the lasting impact of an event or individual.

Need basic essay guidance? Find out what is an essay with this 101 essay guide: What is an Essay?

Elements for Success

Indeed, understanding how to write a history essay is crucial in creating a successful paper. Notably, these essays should never only outline successful historic events or list an individual’s achievements. Instead, they should focus on examining questions beginning with what , how , and why . Here’s a pro tip in how to write a history essay: brainstorm questions. Once you’ve got questions, you have an excellent starting point.

Preparing to Write

Evidently, a typical history essay format requires the writer to provide background on the event or person, examine major influences, and discuss the importance of the forces both then and now. In addition, when preparing to write, it’s helpful to organize the information you need to research into questions. For example:

Who were the major contributors to this event?
Who opposed or fought against this event?
Who gained or lost from this event?
Who benefits from this event today?
What factors led up to this event?
What changes occurred because of this event?
What lasting impacts occurred locally, nationally, globally due to this event?
What lessons (if any) were learned?
Why did this event occur?
Why did certain populations support it?
Why did certain populations oppose it?

These questions exist as samples. Therefore, generate questions specific to your topic. Once you have a list of questions, it’s time to evaluate them.

Evaluating the Question

Seasoned writers approach writing history by examining the historic event or individual. Specifically, the goal is to assess the impact then and now. Accordingly, the writer needs to evaluate the importance of the main essay guiding the paper. For example, if the essay’s topic is the rise of American prohibition, a proper question may be “How did societal factors influence the rise of American prohibition during the 1920s? ”

This question is open-ended since it allows for insightful analysis, and limits the research to societal factors. Additionally, work to identify key terms in the question. In the example, key terms would be “societal factors” and “prohibition”.

Summarizing the Argument

The argument should answer the question. Use the thesis statement to clarify the argument and outline how you plan to make your case. In other words. the thesis should be sharp, clear, and multi-faceted. Consider the following tips when summarizing the case:

The thesis should be a single sentence
It should include a concise argument and a roadmap
It’s always okay to revise the thesis as the paper develops
Conduct a bit of research to ensure you have enough support for the ideas within the paper

Outlining a History Essay Plan

Once you’ve refined your argument, it’s time to outline. Notably, many skip this step to regret it then. Nonetheless, the outline is a map that shows where you need to arrive historically and when. Specifically, taking the time to plan, placing the strongest argument last, and identifying your sources of research is a good use of time. When you’re ready to outline, do the following:

Consider the necessary background the reader should know in the introduction paragraph
Define any important terms and vocabulary
Determine which ideas will need the cited support
Identify how each idea supports the main argument
Brainstorm key points to review in the conclusion

Gathering Sources

As a rule, history essays require both primary and secondary sources . Primary resources are those that were created during the historical period being analyzed. Secondary resources are those created by historians and scholars about the topic. It’s a good idea to know if the professor requires a specific number of sources, and what kind he or she prefers. Specifically, most tutors prefer primary over secondary sources.

Where to find sources? Great question! Check out bibliographies included in required class readings. In addition, ask a campus Librarian. Peruse online journal databases; In addition, most colleges provide students with free access. When in doubt, make an appointment and ask the professor for guidance.

Writing the Essay

Now that you have prepared your questions, ideas, and arguments; composed the outline ; and gathered sources – it’s time to write your first draft. In particular, each section of your history essay must serve its purpose. Here is what you should include in essay paragraphs.

Introduction Paragraph

Unsure of how to start a history essay? Well, like most essays, the introduction should include an attention-getter (or hook):

Relevant fact or statistic
Rhetorical Question
Interesting quotation
Application anecdote if appropriate

Once you’ve captured the reader’s interest, introduce the topic. Similarly, present critical historic context. Namely, it is necessary to introduce any key individuals or events that will be discussed later in the essay. At last, end with a strong thesis which acts as a transition to the first argument.

Body Paragraphs

Indeed, each body paragraph should offer a single idea to support the argument. Then, after writing a strong topic sentence, the topic should be supported with correctly cited research. Consequently, a typical body paragraph is arranged as follows:

Topic sentence linking to the thesis
Background of the topic
Research quotation or paraphrase #1
Explanation and analysis of research
Research quotation or paraphrase #2
Transition to the next paragraph

Equally, the point of body paragraphs is to build the argument. Hence, present the weakest support first and end with the strongest. Admittedly, doing so leaves the reader with the best possible evidence.

Conclusion Paragraph

You’re almost there! Eventually, conclusion paragraphs should review the most important points in the paper. In them, you should prove that you’ve supported the argument proposed in the thesis. When writing a conclusion paragraph keep these tips in mind:

Keep it simple
Avoid introducing new information
Review major points
Discuss the relevance to today

Problems with writing Your History essay ? Try our Essay Writer Service!

Proofreading Your Essay

Once the draft is ready and polished, it’s time to proceed to final editing. What does this process imply? Specifically, it’s about removing impurities and making the essay look just perfect. Here’s what you need to do to improve the quality of your paper:

Double check the content. In the first place, it’s recommended to get rid of long sentences, correct vague words. Also, make sure that all your paragrahps contain accurate sentences with transparent meaning.
Pay attention to style. To make the process of digesting your essay easier, focus on crafting a paper with readable style, the one that is known to readers. Above all, the main mission here is to facilitate the perception of your essay. So, don’t forget about style accuracy.
Practice reading the essay. Of course, the best practice before passing the paper is to read it out loud. Hence, this exercise will help you notice fragments that require rewriting or a complete removal.

History Essay Example

Did you want a history essay example? Take a look at one of our history essay papers.

Make it Shine

An A-level essay takes planning and revision, but it’s achievable. Firstly, avoid procrastination and start early. Secondly, leave yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, outline, research and write. Finally, follow these five tips to make your history essay shine:

Write a substantial introduction. Particularly, it’s the first impression the professor will have of the paper.
State a clear thesis. A strong thesis is easier to support.
Incorporate evidence critically. If while researching you find opposing arguments, include them and discuss their flaws.
Cite all the research. Whether direct quotations or paraphrases, citing evidence is crucial to avoiding plagiarism, which can have serious academic consequences.
Include primary and secondary resources. While primary resources may be harder to find, the professor will expect them—this is, after all, a history essay.

History Essay Sample

Ready to tackle the history essay format? Great! Check out this history essay sample from an upper-level history class. While the essay isn’t perfect, the professor points out its many strengths.

Remember: start early and revise, revise, revise . We can’t revise history, but you can revise your ideas until they’re perfect.

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How to Write a Good History Essay. A Sequence of Actions and Useful Tips

Before you start writing your history essay, there is quite a lot of work that has to be done in order to gain success.

You may ask: what is history essay? What is the difference between it and other kinds of essays? Well, the main goal of a history essay is to measure your progress in learning history and test your range of skills (such as analysis, logic, planning, research, and writing), it is necessary to prepare yourself very well.

Your plan of action may look like this. First of all, you will have to explore the topic. If you are going to write about a certain historical event, think of its causes and premises, and analyze what its impact on history was. In case you are writing about a person, find out why and how he or she came to power and how they influenced society and historical situations.

The next step is to make research and collect all the available information about the person or event, and also find evidence.

Finally, you will have to compose a well-organized response.

During the research, make notes and excerpts of the most notable data, write out the important dates and personalities. And of course, write down all your thoughts and findings.

It all may seem complicated at first sight, but in fact, it is not so scary! To complete this task successfully and compose a good history essay, simply follow several easy steps provided below.

Detailed Writing Instruction for Students to Follow

If you want to successfully complete your essay, it would be better to organize the writing process. You will complete the assignment faster and more efficient if you divide the whole work into several sections or steps.

Introduction

Writing a good and strong introduction part is important because this is the first thing your reader will see. It gives the first impression of your essay and induces people to reading (or not reading) it.

To make the introduction catchy and interesting, express the contention and address the main question of the essay. Be confident and clear as this is the moment when you define the direction your whole essay will take. And remember that introduction is not the right place for rambling! The best of all is, to begin with, a brief context summary, then go to addressing the question and express the content. Finally, mark the direction your essay about history will take.

Its quality depends on how clear you divided the whole essay into sections in the previous part. As long as you have provided a readable and understandable scheme, your readers will know exactly what to expect.

The body of your essay must give a clear vision of what question you are considering. In this section, you can develop your idea and support it with the evidence you have found. Use certain facts and quotations for that. When being judicial and analytical, they will help you to easily support your point of view and argument.

As long as your essay has a limited size, don’t be too precise. It is allowed to summarize the most essential background information, for example, instead of giving a precise list of all the issues that matter.

It is also good to keep in mind that each paragraph of your essay’s body must tell about only one issue. Don’t make a mess out of your paper!

It is not only essential to start your essay well. How you will end it also matters. A properly-written conclusion is the one that restates the whole paper’s content and gives a logical completion of the issue or question discussed above. Your conclusion must leave to chance for further discussion or arguments on the case. It’s time, to sum up, give a verdict.

That is why it is strongly forbidden to provide any new evidence or information here, as well as start a new discussion, etc.

After you finish writing, give yourself some time and put the paper away for a while. When you turn back to it will be easier to take a fresh look at it and find any mistakes or things to improve. Of course, remember to proofread your writing and check it for any grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. All these tips will help you to learn how to write a history essay.

How To Write A History Essay

Essay Writing Guides

how to write a good hook for a history essay

Essay writing is one of the most effortful student assignments. Not everybody can skillfully enunciate their views and ideas, especially when it comes to an essay that requires the presentation of arguments and counterarguments. Simultaneously, it is one of the best tools to improve your critical thinking and research skills.

A history essay is a particular type of creative work that requires brilliant research potential and the ability to analyze and track the consistent picture of historical events. To craft a successful history essay, students should go beyond the regular history classes and demonstrate their significant knowledge in political science, sociology, and even psychology.

If you were lucky to get a creative assignment in history, get ready to experience not the easiest time in your life. To make the overall process more efficient and straightforward, use this history essay writing guide for assistance.

What is a History Essay?

To elaborate an impeccable history paper, it is crucial to answer the ‘what is history essay’ question. The history essay’s essence lies in the successful introduction and confirmation of statements related to some historical events or personalities. To make your work sound professional, you need to:

elucidate the factors that have led to such consequences;
build a logical bridge between the past and the present by describing the importance of the phenomenon you are dealing with.

A top-notch history paper never focuses on the past mainly. It rather comes up with the impact the past events have on the present. An ability to fully reveal the given influence is the most significant proof that the author has a good understanding of the topic and can easily share their perspective professionally and to the point.

Having the instructions and practical tips on how to write a history essay is the first key to a successful paper. Many students just start rewriting the historical events in their own words at this stage. Instead, your essay should provide clear answers to three central questions: what, why, and how. These questions may become good starting points for your history essay and help you stay coherent.

Before You Start: Preparing to Write

Having three questions in mind when preparing to write a history essay is already half a work done. Carry out a little brainstorm session and formulate several sub-questions using the mentioned interrogative adverbs. They will contribute much to the creation of an effective structure in your history essay. Here’s a breakdown of the main questions addressed.

Who are the main characters of the given events?
Who is against the given events?
Who won from the given events? Who lost?
Who is currently in the winning position thanks to the mentioned events?
What circumstances caused the given events?
What changes did the given events cause?
What kind of effect did the events have on the present?
What conclusions have been made after these events?
Why did the given events take place?
Why were they supported/not supported by people?

You may also come up with your suggestions regarding the specific topic to make your essay even more professional.

Nonetheless, it is not enough only to write down the questions. You have to analyze and evaluate them profoundly. You may be very accurate about the described shreds of evidence, proofs, and arguments. However, if your essay doesn’t provide precise answers to the fundamental questions, it is unlikely to be highly scored. To stay coherent and to the point, use an explanation/interpretation scheme that implies the reasons why something has happened, followed by the profound analysis of the events.

When the above-mentioned work is done and questions have been answered, you are ready to form your paper’s thesis statement. If we talk about the history essay, its thesis statement should be strong enough to prove the significance and value of your work. Besides, convincing arguments help create a solid bone to structure your essay around.

Your paper’s thesis statement should accurately elucidate the essay’s essence and be supported with the concise arguments that would become its paragraphs. All you need to do is specify them and then elaborate in more detail.

