Selecting a topic

Brainstorm ideas, look through your history textbook, or search through various primary source websites to begin thinking about potential topics. For ideas on theme connection and topic selection, please see the NHD annual theme book. Remember, when developing your topic MAKE CERTAIN that there are a lot of VALID sources, both primary and secondary, for you to pull information from.

Background reading for historical context

This correlates with what was stated in 'Selecting a Topic' regarding MAKING CERTAIN that there are a lot of VALID sources on your topic.

Narrowing your topic

Selecting an NHD topic is a process of gradually narrowing the area of history (period or event) that interests you. An example is: if a student is interested in Native Americans and the theme is Rights and Responsibilities in History, a natural topic would be treaty rights. After reading and research for a while about Native Americans and treaties, the process of narrowing down the topic may look like this:

Theme: Rights in History -- Interest: Native Americans -- Topic: Treaty Rights -- Issue: 1788 Fort Schuyler Treaty.

Below is a tool to help guide you through the topic selection process

Gathering and recording information

To be a responsible researcher, you MUST credit sources from where you gathered information. To begin this process, collect the following information from each source that you read, whether you intend to use the source or not.

• Citations/bibliographies - Utilize one of the citing websites to guide you in formatting.Then copy and paste the citation onto Google doc (or Word doc) to keep and organize your sources.
  • MLA Style Guide -- Purdue University OWL. EXCELLENT
  • Chicago Style Guide -- Purdue University OWL. EXCELLENT
  • EasyBib Add on in Google Docs
  • Son of Citation Machine -- MLA, APA, Chicago & Turabian
  • Citation Producer -- MLA & APA
  • Annotated Bibliography - This is required for all categories. The annotations for each source must explain how the source was used and how it helped you to understand the topic. You should also use the annotation to explain why the source was categorized as a primary or secondary source. Only list those sources used to develop your entry. Each annotation should be 1-3 complete sentences. Here is an example:

Analyzing and interpreting sources and the topic's significance in history

Historians do more than describe events. They analyze and interpret information gathered from their sources to draw conclusions about a topic's significance in history. You should do the same. Your teacher will help you to develop questions about your topic and your research to consider the following:

1. Elements of change and continuity.
2. Historical context: economic, political, social and cultural atmosphere of the time period.
3. What created the source?
4. When was the source created?
5. What was the intent or purpose of the source?

Developing a thesis

The thesis statement is usually one sentence that presents an argument about the topic. The body of the paper or website, the script of the performance or documentary, the headings and captions in an exhibit then are used to report the thesis using evidence from the research. A good thesis statement addresses a narrow topic, explains what the researcher believes to be the historical significance of the topic, and connects the topic to the NHD theme.

Finalizing an NHD research project

When research is completed and ready to present to an audience, you must be certain that your work includes:

1. Analysis and interpretation
2. Significance and impact
3. In depth research
4. Historical accuracy
5. Historical context
6. Adherence to the theme

Citing Using the Turabian Style

The University of Chicago Press published a manual of style for citing sources for student research papers and related research products. The key here is that it was developed specifically for students. The author of the original work, A Manual for Writers of Research papers, Theses, and Dissertations was Kate L. Turabian, after whom the style is named.

Turabian Style Guides

1. Writing Styles for College Students -APA Style, MLA Style, Chicago (Turabian) Style
2. Kate L. Turabian, 8th Edition - Quick Guide with links to more in-depth tools.
3. University of Georgia Libraries - Turabian Style, in-text and list of references.
4. eTurabian - free online Turabian citing tool

While you may use a tool like EasyBib or Citation Machine to create an APA Style citation or note, be certain to finalize each of these citations by using the Turabian Style guide. The differences between APA and Turabian are small, but they do exist.

Source Evaluation

"Evaluating sources is an important skill. It's been called an art as well as work -- much of which is detective work. You have to decide where to look, what clues to search for, and what to accept. You may be overwhelmed with too much information or too little. The temptation is to accept whatever you find. But don't be tempted. Learning how to evaluate effectively is a skill you need course work throughout your academic career.

When writing research papers, you will also be evaluating sources as you search for information. You will need to make decisions about what to search for, where to look, and once you have found material on your topic, if it is a valid or useful source for your writing."

Here is a quick tool you can use to evaluate print resources:

How to Write a Thesis Statement

What is a Thesis Statement?

States how you will interpret the topic that you are researching and analyzing.

Tells readers or viewers what to expect.

Directly answers the question(s) that you are asking/researching.

Often presents information that could form an argument for you to discuss in your paper.

One or a few sentence summary that explains what the project is trying to prove or analyze.

How do I write a Thesis Statement?

Developing a thesis statement requires a great deal of thought and some initial research to collection information.

Review this information/evidence and review it looking for topics that and points of discussion.

Look for relationships between the evidence. Often when you write down the relationships that you find, topics and ideas will come together, helping you to create a few research questions. The questions to you develop should take some additional research and time to answer. Some examples are:

1. Why was Thomas Jefferson opposed to slavery?
2. What happened to the Juvenile Court system to bring it to the crisis point?

Your initial research should provide you with enough evidence to take a stand. Add your opinion about the topic. What is the issue or concern? Make sure it is arguable. Here are some examples of thesis statements developed from the above research questions:

1. Even though Thomas Jefferson had slaves, he showed that he valued every human being in his words and actions.
2. The Juvenile Court system was established to remove children from the adult criminal justice system and help youth reform, but over the years it became a source of punishment and imprisonment.

For NHD, these questions should be addressed by your thesis statement:

1. Is it clear what the project will be about?
2. Is it arguable? IS there something that has to be proven?
3. Will research be necessary to prove the thesis?
4. Is there only one main idea?
5. Is it about something in the past that is important?