Guidelines on how to prepare a history assignment

History is sometimes considered a dull and boring subject by students as it does not possess the element of glamour. Despite this popular belief, history is quite an interesting subject with loads of opportunities for students to express themselves as well as be as creative as they want to be. Many instructors want their students to write assignments which give the students a chance to delve into the historical world and establish connections between the past, future and present.

If you have been assigned a history assignment, then here are some history assignment writing tips that can help students to produce extraordinary assignments with the ability to outshine others.

Sources:

Like in any assignment, history assignments also need sources to give it credibility. For a history assignment, you will come across two types of sources which are described as under:

• Primary source: primary source is basically the material, which is produced in the time period under study.For example, direct correspondence, newspapers, diaries, etc. are primary sources.
• Secondary source: secondary source is produced after the time period with primary source content and added analytical skills by experts.

Always write in the past tense:

Normally, all papers and assignments are written in the present tense. However, as a rule, history papers are always written in the past tense. As the origin of both the sources, primary and secondary, is in the past, the students should compose their assignment in the past tense too.

Paraphrase all the necessary information:

To avoid plagiarism, you have to paraphrase all the information and then cite the source. You should include your own analytical thoughts instead of using direct quotes from a famous historian, keeping in mind that you are not distorting the facts. If absolutely necessary, then you can quote and give proper credit to the author.

Also, you have to remember, do not use general terms like once upon a time, etc. Write specifically the time frame as well as the name of any author.

Do not be judgmental:

You are writing a history paper, so you will need to delve into a lot of historical articles and content. You find content that does not conform to the present method of thinking and beliefs. As a history student, you only have to state the facts, do not be judgmental and start including your own judgments. Of course, you have to include analytical conclusions, however, be very careful, they should not be biased or judgmental.