You can change the arguments throughout the essay, but the thesis statement should remain the same and be rational enough to stay relevant till the end.

Research Stage

Nominally, the sources you will be using for your history essay can be divided into primary and secondary ones. Primary sources refer directly to the description of the events or personalities you base your paper on. Secondary sources represent the works of experienced historians, sociologists, and politicians that contain the profound analysis of the events described within your topic.

The professional history essay cannot exist without trustful primary sources. It can be challenging to find and identify them. Fortunately, the XXIst century provides a decent range of opportunities to complete thorough research work. You can have access to the best scholars’ papers, databases of the world libraries, and blogs of famous experts. Crowd-sourced websites can also be of good service. However, they should be used very selectively after you make sure they are credible.

Secondary sources are as important as the primary ones. You need to be sure of their credibility and choose exclusively scholarly works. Check whether the author of the paper you are going to use in your essay is a professional historian and can be trusted. To make the right choice, ask yourself several questions before referring to any source:

What do you know about the author?
Does the author have an academic degree and enough experience to be trusted?
What can you say about the publishing house? Is it academic? If it is a website, check its nature and audience. The idea to use materials published on Government online platforms in your paper sounds just perfect.

History Essay Outline

Coming to the outline stage means that you have done all the preparatory work and are ready to move forward. The outline is frequently skipped by students, which makes them regret it later. The outline is a so-called roadmap to indicate the direction you need to move in and mark the proper placing of arguments and ideas.

Like all other types of essays, a history paper consists of an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Introduction

Are you wondering how to start a history essay? With the catching introduction, of course. Introduction to your history essay should serve as a so-called hook to immediately grab the readers’ attention. To make it as catching as possible, you may use a few simple yet trusting methods:

Include some facts or impressive statistics. This will help easily win people’s trust and make your paper more relevant;
Rhetorical questions always help define the sense of your creative work. Use them in the introduction to indicate the main points your work will be based on;
Quotations may also be of good service in case you want to make people intrigued.

Provided the hook has worked, don’t hesitate to introduce your paper’s theme: mention the key events or persons your essay is about. Usually, a good introduction ends with a strong thesis statement. Make it short and up to the point. Besides, make sure it provides a smooth transition to the body section of your history essay.

Divide your critical ideas described in the essay and between the paragraphs: one paragraph = one idea. Each idea needs to be supported by concise arguments. There is no standard scheme to build your body paragraphs on. However, you may take the following algorithm for the basis:

A sentence related to the thesis statement and elucidating the idea;
Context of your history essay;
Facts in the form of quotation or rewritten
Analysis and your point of view
Description of the controversial points
Smooth transition to the next paragraph

It is highly recommended to place the arguments of your body section in correct order. Start with the weakest ones and leave the strongest ones for a dessert.

You should put your best effort into making this paragraph as impressive and convincing as possible. The final part of your paper should focus on the main points of the essay and again prove the theory mentioned in the thesis statement. Don’t make the conclusion too complicated – it needs to be simple and straightforward. The conclusion is not a part of the paper where you may introduce some new facts and ideas. Its main goal is in summarizing the critical points previously specified in the essay. If you want to make a conclusion sound professional, don’t forget to mention the historical events’ relevance to today’s reality.

How to Choose a Topic for a History Essay?

In case you were lucky to choose the topic for your history essay by yourself, don’t skip this part. Selecting from a pile of history essay topics may be challenging as you need to know your educational level, interests, and ability to elaborate on the theme. An adequately chosen history essay topic is a basis for a good paper. It affects the overall writing process and the level of your engagement in the subject. Use these tips to choose the best topic for your history paper:

Focus on the theme that sounds interesting to you. If history is not your cup of tea, try to pick the theme that seems more interesting than others. History is tightly connected with all aspects of human life. So, there should be something that makes your heart beat faster.
Don’t be guided by interest only when choosing a topic for the history essay. You should know at least something about the given theme. Even the most exciting issues can turn out to be a nightmare to deal with if you know absolutely nothing about them.
Analyze the broadness of the topic. If it is too broad, you won’t be able to elaborate the theme decently. For example, the topic “Ancient Egypt” is unclear. You won’t be able to elucidate all its aspects and perspectives properly. However, dealing with “Attitudes Towards Women in Ancient Egypt” narrows your research scope and lets you stay clear and precise.
Make sure the topic you are going to choose has been analyzed before, and you can find a lot of credible materials to base your research on. Even narrow themes can be challenging if they are unexplored.
If you have a chance to use the theme you have already been dealing with before, don’t hesitate to do it. There is no need to rewrite your old paper – you have an excellent opportunity to analyze things from another perspective. Reusing the topic is hugely advantageous, as you have all the research work done already and may concentrate on your personal opinion.
In case sitting on the fence while choosing the topic for your history essay becomes unbearable, you can always ask your tutor for a piece of advice. In such a way, you will demonstrate your respect and trust.
Avoid offbeat themes. They may be interesting, however, totally new. If you are not afraid of being stuck at the research stage – go ahead!
Make a little brainstorm session before choosing any topic. Provided you can come up with at least five strong arguments related to the theme, don’t hesitate to pick it.

History Essay Examples

Nothing can be more helpful than a brilliant history essay example you can use for your future work. You may take a look at the essay’s purpose, analyze the structure, get an idea about transitions and vocabulary used. Check on these top-notch examples of history paper to get inspired and motivated:

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/us-history-slavery-essay/5916771
https://www.markedbyteachers.com/international-baccalaureate/history/compare-and-contrast-the-causes-of-the-first-world-war-and-the-second-world-war.html
https://www.markedbyteachers.com/international-baccalaureate/history/how-far-do-trotsky-fa-a-tm-s-own-misjudgments-account-for-his-failure-in-the-power-struggle-which-followed-lenin-fa-a-tm-s-death.html
https://www.markedbyteachers.com/international-baccalaureate/history/compare-and-contrast-the-policies-of-alexander-ii-and-alexander-iii.html

Writing Tips for a History Essay

Interpretation of the past may be pretty controversial. So are the rules on how to write a perfect history essay. Nevertheless, there are some standard conventions and guidelines for elaborating professional history papers without any special effort from your side. Just follow the below tips to get the highest grade under the toughest history essay rubric.

Use the past tense

The present tense is just inappropriate when dealing with the history essay. Moreover, it can undermine confidence in the qualifications and expertise of the author. The present tense is acceptable only when you draw parallels between past events and the current time.

Avoid generalizations

Specificity and accuracy are the best friends of a highly professional history essay. If you talk about some specific period, introduce exact dates or centuries. In case you mention some personalities, provide their full names. History paper is senseless without these critical details.

Exclude anachronisms

When dealing with some historical events from today’s perspective, it is easy to get lost in chronological order. Such a jumble can confuse the readers and make your work less credible. Mind the vocabulary you use when talking about a specific epoch.

Try not to judge the epoch from a modern perspective

Every generation has its advantages and drawbacks. Your main task as an author is to analyze both and convey them clearly to a reader. Don’t be judgmental.

Paraphrasing is always better than quoting

Stuffing your history essay with the quotes can be more of a hindrance than help. Don’t be afraid to showcase your analytical skills and dive deep into the profound analysis of past events. If paraphrasing is impossible, use the quote indicating its source.

Be responsible for the context

As an author, you assume full responsibility for your personal opinion and ideas. At the same time, you should be sure of the sources you use in your paper. History essays don’t stand uncertainty and double standards.

Choose the proper citation style

As a rule, history papers require Chicago citation style. A poorly arranged citation page can question your reputation as a history expert.

Stick to the proper voice

A formal academic voice is the most appropriate one when we talk about the history essay. Also, avoid passive voice phrases, redundant constructions, and generalizations.

Take care of thorough proofreading

You have made it: your history essay is ready and waits to be polished. The editing stage is crucial as even the brightest ideas can get lost in a sea of mistakes, impurities, and vague phrases. How to proofread your history essay to make it shine? Check the below instructions to learn how to do it:

Read your history essay aloud several times to make sure it is clear and sounds smooth. Avoid long sentences and inaccurate phrases with unclear meaning.
Proper style is important when we talk about the academic history essay. Make sure it is formal but readable. Readers should easily percept your message and clearly understand the goal of your research.
Proofreading may be challenging in case you have spent a lot of time elaborating on the content. If you can ask someone to look at your history paper with a fresh pair of eyes, it would be perfect. Independent readers can identify the weak places in your work faster, and you will get a valuable second opinion on your piece of writing.

Write My History Essay for Me, Please!

History paper is one of the most complicated types of writing. Students dealing with history topics should know more than just a material of a regular history syllabus. Moreover, this paper requires a lot of time and effort to do research, analyze, and establish logical connections and predictions. You have to deal with the vast amount of dates, personalities, and theories that may not always be true. No wonder a lot of students choose to ask someone to write their history assignment for them. This decision appears to be justified as our essay writing service offers help provided by the actual history scholars who, by the way, are excellent in writing.

All you need to do is formulate the task specifying the detailed instructions to your assignment and indicate the deadline. In case you want some specific sources to be used when elaborating on your history paper, you should mention them in your reference list.

In case your history essay is ready and you just need to make it shine, our essay service is always ready to help you with editing and proofreading. In such a way, you pay only for a specific service, not for the whole writing package.

A brilliantly elaborated history essay can serve as a good base for all your future works. You may get a clear idea about the content, research process, vocabulary, structure, and citation style. Just place the order, and our highly professional expert will be there to help you with your history paper.

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How to Write a History Essay

Last Updated: December 27, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA . Emily Listmann is a private tutor in San Carlos, California. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 243,343 times.

Writing a history essay requires you to include a lot of details and historical information within a given number of words or required pages. It's important to provide all the needed information, but also to present it in a cohesive, intelligent way. Know how to write a history essay that demonstrates your writing skills and your understanding of the material.

Preparing to Write Your Essay

The key words will often need to be defined at the start of your essay, and will serve as its boundaries. [2] X Research source
For example, if the question was "To what extent was the First World War a Total War?", the key terms are "First World War", and "Total War".
Do this before you begin conducting your research to ensure that your reading is closely focussed to the question and you don't waste time.

Step 2 Consider what the question is asking you.

Explain: provide an explanation of why something happened or didn't happen.
Interpret: analyse information within a larger framework to contextualise it.
Evaluate: present and support a value-judgement.
Argue: take a clear position on a debate and justify it. [3] X Research source

Step 3 Try to summarise your key argument.

Your thesis statement should clearly address the essay prompt and provide supporting arguments. These supporting arguments will become body paragraphs in your essay, where you’ll elaborate and provide concrete evidence. [4] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
Your argument may change or become more nuanced as your write your essay, but having a clear thesis statement which you can refer back to is very helpful.
For example, your summary could be something like "The First World War was a 'total war' because civilian populations were mobilized both in the battlefield and on the home front".

Pick out some key quotes that make your argument precisely and persuasively. [5] X Research source
When writing your plan, you should already be thinking about how your essay will flow, and how each point will connect together.

Doing Your Research

Step 1 Distinguish between primary and secondary sources.

Primary source material refers to any texts, films, pictures, or any other kind of evidence that was produced in the historical period, or by someone who participated in the events of the period, that you are writing about.
Secondary material is the work by historians or other writers analysing events in the past. The body of historical work on a period or event is known as the historiography.
It is not unusual to write a literature review or historiographical essay which does not directly draw on primary material.
Typically a research essay would need significant primary material.

Start with the core texts in your reading list or course bibliography. Your teacher will have carefully selected these so you should start there.
Look in footnotes and bibliographies. When you are reading be sure to pay attention to the footnotes and bibliographies which can guide you to further sources a give you a clear picture of the important texts.
Use the library. If you have access to a library at your school or college, be sure to make the most of it. Search online catalogues and speak to librarians.
Access online journal databases. If you are in college it is likely that you will have access to academic journals online. These are an excellent and easy to navigate resources.
Use online sources with discretion. Try using free scholarly databases, like Google Scholar, which offer quality academic sources, but avoid using the non-trustworthy websites that come up when you simply search your topic online.
Avoid using crowd-sourced sites like Wikipedia as sources. However, you can look at the sources cited on a Wikipedia page and use them instead, if they seem credible.

