Tag Archives: writing

What’s the Point of the Historiographical Dissertation Chapter?

Elizabeth Mancke Academic press editors are notorious for advising future and recent PhDs to remove the historiographical chapter as a first step in revising their dissertation for publication.  This begs the question: If press editors do not consider historiographical chapters publishable material, why do so many dissertation committees require them? Why are they deemed a necessary part of the doctoral… Read more »

History Slam 207: Navigating Online (Mis)Information

https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/History-Slam-207.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham Over the past two years, the onslaught of misinformation has increasingly attracted public and government attention. From the Covid pandemic, to election results, to protest movements, we are bombarded by a daily avalanche of information and it can be, at times, challenging to distinguish reputable sources from those peddling nonsense. Many… Read more »

Where Have All the Books Gone? Research and Writing During the Pandemic

This is the third post in the Pandemic Methodologies series. See the introductory post for more information. by Erin Spinney Books are a part of my life.  When I moved across the country, and then across the country again and again, the books were what got stuffed inside the trunk of the car and filled up the suitcases; while clothing, dishes,… Read more »

Practicing Theory: What’s Really Happening When You Write Exhibit Text for Museums

John Summers Ostensibly about the preservation, display and interpretation of objects, museums are also full of words. From way-finding signage (as anyone who has ever visited with a small child knows, a successful museum experience can critically depend on being able to locate the nearest washroom!) to fundraising, written text is an important part of what museums do. In the… Read more »

Writing is “easy”… Student Learning in the First-Year Canadian Survey Course

By Mark Leier Making a safe space Writing real life Making assignments matter Metahistories Doing more with less References The assignment made all of us squirm. Some broke into a sweat; others made little nervous jokes. At a workshop on teaching writing, we — professors, graduate students, librarians, deans — were asked to take five minutes to complete a short… Read more »

Best Practices for Writing History on the Web

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By Sean Kheraj As more of our reading moves from print to screens, learning how to write on the Web will become an increasingly important part of history writing skills. Just as we teach fundamental research and writing skills for print essays, we will likely begin to teach digital writing skills for the Web. Writing for the Web will also… Read more »

Protect Your Copyright

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By Adam Crymble Keep it, sell it or release it to everyone? Copyright isn’t a topic of which many young academics have a strong understanding. But, as a writer, it’s something to which you should pay attention. And you shouldn’t be afraid to assert your rights when it comes to assigning copyright when you publish. Your copyright is your ownership… Read more »