Common Writing Errors

Confusing an Argument with a Statement or Summary

Your argument (sometimes called a “thesis”) is the original point you are making about a historical subject, problem, or question. It is the result of all the thinking you have done during the course of research. It is a claim about the significance of a historical subject (or problem or question) and a promise that you will demonstrate that your approach to the subject—your interpretation—is persuasive and compelling. An argument is more than an announcement of what your subject will be. It is an assertion about what your subject means and why it matters.

Your argument should appear somewhere near the beginning of your essay, but there is no rule that it must be the first sentence. Consider returning to it several times in a lengthy paper in order to remind your reader of the progress you have made. Definitely return to it in your conclusion.

An example of an argument: This paper illustrates that the history of child adoption tells us at least as much about science and government between 1917 and 1950 as it does about children and families.

An example of something that is not an argument: In this paper, I will cover the history of child adoption between 1915 and 1950.

Sloppy Writing Mistakes

Here are some things to avoid in formal historical writing. If you do not know what they are, consult Resources for Writers.

• apostrophe errors

• awkward phrasing

• contractions

• colloquialisms

• easily confused words, such as "advise" and "advice"

• frequent use of the first-person singular

• grammatical errors, such as subject-verb disagreement

• passive voice

• poor word choice

• present tense

• punctuation errors, such as omitted commas and superfluous commas

• sentence fragments

• spelling errors, such as confusing “there” and “their”

• unclear pronoun references

• wordy phrases and sentences

Always proofread!