Who is the author? Is it written by an academic with a position at a University? Search for the author online.
Who is the publisher? Is the book published by an established academic press? Look in the cover to check the publisher, if it is published by a University Press that is a good sign.
If it's an article, where is published? If you are using an article check that it has been published in an academic journal. [8] X Research source
If the article is online, what is the URL? Government sources with .gov addresses are good sources, as are .edu sites.

Ask yourself why the author is making this argument. Evaluate the text by placing it into a broader intellectual context. Is it part of a certain tradition in historiography? Is it a response to a particular idea?
Consider where there are weaknesses and limitations to the argument. Always keep a critical mindset and try to identify areas where you think the argument is overly stretched or the evidence doesn't match the author's claims. [9] X Research source

Label all your notes with the page numbers and precise bibliographic information on the source.
If you have a quote but can't remember where you found it, imagine trying to skip back through everything you have read to find that one line.
If you use something and don't reference it fully you risk plagiarism. [10] X Research source

Writing the Introduction

Step 1 Start with a strong first sentence.

For example you could start by saying "In the First World War new technologies and the mass mobilization of populations meant that the war was not fought solely by standing armies".
This first sentences introduces the topic of your essay in a broad way which you can start focus to in on more.

Step 2 Outline what you are going to argue.

This will lead to an outline of the structure of your essay and your argument.
Here you will explain the particular approach you have taken to the essay.
For example, if you are using case studies you should explain this and give a brief overview of which case studies you will be using and why.

Step 3 Provide some brief context for your work.

Writing the Essay

Try to include a sentence that concludes each paragraph and links it to the next paragraph.
When you are organising your essay think of each paragraph as addressing one element of the essay question.
Keeping a close focus like this will also help you avoid drifting away from the topic of the essay and will encourage you to write in precise and concise prose.
Don't forget to write in the past tense when referring to something that has already happened.

Step 3 Use source material as evidence to back up your thesis.

Don't drop a quote from a primary source into your prose without introducing it and discussing it, and try to avoid long quotations. Use only the quotes that best illustrate your point.
If you are referring to a secondary source, you can usually summarise in your own words rather than quoting directly.
Be sure to fully cite anything you refer to, including if you do not quote it directly.

Think about the first and last sentence in every paragraph and how they connect to the previous and next paragraph.
Try to avoid beginning paragraphs with simple phrases that make your essay appear more like a list. For example, limit your use of words like: "Additionally", "Moreover", "Furthermore".
Give an indication of where your essay is going and how you are building on what you have already said. [15] X Research source

Briefly outline the implications of your argument and it's significance in relation to the historiography, but avoid grand sweeping statements. [16] X Research source
A conclusion also provides the opportunity to point to areas beyond the scope of your essay where the research could be developed in the future.

Proofreading and Evaluating Your Essay

Try to cut down any overly long sentences or run-on sentences. Instead, try to write clear and accurate prose and avoid unnecessary words.
Concentrate on developing a clear, simple and highly readable prose style first before you think about developing your writing further. [17] X Research source
Reading your essay out load can help you get a clearer picture of awkward phrasing and overly long sentences. [18] X Research source

When you read through your essay look at each paragraph and ask yourself, "what point this paragraph is making".
You might have produced a nice piece of narrative writing, but if you are not directly answering the question it is not going to help your grade.

Step 3 Check your references and bibliography.

A bibliography will typically have primary sources first, followed by secondary sources. [19] X Research source
Double and triple check that you have included all the necessary references in the text. If you forgot to include a reference you risk being reported for plagiarism.

Sample Essay

Community Q&A

↑ http://www.historytoday.com/robert-pearce/how-write-good-history-essay
↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/writing-a-good-history-paper
↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/thesis_statement_tips.html
↑ http://history.rutgers.edu/component/content/article?id=106:writing-historical-essays-a-guide-for-undergraduates
↑ https://guides.lib.uw.edu/c.php?g=344285&p=2580599
↑ http://www.hamilton.edu/documents/writing-center/WritingGoodHistoryPaper.pdf
↑ http://www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/
↑ https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/hppi/publications/Writing-History-Essays.pdf

About This Article

To write a history essay, read the essay question carefully and use source materials to research the topic, taking thorough notes as you go. Next, formulate a thesis statement that summarizes your key argument in 1-2 concise sentences and create a structured outline to help you stay on topic. Open with a strong introduction that introduces your thesis, present your argument, and back it up with sourced material. Then, end with a succinct conclusion that restates and summarizes your position! For more tips on creating a thesis statement, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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A guide to writing history essays

This guide has been prepared for students at all undergraduate university levels. Some points are specifically aimed at 100-level students, and may seem basic to those in upper levels. Similarly, some of the advice is aimed at upper-level students, and new arrivals should not be put off by it.

The key point is that learning to write good essays is a long process. We hope that students will refer to this guide frequently, whatever their level of study.

Why do history students write essays?

Essays are an essential educational tool in disciplines like history because they help you to develop your research skills, critical thinking, and writing abilities. The best essays are based on strong research, in-depth analysis, and are logically structured and well written.

An essay should answer a question with a clear, persuasive argument. In a history essay, this will inevitably involve a degree of narrative (storytelling), but this should be kept to the minimum necessary to support the argument – do your best to avoid the trap of substituting narrative for analytical argument. Instead, focus on the key elements of your argument, making sure they are well supported by evidence. As a historian, this evidence will come from your sources, whether primary and secondary.

The following guide is designed to help you research and write your essays, and you will almost certainly earn better grades if you can follow this advice. You should also look at the essay-marking criteria set out in your course guide, as this will give you a more specific idea of what the person marking your work is looking for.

Where to start

First, take time to understand the question. Underline the key words and consider very carefully what you need to do to provide a persuasive answer. For example, if the question asks you to compare and contrast two or more things, you need to do more than define these things – what are the similarities and differences between them? If a question asks you to 'assess' or 'explore', it is calling for you to weigh up an issue by considering the evidence put forward by scholars, then present your argument on the matter in hand.

A history essay must be based on research. If the topic is covered by lectures, you might begin with lecture and tutorial notes and readings. However, the lecturer does not want you simply to echo or reproduce the lecture content or point of view, nor use their lectures as sources in your footnotes. They want you to develop your own argument. To do this you will need to look closely at secondary sources, such as academic books and journal articles, to find out what other scholars have written about the topic. Often your lecturer will have suggested some key texts, and these are usually listed near the essay questions in your course guide. But you should not rely solely on these suggestions.

Tip : Start the research with more general works to get an overview of your topic, then move on to look at more specialised work.

Crafting a strong essay

Before you begin writing, make an essay plan. Identify the two-to-four key points you want to make. Organize your ideas into an argument which flows logically and coherently. Work out which examples you will use to make the strongest case. You may need to use an initial paragraph (or two) to bring in some context or to define key terms and events, or provide brief identifying detail about key people – but avoid simply telling the story.

An essay is really a series of paragraphs that advance an argument and build towards your conclusion. Each paragraph should focus on one central idea. Introduce this idea at the start of the paragraph with a 'topic sentence', then expand on it with evidence or examples from your research. Some paragraphs should finish with a concluding sentence that reiterates a main point or links your argument back to the essay question.

A good length for a paragraph is 150-200 words. When you want to move to a new idea or angle, start a new paragraph. While each paragraph deals with its own idea, paragraphs should flow logically, and work together as a greater whole. Try using linking phrases at the start of your paragraphs, such as 'An additional factor that explains', 'Further', or 'Similarly'.

We discourage using subheadings for a history essay (unless they are over 5000 words in length). Instead, throughout your essay use 'signposts'. This means clearly explaining what your essay will cover, how an example demonstrates your point, or reiterating what a particular section has added to your overall argument.

Remember that a history essay isn't necessarily about getting the 'right' answer – it's about putting forward a strong case that is well supported by evidence from academic sources. You don't have to cover everything – focus on your key points.

In your introduction or opening paragraph you could indicate that while there are a number of other explanations or factors that apply to your topic, you have chosen to focus on the selected ones (and say why). This demonstrates to your marker that while your argument will focus on selected elements, you do understand the bigger picture.

The classic sections of an essay

Introduction.

Establishes what your argument will be, and outlines how the essay will develop it
A good formula to follow is to lay out about 3 key reasons that support the answer you plan to give (these points will provide a road-map for your essay and will become the ideas behind each paragraph)
If you are focusing on selected aspects of a topic or particular sources and case studies, you should state that in your introduction
Define any key terms that are essential to your argument
Keep your introduction relatively concise – aim for about 10% of the word count
Consists of a series of paragraphs that systematically develop the argument outlined in your introduction
Each paragraph should focus on one central idea, building towards your conclusion
Paragraphs should flow logically. Tie them together with 'bridge' sentences – e.g. you might use a word or words from the end of the previous paragraph and build it into the opening sentence of the next, to form a bridge
Also be sure to link each paragraph to the question/topic/argument in some way (e.g. use a key word from the question or your introductory points) so the reader does not lose the thread of your argument
Ties up the main points of your discussion
Should link back to the essay question, and clearly summarise your answer to that question
May draw out or reflect on any greater themes or observations, but you should avoid introducing new material
If you have suggested several explanations, evaluate which one is strongest

Using scholarly sources: books, journal articles, chapters from edited volumes

Try to read critically: do not take what you read as the only truth, and try to weigh up the arguments presented by scholars. Read several books, chapters, or articles, so that you understand the historical debates about your topic before deciding which viewpoint you support. The best sources for your history essays are those written by experts, and may include books, journal articles, and chapters in edited volumes. The marking criteria in your course guide may state a minimum number of academic sources you should consult when writing your essay. A good essay considers a range of evidence, so aim to use more than this minimum number of sources.

Tip : Pick one of the books or journal articles suggested in your course guide and look at the author's first few footnotes – these will direct you to other prominent sources on this topic.

Don't overlook journal articles as a source. They contain the most in-depth research on a particular topic. Often the first pages will summarise the prior research into this topic, so articles can be a good way to familiarise yourself with what else has 'been done'.

Edited volumes can also be a useful source. These are books on a particular theme, topic or question, with each chapter written by a different expert.

One way to assess the reliability of a source is to check the footnotes or endnotes. When the author makes a claim, is this supported by primary or secondary sources? If there are very few footnotes, then this may not be a credible scholarly source. Also check the date of publication, and prioritise more recent scholarship. Aim to use a variety of sources, but focus most of your attention on academic books and journal articles.

Paraphrasing and quotations

A good essay is about your ability to interpret and analyse sources, and to establish your own informed opinion with a persuasive argument that uses sources as supporting evidence. You should express most of your ideas and arguments in your own words. Cutting and pasting together the words of other scholars, or simply changing a few words in quotations taken from the work of others, will prevent you from getting a good grade, and may be regarded as academic dishonesty (see more below).

Direct quotations can be useful tools if they provide authority and colour. For maximum effect though, use direct quotations sparingly – where possible, paraphrase most material into your own words. Save direct quotations for phrases that are interesting, contentious, or especially well-phrased.

A good writing practice is to introduce and follow up every direct quotation you use with one or two sentences of your own words, clearly explaining the relevance of the quote, and putting it in context with the rest of your paragraph. Tell the reader who you are quoting, why this quote is here, and what it demonstrates. Avoid simply plonking a quotation into the middle of your own prose. This can be quite off-putting for a reader.

Only include punctuation in your quote if it was in the original text. Otherwise, punctuation should come after the quotation marks. If you cut out words from a quotation, put in three dots (an ellipsis [ . . .]) to indicate where material has been cut
If your quote is longer than 50 words, it should be indented and does not need quotation marks. This is called a block quote (use these sparingly: remember you have a limited word count and it is your analysis that is most significant)
Quotations should not be italicised

Referencing, plagiarism and Turnitin

When writing essays or assignments, it is very important to acknowledge the sources you have used. You risk the charge of academic dishonesty (or plagiarism) if you copy or paraphrase words written by another person without providing a proper acknowledgment (a 'reference'). In your essay, whenever you refer to ideas from elsewhere, statistics, direct quotations, or information from primary source material, you must give details of where this information has come from in footnotes and a bibliography.

