1. NOTES HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND WRITING

2. MS. ZENGEL’S EDITING If you cannot read what I wrote, ask me. I may be able to translate (maybe not?? Sorry!) Every single paper has many marks. You are not alone! Most students needed more citations. Many needed more sources. Guarantee: Wikipedia and answer.com alone cannot get you through with a passing grade. You need more details!

3. RESOURCES Thesaurus.com (vary your wording) Formatting instructions, example paper and cheat sheets Me!

4. VOICE Do not “speak” to the reader. Example: Have you ever wondered….? Do not mention yourself or your opinions. Example: I think the world would be better…. No “I” “You” or “we” No opinions- every statement backed up with proof from your sources. Cite!

5. DO NOT GENERALIZE For example: Many believe… Some say… It is believed… What is considered… Many wondered… Some might ask… Considered to be… Why? It is unnecessary. It is not specific. Just get to the point!

6. NO PLATITUDES Platitude: noun- a remark or statement, esp. one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful. Examples: “Go down in the history books…” Go down in history….” "Go with the flow“ "Everything happens for a reason“ "It is what it is!“ Very popular: “America, land of the free and the brave.” “America, the greatest country on earth.”

7. NO RHETORICAL QUESTIONS Rhetorical- not meant to be answered Examples: If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it too? So why was Andrew Jackson so crazy?

8. REPEATS Do not repeat the same word or phrase in a single sentence (use thesaurus!). Do not repeat the same details over and over. This makes your paper uninteresting and non- descriptive.

9. QUOTES Use quotes when: Repeating the actual words a person said or wrote. Around the title of an article. If you are translating from one language to another. To highlight words in comparison. DO NOT USE QUOTES: Randomly (without citing) To be ironic To be sarcastic To imply something is not true

10. MORE TIPS Less is more- take out words such as: “that” “actually” ”really” ”very” Do not state the obvious. “The storm was bad weather.” No contractions- would’ve= would have didn’t= did not Be specific- Name people. Job titles. Dates, years, locations, purpose, motivations.

11. RE-READ YOUR PAPER OUT LOUD Why? To proofread and edit. Example: Mary knew that and wanted to stop them from doing that. This sentence has no meaning. It can be taken out completely.