A history term paper is a term-length project for which a student chooses a topic in history, researches it thoroughly, and presents a synthesis of that research in written form. History term papers each go one of two directions: reporting history or interpreting history. The distinction between those two directions blurs more than the novice student may think; in reality, everyone who writes about history interprets it in some way, but some seek objectivity while others seek to persuade the reader of a certain opinion on the material.
If the student chooses to write a history term paper that reports on a historical event or person, the student should begin research by reading the course's textbooks or other books that the department has approved. These books will probably attempt to present the material in as unbiased a way as possible, which will allow the student to become familiar with the facts of the event before launching out into research in other books or in journal articles. The student should be careful to amass data primarily, not writers' interpretive thoughts, and then he or she should present that material as if the term paper were a very long journalistic piece. The student who writes this type of history term paper should withhold personal opinion about the data.
Other history term papers seek to interpret a historical event. The student should choose a topic that has some element of controversy or debate. The student should research that topic, attempting to obtain all the correct data on that event (such as the date, people involved, number of casualties, etc.), and then read journal articles and books that interpret that data. The student should try to read the works of writers from a large span of time and from both sides of the event in order to give each possible perspective a fair hearing. Finally, the student should compare the data against the interpretations, draw his or her own conclusions on the material, and write a convincing argument in favor of those conclusions.
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