IA Writing a good Historical Investigation

[Diaaaz]

I would like to know if you are allowed to refer to yourself in the paper?

ex. "i plan on investigating the historical relevance of the sky being blue...

I know that you are not allowed to during math portfolio is it the same with History IA?

[Barbara Mikolajczyk]

I looked through some topics on IA History, but I don't think there is a lot of information out there. So, I decided to make a topic. In case you need help with any part of you IA just ask. I'm here to help. If you do not know what subject to choose, once again, ask. Discussion is the best way to find answers...

OK, I decided to post some important things about the IA, things that you need to remember while writing your IA, things that will help you and allow you to have less work to do.

So, first of all there is no minimum amount of words. This is important! If you wrote everything on the topic chosen and you end up with just above a 1000 words, change the topic. On the other hand though, you need to make sure you do not exceed 2000 words. This is very important as well. Points are taken away for higher numbers of words.

On the topic again, you need to make sure it is not to broad. AND YOU NEED TO LIKE IT. I heard of topics connected to music for example its affect on the people of a certain country over a certain time. This would be a great topic for someone who likes music. Remember that you need to read a few books on the topic. And loads of additional materials on the net, magazines, etc.

[lollero]

I was wondering if in Section C I should evaluate the sources for their value and limitations in general or for how valuable they are regarding my topic? Because the sources I've picked for this are both propaganda which are valuable for me as that's my topic and they're good examples, but in general would have the limitation of being very biased and now I'm not entirely sure if I should mention that or not.

[Keel]

I was wondering if in Section C I should evaluate the sources for their value and limitations in general or for how valuable they are regarding my topic? Because the sources I've picked for this are both propaganda which are valuable for me as that's my topic and they're good examples, but in general would have the limitation of being very biased and now I'm not entirely sure if I should mention that or not.

Always in the context of the research question and topic. However, as you have correctly stated the propaganda is usefuly for you as a history trying to answer your RQ, but the limitations of the sources should really also hinder your ability to answer the research question. Without cross-refferencing sources, it is impossible to tell the extent to wich propaganda is true/false. Therefore even though you are aware the source is propaganda and it tells you what the intent of the user was, you still wouldn't know, for example, how successful the propaganda was or how often the propaganda was used, where it was used ect. Hope this helps.

[lollero]

I was wondering if in Section C I should evaluate the sources for their value and limitations in general or for how valuable they are regarding my topic? Because the sources I've picked for this are both propaganda which are valuable for me as that's my topic and they're good examples, but in general would have the limitation of being very biased and now I'm not entirely sure if I should mention that or not.

Always in the context of the research question and topic. However, as you have correctly stated the propaganda is usefuly for you as a history trying to answer your RQ, but the limitations of the sources should really also hinder your ability to answer the research question. Without cross-refferencing sources, it is impossible to tell the extent to wich propaganda is true/false. Therefore even though you are aware the source is propaganda and it tells you what the intent of the user was, you still wouldn't know, for example, how successful the propaganda was or how often the propaganda was used, where it was used ect. Hope this helps.

Okay, thanks But as I already say that the source is valuable for me for the effect it had on world opinion (btw, it's okay for me to quote some other source that is otherwise not valuated in the section to validate this information, right?), can/should I still say that the limitation is that I can not know the extent of its success without consulting a secondary source? I really can't come up with any other limitations that aren't about it being biased (which is not a limitation if my IA only discusses the effect of the propaganda and not the actual events I guess).

[Keel]

I was wondering if in Section C I should evaluate the sources for their value and limitations in general or for how valuable they are regarding my topic? Because the sources I've picked for this are both propaganda which are valuable for me as that's my topic and they're good examples, but in general would have the limitation of being very biased and now I'm not entirely sure if I should mention that or not.