Your assignment may be checked through Turnitin, a type of plagiarism-detecting software which checks assignments for evidence of copied material. If you have used a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, you may receive a high Turnitin percentage score. This is nothing to be alarmed about if you have referenced those sources. Any matches with other written material that are not referenced may be interpreted as plagiarism – for which there are penalties. You can find full information about all of this in the History Programme's Quick Guide Referencing Guide contained in all course booklets.

Final suggestions

Remember that the easier it is to read your essay, the more likely you are to get full credit for your ideas and work. If the person marking your work has difficulty reading it, either because of poor writing or poor presentation, they will find it harder to grasp your points. Try reading your work aloud, or to a friend/flatmate. This should expose any issues with flow or structure, which you can then rectify.

Make sure that major and controversial points in your argument are clearly stated and well- supported by evidence and footnotes. Aspire to understand – rather than judge – the past. A historian's job is to think about people, patterns, and events in the context of the time, though you can also reflect on changing perceptions of these over time.

Things to remember

Write history essays in the past tense
Generally, avoid sub-headings in your essays
Avoid using the word 'bias' or 'biased' too freely when discussing your research materials. Almost any text could be said to be 'biased'. Your task is to attempt to explain why an author might argue or interpret the past as they do, and what the potential limitations of their conclusions might be
Use the passive voice judiciously. Active sentences are better!
Be cautious about using websites as sources of information. The internet has its uses, particularly for primary sources, but the best sources are academic books and articles. You may use websites maintained by legitimate academic and government authorities, such as those with domain suffixes like .gov .govt .ac or .edu
Keep an eye on word count – aim to be within 10% of the required length. If your essay is substantially over the limit, revisit your argument and overall structure, and see if you are trying to fit in too much information. If it falls considerably short, look into adding another paragraph or two
Leave time for a final edit and spell-check, go through your footnotes and bibliography to check that your references are correctly formatted, and don't forget to back up your work as you go!

Other useful strategies and sources

Student Learning Development , which offers peer support and one-on-one writing advice (located near the central library)
Harvard College's guide to writing history essays (PDF)
Harvard College's advice on essay structure
Victoria University's comprehensive essay writing guide (PDF)

How to write an introduction for a history essay

Every essay needs to begin with an introductory paragraph. It needs to be the first paragraph the marker reads.

While your introduction paragraph might be the first of the paragraphs you write, this is not the only way to do it.

You can choose to write your introduction after you have written the rest of your essay.

This way, you will know what you have argued, and this might make writing the introduction easier.

Either approach is fine. If you do write your introduction first, ensure that you go back and refine it once you have completed your essay.

What is an ‘introduction paragraph’?

An introductory paragraph is a single paragraph at the start of your essay that prepares your reader for the argument you are going to make in your body paragraphs .

It should provide all of the necessary historical information about your topic and clearly state your argument so that by the end of the paragraph, the marker knows how you are going to structure the rest of your essay.

In general, you should never use quotes from sources in your introduction.

Introduction paragraph structure

While your introduction paragraph does not have to be as long as your body paragraphs , it does have a specific purpose, which you must fulfil.

A well-written introduction paragraph has the following four-part structure (summarised by the acronym BHES).

B – Background sentences

H – Hypothesis

E – Elaboration sentences

S - Signpost sentence

Each of these elements are explained in further detail, with examples, below:

1. Background sentences

The first two or three sentences of your introduction should provide a general introduction to the historical topic which your essay is about. This is done so that when you state your hypothesis , your reader understands the specific point you are arguing about.

Background sentences explain the important historical period, dates, people, places, events and concepts that will be mentioned later in your essay. This information should be drawn from your background research .

Example background sentences:

Middle Ages (Year 8 Level)

WWI (Year 9 Level)

Civil Rights (Year 10 Level)

Ancient Rome (Year 11/12 Level)

2. Hypothesis

Once you have provided historical context for your essay in your background sentences, you need to state your hypothesis .

A hypothesis is a single sentence that clearly states the argument that your essay will be proving in your body paragraphs .

A good hypothesis contains both the argument and the reasons in support of your argument.

Example hypotheses:

Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery.

Australian soldiers’ opinion of the First World War changed from naïve enthusiasm to pessimistic realism as a result of the harsh realities of modern industrial warfare.

The success of the 1967 Referendum was a direct result of the efforts of First Nations leaders such as Charles Perkins, Faith Bandler and the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.

Gaius Marius was the most one of the most significant personalities in the 1 st century BC due to his effect on the political, military and social structures of the Roman state.

3. Elaboration sentences

Once you have stated your argument in your hypothesis , you need to provide particular information about how you’re going to prove your argument.

Your elaboration sentences should be one or two sentences that provide specific details about how you’re going to cover the argument in your three body paragraphs.

You might also briefly summarise two or three of your main points.

Finally, explain any important key words, phrases or concepts that you’ve used in your hypothesis, you’ll need to do this in your elaboration sentences.

Example elaboration sentences:

By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period.

Following Britain's official declaration of war on Germany, young Australian men voluntarily enlisted into the army, which was further encouraged by government propaganda about the moral justifications for the conflict. However, following the initial engagements on the Gallipoli peninsula, enthusiasm declined.

The political activity of key indigenous figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results.

While Marius is best known for his military reforms, it is the subsequent impacts of this reform on the way other Romans approached the attainment of magistracies and how public expectations of military leaders changed that had the longest impacts on the late republican period.

4. Signpost sentence

The final sentence of your introduction should prepare the reader for the topic of your first body paragraph. The main purpose of this sentence is to provide cohesion between your introductory paragraph and you first body paragraph .

Therefore, a signpost sentence indicates where you will begin proving the argument that you set out in your hypothesis and usually states the importance of the first point that you’re about to make.

Example signpost sentences:

The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.

The naïve attitudes of those who volunteered in 1914 can be clearly seen in the personal letters and diaries that they themselves wrote.

The significance of these people is evident when examining the lack of political representation the indigenous people experience in the early half of the 20 th century.

The origin of Marius’ later achievements was his military reform in 107 BC, which occurred when he was first elected as consul.

Putting it all together

Once you have written all four parts of the BHES structure, you should have a completed introduction paragraph. In the examples above, we have shown each part separately. Below you will see the completed paragraphs so that you can appreciate what an introduction should look like.

Example introduction paragraphs:

Castles were an important component of Medieval Britain from the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 until they were phased out in the 15th and 16th centuries. Initially introduced as wooden motte and bailey structures on geographical strongpoints, they were rapidly replaced by stone fortresses which incorporated sophisticated defensive designs to improve the defenders’ chances of surviving prolonged sieges. Medieval castles were designed with features that nullified the superior numbers of besieging armies, but were ultimately made obsolete by the development of gunpowder artillery. By the height of the Middle Ages, feudal lords were investing significant sums of money by incorporating concentric walls and guard towers to maximise their defensive potential. These developments were so successful that many medieval armies avoided sieges in the late period. The early development of castles is best understood when examining their military purpose.

The First World War began in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The subsequent declarations of war from most of Europe drew other countries into the conflict, including Australia. The Australian Imperial Force joined the war as part of Britain’s armed forces and were dispatched to locations in the Middle East and Western Europe. Australian soldiers’ opinion of the First World War changed from naïve enthusiasm to pessimistic realism as a result of the harsh realities of modern industrial warfare. Following Britain's official declaration of war on Germany, young Australian men voluntarily enlisted into the army, which was further encouraged by government propaganda about the moral justifications for the conflict. However, following the initial engagements on the Gallipoli peninsula, enthusiasm declined. The naïve attitudes of those who volunteered in 1914 can be clearly seen in the personal letters and diaries that they themselves wrote.

The 1967 Referendum sought to amend the Australian Constitution in order to change the legal standing of the indigenous people in Australia. The fact that 90% of Australians voted in favour of the proposed amendments has been attributed to a series of significant events and people who were dedicated to the referendum’s success. The success of the 1967 Referendum was a direct result of the efforts of First Nations leaders such as Charles Perkins, Faith Bandler and the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. The political activity of key indigenous figures and the formation of activism organisations focused on indigenous resulted in a wider spread of messages to the general Australian public. The generation of powerful images and speeches has been frequently cited by modern historians as crucial to the referendum results. The significance of these people is evident when examining the lack of political representation the indigenous people experience in the early half of the 20th century.

In the late second century BC, the Roman novus homo Gaius Marius became one of the most influential men in the Roman Republic. Marius gained this authority through his victory in the Jugurthine War, with his defeat of Jugurtha in 106 BC, and his triumph over the invading Germanic tribes in 101 BC, when he crushed the Teutones at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC) and the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae (101 BC). Marius also gained great fame through his election to the consulship seven times. Gaius Marius was the most one of the most significant personalities in the 1st century BC due to his effect on the political, military and social structures of the Roman state. While Marius is best known for his military reforms, it is the subsequent impacts of this reform on the way other Romans approached the attainment of magistracies and how public expectations of military leaders changed that had the longest impacts on the late republican period. The origin of Marius’ later achievements was his military reform in 107 BC, which occurred when he was first elected as consul.

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History resources, stories and news. Author: Dan Moorhouse

The Best Way to Structure an Undergraduate History Essay

Any essay, regardless of the subject, teaches you to think critically, to reason on complex and controversial issues, to characterise phenomena. With regard to history, reflect on events and reveal the identity of the historical character. Such a creative task helps the examiners understand how well the student knows the subject, whether he is able to organise and analyse the material, whether he can write about it freely. History is not an easy science. This is just information, and the researcher ponders how it was or how it could be in reality. That is why we decided to help you and tell you a couple of secrets on how to better structure your essay.

Important to Remember

Before starting your paper, it is necessary to clearly understand the specifics of historical research. In many ways, the work of a historian resembles that of a detective. Based on the available evidence (sources), using relevant methods, it is necessary to restore the picture of the events that took place. But there is one big difference from the activity of the detective, namely, the historical background must be taken into account. There is no need for a detective to concentrate on this specially, he/she, him/herself lives in this reality.

For a historian, everything is not so simple, he/she must take into account that at different times people were driven by a different logic. The picture of the world of modern man and the picture of the medieval world will differ dramatically. It is impossible to assess the events of the Middle Ages, the same Inquisition , from the point of view of modern morality. If you do not have the ability to look at historical events as an independent historian, then perhaps you would be better off turning to the essay writing service for help.

Note: Don’t Mention too Many Dates

Do not overuse dates in your essay. Why? Oh, because the requirements, as a rule, do not say anything about the dates, but a couple of points can be removed for a mistake. Therefore, before writing a year-month-do-hour-minute of the events that you taught so meticulously, think – are you sure of its correctness? Of course, such significant dates as, for example, the establishment of America’s independence or the dates of the First World War should still be indicated, but you must be responsible for their correctness.

Structure and Content

A well-written history essay will include the following points:

* Introduction;

* Main part;

* Conclusion.

Each item should contain information that will maximise the chosen topic. At the same time, you should not supply your essay with empty, meaningless sentences. If you want to know an outside opinion about what you wrote, then ask a friend to give you a review. Speaking of reviews, if you have any doubts about the quality of an essay site, you can also read the essayshark.com reviews of satisfied customers.

Write an Introduction

Very little is required of you here: just indicate 2 events/processes (preferably with reference to a specific date) that fit into the framework of the period, without detailed disclosure. Also, this paragraph should contain a disclosure of the roles of two historical figures associated with the above events. The algorithm is as follows: 1 person – a role in 1 event; 2nd person – a role in 2nd event. At this step, students very often face the difficulty of interpreting the very concept of “role in an event”. In fact, everything is very simple: the role of an individual in an event is basically his/her specific actions (orders, command of troops, negotiations , etc.) that influenced this event and are directly related to it.

Write the Main Part

Most often, here you are required to indicate two cause-and-effect relationships within the selected period. Also, the main part should contain a historical assessment of the significance of the period based on facts or an authoritative opinion.

Write a Conclusion

With the last paragraph, you conclude the entire essay with the classic “the significance of this period for the history of America / the world cannot be overemphasised because of …”. Congratulations, your essay on history is written! Now … put it all into practice.

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How to Write an Introduction for History Essay

Table of Contents

An essay is a sustained piece of writing that responds to a question, topic, or issue.

For example, the skills tested in history essays include historical comprehension, interpretation and analysis, planning, research, and writing.

