4 – 5 pages The first paragraph of the paper should contain the author(s) thesis or argument. For some books this is up-front, generally in the introduction or in the conclusion. But for others, the thesis can only be ascertained by reading the entire work. Since I assume everybody will read their chosen work, this should not be a problem. The bulk of the paper will be a chapter-by-chapter summary of the book. In essence, I want you to tell me what the author(s) says, lists, or argues in each chapter of the work. Any material cited (i.e., quoted) from the work must be footnoted and documented. Failure to do so will be judged accordingly and will detract from your grade. For this model when footnoting:
Toward the end of the paper, each student will summarize and analyze the critical reviews of the book and give your own evaluation of the book. Did you like it? If not, why; if so, why? Did the author make his/her points? If not, how? Was the book well organized, or was it jumbled, etc? Questions such as these should be kept in mind as you read. Note: You do not have to like the book or agree with the works thesis. It is perfectly fine if you do not, and you can state that in your paper, but you must tell me why you did not like the book. Simply stating that you did not like it will not suffice.
The reviews can be found in historical journals such as the Journal of American History, Journal of Military History, Military History of the West, American Historical Review .
Do not use reviews from publications that are aimed at the general public or librarians.
At the end of the paper, on a separate sheet, add a bibliography of the reviews you consulted for the paper. Use this format to list the reviews, both in the footnotes and the bibliography:
