Solving the Puzzle
A Student’s Guide to Historical Research and Writing
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  • Publication Date: May 15, 2025
  • ISBN: 9781554812820 / 1554812828
  • 250 pages; 5½" x 8½"

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Solving the Puzzle

A Student’s Guide to Historical Research and Writing

  • Publication Date: May 15, 2025
  • ISBN: 9781554812820 / 1554812828
  • 250 pages; 5½" x 8½"

This compact, friendly, and realistic guide provides hands-on help for students new to the discipline of history. Written by an experienced instructor of first-year students, Solving the Puzzle encourages students to do the work of engaging with historical sources in a responsible way—and helps them to build critical thinking and writing skills that will transfer to other courses and contexts. With short, readable chapters covering each stage of the writing process, concrete examples, practical exercises, and an encouraging tone, this book will help students move past anxiety, avoid the temptation to cut corners, and solve the puzzles of historical research and writing.

Chapter 1 – Don’t Panic

  • Keep the big picture in mind
  • How college papers differ from high school papers

Chapter 2 – Starting on the Right Foot

  • Objectives associated with writing a research paper
  • What a research project is not
  • How this book can help
  • Work habits necessary for writing a college-level history paper
  • Looking ahead to the research process
  • A word of encouragement

Chapter 3 – Choosing a topic

  • When you get the assignment
  • Methods for choosing a topic
  • What makes a topic a good choice
  • Next steps

Chapter 4 – Narrowing a topic

  • Questions to ask of a topic
  • From general topic to narrowed topic

Chapter 5 – Writing a Research Question

  • From topic to question
  • The 7 attributes of a useable research question
  • Evaluating research questions
  • Strategies for writing and revising your research question

Chapter 6 – Evaluating Historical Sources

  • Distinguishing between primary and secondary sources
  • Primary Sources
  • Secondary Sources

Chapter 7 – Finding Sources

  • WorldCat
  • Finding sources in your library’s databases
  • Tips for finding primary sources online
  • Tips for evaluating websites that contain secondary sources
  • Avoid disinformation

Chapter 8 – The Thesis Statement

  • Qualities of a good thesis statement
  • Solving the puzzle: Research question, evidence and thesis
  • Evaluating thesis statements
  • Quick tips for improving your own thesis statement

Chapter 9 – Acknowledging Contrary Voices

  • Why we acknowledge other voices
  • Ground rules for representing other opinions in your paper
  • Strategies for introducing contrary voices
  • Acknowledging contrary voices in practice

Chapter 10 – Organizing Your Ideas

  • Visual Organizers
  • The purpose of an outline
  • Formatting an outline
  • Guidelines for writing an outline
  • Reverse outlines

Chapter 11 – The Conventions of Historical Writing

  • Content conventions
  • Style conventions
  • Rules for writing papers in the humanities

Chapter 12 – The Elements of a Historical Research Paper

  • The reader’s perspective
  • The title
  • The introduction
  • The body paragraphs
  • The conclusion
  • The bibliography
  • Proofreading
  • 50 Frequently confused words

Chapter 13 – Chicago Style Made Logical

  • When to cite sources
  • CMS vs. MLA and APA
  • Why historians use footnotes
  • Working with notes
  • The Bibliography
  • Note vs. bibliography formats
  • Note and bibliography entry models
  • Use citation generators with care

Chapter 14 – Quoting in a Historical Research Paper

  • When you should quote
  • Integrating quotes into text
  • Strategies for quoting clearly and accurately

Chapter 15 – Avoiding Plagiarism and Using Artificial Intelligence

  • Defining plagiarism
  • Why students plagiarize
  • Forms of plagiarism
  • How instructors detect plagiarism
  • Avoiding plagiarism

Appendix: Practice Exercises

  • Ex. 1: Evaluating Research Questions
  • Ex. 2: Distinguishing Primary from Secondary Sources
  • Ex. 3: Evaluating Thesis Statements
  • Ex. 4: Historical Writing
  • Ex. 5: Writing Errors 1
  • Ex. 6: Writing Errors 2
  • Ex. 7: Chicago Style Formats
  • Ex. 8: Quote Integration
  • Ex. 9: Paraphrasing Practice
  • Ex. 10: Understanding Plagiarism
  • Ex. 11: Recognizing Plagiarism
  • Answers to Exercises 1-11

Valerie S. Thaler is an independent scholar in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned a PhD in Jewish History from Yale University, and taught History at Baltimore Hebrew University and Towson University..

  • • Concise, straightforward presentation of information, with bullet points, summaries of key information, and a simple layout
  • • Emphasis on practical skills and realistic strategies
  • • Optimistic and encouraging tone
  • • Current and concrete advice on assessing sources and avoiding misinformation
  • • Up-to-date and balanced section on the use of AI tools
  • • Practice exercises included for each chapter

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