Students must study the topic, understand its focus and requirements, investigate relevant information, and write a clear, well-organized essay.

Writing a quality history essay could be challenging, even for the most capable students. Essay writing develops and improves with practice and experience, as with other skills.

This article provides straightforward steps and writing aids that will propel you into writing brilliant introductions for your history essays. Read on!

What Is History Essay?

A history essay is an academic essay that responds to a particular historical event. If a paper is about the Battle for Berlin, it would be a history essay. The article would react to the battle’s events, drawing from and analyzing relevant history and drawing conclusions from the fight’s result.

History essays are used to analyze and evaluate student appreciation for history. History essays are generally easier to write than history papers because they provide a format the student already knows.

Step-by-Step Guide: Introduction for History Essay

Here are some basic tips on how to write a successful introduction for history essay .

1. Analyze the Topic

This is an obvious piece of advice that some pupils tragically disregard. Regardless of the subject or topic, the first step to writing a successful essay is to devote considerable attention to the question.

Analyzing the topic may need you to explain the reasons and/or implications of a particular event or circumstance. It may also need to:

Inquire whether you agree or disagree with a certain assertion.
Assess the relative importance of a person, organization, or event.
Describe and/or analyze the reasons and/or implications of a certain action or event.

The first step is to read the essay question numerous times. Underline, highlight, or annotate terms or keywords in the question content.

Consider what it will need of you. Who or what is the target of your attention? Does it specify or imply a specific timeframe? What problem or concern is it requesting you to address?

2. Start With a Plan

Every essay must begin with a detailed outline. You should start formulating a plan as soon as you have received your essay question and given it some attention.

Prepare for research by generating and recording thoughts and ideas. What are your immediate thoughts or reactions to the question? What subjects, events, individuals, or concerns are associated with the question?

Are there any further questions or concerns that arise from the question? What issues or events do you require additional information about? Which historians or resources could be helpful?

If you face a mental “brick wall” or are unsure how to approach the subject, don’t be afraid to share it with another person. Consult your instructor, a qualified classmate, or a reliable individual. Remember that your plan may change after you begin your study as you discover new information.

3. Start Investigating

After analyzing the question and formulating a preliminary plan, you should begin collecting information and proof.

The majority will begin by reading an overview of the topic or issue, typically found in reputable secondary sources. This will refresh or expand your existing knowledge of the problem and offer a foundation for additional questions or research.

From this point on, your research should take shape, directed by the essay question and your planning. Identify unfamiliar terms or concepts and learn their meanings. As you gather information, consider whether it is pertinent or beneficial for answering the question. Be resourceful with your research by looking in several locations.

If you are having trouble accessing information, consult your instructor or a reliable individual for assistance.

4. Develop an Argument

Every good history essay has a clear and convincing thesis statement. A thesis is the central concept or argument of an essay. It acts as both the query response and your paper’s primary focus.

Idealistically, you should be able to articulate your argument in a single sentence.

An essay employing this argument would then clarify and defend these claims in greater depth. Additionally, it will support the claim with argument and facts.

You should begin considering your essay’s thesis at some point during your research. You should be able to summarize it or answer the essay question in a single sentence.

Try to present your argument in a robust, authoritative, and convincing manner. It should sound like the confident response of someone knowledgeable about the topic.

5. Plan an Essay Format

This refers to the history essay structure. Once the majority of your research is complete and you have a solid argument, begin to draft a potential essay structure. This does not need to be elaborate; a few lines or dot points are sufficient.

Every essay must include an introduction, numerous body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your paragraphs should be well-organized and arranged in a logical order.

Paragraphs can be organized chronologically or thematically (covering events or topics according to their significance or relevance). Each section should have a leading sentence that serves as a clear indicator.

Once you have finalized your essay’s outline, you should begin drafting.

6. Create an Engaging Introduction

Many regard the essay’s start to be its most essential component. It is crucial for multiple reasons.

It is the initial impression the reader has of your writing.
Introducing your argument and address the question.
Outlining the direction of your essay.

Aim for an introduction that is concise, assured, and engaging. Do not squander time with a lengthy story-telling in the beginning; go right to the topic.

Start by providing some context, then address the question, state your argument, and establish the overall direction of your essay.

7. Create Complete Paragraphs

Many students in the field of history fall into the trap of writing brief paragraphs, often consisting of only one or two sentences. A good history essay has paragraphs that are typically 100-200 words in length and function as “mini-essays.”

The focus of a paragraph should be limited to a single topic or issue, which must be thoroughly explored.

A good paragraph will begin with a compelling topic or signposting sentence, also known as an effective introductory sentence.

This phrase introduces the paragraph’s topic and explains its relevance to the issue and your argument. Good paragraphs include comprehensive explanations, some analysis and proof, and a quotation.

8. Conclude With a Powerful Ending

Your essay’s final paragraph is the conclusion. A strong ending should accomplish two goals. First, it should restate or reinforce the thesis statement. Second, you should conclude your essay with a polished conclusion that is neither abrupt nor clunky.

This can be accomplished with a concise summary of “what happened next.” Your conclusion need not be as lengthy or elaborate as your body paragraphs. Avoid providing new evidence or information in conclusion.

9. Cite and Reference Your Sources

A history essay is only likely to be successful if it contains proper citations. Citations or references to credible sources should support your essay’s material, ideas, and arguments.

In addition to acknowledging the work of others, referencing brings legitimacy to your writing. It also provides the instructor or grader with insight into your study.

10. Proofread, Edit, and Solicit Comments

Before being submitted for evaluation, each essay must be checked, amended, and, if required, rewritten. Ideally, essays should be prepared a few days before their due date, then set away for a day or two before being proofread.

While proofreading, check for spelling and grammatical problems, typographical errors, wrong dates, and other factual issues.

Consider how you may improve the essay’s clarity, tone, and organization. Does your writing have a logical structure and flow? Is the navigation in your essay functional and clear? Some sentences may be too long or “rambling.” Repeat yourself often? Do paragraphs require expansion, refinement, or reinforcement with further evidence?

Read your essay out loud, either to yourself or to someone else. Seek assistance and critique from a skilled writer or someone you respect (they need not have expertise in history, only in effective writing).

Writing Tips for Historical Essays

When writing a history essay, the writer must plan out the layout, sequence, and analyze the source material. Here are other tips to follow:

1. Always Use the Third Person When Writing

Never use self-referential language such as “I believe” or “that is my contention.” Good historical writings should adopt the viewpoint of a knowledgeable and impartial third party. They should not sound like an individual giving a perspective, but rather, they should sound rational and factual.

Always use past tense while writing. Using the past tense is an obvious suggestion for a history essay. Always be mindful of your tense usage. When proofreading your writing, watch out for mismatched tenses. One exception to the rule regarding past tense is when discussing the work of contemporary historians.

For example:

“Christian writes…” sounds better than “Christian wrote…” or “Christian has written…”

2. Avoid Generalizations

This is an issue with all writings, but especially with history essays. Generalization is the process of drawing broad conclusions from one or more specific instances.

In history, it occurs most frequently when students examine a particular group and then generalize their experiences to a much wider group. Keep an eye out for them when proofreading.

3. Avoid Rambling

As a general guideline, most of your phrases should be concise and succinct. The longer a sentence develops, the greater the possibility that it may become cumbersome or unclear.

Lengthy sentences easily become disconnected, vague, or ramble. Avoid excessively long sentences and pay particular attention to sentence length when proofreading.

4. Use an Active Voice When Writing

In writing about history, the active voice is preferred above the passive voice. In the active voice, the subject carries out the action. The active voice prevents sentences from being too long, wordy, and unclear.

As with any type of writing, researching, planning, and producing good quality content takes time and effort. With persistence and practice, your historical essay will be as good as it can get.

How to Write an Introduction for History Essay

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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How to plan an essay: Essay Planning

What's in this guide
Essay Planning
Additional resources

How to plan an essay

Essay planning is an important step in academic essay writing.

Proper planning helps you write your essay faster, and focus more on the exact question. As you draft and write your essay, record any changes on the plan as well as in the essay itself, so they develop side by side.

One way to start planning an essay is with a ‘box plan’.

First, decide how many stages you want in your argument – how many important points do you want to make? Then, divide a box into an introduction + one paragraph for each stage + a conclusion.

Next, figure out how many words per paragraph you'll need.

Usually, the introduction and conclusion are each about 10% of the word count. This leaves about 80% of the word count for the body - for your real argument. Find how many words that is, and divide it by the number of body paragraphs you want. That tells you about how many words each paragraph can have.

Remember, each body paragraph discusses one main point, so make sure each paragraph's long enough to discuss the point properly (flexible, but usually at least 150 words).

For example, say the assignment is

Fill in the table as follows:

Next, record each paragraph's main argument, as either a heading or topic sentence (a sentence to start that paragraph, to immediately make its point clear).

Finally, use dot points to list useful information or ideas from your research notes for each paragraph. Remember to include references so you can connect each point to your reading.

The other useful document for essay planning is the marking rubric .

This indicates what the lecturer is looking for, and helps you make sure all the necessary elements are there.

Pathways and Academic Learning Support

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A Level History Essay Structure – A Guide

Post author By admin
Post date December 1, 2022
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Getting an A Level History essay structure right is by no means an easy task. In this post we will look at how we can build a structure from which our essay can develop.

A level History Essay Structure - Simple

Here you can see the most simplified essay structure for tackling A level History essays. All students should be familiar with this structure. We have broken the essay down into an introduction and conclusion as well as 3 separate parts of content. Running through the entire essay at the side is our line of argument. Whilst this may seem fairly simple, many students still fail to adequately follow this structure, when writing essay answers under exam conditions.

The reasons this structure works well is that it enables you to cover 3 different factors of content. These can be aligned 2-1 or 1-2 on either side of the argument. Your essay is now balanced (covering both sides of the argument), whilst at the same time being decisive in terms of your line of argument and judgement. It is also consistent with the amount you can write in the exam time given for (20-25) mark essay questions.

Expanded A level History Essay Structure

Let’s look at an expanded essay structure. Again, we have our introduction and conclusion as well as 3 separate parts of content. Now we can see that we have added whether or not each of our parts of content agrees or disagrees with the question premise. In order to have a balanced essay we can see on this example that; Content 1 agrees, Content 2 disagrees, and Content 3 can go either way. This overall A Level History essay structure ensures a balanced essay that also reaches judgement.

Furthermore, we have now broken down each individual part of Content/Factor. This can be seen as a mini essay in its own right. The Content/Factor is introduced and linked to the question as well as being concluded and linked to the question. Then we write 2 to 3 separate points within the body of the Content/Factor. We have 2 points that agree with the overall argument of this section of content. This strongly backs up our argument.

Then we can also potentially (this doesn’t have to be done always, but when done right creates a more nuanced analysis) add a third point that balances that particular section of content. However, it doesn’t detract from the overall argument of this factor/content. E.g. In the short term ‘point 3’ occurred but of much greater significance was ‘point 1’ and ‘point 2.’

How To Improve Further at A Level History

Pass A Level History – is our sister site, which shows you step by step, how to most effectively answer any A Level History extract, source or essay question. Please click the following link to visit the site and get access to your free preview lesson. www.passalevelhistory.co.uk

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The Unessay

A Creative and Audience-Focused Assignment

Bryan A. Banks | Sep 20, 2023

F rom sewing projects to art installations, original songs to experimental dance, unessays have become a staple of the historian’s teaching toolbox. If you have spent any time on Twitter in the last five or six years, you likely have encountered the unessay , a creative project students complete in place of writing a paper. Emily Suzanne Clark and Christopher Jones were some of the first to popularize the unessay for historians, and ever since, each semester, teachers post their students’ projects online for all to see. Jessamyn Neuhaus even organized an entire open-access issue of Teaching History: A Journal of Methods on the assignment in 2022. But I see the unessay as more than an assignment type. It is a call to arms.

black and white illustrated comic showing two panels of pirates talking on a ship

For a world history survey, Sean Hall created a comic that explored mutinies, democracy at sea, and the expansion of mercantile capitalism around the Atlantic Ocean. Sean Hall

The unessay should ask students to think about the audience in ways that we historians should be doing too. In 2019, an AHA national survey asked where the American public learns about history. More than 50 percent of respondents pointed to documentary film and television, fictional film and TV, TV news, online sources, and journalism as their sources for learning about the past. College courses came in dead last, and academic journal articles did not even make the list. Nonfiction history books, the gold standard for tenure purposes , are in the middle of the pack. If we know how the public prefers to learn about history, then why not teach students to meet these audiences where they are? If the majority of Americans do not consume history by reading, then why do so many history educators still assign a “final essay”? Whether an individual research project or a synthesis of what was learned in the course, essays require students to make an argument using evidence in writing. An unessay has equal potential to lay out an argument and mobilize evidence but allows students to explore other mediums and genres, ones that the American public, at least, may find more appealing.

