Transcript Essay Research & Writing CHST 540 May 24, 2005

Essay Research & Writing
CHST 540
May 24, 2005
Choosing a topic
What interests you?
What has lots of source material available?
(If you’re really thinking strategically:) What will
be useful for the exam?
Finding Sources
Start with the bibliography provided in the course
outline
If there isn’t a lot of material on your topic, or you
aren’t sure which of the sources mentioned are
most relevant, speak with me
Search library catalogues: Ryerson, Toronto Public
(www.tpl.toronto.on.ca) and the University of
Toronto (www.library.utoronto.ca)
Finding Sources (cont’d)
Search Intelligence and National Security and
International Journal of Intelligence and
CounterIntelligence
Online access to Intelligence and National
Security only dates back to 2000; for issues
published 1985-99 go to John W. Graham Library
(Trinity College, U of T)
Check footnotes/bibliographies for other sources
Researching
Compile a list of relevant materials
First consult the most targeted material (usually
journal articles/essays)
Then broaden your research - to specific books,
more general books & articles, etc.
Read intros and conclusions before reading the
body of a work
Mine intros and conclusions for all they’re worth
How much research?
Enough to sustain your argument
You shouldn’t be left with too many
unanswered questions
Minimum 5 sources
Using more sources can enrich your paper
Determining your argument
If you haven’t done so already, phrase your
topic as a question
Consider the evidence
Draw conclusions and frame these into an
answer (your thesis) to your original
question
Planning your essay
Structure will depend partly on the type of
essay you’re writing:
‘Compare and contrast’ - identify the main
areas you will be comparing/contrasting;
assess each in turn
Planning your essay (cont’d)
‘Evaluate’ - identify and address relevant
criteria before making a judgment
‘Discuss’ - consider arguments for or
against the statement being examined
Writing the introduction
Broad > narrow
Start with a general statement about your
topic
With each following sentence, focus more
on your argument, ending with your thesis
Keep it succinct: too much can be confusing
Organizing paragraphs
Use a topic sentence at the start of each paragraph
i.e. Occasionally, signals intelligence was so clear as
to suggest immediately a course of action.
i.e. In addition to measuring successes, signals
intelligence could point to failures within the
Allied organization.
Organizing paragraphs (cont’d)
Make transitions between paragraphs as smooth as
possible - one should flow into the next
i.e. …The psychological effect of Yamamoto’s death
upon the Japanese populace as a whole, not to
mention that of those in the armed forces, must
have been great.
Signals intelligence was not always employed
to such spectacular effect…..
Organizing paragraphs (cont’d)
Chronology may partly determine your
paragraph order; but remember these are
analytical papers, so theme may take
precedence over chronology
Save your strongest points for last - build up
to something
Integrating quotations
Don’t just quote facts; include opinions and
analysis
Choose quotations that are well written
You can paraphrase and footnote if it sounds better
ALWAYS FOOTNOTE/REFERENCE WORDS
AND IDEAS THAT AREN’T YOUR OWN
Strive for seamlessness
Seamlessness
Useful verbs: argues, believes, considers,
contends, demonstrates, illustrates, maintains,
observes, notes, etc.
i.e. Even historians of today have not abandoned
such melodramatic judgments, contending that
Midway “caused the Rising Sun to set.”
Seamlessness (cont’d)
Phrases: according to, in X’s view, etc.
i.e. In Layton’s view, Yamamoto’s death was
“a trauma for most Japanese.”
Seamlessness
Work from the quotation itself to find
something that flows into it.
i.e. The consequences of this were “so simple
and yet so shattering that it can be summed
up in a sentence: American strike-forces,
primarily submarines, ultimately destroyed
the Japanese merchant fleet.”
Polishing your language
Go over your transitions between paragraphs
Ensure your quotations are well integrated
Watch out for repeated words (get a friend to
check for them); replace them with synonyms
Eliminate colloquial language
i.e. replace ‘says’ with ‘observes’, ‘states’, etc.
Common mistakes
Verb and subject don’t agree (usually in long
sentences)
Wrong: The tension between Japanese and
Americans were rising.
Right: The tension between Japanese and Americans
was rising.
Common mistakes
Run-on sentences
i.e. Churchill found the intelligence services in a
fragmented state when he took his place as Prime
Minister, for instance Sigint, espionage and
counter espionage lacked any adequate means of
co-ordination, each suffering from internal
confusion, indeed the rivalries in counter
espionage between Kell’s MI5 and the special
branch at Scotland Yard were proving to be highly
counter productive.
•Common mistakes (cont’d)
Its versus it’s
Its (possessive) means belonging to it.
i.e. The dog wagged its tail.
It’s (conjunction) means it is.
i.e. It’s time to go.
Than (NOT then) is used in comparisons
i.e. His book is more interesting than hers.
Common mistakes (cont’d)
Between ten and fifteen (and, NOT to)
Affect versus effect
It greatly affected intelligence procedures. [verb]
It had many effects on intelligence. [noun]
It effected great changes in intelligence procedures.
[verb, meaning ‘to prompt’, ‘to bring about’, ‘to
catalyze’]
Common mistakes (cont’d)
Use commas around ‘however’
i.e. Kahn argues, however, that German
spies….
i.e. However, Kahn argues that German….
Writing the conclusion
Narrow > broad
Restate your thesis (try to vary your wording
somewhat from the thesis statement in your intro
paragraph)
Discuss the wider implications of your
argument/topic
Bibliography
Include all sources you have consulted for your
paper, even those you haven’t directly quoted
from
Be consistent
Sample:
Richelson, Jeffrey. A Century of Spies:
Intelligence in the Twentieth Century (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1997)
Tips
Start early
Read lots and take detailed notes
Spend time planning before you write
Ensure your argument is clear
Choose a logical structure
More tips
Spend most of your words discussing,
arguing and analyzing, not merely
describing what happened
Leave lots of time to edit
Have someone else proofread your work they’ll likely catch more mistakes than you
will since they’re less familiar with it
For further help:
Look online - for example
http://www.sou.edu/history/carney/writing.htm or
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/history/coursesites/hist213/writing.htm or
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/
Consult the Ryerson Writing Centre
(Mon-Thurs, 3:30 to 6:30,
RD Besse Commons, 2nd floor, Library)
Speak with/email me (the earlier, the better!) [email protected]