History Abstract

HOW TO WRITE AN ABSTRACT An abstract is a short summary of your completed research. If done well, it makes the reader want to learn more about your research, and proves an argument that the author of the abstract made in their Thesis.

FORMAT: 1. SINGLE SPACED

2. MLA OR TURABIAN (pick one style and use it for the whole document)

3. THERE IS NO WORD COUNT, JUST FOLLOW THE DESCRIPTION BELOW, AND THE FORMAT IN THE

TEMPLATE.

4. Note: A paragraph is about four sentences for this kind of project, but could be as much as eight

sentences.

COMPONENTS OF AN ABSTRACT: 1) Thesis statement: What historical point did you decide to research, what do you intend to prove with

that research? a. A thesis is a statement that requires proof to be valid. A thesis is not a question, an incomplete

sentence, or an opinion. See the Writing Center for help with this, if necessary!

2) Sources: Three bibliographic references will be needed for this abstract. Each bibliographic reference should be fully detailed in a MLA or Chicago style format.

a. One website is allowed, but no more (such as history.com, etc). b. Other sources should include books, newspaper articles, journal articles, or interviews (if

applicable). These required sources as listed in section b. can be electronic (see below): i. Newspaper articles should be found on Lexis-Nexis

ii. Academic journal articles should be found on either JSTOR or Academia.edu iii. Academic websites (such as university sites or legal-discussion sites do not count as

‘general websites,’ so these may be used as well. iv. For some topics, an interview may be needed. This can be cited as an interview (For

citing help, Google “how to cite an interview, MLA style”) c. Students may wish to use bibme.org for help turning their sources into bibliographic

references.

3) Body of Evidence: As a result of research in your three sources, what did you learn?

a. This is the body of evidence that should be three paragraphs long, but can be longer if needed. Each paragraph will include details from one source. Page numbers (if applicable) should be included here.

4) Conclusion: Summarize how your main points in the Body all come together to support your thesis. NOTE: This is the time to go back to your thesis and make sure the Conclusion and thesis say basically the same thing. If your evidence in the Body ended up proving something different, then change the Thesis to match!

a. This part can be one or two paragraphs, depending on how much the student needs to discuss.

TEMPLATE Please follow this template for your project. Your document should be laid out just as

pictured below. The underlined titles should also be in your abstract (Thesis, Sources, Body of Evidence, Conclusion). This is not an essay, so please do not hand in an essay instead of an

abstract.

Thesis: (one to two sentences that clearly state the major argument to be discussed in the body of evidence) There have been multiple theories tossed around since WWII regarding the conspiracy that the Holocaust never occurred. People around the world have gone as far as claiming that those who promote the propaganda of the Holocaust have their facts wrong. The endless supply of photographs, objects and living people who survived the genocide proves that this piece of history undeniably took place. Sources: (just state these in this section, no other writing is necessary. Use bibme.org for help) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web. 16 July 2015. "The Twins Eva and Miriam Mozes Survived Auschwitz." The Twins Eva and Miriam Mozes Survived Auschwitz. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2015. "Anne Frank - a Girl Who Never Gave up." Who Was Anne Frank? N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July2015. Body of Evidence: (each paragraph should include information from only one source. Let the reader know what source is being referenced by stating the title or the author in the first sentence of the paragraph) (first paragraph): According to the Holocaust Memorial Museum..... (second paragraph): The story of Eva and Miriam Mozes bring to light the holocaust through their well documented experiences.... (third paragraph): Anne Frank..... Conclusion: Bring it all together, and then make sure that your evidence and conclusive statements actually match what the Thesis said you’d prove! If they don’t mesh up, change something (usually the thesis is easiest to change to match the evidence and conclusion, as opposed to the other way around).

Abstract Scoring Sheet (For Final Draft Scoring) 20pts. Grammar/Syntax:

1. Full points in this section: Excellent, fewer than 3 major errors!

2. Only 5 points in this section if: more than 4 major grammatical issues (ie: confusing word use/spelling/grammar)

3. 0 points for the entire Abstract with an allowed redo for a ½ total score will be assigned for fantastically basic

word use errors no matter how good the rest of the Abstract is (these kinds of word errors can never happen at

the college level, ever): There, their, they’re, our vs are, were, where, we’re, its vs it’s (etc). These are not the

same words. Using the wrong word changes the entire meaning of the sentence and is incredibly confusing. See

the Writing Center for help if these nuances are still being learned.

30pts, Credibility: 1. Full Points in this section: The bibliographic sources checked out to be real and of quality (Yes, sometimes the

professor and his aids will double check the sources to be sure they are real and match what data is attributed

to that source).

2. 0 points in this section with an allowed redo for a ½ total score if: the bibliographic citations were not formatted

into a full bibliography. They are only a web URL or a title of some kind. Use the Writing Center for help with this

important part of writing until experience (and perhaps a writing class) helps to teach this skill.

3. 0 points for the entire abstract if: The bibliographic sources are not from allowed sources, or are not the same

source as the data in the Body of Evidence says it is.

50pts, Effectiveness: Note: This section is the most important. Every abstract needs to show that quality sources were analyzed to prove a solid point made in the thesis. Body of Evidence paragraphs with great detail that relates to the thesis will get a lot of points there!! Vague paragraphs that show very little effort at analysis, or show a lack of understanding of the material (such as paragraphs written quickly and without a lot of thought), will get very few points.

4. Full points if: The points are very clear and prove the thesis! The Conclusion matches the points made and

summarize the research well.

5. 0-25 points in this section if: detail from any one (or all) paragraphs is overly obtuse, the thesis, data and

conclusion do not match, material is incomplete, or the material cannot be understood due to grammatical

issues.

6. 0 Points for the entire abstract and academic probation for one year: Any of the text in the Body of Evidence

section was plagiarized (copied and pasted from the source without quotes or citation). OR, text was copied

from another student’s work from any class at any institution during a prior semester. These actions are illegal

at every single academic institution in the country, and the student must be failed if either happens. A defense

of “I didn’t know,” and “we don’t have this rule where I come from” will not apply to any assignment at Orange

Coast College. See the Student Code of Conduct and the Syllabus for this class for details. The student will also

be put onto academic probation for one year at OCC, and a note will be made on student transcripts until

probation clears.