This assignment intends to undo what some students perceive as the stale essay format, which is still the assessment mode of choice for most history educators. Critics of the way historians teach and interact with the public have boomed in the past decade , in large part because history majors in colleges and universities have been on the decline for some time. This downward trajectory has forced historians to rethink how they present their work, what kinds of audiences they reach, and ultimately how they train the next generation of historians. The unessay is just one step in rethinking what a history education means, and it’s a powerful tool to get students to think through the future of the discipline with us.

A naysayer might focus on the perceived lack of “rigor” of unessays. This assumption is fallacious. If done right, the unessay can motivate students to surpass the level of work, critical thinking, and creativity to which a traditional research essay may lead. If one goal of a history course is to foster an interest in history, then tapping into their passions seems obvious. With an unessay assignment, the film major can write a script for a historical nonfiction television episode, paired with a short analysis of the choices they made. If the art major wants to become an animator or illustrator, then why not have them design their own comic book (like Sean Hall created in my World History since 1500 survey). These projects challenge them to think through the purpose of their research in creative ways without sacrificing rigor. If anything, figuring out how to employ a new medium to make a research-based argument means students have to exercise more critical thinking than when writing a paper.

I wanted students to see that different sorts of publications were each rendered in a specific format that revealed much to the informed.

Just as the mode is malleable to the students’ interests, so too can the unessay be pliable to the teacher’s learning objectives. In intro courses, the goal is to reach students with wide-ranging disciplinary interests, and the unessay has the advantage of leveling the performance playing field for students unfamiliar with the traditional college essay. In a class for history majors, you might limit the types of assignments to a select few. Increasingly, I have focused on the two main career trajectories our majors take—either into the classroom or public history. Students interested in teaching create lesson plans, classroom activities, or playground games to get them thinking about how to prepare and put into practice their content knowledge when they become educators. Those more interested in public history design museum exhibits, memorials, or informative websites; edit Wikipedia pages; or produce podcasts or YouTube video content. In a recent section of my online World History since 1500 course, I asked students to translate their research for a public audience. In a YouTube video, Jiane Louella Rabara examined one of the most infamous cases of cannibalism and what it tells us about the legal cartographies of imperialism. Her project is a case study of a successful and engaging unessay project.

A screenshot of a youtube video that says 'Sacrifice and Survival' above an illustration of a skull and a heart

Jiane Louella Rabara’s entertaining and educational YouTube video, “R v Dudley and Stephens, Cannibalism, and the British Empire,” is an exemplar of a project that addresses a public audience. Jiane Louella Rabara

Unessays offer a real opportunity to think about your learning objectives. The history discipline is overwhelmingly concerned with originality and method. The “so what” question, as we often call it, drives students toward innovation, but this often comes in the form of overspecialization or parochialism. The search for lacunas limits the audience in the name of novelty. Unessays give us a chance to leave the lacunas be for a moment precisely because the unessay inverts the relationship between the “so what” and “for whom.” It is not that students should cease being original thinkers, but rather they need to consider where the audience for history content is. The most successful unessays find ways of using the chosen form to enhance the function of the unessay itself. Instead of writing a paper on African American culture after the Civil War, a student might make a quilt, illustrating their understanding of cultural history using a medium meaningful to their subjects. For my colleague Caroline Newhall’s Civil War history class, Janetta Crawford showed how quilting allowed African Americans to tell their family and community’s story, making it an ideal medium to unpack the complexities of existing in the Reconstruction era and after. While designing their projects, the students should be asking themselves what the audience will expect to see and learn from such a medium—a question that they usually ignore when writing a traditional paper for their professors.

A slide that has the title 'Quilting in the Underground Railroad' and the sentence 'different types of quilt squares were used to represent different messages' and four quilt pattern squares

Janetta Crawford’s unessay described how quilts could be used to convey messages secretly on the Underground Railroad. Courtesy Caroline Newhall (Oberlin Coll.)

Historians talk about how history education provides transferable skills, so let us give students the chance to transfer their skills with guidance. Structure is key with unessays, just as it is with essays. Just as students often need to have the rules of a primary-source-driven persuasive essay mapped out for them, so too do they need scaffolding to ensure that their unessays meet the instructor’s expectations. Some might fear that this means the unessay might prove more laborious for the instructor—but teaching writing requires deliberate introductions and guidance through the assignment as well. In designing an unessay assignment, I suggest the following:

Make prompts pen-ended. The tendency is to start an assignment by describing as the instructor what you would like to see. This limits the creativity of the student.
Have them write a proposal. What students produce or how they deliver it will differ with each student. A written proposal may be sufficient, whereas an oral proposal may be more useful if the student is, for example, preparing a monologue. This step gives you a chance to emphasize early in the process what you see as integral to the success of that unessay and what students think the audience will expect to see.
Provide feedback on “drafts.” This step is essential for survey students but still important for history majors. Regular and substantive feedback is key for helping students provide an interpretative unessay that makes an argument and shows their research.
Have students “present” their unessays to the class or outside groups. Not only does this give students more extrinsic motivation to work on their projects, but it also gives them a chance to reflect on just how well they captured their subjects and made their cases in different mediums. For students who suffer from anxiety, instructors should encourage them to develop an unessay that can be “presented” without putting them in an unnecessarily stressful situation.
Reflection is key. If you want students to realize what they did was important for their growth beyond the classroom, they need time to reflect on their work afterward in a guided way. In taking this last step, students will likely connect what they’ve produced to their greater ambitions. It is a chance to internalize the value of history.

In many ways, assessment is the sticking point for historians teaching with unessays. Most of us were not trained to assess monologues, urban-planning maps, or poetry. Assessment models differ. You might create a general rubric and have the students tell you how they fulfill each requirement. You can do this with a more traditional paper, or you might have students give oral presentations and share their creativity with the class to foster even more reflection. Instead of looking for a thesis statement, identify an argument. Look for the ways that students incorporated their evidence into their unessay. Since attention to detail is just as important in an unessay as grammar is in an essay, ask students to explain how they “edited” their project. If this seems like a stretch beyond your training to the point of discomfort, remember it is okay to decenter yourself in the learning process and rely on the student or students in the class at least during the time spent working on or presenting unessays.

While designing their projects, the students should be asking what the audience will expect to see and learn from such a medium.

For an example assignment sheet, please visit the AHA’s Classroom Materials webpage .

Bryan A. Banks is history department chair and associate professor at Columbus State University. He served as an assistant director of experiential learning (2019–22) and acting director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (2022–23). Find him on Twitter @BryanBanksPhD.

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How Pew Research Center will report on generations moving forward

Journalists, researchers and the public often look at society through the lens of generation, using terms like Millennial or Gen Z to describe groups of similarly aged people. This approach can help readers see themselves in the data and assess where we are and where we’re headed as a country.

Pew Research Center has been at the forefront of generational research over the years, telling the story of Millennials as they came of age politically and as they moved more firmly into adult life . In recent years, we’ve also been eager to learn about Gen Z as the leading edge of this generation moves into adulthood.

But generational research has become a crowded arena. The field has been flooded with content that’s often sold as research but is more like clickbait or marketing mythology. There’s also been a growing chorus of criticism about generational research and generational labels in particular.

Recently, as we were preparing to embark on a major research project related to Gen Z, we decided to take a step back and consider how we can study generations in a way that aligns with our values of accuracy, rigor and providing a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue.

A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations.

We set out on a yearlong process of assessing the landscape of generational research. We spoke with experts from outside Pew Research Center, including those who have been publicly critical of our generational analysis, to get their take on the pros and cons of this type of work. We invested in methodological testing to determine whether we could compare findings from our earlier telephone surveys to the online ones we’re conducting now. And we experimented with higher-level statistical analyses that would allow us to isolate the effect of generation.

What emerged from this process was a set of clear guidelines that will help frame our approach going forward. Many of these are principles we’ve always adhered to , but others will require us to change the way we’ve been doing things in recent years.

Here’s a short overview of how we’ll approach generational research in the future:

We’ll only do generational analysis when we have historical data that allows us to compare generations at similar stages of life. When comparing generations, it’s crucial to control for age. In other words, researchers need to look at each generation or age cohort at a similar point in the life cycle. (“Age cohort” is a fancy way of referring to a group of people who were born around the same time.)

When doing this kind of research, the question isn’t whether young adults today are different from middle-aged or older adults today. The question is whether young adults today are different from young adults at some specific point in the past.

To answer this question, it’s necessary to have data that’s been collected over a considerable amount of time – think decades. Standard surveys don’t allow for this type of analysis. We can look at differences across age groups, but we can’t compare age groups over time.

Another complication is that the surveys we conducted 20 or 30 years ago aren’t usually comparable enough to the surveys we’re doing today. Our earlier surveys were done over the phone, and we’ve since transitioned to our nationally representative online survey panel , the American Trends Panel . Our internal testing showed that on many topics, respondents answer questions differently depending on the way they’re being interviewed. So we can’t use most of our surveys from the late 1980s and early 2000s to compare Gen Z with Millennials and Gen Xers at a similar stage of life.

This means that most generational analysis we do will use datasets that have employed similar methodologies over a long period of time, such as surveys from the U.S. Census Bureau. A good example is our 2020 report on Millennial families , which used census data going back to the late 1960s. The report showed that Millennials are marrying and forming families at a much different pace than the generations that came before them.

Even when we have historical data, we will attempt to control for other factors beyond age in making generational comparisons. If we accept that there are real differences across generations, we’re basically saying that people who were born around the same time share certain attitudes or beliefs – and that their views have been influenced by external forces that uniquely shaped them during their formative years. Those forces may have been social changes, economic circumstances, technological advances or political movements.

When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

The tricky part is isolating those forces from events or circumstances that have affected all age groups, not just one generation. These are often called “period effects.” An example of a period effect is the Watergate scandal, which drove down trust in government among all age groups. Differences in trust across age groups in the wake of Watergate shouldn’t be attributed to the outsize impact that event had on one age group or another, because the change occurred across the board.

Changing demographics also may play a role in patterns that might at first seem like generational differences. We know that the United States has become more racially and ethnically diverse in recent decades, and that race and ethnicity are linked with certain key social and political views. When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

Controlling for these factors can involve complicated statistical analysis that helps determine whether the differences we see across age groups are indeed due to generation or not. This additional step adds rigor to the process. Unfortunately, it’s often absent from current discussions about Gen Z, Millennials and other generations.

When we can’t do generational analysis, we still see value in looking at differences by age and will do so where it makes sense. Age is one of the most common predictors of differences in attitudes and behaviors. And even if age gaps aren’t rooted in generational differences, they can still be illuminating. They help us understand how people across the age spectrum are responding to key trends, technological breakthroughs and historical events.

Each stage of life comes with a unique set of experiences. Young adults are often at the leading edge of changing attitudes on emerging social trends. Take views on same-sex marriage , for example, or attitudes about gender identity .

Many middle-aged adults, in turn, face the challenge of raising children while also providing care and support to their aging parents. And older adults have their own obstacles and opportunities. All of these stories – rooted in the life cycle, not in generations – are important and compelling, and we can tell them by analyzing our surveys at any given point in time.

When we do have the data to study groups of similarly aged people over time, we won’t always default to using the standard generational definitions and labels. While generational labels are simple and catchy, there are other ways to analyze age cohorts. For example, some observers have suggested grouping people by the decade in which they were born. This would create narrower cohorts in which the members may share more in common. People could also be grouped relative to their age during key historical events (such as the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic) or technological innovations (like the invention of the iPhone).

By choosing not to use the standard generational labels when they’re not appropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying people’s complex lived experiences.

