Chapter 16. Historical Skills and Study Strategies

Reading a primary source: identify the author, date, audience and purpose; note what it says and what it leaves out; compare it with other sources [2][3].

Writing about history

State a clear argument (a thesis) that answers the question.

Support each point with specific evidence, such as dates, names and quotations from sources.

Consider counter-arguments and alternative explanations.

Cite your sources consistently.

Study strategies

Build timelines and link events to causes and effects.

Use maps to connect places with events.

Compare and contrast: for example, the French and Haitian revolutions, or the ancient Han and Roman empires.

Practise explaining why events mattered, not only what happened.

Read a range of perspectives, including those of ordinary people, women, enslaved and colonized peoples, not only rulers.

Use reliable general histories [4][5] alongside your course materials.

Next steps: regional and national histories, economic history, history of science, and the study of historiography [1][2].