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How and where to begin researching for information:


  1. The Question
    • First, analyse your question and make sure you understand what it means. This is the most fundamental part of any essay, or other analysis of written work. If you do not understand what the question is asking, then you cannot answer the question in any sense of entirety or at all.
    • Definitions, explanations or general overviews of a topic can be found in Subject Dictionaries, Encyclopaedias and Handbooks.
    • Don't be afraid to talk to your teachers. That is what they are there for, and it isn't a bad thing if you're asking questions. No answer should be too stupid. Your teacher is there to facilitate your enquiries and your learning, if you don't understand something, you should bring it up so you can get a better understanding of it. This also helps the teacher to modify their teaching habits when they know/realise that people aren't getting the concepts.
    • A good habit is to try and rephrase the question in your own words. This not only helps you remember it, it also focuses you into thinking of what possible factors and any key words you think will be needed in the response. Scribble down either on the sheet itself, or into a separate 'draft' book so that you can get a start on your essay.
  2. Design a search strategy
    • Decide on where to go to find information. For brief assignments much of the information needed may be obtained from overviews, a few books, and perhaps a few key journal articles.
    • The first place to look should always be the class textbook or any notes the teacher has distributed as well as those you've taken in class. This should be your bare minimum rather than sufficient research. These start as a general guide to the concepts which you are being asked about. They also contain useful summaries to get a quickstart in formulating a plan for the essay.
    • Most of the time though, they lack the specificity to be an effective major source for essay and so should act as the basis, rather than the entire. What textbooks usually include are historian's names and publications either through footnotes/in-text or in the bibliography. These are important for the next step as they open up a paper trail for resources which the textbook has already used, therefore there should be a substantial amount of information for you to follow for your own needs.
  3. Use your library
    • It is important that you use books, and lots of them. You will not get anything past a borderline pass in Ancient History if you do not use books. The best place to start is your school library, or if that is lacking, your nearest local library.
    • If those are still lacking, then investigate whether you can spend a weekend or some other time going to either the State Library of NSW or the Sydney University Fisher Library or the Macquarie University Library.
    • You should perform a keyword search before going, to check what books are available and take down the details so you don't waste time looking around uselessly.
      • Keywords (anywhere) finds catalogue records containing any of the search word(s) you have entered. These words may be anywhere in the catalogue record and not just the title.
      • Keywords (boolean) will combine your words with the operators “AND” or “OR”. This is called a Boolean search and allows you to limit or expand your search.
    • Check the hours of each library so that you can set up a time which is best for you.
    • If possible, see if you can go as a group with other people in your class. This will help to gather resources as well as ideas on what you should be doing and other things. 5 heads are better than 1!
  4. Analyse and Evaluate Information
    • When you have begun to retrieve some sources of information, such as a book, a journal article or Internet site, you must evaluate the information in two ways.
    • Does it match your information requirements?
      As you find and consider new information it may change your ideas about your original information need. You may need information and sources you did not expect or you may have too much information.
      You may realise the original topic was too broad and you may need to focus on a more particular aspect.
      Discuss this new direction with your tutor or lecturer.
      It is important to realise that the process of research is often circular.
    • Determine the worthiness of the source of information.
      This step is very important with information found on the World Wide Web using Search Engines, as there is no scholarly control over what is written.
      Unless you can be sure that the information you are using is reliable, you should focus on using resources located from the Library i.e. texts, journal articles from scholarly publications.
    • Five points to consider when evaluating a resource are:
      • Accuracy : Can you verify the factual information provided? Is methodology stated?
      • Authenticity : What are the author(s) credentials? Was the information published in a recognised (or peer-reviewed/refereed) journal?
      • Bias : Are the arguments presented fairly? Does the author have an ulterior motive or are they expressing an opinion?
      • Coverage : Is adequate detail provided? Is the information too basic, too complex or relevant?
      • Currency : Was the item published recently? Is the data current? Was the web page updated recently?


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How to reference sources:


Citation and Style Guides
When preparing your assignment take care to acknowledge all the materials you quoted, paraphrased or mentioned. Style guides are the conventions used to acknowledge the work of other authors. Students should check course information or consult with academic staff for the style required by your department.