Existing generational definitions also may be too broad and arbitrary to capture differences that exist among narrower cohorts. A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations. The key is to pick a lens that’s most appropriate for the research question that’s being studied. If we’re looking at political views and how they’ve shifted over time, for example, we might group people together according to the first presidential election in which they were eligible to vote.

With these considerations in mind, our audiences should not expect to see a lot of new research coming out of Pew Research Center that uses the generational lens. We’ll only talk about generations when it adds value, advances important national debates and highlights meaningful societal trends.

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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The 2024 solar eclipse might be an omen, but what does it portend?

By Renée Bergland April 18, 2024

As the warmest winter in human history draws to a close, many of us are unsure about what comes next. Familiar patterns have changed. Here in New England, the seasons are becoming wildly unpredictable. At least celestial mechanics are unaffected. The Earth, the Moon, and the Sun continue to move like clockwork. We knew exactly when and where they would line up for the next solar eclipse. On April 8, the path of totality arced northward across the United States from Texas to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Twenty years ago, New Englanders who wanted to witness an April eclipse would have booked tickets for Texas or Arkansas. This year, it was hard to predict. After months of back-and-forth, my little coterie of scientists, journalists, and historians decided to observe the event in northern Vermont. Though we knew that significant cloud cover would have been highly probable in the past, we concluded that historical weather patterns are not all that predictive anymore.

Eclipses have a complicated relationship to foretelling the future. Long ago, astronomical and meteorological phenomena were seen as supernatural messages. Like shooting stars, auroras, and comets, eclipses were often considered portents of social upheaval and danger. Eclipses tended to come unexpectedly, out of the blue. They filled people with terror. Yet, it has been many centuries since eclipses were truly unpredictable. Cunieform inscriptions on ancient clay tablets show that Babylonian astronomers knew how to calculate future eclipses twenty-five centuries ago. They shared their predictions with the king but kept them secret from the people.

If the information was kept under wraps, astronomical insiders who knew that an eclipse was coming could use their knowledge to manipulate the uninformed. The best-known example of such trickery happened in 1504, when Christopher Columbus used his almanac’s prediction of an eclipse to frighten indigenous Jamaicans into submission.

In 1832, the natural philosopher David Brewster condemned such abuses of scientific knowledge. In the past, he said, “the prince, the priest, and the sage were leagued in a dark conspiracy” to use their secret knowledge for “the subjugation of the great mass of society.” In a treatise that debunked Natural Magic , Brewster argued that keeping knowledge “occult” prevented people from working together to advance science. In his view, interpreting a meteorological event as a sign or a message was superstition, not science.

Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court told the story of a time-traveling trickster who predicted an eclipse to manipulate the credulous denizens of the Dark Ages. By 1889, when Twain published his comic novel, it was easy to ridicule the idea that a solar eclipse might be seen as a meaningful portent. Prevailing, mechanistic views of the cosmos seemed to imply that everything was meaningless.

In the early twentieth century, the German sociologist Max Weber described the turn away from ascribing meaning to natural phenomena as “the disenchantment of the world.” However, some nineteenth-century figures refused to embrace disenchantment.

Charles Darwin was among those who hesitated. The critic George Levine describes him as a “secular enchanter” who was as skeptical of dogmatic disenchanters as he was of all the other dogmatists. It was impossible for Darwin to separate biology, geology, and astronomy from each other, and he thought life on Earth was connected to the cosmos beyond our planet in mysterious and awe-inspiring ways. On the Origin of Species concluded by declaring the “grandeur in this view of life… that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”

Emily Dickinson was influenced by Darwin. Like him, she believed everything was mysteriously connected and that the natural world was rich with meaning. For her, eclipses symbolized the existence of the unseen. As she put it, “Eclipses—Suns—imply.”

Of course, any other implications of eclipses were mysterious. In another poem, Dickinson wrote about waiting for an eclipse (“Midnight’s—due—at Noon—”), and remarked,

Eclipses be—predicted— And Science bows them in— But do One face us suddenly— Jehovah’s Watch—is wrong—

Dickinson’s verse captures the mood of my eclipse group perfectly. From astronomy, we knew the eclipse was coming and that the path of totality would swing above northern New England on April 8. From meteorology, we knew that the eclipse was very likely to be obscured by clouds. Based on historical patterns, there was less than a 20% chance that we would be able to see the eclipse from Vermont. And yet, we gathered our eclipse glasses and made our reservations for the Northeast Kingdom. We thought the sky was likely to be clear because our climate had already changed, and this April would be shockingly different from Aprils past.

Our guess was right. The skies were clear over northern Vermont. The day was bright , sunny, and unseasonably warm. We beat the traffic and set up our camp chairs at 10:00 AM, more than five hours before totality. Although we had planned pretty well, we had not brought quite enough water, and we had completely forgotten sunscreen. We had expected—theoretically—that the afternoon on the shores of Lake Memphremagog might be sunny, but we were still surprised to find ourselves enjoying a day at the beach with thousands of other astronomy fans.

As the moon moved in front of the sun, the air grew colder. We shrugged on jackets and dug out hats and gloves. In the heart of the shadow, the light was deep, dark blue. Overhead, we could see the dark side of the moon encircled by pale silver radiance. Venus was bright. In every direction, the horizon flushed with pink and gold. A loudspeaker counted down the seconds until a blinding flash of direct sunlight forced us to cover our eyes as totality ended.

I was thrilled and terrified to witness that improbable Vermont eclipse. It is rare to experience the vertiginous thrill of planetary motion. It is extraordinary to witness the swift, smooth turning of the solar system. Yet although it was a glorious spectacle, seeing the eclipse on that clear April afternoon in Vermont made me as uneasy as an ancient Babylonian. It should have been cloudy and cold, not clear and bright. The moon and the sun might have followed the ancient laws, but Earth’s atmosphere did not. The weather is different this year.

We should not ignore the implication of all that sunshine. Far above the earth, the moon and sun kept to their schedule. Down here, human activity has changed the season’s clockwork. If this was a portent, we should pay attention to the message: “Jehovah’s Watch—is wrong—.”

Renée Bergland is the author of Natural Magic: Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and the Dawn of Modern Science and a professor at Simmons University.

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Guest Essay

Xi Thinks China Can Slow Climate Change. What if He’s Right?

By Jacob Dreyer

Mr. Dreyer, an editor and writer who focuses on the Chinese political economy and science, wrote from Shanghai.

At first glance, Xi Jinping seems to have lost the plot.

China’s president appears to be smothering the entrepreneurial dynamism that allowed his country to crawl out of poverty and become the factory of the world. He has brushed aside Deng Xiaoping’s maxim “To get rich is glorious” in favor of centralized planning and Communist-sounding slogans like “ ecological civilization ” and “ new, quality productive forces ,” which have prompted predictions of the end of China’s economic miracle.

But Mr. Xi is, in fact, making a decades-long bet that China can dominate the global transition to green energy, with his one-party state acting as the driving force in a way that free markets cannot or will not. His ultimate goal is not just to address one of humanity’s most urgent problems — climate change — but also to position China as the global savior in the process.

It has already begun. In recent years, the transition away from fossil fuels has become Mr. Xi’s mantra and the common thread in China’s industrial policies. It’s yielding results: China is now the world’s leading manufacturer of climate-friendly technologies, such as solar panels , batteries and electric vehicles . Last year the energy transition was China’s single biggest driver of overall investment and economic growth, making it the first large economy to achieve that.

This raises an important question for the United States and all of humanity: Is Mr. Xi right? Is a state-directed system like China’s better positioned to solve a generational crisis like climate change, or is a decentralized market approach — i.e., the American way — the answer?

How this plays out could have serious implications for American power and influence.

Look at what happened in the early 20th century, when fascism posed a global threat. America entered the fight late, but with its industrial power — the arsenal of democracy — it emerged on top. Whoever unlocks the door inherits the kingdom, and the United States set about building a new architecture of trade and international relations. The era of American dominance began.

Climate change is, similarly, a global problem, one that threatens our species and the world’s biodiversity. Where do Brazil , Pakistan , Indonesia and other large developing nations that are already grappling with the effects of climate change find their solutions? It will be in technologies that offer an affordable path to decarbonization, and so far, it’s China that is providing most of the solar panels , electric cars and more. China’s exports, increasingly led by green technology, are booming, and much of the growth involves exports to developing countries .

From the American neoliberal economic viewpoint, a state-led push like this might seem illegitimate or even unfair. The state, with its subsidies and political directives, is making decisions that are better left to the markets, the thinking goes.

But China’s leaders have their own calculations, which prioritize stability decades from now over shareholder returns today. Chinese history is littered with dynasties that fell because of famines, floods or failures to adapt to new realities. The Chinese Communist Party’s centrally planned system values constant struggle for its own sake, and today’s struggle is against climate change. China received a frightening reminder of this in 2022, when vast areas of the country baked for weeks under a record heat wave that dried up rivers , withered crops and was blamed for several heatstroke deaths.

China’s government knows that it must make this green transition out of rational self-interest or risk joining the Soviet Union on history’s scrap heap, and is actively positioning itself to do so. It is increasingly led by people with backgrounds in science, technology and environmental issues. Shanghai, the country’s largest city and its financial and industrial leading edge, is headed by Chen Jining, an environmental systems expert and China’s former minister of environmental protection. Across the country, money is being poured into developing and bringing to market new advances in things like rechargeable batteries and into creating corporate champions in renewable energy .

To be clear, for Mr. Xi, this green agenda is not purely an environmental endeavor. It also helps him tighten his grip on power. In 2015, for instance, the Central Environmental Inspection Team was formed to investigate whether provincial leaders and even agencies of the central government were adhering to his green push, giving him another tool with which to exert his already considerable power and authority.

At the same time, locking in renewable energy sources is a national security issue for Mr. Xi; unlike the United States, China imports almost all of its oil, which could be disrupted by the U.S. Navy in choke points like the Malacca Strait in the event of war.

Mr. Xi’s plan — call it his Green Leap Forward — has serious deficiencies. China continues to build coal-fired power plants , and its annual greenhouse-gas emissions remain far greater than those of the United States, though American emissions are higher on a per-capita basis. China’s electric vehicle industry was built on subsidies , and the country may be using forced labor to produce solar panels. Those are serious concerns, but they fade into the background when Pakistan floods or Brazil wants to build an E.V. factory or South Africa desperately needs solar panels for a faltering energy grid.

American politics may be inadvertently helping China gobble up global market share in renewable energy products. When the United States — whether for national security or protectionist reasons — keeps Chinese companies like Huawei out of the American market or rolls up the welcome mat for electric vehicle makers like BYD or companies involved in artificial intelligence or self-driving cars, those businesses must look elsewhere.

President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act , aimed at tackling climate change, has put the United States on a solid path toward carbon neutrality. But America’s decentralization and focus on private innovation means government policy cannot have quite the same impact that it can in China.

So it is crucial for Americans to recognize that, for most of the world, perhaps for all of us, China’s ability to provide low-cost green technology is, on balance, great news. All of humanity needs to move toward renewables at a huge scale — and fast. America still leads in innovation, while China excels in taking frontier science and making its application in the real world cost-effective. If American politicians, investors and businesses recognize that climate change is humanity’s biggest threat, that could open pathways for diplomacy, collaboration and constructive competition with China that benefit us all.

Together, China and the United States could decarbonize the world. But if Americans don’t get serious about it, the Chinese will do it without them.

And if the United States tries to obstruct China, by way of corporate blacklists, trade or technology bans or diplomatic pressure, it will end up looking like part of the climate problem. That happened earlier this month when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, during a visit to China, urged officials here to rein in green technology exports that the United States says are hurting American companies.

Mr. Xi won’t completely toss out the polluting manufacturing-for-export economic model that has served China so well, nor does he seem ready to halt construction of coal plants. Both are considered necessary for economic and energy security until the green transition is complete. But they are now only a means to an end. The endgame, it seems, is to reach carbon neutrality while dominating the industries making that possible.

Much like how the United States showed up late for World War II, China’s clean-tech companies are latecomers, piggybacking on technology developed elsewhere. But history rewards not necessarily who was there first but who was there last — when a problem was solved. Mr. Xi seems to discern the climate chaos on the horizon. Winning the race for solutions means winning the world that comes next.

Jacob Dreyer is an American editor and writer focused on the intersection of the Chinese political economy and science. He lives in Shanghai.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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How to perform effective risk management during event planning.

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Sonali Nair is the Chief Executive Officer at Segment Agency .

If the past few years have taught us anything, expect the unexpected. That unpredictability extends to events and reminds us that effective risk management is an often unspoken key to success. Whether we're talking about severe weather disruptions, political instability or, of course, the impact of a global pandemic, the reality is that even the most meticulously planned events can face unforeseen challenges.

However, unmitigated risks can lead to logistical nightmares, damaged brand reputation, financial losses and harm to staff and attendees. Consider the Woodstock '99 music festival in Rome, New York—a clear example of event holders' absolute failure in planning for potential risks. With a range of issues, including a lack of drinking water, proper accommodations or fire prevention, this infamous event is often called " the day the Nineties died ."

A robust risk management strategy protects the investment of time and resources of those planning or executing an event. It also helps ensure attendees' safety and overall satisfaction. Let's look at some of the nuances of risk management in event marketing and how to identify potential risks—and best prepare for them.

The Critical Role Of Risk Management

Risk management is about more than averting disaster at an event; it's about ensuring you can craft experiences for your audience that are memorable for the right reasons. In 2021, 67% of event professionals said they include safety and security measures in their meetings and event policies. But effective risk management goes beyond merely identifying potential hazards and drafting safety policies.

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A comprehensive strategy includes contingency plans so you can efficiently tackle the unexpected. Event planning that incorporates more-thorough risk assessment and management can ensure enhanced operational efficiency and projects a more professional brand image to attendees, guests, investors and sponsors. Additionally, events that run smoothly are more likely to stay within budget, avoiding costly last-minute changes or cancellations.

Identifying Potential Risks When Event Planning

Accurately identifying potential risks for your event is like setting the foundation for success. Your risk assessment plan should include everything from logistical challenges and technology failures to financial/budget overages, reputational concerns, natural disasters and health-related emergencies (it's impossible to forget everything that Covid-19 canceled). There are various tools and strategies you can use for risk assessment. Here are some examples.

• A SWOT Analysis: Consulting with your team to conduct a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis. This process helps you critically identify and categorize all possible internal and external factors that could impact your event.

• A PESTLE Analysis: Performing a Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental assessment offers a broader perspective of potential risks. It can help you understand the more prominent macro-environmental factors that could impact your event.

• Risk Matrices : Once you've identified potential risks relevant to your situation, you can plot the likelihood of these risks occurring against their likely impact.

With the right tools in place and adequate strategic planning, event marketers can accurately identify potential risks and ensure they're equipped to deliver a successful, safe event.

Developing A Comprehensive Crisis Management Plan

A comprehensive crisis management plan is a critical aspect of risk management for event marketers It's often the difference between swift recovery and prolonged disaster. There are three key steps to developing an effective plan.

1. Put Together A Team: Establish a crisis management team with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

2. Perform Assessments: Conduct a thorough risk assessment, identifying potential crises and outlining mitigation strategies.

3. Determine Solutions: Develop a detailed response plan for each identified risk, including both immediate actions and long-term recovery strategies.

Be sure your plan includes a comprehensive communication strategy that outlines how to deliver information to staff, attendees, applicable stakeholders and the media/public. It should be clear, concise and adaptable to different scenarios. For example, in 2018, high winds forced Coachella to delay the opening of its on-site camping. This was clearly communicated to attendees and the public via a variety of media outlets, including social media.

Flexibility and adaptability are crucial in crisis and risk management. If you're an event planner or marketer, you likely already have contingency plans for specific situations, like backup mics for speakers or extra programs printed. When it comes to accurate crisis management, the concept is the same, just on a bigger scale. You must be ready to modify your plans as situations evolve.

Insurance Considerations

Once you have your crisis management in place, it's an excellent time to consider the necessary insurance relevant to your event. While required for regulatory compliance, it's also a significant strategic move to safeguard your organization against unforeseen financial risks. Understanding what is and isn't covered is critical to prevent surprises should you have to make a claim.

Always read the fine print and seek clarity on any unclear terms. Be sure to look at the following details closely.

• Liability: You need to know what claims are covered related to injuries or property damage caused by the event.

• Cancellation: Increasingly crucial in uncertain times, this can protect you against financial losses from cancellations or postponements.

• Property: This covers damage to the venue or rented equipment.

• Health And Safety: This coverage is essential for medical incidents/accidents that staff and attendees endure.

Investing time and resources in understanding and choosing the right insurance coverage is about more than just compliance. It will help ensure your event's financial stability and sustainability under any circumstances.

Turning Challenges Into Opportunities

Adeptly navigating risk management in the event industry is more than just dodging obstacles that may come your way. It's about turning challenges into opportunities for innovation and improvement. One example is the innovation found in hybrid and virtual events that arose at the height of the pandemic. When circumstances forced organizations to pivot, they found remarkable success and made long-lasting impacts on the future of the event industry. A proactive approach to risk management can lead to groundbreaking advancements and new, creative ways to reach and engage with your intended audience.

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Writing a history essay
An essay is a piece of sustained writing in response to a question, topic or issue. Essays are commonly used for assessing and evaluating student progress in history. History essays test a range of skills including historical understanding, interpretation and analysis, planning, research and writing.
How to Write a History Essay: Examples, Tips & Tricks
Body paragraph 1: Introduction to the Historical Context. Provide background information on the historical context of your topic. Highlight key events, figures, or developments leading up to the main focus of your history essay. Body paragraphs 2-4 (or more): Main Arguments and Supporting Evidence.
PDF A Brief Guide to Writing the History Paper
the History Paper The Challenges of Writing About (a.k.a., Making) History At ﬁrst glance, writing about history can seem like an overwhelming task. History's subject matter is immense, encompassing all of human affairs in the recorded past — up until the moment, that is, that you started reading this guide.
History Essay: Topics, Tips and the Outline
Make it Shine. An A-level essay takes planning and revision, but it's achievable. Firstly, avoid procrastination and start early. Secondly, leave yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, outline, research and write. Finally, follow these five tips to make your history essay shine: Write a substantial introduction.
History Essay: A Complete Writing Guide for Students
Well, the main goal of a history essay is to measure your progress in learning history and test your range of skills (such as analysis, logic, planning, research, and writing), it is necessary to prepare yourself very well. Your plan of action may look like this. First of all, you will have to explore the topic.
How to write source-based history essays
If you understand how each part works and fits into the overall essay, you are well on the way to creating a great assessment piece. Most essays will require you to write: 1 Introduction Paragraph. 3 Body Paragraphs. 1 Concluding Paragraph.
The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Brilliant History Essay
A history essay is a particular type of creative work that requires brilliant research potential and the ability to analyze and track the consistent picture of historical events. To craft a successful history essay, students should go beyond the regular history classes and demonstrate their significant knowledge in political science, sociology ...
How to Write a History Essay
Step 1: Understand the History Paper Format. You may be assigned one of several types of history papers. The most common are persuasive essays and research papers. History professors might also ask you to write an analytical paper focused on a particular source or an essay that reviews secondary sources.
Writing Historical Essays
Historical essay writing is based upon the thesis. A thesis is a statement, an argument which will be presented by the writer. The thesis is in effect, your position, your particular interpretation, your way of seeing a problem. Resist the temptation, which many students have, to think of a thesis as simply "restating" an instructor's question.
PDF History Essay Guidelines
History Essay Guidelines _____ 1 Planning and Writing a Successful History Essay Establish what you are being asked to argue about. Because an essay calls for an argument, you need to read the question carefully to determine what you are being asked, and what responses you can make - supporting, rejecting or offering qualified (dis)agreement.
How to Write a History Essay (with Pictures)
Download Article. 1. Have a clear structure. When you come to write the body of the essay it is important that you have a clear structure to your argument and to your prose. If your essay drifts, loses focus, or becomes a narrative of events then you will find your grade dropping.
A guide to writing history essays
A guide to writing history essays. This guide has been prepared for students at all undergraduate university levels. Some points are specifically aimed at 100-level students, and may seem basic to those in upper levels. Similarly, some of the advice is aimed at upper-level students, and new arrivals should not be put off by it.
10 Tips for Writing a Perfect History Essay
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.
How to write an introduction for a history essay
1. Background sentences. The first two or three sentences of your introduction should provide a general introduction to the historical topic which your essay is about. This is done so that when you state your hypothesis, your reader understands the specific point you are arguing about. Background sentences explain the important historical ...
How to Write a Killer History Essay Plan in 5 Steps
Well the history essay plan queen, Calypso has arrived! Read on to see how our MVP tutor writes a killer essay plan for history subjects you can use over and over! Step 1: Know your stuff. Step 2: Analyse the question. Step 3: Write down your evidence. Step 4: Organise and link your paragraphs.
The Best Way to Structure an Undergraduate History Essay
A well-written history essay will include the following points: * Introduction; * Main part; * Conclusion. Each item should contain information that will maximise the chosen topic. At the same time, you should not supply your essay with empty, meaningless sentences. If you want to know an outside opinion about what you wrote, then ask a friend ...
How to Write an Essay Outline
Expository essay outline. Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages. Provide background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press. Present the thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.
How to Write an Introduction for History Essay
Here are some basic tips on how to write a successful introduction for history essay. 1. Analyze the Topic. This is an obvious piece of advice that some pupils tragically disregard. Regardless of the subject or topic, the first step to writing a successful essay is to devote considerable attention to the question.
How to plan an essay: Essay Planning
Essay planning is an important step in academic essay writing. Proper planning helps you write your essay faster, and focus more on the exact question. As you draft and write your essay, record any changes on the plan as well as in the essay itself, so they develop side by side. One way to start planning an essay is with a 'box plan'.
A Level History Essay Structure
Here you can see the most simplified essay structure for tackling A level History essays. All students should be familiar with this structure. We have broken the essay down into an introduction and conclusion as well as 3 separate parts of content. Running through the entire essay at the side is our line of argument.
Essay plans
Essay plans. An essay plan is a way to identify, select, and order the points you want to make in your essay. It helps you to work out your argument and your structure before writing, which should make the writing process more efficient and focussed. Sometimes essay plans are set as formative assignments so tutors can provide feedback before ...
The Unessay
The unessay should ask students to think about the audience in ways that we historians should be doing too. In 2019, an AHA national survey asked where the American public learns about history. More than 50 percent of respondents pointed to documentary film and television, fictional film and TV, TV news, online sources, and journalism as their sources for learning about the past.
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How to Write a History Essay with Outline, Tips, Examples and More

What is a History Essay?

History Essay Outline

History Essay Format

How to Write a History Essay?

Analyze the Question

Develop a Strategy

Start Your Research

Establish a Viewpoint

Structure Your Essay

Create an Engaging Introduction

Develop Coherent Paragraphs

Conclude Effectively

Reference Your Sources

Review and Ask for Advice

History Essay Example

FAQs about History Essay Writing

How to Write a History Essay?

Purpose of a History Essay

Elements for Success

Preparing to Write

Evaluating the Question

Summarizing the Argument

Outlining a History Essay Plan

Gathering Sources

Writing the Essay

Introduction Paragraph

Body Paragraphs

Conclusion Paragraph

Proofreading Your Essay

History Essay Example

Make it Shine

History Essay Sample

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Art Research Paper Topics

How to Write a Good History Essay. A Sequence of Actions and Useful Tips

Detailed Writing Instruction for Students to Follow

How To Write A History Essay

What is a History Essay?

Before You Start: Preparing to Write

Research Stage

History Essay Outline

Introduction

How to Choose a Topic for a History Essay?

History Essay Examples

Writing Tips for a History Essay

Use the past tense

Avoid generalizations

Exclude anachronisms

Try not to judge the epoch from a modern perspective

Paraphrasing is always better than quoting

Be responsible for the context

Choose the proper citation style

Stick to the proper voice

Take care of thorough proofreading

Write My History Essay for Me, Please!

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How to Write a History Essay

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Writing the Essay

Proofreading and Evaluating Your Essay

Sample Essay

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A guide to writing history essays

Why do history students write essays?

Where to start

Crafting a strong essay

The classic sections of an essay

Using scholarly sources: books, journal articles, chapters from edited volumes

Paraphrasing and quotations