Writing with style Essays - Human Behavior, Culture, Punctuation

Writing with style: Preparing Essays, PAPERS and Dissertations in History and economic & social History University of Glasgow rev. 23 September 2010 DAS/MDF CONTENTS Introduction 2 1. Preparing Essays: The Basics 2 What Your Tutor Is Looking For in an Essay Structure Presentation Quotations Punctuation and Syntax Style Tables and Figures 2. Plagiarism 8 3. References 9 Footnotes Forms of Reference Bibliography 4. Dissertations 15 5. Citing Primary Sources and Theses 16 Appendices: 1. Mock Essay with Footnotes 19 2. Sample Dissertation Pages 20 INTRODUCTION Written work is central to assessment in History and Economic and Social History. Most undergraduate courses will require students to submit one or two essays, and these provide preparation for examinations. Postgraduates also write essays or papers. Both final year undergraduates and master's students write dissertations, which, while much longer than the typical essay, share many of its features. This handbook seeks to provide guidance to students about the preparation and presentation of written work and about the use and acknowledgement of books, articles, web sites, original documents, and other source materials. Its audience includes students in their first year, who are writing university essays for the first time, all the way to postgraduate students working towards a taught or research degree. PGR students should also familiarise themselves with College and University guidelines on layout of research theses. The first part of chapter 1 is intended primarily for first year students, although more experienced students may still find useful tips here, particularly in sections 1.5 onwards, which cover matters of style and presentation. The guidance on referencing in chapters 3 is relevant to all students writing essays and dissertations. Chapters 4 and 5 are intended for final year and PG students, who are writing dissertations and theses based upon original sources. All students should pay close attention to the advice on avoiding plagiarism in chapter 2. 1. PREPARING ESSAYS: THE BASICS Undergraduate students will usually be asked to write essays, while postgraduates will more often write papers. An essay answers a question set by the tutor, and the student has to start by figuring out what the question is about. A paper is one where the student decides the issues, approaches and parameters, within a general field agreed with the tutor. The initial sections of this chapter are primarily intended for undergraduate students writing essays, although all students should observe the points on punctuation and style from section 1.5 onwards. 1.1. What Your Tutor Is Looking For in an Essay Your tutor is looking for a coherent overall argument which answers the question you have chosen. You should answer the set question in as focused a way as possible. What is the point of the question? What subsidiary questions does it raise? Your tutor needs to see that you understand why the question has been asked and what implications it has. Plan before you start; your tutor will soon notice if your essay begins to lose coherence. A good plan of attack is necessary to a successful essay. Your essay will normally consist of an analysis which presents a series of points, in the form of an argument. Avoid a narrative or chronological approach. It is important that you present appropriate evidence and detailed case studies, but make sure that these support substantive points of your analysis. Do not include description just to fill space. Think about the relevance of all parts of your essay to the question, and the logic of your conclusion. Sustained argument is essential to a successful essay. While showing awareness of different points of views, you should be able to do more than just present the opinions of others; you need to be able to show that you have developed your own view of the topic. Your essay should not consist simply of quotations and paraphrases from your reading. 1.2. Structure There is no hard and fast rule for how an essay should be organised. Some essays will require you to be more aware of debates among historians, while others will place greater emphasis on primary sources. Nonetheless, your essay is likely to have to consider the following issues: . What is the historical context of the set question? What is happening in the period that is relevant? Is there a larger historical problem of which the set question is a component? . What have historians said about the question (or about the larger historical problem)? If they disagree (as they almost certainly do), is this due to differences in methodology, definitions of key concepts, or the evidence they select, or does it reflect particular ideological viewpoints