Always in the context of the research question and topic. However, as you have correctly stated the propaganda is usefuly for you as a history trying to answer your RQ, but the limitations of the sources should really also hinder your ability to answer the research question. Without cross-refferencing sources, it is impossible to tell the extent to wich propaganda is true/false. Therefore even though you are aware the source is propaganda and it tells you what the intent of the user was, you still wouldn't know, for example, how successful the propaganda was or how often the propaganda was used, where it was used ect. Hope this helps.

Okay, thanks But as I already say that the source is valuable for me for the effect it had on world opinion (btw, it's okay for me to quote some other source that is otherwise not valuated in the section to validate this information, right?), can/should I still say that the limitation is that I can not know the extent of its success without consulting a secondary source? I really can't come up with any other limitations that aren't about it being biased (which is not a limitation if my IA only discusses the effect of the propaganda and not the actual events I guess).

Hmm, I cant actually comment on the source without actually seeing it. Will this help you make a judgement?:http://www.ibsurvival.com/topic/13466-origins-purpose-value-and-limitations/

As for quoting other sources, unless it is directly relavent to the sources and helps make a point about either the origins, purpose values, limtation there should be no need to. However it is a nice thing to do. For example for the origins you could have supporting evidence refferenced. Or, for example, if the propaganda was used for a particular movement and a historian explicitly states this, you can quote. If a secondary source makes a comment about the propaganda, you can refference ect.

[Shavi]

I get a 10/25 in this internal Essay :/. In fact the maximun mark of the whole class was 12 over 25.

The essays had not been send yet, but our history teacher give us a probable mark.

There are two possibilities, or our teacher is very strict or the whole class sucks!

The worst thing is that I love history, and I was not used to get low grades in this subjetct :/

Edited August 4, 2011 by Shavi

[lollero]

I think I got the Section C figured out but if anyone could shed any light on some other problems that have come up during my writing process that'd be great

1. Should the Analysis-part have some kind of introduction? Or part B for that matter? It seems a bit weird jumping straight to the text without any but then again I'm already struggling with the word count a bit. And is it really important to talk about how important the RQ is in it's historical context or somethign because that seems a bit pretentious and rather pointless to me but of course if missing it will get points taken away then of course I'll do it.

2. Am I doing it right if basically in Section B I say what was done and then in Section D I explain what effect it had on international opinion and therefore what it means regarding the research question? Or should I try and explain the effect in B (alhtough then I'd have too much there and not much to say in D)

3. If citing a speech, the transcript of which I read from the internet, can I just cite the speech or do I have to include the internet source as well? And when citing the speech, as it has no title, is it really OK for just have author, city and state/country, date and then a descriptive label? Because this is what my MLA handbook (7th ed) says but then I think someone said that for example it there's no known publisher I should say n.p. and all in all it seems kind of inaccurate to have no title and nothing in its place.

4. Basically the same question as 3, except for a news article found on the internet or a book (but if it's from a book, how would I cite it then? Or, as I use the book in question in my IA in any case then do I just cite the book? But if I do that and quote the article in Section C as it's one of my sources to evaluate, doesn't it seem a bit strange that after the quotation I'll have the book's author in parantheses although I'm quoting the journalist?)

and then lastly and leastly did you guys separate primary sources and secondary sources in the list of works sited? Because I've seen it done both ways and was wondering if it's important to do so.

whoah I'm having a lot of stupid problems with this.

[aarti]

Is it true that we're not allowed to use wikipedia for the Historical Investigation?

[Keel]

Is it true that we're not allowed to use wikipedia for the Historical Investigation?

Firstly, it would not look good. It implies that your research is shallow in depth and that you did not put in the effort to find sources (both primary and secondary). Secondly, wikipedia is a tertiary source which means it incorporates all sources into one bloc of information. It is unlikely that it will beable to present any perspective on your topic as it should be neutral in nature.

My advice would be to only use wikipedia to update your general knowledge on your topic. This is usually a good way of getting a better understanding of the key issues involved. Also, have a look at the sources cited at the bottom of the wikipedia page; these will help expand your bibliography and get access to good sources.