APA Style - American Psychological Association


Harvard (Author-Date) Style


MLA Style - Modern Language Association


Chicago (Turabian) Style


Oxford Style


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Writing Essays in History:


  • What Markers look for
    • Three requirements of good research essays:

      When you write essays, it will help to know what we are looking for as we assess your work. In writing essays, you are trying to solve problems. This involves three distinct tasks:
      • posing the question clearly and exploring its implications
      • answering the question persuasively; and
      • presenting your answers clearly and convincingly
      1. Like a juror in a law court, you must first figure out exactly what the problem is. If you do not understand the question clearly, and if you are not aware of all its implications, you will find it very hard to solve it. Often, it is a good idea to explain the question clearly in the introduction to your essay.
      2. Second, you must figure out what happened and why. You must do this despite the lies, the evasions, and the sheer randomness of the evidence available to us. Doing this is tricky, so it is not enough just to repeat what the experts say about the past. Your job, like a good juror, is to listen to what the experts say, and then check it by asking what evidence they give, and whether it adds up. Doing this will help you develop your own sense of historical truth and enable you to start building your own vision of the past.
      3. Once you have constructed your answers, you must present them as convincingly as possible. Markers are looking for answers that are as clear, as carefully argued, and as convincing as possible given the time and evidence available to you. In presenting your argument, use the skills of a debater.
  • The Questions Markers will ask:
    • Has the Problem been posed clearly?
    • Grasp of the problem: Has the question been understood? Too many people skip this stage. Yet you cannot answer a question effectively unless you understand it. So, we will ask:
      1. Have the terms been defined? (Use a dictionary; or, even better, an encyclopedia or a book such as Raymond Williams' Keywords.
      2. Have the hidden assumptions of the question been winkled out?
      3. Has the significance of the question been understood? And its implications?
    • Has the question been answered persuasively?
    • Scholarship and Research: Is the argument convincing and based on serious research?
      1. Is the argument based on a wide range of supporting evidence? Is there any original research? Does the evidence support the conclusions? Have alternative answers been considered?
      2. Has the evidence been assessed critically or merely accepted at face value?
      3. Has the evidence been cited properly? (i.e. do the footnotes let the reader check sources? Note that essays with no footnotes at all are likely to be marked down.)
    • Has the answer been presented clearly and logically?
      • Logic & Organization: Is the argument logically organized?
        1. Has language been used with precision? (i.e. use a dictionary and a style guide.)
        2. Is the writing marred by cliché, vagueness, verbosity? Are there too many passive verbs?
        3. Has care been taken with punctuation and spelling?
        4. Is the writing clear and concise?

For more specific information on individual modules refer to this document. It has notes from the marking centre on the specifics of each module for the year and the comments on the trends.


On Writing:

  • Write, write and write ...
    • Write as much as possible. Good writing, like any other skill, is largely a matter of practice. So the more you write the better you will write.
    • Avoid quoting others because that encourages the lazy habit of letting others formulate your ideas for you. Only when you take the trouble to describe something in your own words can you be sure you have begun to understand it. So, unless you have a very particular reason for quoting, write entirely in your own words.
    • Don't write in note form, even when taking notes. Instead, try always to write in properly formed sentences. This will give you useful practice in writing and punctuation. But it will also force you to think more clearly about your subject matter. This is because a properly formed sentence, with its connectives, its 'buts' and 'ifs' and 'perhapses', forces you to clarify the relationship between different bits of information and different ideas.
    • Write multiple drafts and start early. Write something as soon as you start thinking about your essay topic. Then keep revising. Revising something you've already written is much easier than starting from scratch. And if you submit a third or fourth draft of your work, it is bound to be better than your first attempts. Yet if you don't write until the day before you submit you will have no choice but to submit a first draft.
    • Compost your ideas. Another reason for starting to write early is that if you do so, your mind will start working on any information or ideas you already have. Once you give it some material to compost, it will keep on working, even when you are thinking of other things. If you give it plenty of time, you will find good ideas start forming in your mind when you don't expect it. So feed the compost heap in your brain with some ideas and information as early as you can!
  • Some basic rules of Good Writing
    • Choose words carefully. Use a dictionary, a thesaurus or a style guide to help you choose the right word and the most precise word. In time, the care you take over word choice will broaden your vocabularly, and give your writing more colour and precision.
    • Punctuate carefully. Good punctuation can do much to clarify what you are saying; bad punctuation can obscure your message. So learn how to use commas, full stops, semi-colons, apostrophes and other punctuation marks.
    • Spell correctly. This may sound elementary, but it is important all the same. Bad spelling will irritate and probably confuse your reader, and will obscure your argument.
    • Explain technical terms. Don't assume the reader understands them. If they don't, they won't understand what you are trying to say.
    • Get the grammar right. For example, make sure you know what a correctly formed sentence is. (All proper sentences must include a main verb.) If in doubt, use a good style guide.
    • Proof read. Before you submit your final version, proof read it carefully to make sure that errors have not crept in which may sabotage your writing. Don't make your reader do this job for you!
    • Use a consistent style for headings and footnotes. Consistency of presentation makes it easier for the reader to follow your argument. Inconsistency can make the reader's task much harder.
  • Some Tips on Good Style:
    • Use active not passive verbs. Active verbs make for a more energetic style. They also force you to be more precise as they make you specify who or what is doing something.
    • Prefer simple to complex words. Simple, direct, concise language helps the reader grasp what you are saying. Avoid jargon, or language that is long-winded or exotic.
    • Use short sentences wherever possible. Short sentences are usually clearer and easier to grasp.
    • Avoid excessive use of adverbs or adjectives. As much as possible write with verbs and nouns. Though qualifiers (adverbs and adjectives) are sometimes necessary, excessive use of them dilutes and weakens your message.

