WRITING STYLE: A well-written history paper always uses past tense and active voice and avoids passive voice and first person. Always follow the rules of grammar and make sure words are spelled properly. Proofread your paper multiple times. A paper written at the last minute is always sloppy and destined for a mediocre or failing grade. You should be ashamed to turn in anything that is not your best work.
o FORMAT: The draft must be a minimum of 1 complete typed page. Pages must be numbered. Use 12-point, Times New Roman font, 1” margins, double spaced. Include a title page with your paper title, your name, and course name and time. You will lose considerable points if you deviate from this format.
o QUOTATIONS: Direct quotes are good and should be used to highlight your argument. However, they should be used sparingly. Avoid using long quotations and block quotes. Quotes from secondary sources should only be used to highlight an argument you are making and should be used as little as possible. Your paper should contain mostly your argument and thoughts, not those of other historians.
o ENDNOTES: How do you know when to use citations? Anytime you use a direct quotation or even paraphrase the thoughts, ideas, or arguments of another author you should cite (that is, give credit to) your source. For this paper, you will be using endnotes. Creating an endnote using Microsoft Word is simple (ask me if you need help). You will also be using the Chicago Manual of Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html) as a formatting guide when creating citations. You will lose points if you use footnotes, parentheses (MLA style, APA style), or any other citation format. You will lose considerable points if you have no citations or an inadequate number of citations (every paragraph of your paper should have a minimum of one endnote).
o BIBLIOGRAPHY: At the end of your paper you should include a list of sources used in researching and writing your paper. The bibliography should be separated into primary and secondary sources. Entries should be alphabetized by author’s last name or the title of the document if there is no author. The bibliography should have a page number on it, but does not count toward the 5-page minimum. The bibliography should also conform to the Chicago Manual of Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html).