[Arrowhead]

Is it true that we're not allowed to use wikipedia for the Historical Investigation?

Yes, its true. One because the information is unreliable. Two because it makes you come across as a lazy student. Wikipedia is awesome for some quick reads before a test or quiz, but your historical investigation has to go much, much further than wikipedia.

[velvetrose]

I am currently doing reasearch for my History IA, there is a documentary on History Channel on the same topic. Is it acceptabe to use this as a source?

[Arrowhead]

Definitely! Use documentaries as sources if you want, especially if they're on the History Channel, it's a good research tool!

[kel766]

Full guide taken from some site I forgot where

Here you go, Gl and as always :

Free Palestine ¬

A. Plan of Investigation (100-150 words)

In order to come up with a good question or thesis, you must do some pre-research. Pick a topic, research it, come up with a basic question, read some more about it, refine your question, write some of your paper, and then tweak the question a bit more. The question should be specific, focused, detailed and targeted. The more specific, the better!!!!

Scope: Your plan must include your thesis, and you need to explain why your topic is important, why it deserves research, and why you are narrowing your focus to your specific thesis. Explain why your research is so broad or so narrow.

You will need to write about the methods of your research. This is not a narrative of how you are going to drive to the library, sit at a computer, and type in some words. Nor is a story about how you looked through lots of period magazines. It is a narrative of how you would search through speeches of your historical figure, look for who attended the speeches, research what the local and national newspapers said about the speech, find a copy of the speech, look for video or audio of the speech, etc etc etc. What is it that you need to do in order to answer your thesis question? No matter what you do or how you do it, your research must have a clearly structured plan. You can’t do it all on the internet!

“I need to find letters from…” and why…

“I need to look at others who were there…” and why…

“I need to see pictures (satellite and aerial) of the geography of the area to better understand…”

“I need to locate personal journals from…” and why…

“I will sort through court records to….”

The Plan of Investigation must include:

• the subject of the investigation in the form of a question

• the methods to be used in the investigation

B. Summary of Evidence (research) (500-600 words)

JUST THE FACTS MA’AM…………….NOTHING BUT THE FACTS

Prove you did the research! Prove you looked through a variety of sources. Prove you didn’t just sit at the computer and search the internet! Prove you were thorough! Prove you went to a museum and looked at the archives! You may even want to bullet the evidence, but make sure you write in sentence form (this helps your word count)! Whatever you do, make sure you cite all your sources. Be careful, only use something in your investigation if it is meaningful and provides evidence to help answer your question. Just using a laundry list of lots of facts and figures and quotes from lots of books or websites doesn’t help. More is not better. I would suggest primary AND secondary sources for your research. Summarize, summarize, summarize.

Do not include your analysis of the sources, and don’t actually answer the thesis in this section! You will do this later. It is just an organized summary of the facts you found from the sources you discovered in your research. You may include quotes if you want to, but make sure you put them in context. You don’t have to use quotes though. I found this, and this, and this, and this.

Be careful - any information you use anywhere else in the paper must be presented in this section. You can’t pull out new information and use it in your conclusion if it does not also appear in your summary of evidence!! All information you summarize should help “prove” what your conclusion is.

Any illustrations, documents, or other relevant evidence should be included in an appendix and will not be included in the word count.

This section MUST BE ORGANIZED (thematically or chronologically) and MUST BE REFERENCED and provide evidence of thorough research. It can be in either bulleted list or continuous prose.

C. Evaluation of Sources (OPVL) (250-400 words)

This section should be a critical evaluation of the two (2) most important sources appropriate to the investigation and should refer to their ORIGIN, PURPOSE, VALUE, and LIMITATION. More then two sources may be evaluated but the emphasis should be on the thorough evaluation of two sources rather than a superficial evaluation of more than two. You are the historian, so explain how useful the source is to you. What are its values and limitations?