Added thanks to PwarYuex

Something to add-

Read the question, and break it down. Some can be stressful, but you just need to break it into edible chunks.

eg Q "The period of Amenhotep's reign has been dubbed "The Golden Age", is this a true assesment?"

Ancient essays have to be far more structured than, say maybe a Philosophy essay. Nothing creative about it.

Plan your essay on the question, takes about 30 seconds:

Intro: Here, a term that we are applying to a Pharaoh is being used - the "Golden Age". Before you start, you need to tackle this. I'd open with a definition of what a Golden Age is. You could even bend this to suit your intended examples: "A Golden Age could be best defined as a time where the citizens of a country enjoy total safety, comfort, leisure, and religious piety never previously seen". (Don't attack my example essay, I'm making it up as I go :D)

Next, a statement of dis/agreement- maybe say that "because of the fact that Egypt was enjoying a great economy and prosperity at Amenhotep's accension, and due to his reign itself being a success, this time was a Golden Age." Basically-
there are TWO parts to a Golden Age (defining the term)- 1. A good country already established, 2. A good reign. The first one has to be mentioned, but it involves discussion of previous pharaohs, and is outside of the Question; it's up to you where you mention it, maybe in the first para briefly, maybe in the intro...

Next. Look at your plan- for this q, you'd need to mention: Building, Religion, Foreign Policy, Military, Women, Maintaining the "Warrior Pharaoh" image and Administration (in a specific sense). You mention these in your intro in the ORDER that you're going to talk about them in your essay.

Body: Here you talk about the above ideas in the order that they appear. You can spend more than one para per idea, if it merits it, but try to split them up a bit. Keep your paragraphs themselves structured- Opening sentence: say whether his buildings were good/bad. Discuss some buildings, use some evidence, quotations or otherwise. In this area of buildings, naming a building and talking about it is good evidence; but quoting's impressive. Try to be SPECIFIC (carrying on with the building idea), name SPECIFIC buildings and talk about them; if you're talking abotu military be SPECIFIC: then couple these specific ideas with evidence. Mention a few less bad things than good things about each idea; don't just say everything rocked. At the end of the paragraph, you conclude with a vague statement that links to the question.

If you're running out of time, do your best, but say you didn't mention Administration or women extensively. You'd have left this to the end as it's less important. You still need to mention it briefly, even 2 sentences is better than nothing- they're marking you on your overall understanding of the themes. If you can't remember what that damn statue of him and Tiye now in the Cairo Museum is called, just say "The colossal statue of Amenhotep and his wife shows that he accepted women as an important part of a reign. This is a clever move for him as he could hence capitalise on this valuable resouce." Then talk about Admin. Same short thing. It sucks if you run out of time, but 4 sentences could mean a few extra marks.

Conclusion: Sum up by taking all the pieces of the puzzle, and make a judgement on whether his reign was good- let's say his reign was awesome, but make sure you mention a few problems. Maybe he wasn't aggresive enough in his military (you would have discussed this, at length, above). You can then say that he inherited Egypt at a good time. Link these to the TWO things that made a "Golden Age", as we said: "these various factors enabled the Egyptian people to enjoy a safe and enjoyable life, where their country was prosperous". Therefore, his reign was a Golden Age.
Click to expand...

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How to study for Ancient History:


Different people study in different ways so its best to find a way that suits you.

This thread might be helpful.

Some tips:
  • Don't rely on notes alone

    If you want to get better than borderline marks, you need to actually learn the course itself. So that means you actually need to familiarise yourself with the content FIRST HAND. Not through notes found from here or your textbook. If you can, actually read the translated copies of the original ancient sources, these are invaluable. If something strikes you as odd, investigate it further, you may find translation errors and finds like this are immensely great discussion points for your essay.

