Eight Steps of Historical Research

Step 1: Developing a paperwork management system

Organization is a key factor in successful research. 

Step 2: Selecting a Topic

Students should select a topic related to the annual theme. Brainstorming ideas, looking through the history textbook, talking to your classmates or teachers, and searching online are great ways to begin thinking about potential topics. 

Step 3: Background Reading for Historical Context

Building historical context for their research topic is one of the most important steps of the process. Take time to reading widely about your topic. Look at several different history books and other resources about the time period in which the topic takes place.

Step 4: Narrowing Your Topic

Selecting a National History Day topic is a process of gradually narrowing the area of history (period or event) that interests the students. For example, if you are interested in Native Americans and the theme is Rights and Responsibilities in History, a natural topic would be treaty rights. Here are some sample topic process:

  Theme: Rights in History  Interest: Native Americans  Topic: Treaty Rights  Issue: 1788 Fort Schuyler Treaty

  Theme: Individual in History  Interest: Women's Rights  Topic: Suffrage Movement  Issue/Individual: Alice Paul

  Theme: Innovation in History  Interest: History of Science  Topic: Medical Discoveries  Issue/Discovery: Penicillin

Step 5: Gathering and Recording Information

To be responsible researchers, you must credit sources from where gathered information. To begin the process, however, it is important for you to collect the critical information from each source as they read: the author's name, title, publisher, and date of publication, and page number for quotes.  important to my paper because it made me more aware of the feelings of the people involved.

Step 6: Analyzing and Interpreting Sources and the Topic's Significance in History

Historians do more than describe events. They analyze and interpret information gathered from their sources to draw conclusions about a topic's significance in history. Students should do the same. Therefore, teachers should help students to ask questions of their topic and their research, considering the following:

• Elements of change and continuity
• Historical context: economic, political, social and cultural atmosphere of the time period

Think about the following when thinking about your sources:

• Who created the source?
• When was the source created?
• What was the intent or purpose of the source?

Step 7: Developing a thesis

The thesis statement is usually one sentence that presents an argument about the topic. The body of the paper or website, the script of the performance or documentary, the headings and captions in an exhibit then are used to support the thesis using evidence from the research.

A good thesis statement:

• Addresses a narrow topic
• Explains what the researcher believes to be the historical significance of the topic
• Connects the topic to the National History Day theme

Step 8: Finalizing an NHD research project

When research is completed and ready to present to an audience, review your work to make sure it includes:

• Analysis and interpretation
• Significance and impact
• In depth research
• Historical accuracy
• Historical context
• Adherence to the theme