Historical Research

Historical Writing - Style and Method

Expository Writing | Style | Methodology

Historical writing should follow the principles of style and structure common to most forms of expository writing. Below are some tips and resources for historical writers seeking to improve their writing technique and research methodology. Beginning writers should read the essay, "Basic Expository Writing."

Style

The principles of good prose style are clearly explained in E.B. White’s classic, The Elements of Style. A more detailed description of technical and typographical standards in the humanities may be found in the Chicago Manual of Style. The Repository of Arcane Knowledge contains a guide to Basic Expository Writing.

Additionally, the following tips are especially appropriate to historical writing:

Methodology

The techniques of research and written argumentation in the humanities are expounded in The Craft of Research, an update of K. Turabian’s classic A Manual for Writers. The eminent French historian Marc Bloch has left us his excellent essay, The Historian's Craft, which explores historical techniques and methods.

My approach to history generally follows the principles of conventional scholarship, but I have also adopted some principles of my own:




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