13 History-Specific Problems and Tips
There are numerous excellent writing guides available, notably those prepared by the Academic Writing Help Centre. Below are a few common problems to avoid when writing history essays.
Flaws in Argumentation
- Too hasty generalizations that are based on insufficient evidence: (e.g., “The War of 1812 was the defining moment in Canadian history.” Compared to what? You cannot review and rank every major event in Canadian history in an undergraduate essay. It would be far better to zero in on an aspect of the war’s impact (e.g. “The War of 1812 played a key role in defining Upper Canada’s identity”).
- Oversimplification of a cause and effect relationship: (e.g., “Prohibition eliminated drunkenness.” – Prohibition did not stop everyone from drinking, so the relationship between cause and effect is too simplistic).
- Post hoc fallacy that assumes that since event B happened after event A, the latter caused the former: (e.g., “Parties in power are often blamed for recessions.” The stock market crash of 1929 happened after Herbert Hoover was elected president in 1929, but the election of Hoover did not cause the crash.)
- Insufficient evidence to support your assertions: (e.g., how do we know that what you say is true?) You need to prove your argument, not just assert it.
Stylistic Flaws
- Excessive use of the passive voice: the historian’s goal is to describe and discuss who did what to whom. The active voice tells us who did the action. The passive voice, on the other hand, tells us only that some action was done. Consider the following two sentences. “France was invaded for the third time in a century” (passive voice); “Germany invaded France for the third time in a century” (active voice). The second sentence is much clearer about who (Germany) did what (invade) to whom (France).
- Use of the historical present: write about the past using the past tense. Consider these two phrases: “Calvin Coolidge does not believe that the government should intervene in the business process. Within a year after he leaves office, the Great Depression begins” (historical present); If the reader was not aware when the Great Depression occurred, she might think that it was happening now! The sentence is much clearer in past tense: “Calvin Coolidge did not believe that the government should intervene in the business process.
Within a year after he had left office, the Great Depression began” (past tense). - Excessive use of ‘I’: this expresses a personal opinion, not a historical argument. Arguments are logical reasoning supported by verifiable evidence; history essays should not be personal.
- Plagiarism: it is essential that you acknowledge the source of all information and ideas that you use in your essay. All quotations, information, and any idea that is not your own must be indicated by a footnote reference. Even a discussion from a book that you summarize must be acknowledged. The use of secondary sources does not detract from your work; your contribution lies in the way that you put the information together and present your argument.
- Footnote format: make sure that you use footnotes, not parenthetical references.
Common Grammatical Errors
- Pronoun misuse – make sure that pronouns such as ‘she,’ ‘he,’ or ‘it’ clearly refer to identifiable nouns. Use “it,” not “they,” for places such as countries and for institutions, including political parties and governments.
- Apostrophe misuse – an apostrophe indicates possession. Do not use it to indicate the plural: 1870’s should be written as 1870s.
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