NOTE: The purpose of this section is to assess the usefulness of the sources; NOT to describe their content or nature. (you already described their content in section B)

You do not have to compare the two sources! Think of it as a paragraph or so OPVL for one source, and a paragraph or so OPVL for another source. Easy marks!

“Limitation” – you now have access to the entire document, so you can’t use the argument of the document only being an excerpt like you might be able to use in the Paper 1 exam. Look for other limitations the source has.

D. Analysis (500-650 words)

This is the substance of the paper. These are your thoughts about the subject. This is your analysis of the sources, your findings, your ideas. You may want to present differing interpretations of the answer to your question.

Whatever you do, you should try to place it in historical context. This will add weight and perspective to your study. What else was going on at the time? Take a larger view than just your bit of information…what associated events may lend themselves to an understanding of the historical importance of your subject?

You are elaborating on and analyzing what you wrote about in section B. The elements you identified in section B will now be broken down into key issues or points. Now you are analyzing what all the facts from section B mean. How are they related? How do they conflict with each other? What do they mean? What is your interpretation of the facts?

The analysis should include:

• the importance of the investigation in its historical context

• analysis of the evidence

• if appropriate, different interpretations

E. Conclusion (150-200 words)

The conclusion must be clearly stated and consistent with the evidence presented. You should NOT INCLUDE ANY NEW INFORMATION NOT ALREADY PRESENTED EARLIER IN YOUR PAPER!!!!!!

This is a follow-up to section D. It requires an answer or conclusion, based on the evidence already presented (again, no new evidence or surprises) which either partially of fully addresses the question stated or implied in the investigation.

This should be consistent with the rest of your paper. Don’t try to pull a fast one on anyone!

F. List of Sources (not counted in word count)

A bibliography or list of sources must be included although it will not count in total word count.

All sources, whether written or otherwise (including interviews) should be listed. This must be alphabetized. Format does not matter, as long as you are consistent and use only one format!

[fredpostles]

I know this may sound like a weird request, but I've had to completely re-write my History IA (my teacher told me to change the topic), but now he won't read my second/new draft, so I don't know if it's any better than the first one.

Would anyone want to/mind reading it? Or just having a look at it and giving me their opinion on it?

I'm not asking for it to be marked or anything, just your thoughts really...

[Guest emskees]

My HL History of Americas teacher is making us write our internal assesment even though we are in our junior year. She is also making us write it about a subject that is within the Americas (so, the United States, Canada, Mexico, or the Central and South American countries). We have to turn in topics that we want to write about to her tomorrow to be approved - any suggestions?

[Karis]

So my topic is based around Francisco Madero's death during the Mexican Revolution...I was thinking something like "How did the death of Francisco Madero affect the Mexican Revolution?" I'm not sure whether that's too broad or too narrow.

OR should I write about the conspiracy behind his death...it's really interesting, but I feel like there aren't many sources out there about it. :\

EDIT: Actually, now my topic is: What role did Henry Lane Wilson play in the overthrow and murder of the Francisco Madero?

Wilson was a U.S. ambassador, and Madero was the Mexican President that started the Mexican Revolution. I'm excited about this topic. :3

Is it good? Or should I word it another way?

Edited September 22, 2011 by Karis

[Mozz]

I've only just started the IB, but we're starting our IA preparations soon. I was thinking of doing my topic on the demise of the Liberal party in the UK, but is this too vague? Or would a better topic be what caused the demise of the Liberal party?

[vickylebreton]

Please! i really need some help with my HI, i'm in my third IB-semester, i have to finish it on december the first and i don't know what to do! my topic is actually the consequences of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. but i can't find any information about it! any books? ( by the way, i'm doing it in German!)

[Nargees]

Hello,

I am doing my IA on the following topic (which of the explanations of the origins of the Holocaust is more compelling- the internationalist or functionalist interpretations?) can anyone please help me where can I get more information about it? I don't understand the question very well. So please anyone can help me I will very appreciate it. Thanks!!