  • Remember your sources!!

    I cannot stress this enough, a firm basis for any historian are the sources available to them. So read, read and read some more. If you don't like reading, you're probably in the wrong course because Ancient History has a lot of it. Remember to take down quotes from scholars and sources but dont be too reliant on a single one, rather read widely. If you read 3 opposing views, try to read 3 in agreeance with your historiographical issue.

  • Summarise your notes

    Reading is only half of the study, another important aspect is to organise and summarise all the information you have so that you can readily access it. Either by doing it electronically or by writing it out, collecting information, sources, quotes, etc, will ensure you have a good knowledge and database for assignments, essays and exams. Try and use a format which works for you.

    It's also a great way to find out what exactly you are lacking in terms of information.

  • Write, write, WRITE!!!

    Another key aspect in Ancient History is the writing of essays. The only way you will improve is to continually write essays, get someone to mark it or mark it yourself, and find the mistakes. There is no magical cure to being able to write great essays, it is a combination of hardwork, knowledge and time. Also, if you can, try and set a time limit on these practice essays. Not only is it a great way for finding out how much you can write and what you can and can't leave out in an essay, it also places you within a similar HSC exam environment. Typing out notes is great and can look really good and convenient, but most of us won't be using computers or keyboards, so keep writing and writing.

  • Discuss the information with other people

    The power of discussion cannot be underestimated and can help greatly in seeing different perspectives on the same topic. Try and be more active in identifying historiographical issues or questions you might have in class and get the class to discuss it. If you're a bit more shy, try privately messaging some of the people on the forum.



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Online resources for Ancient History:


For the most part, you want to be referring to books and primary (if possible) sources as well as contemporary ones. Internet sources should not take precedent over your written sources (unless you are looking for translations).

Nevertheless, we have tried to compile a decent list of internet resources which are helpful, and if you have any more, please feel free to PM anti, grk_styl or myself and we will add them later.


General

Greece

Egypt

Persia

Rome

For a discussion of book resources refer to this thread.

The boredofstudies resource page can be found here. They contain many notes/summaries/assessment tasks and are a good way to supplement or patch up your own notes.


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Posting Guidelines for the Ancient History Forum:


Please follow these guidelines if you expect to get an answer

It has come to our attention that people just aren't listening and simply posting topics which a) could've easily been solved or b) lack any information and sound like laziness on their behalf. If you follow these procedures, then it'll help not only us, but you, as those trying to help you will know EXACTLY what you are asking.

  • First things, first:
    It is imperative that you do a search of this FAQ, the resources and a search of the forum itself BEFORE you even consider posting a new topic. If there is an existing thread, post in that and we'll try and answer your question as promptly as possible.

    WE WILL NOT DO YOUR ESSAYS/STUDY/NOTES FOR YOU. THIS IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS SITE OR FORUM, AND THREADS ASKING FOR THIS WILL BE WARNED AND CLOSED. IF YOU WANT TO REPHRASE THE QUESTION IN ACCORDANCE TO THE GUIDELINES, THEN YOU MAY PM PWARYUEX, WHO WILL EDIT IT AND ONLY THEN WILL THE THREAD BE RE-OPENED

  • What to write in your question/thread/post:
    You MUST include the following if you want proper answers from us. The mods are incredibly busy people, and so are others, so by helping us out, you are helping yourselves out by allowing us to streamline the time needed to answer and understand your questions.
    • A title which inclues more than: HELLLLLPPP!!! URGENT!!!! ESSAY DUE TOMORROWW!!!! The more you can include in the title and description the better your chances of attracting people to help you out.
    • Module: ie, Personalities in their Time: Julius Caesar
    • A focus question. No vague questions like: I have an essay due tomorrow, on the topic of discuss Julius Caesar's achievements with regards to the triumvirate. We can help you with sections and anything which you may have a query about, we cannot write out your essay the night before for you.
    • Current material. You MUST include what you already know. It could be a short line explaining that you've made notes and are just unsure on the relevance of the SCU being issued during T. Gracchus' reign. But you MUST include some sort of evidence to show us that you have done your own work and that you are not being lazy.
    • Contact details/Timeframe (optional): If you wish for this help to be done by a certain date, then please put contact details and/or a timeframe for those helping to try and help you by. There will be less priority given to those who post a timeframe consisting of a 'night-before' job. It is unfair on us and on yourself to do such a thing.

If you follow these simple rules, we will endeavour to provide help faster and you will gain with the speed and accuracy of information. Rather than having us re-teach you the course, this will help you develop your own study skills and use these resources as they were intended for.


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