Researching History Chapter 1, Lesson 3

Planning your Project Step 1: Identify your Project Should not be to broad (Middle Ages) or narrow (Middlebury, England, 1535) After you select your topic, you should attempt to answer the following questions over time:

Planning Your Project Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Choosing Research Material As you begin to research you should select your sources of information. Encyclopedias, textbooks, or your notes from class would be a good start. Your Research Material must be nonfiction, rather than fiction or persuasion!

Distinguishing fact from opinion Scan your source material to determine if the source is trustworthy. Avoid portions that express opinions. A statement of fact expresses only what can be proven by evidence. A statement of opinion expresses attitude. Historical research should rely on facts and primary sources rather than opinions.

Making Notes As you find information, make a note about it Your notes should be in your own words and complete sentences. Ex: Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452 in Vinci Italy.

Authorship Many articles on the Internet are unsigned. There is no way of knowing if the person who wrote it is an expert on the subject. Authors will include details about their credentials (evidence that they are experts.) Other ways to decide if a website is to check the homepage. If the homepage is on the site of a University, government office, or museum it may be reliable.

Web URLs URL – Uniform Resource Locator It is the address of an online resource. The ending of a URL tells a great deal about the content. .gov – is most likely a government site Usually accurate with up-to-date data. .edu – is usually a site for educational institution, such as a college or university. These sites may contain opinions as well as facts. .org – Nonprofit organization These sites may be very accurate. However, they contain biased information.

Plagiarism Plagiarize – is to present the ideas or words of another person as your own without offering credit to the source. It is similar to forgery, or copying something that is not yours. It violates copyright laws

How To Avoid Plagiarism Put information in your own words. When you restate an opinion from something you read, include a reference to the author: “According to Smith and Jones, …” Always include a footnote when you use a direct quotation from one of your sources.

Ancient History and Modern Values Avoid using modern ideas to evaluate a historical event. Ideas have changed over time. Your evaluations of history should be based on the evidence of the time, not on today’s understanding of rights and society.