Essays do not have as rigid a structure as scientific papers do. But they have a basic form you should learn. (Writing is like most everything else in life: you first learn the field’s norms and practices, and then figure out how you might move beyond them.) Here are some thoughts about the standard 3- section structure, often simplified as “Tell ‘em what you’ll tell ‘em. Tell ‘em. Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.”

Introduction:
o Maybe15% of the essay’s full length.
oOften opens with an anecdote,statistic,quote, etc.that allows the reader to wade into
the topic, to see how it is important, interesting, surprising, etc.
oNot surprisingly, it’s in the Introduction that things are introduced. You’ll want to mention who, what, when, where you’re discussing as soon as possible: the reader shouldn’t be on p.4 thinking “What century are we in?” Likewise, you need to define or identify important terms – on first mention (or, at worst, second) – so that the reader can learn the term and/or learn how you understand the term.
oHaving introduced the historical issue, the introduction moves toward the question, what has to be determined about the issue. This culminates, toward the end of the introduction (often at the very end), with the thesis statement. Although there may be good reason not to be so baldly explicit about your thesis, successful ones often boil down to “By doing this, I will argue this.” An example: “Through an examination of English municipal records, this essay will argue that John Cabot did not die in his 1498 voyage, but lived on until the early 1500s.”

Main body:
o Maybe75% of the essay’s full length.
oThis is long enough that you need to consider how your topic lends itself to a structure
that can help you break things down further. For example, if the body is going to be 10 pages or so, and your paragraphs tend to average 1 page each, what will your 10 paragraphs be about? Maybe there are 4 threads to the argument you are making, so they should each get about 2 paragraphs. Maybe you’re dealing with 3 time periods, so each should get 3 paragraphs. Many essays fail by flailing – they just dive in with no evident plan or structure.
o The body will provide more –much more–detail about the historical matter in question, but it needs to stay focused on proving the thesis statement. You should ask of every paragraph, “Is this moving me toward proving my thesis statement?”
oThink about what you can prove, but also what you can’t prove. Consider how your reader might shoot down or doubt your arguments, and so raise those concerns yourself – and, to the degree you can, disprove them. You should push your argument as far, but only as far, as you can honestly and effectively take it.
oTwo important bits of advice about ordering information:First, for a history essay, telling the story chronologically is almost always the right solution. Second, describe and then analyze.
o“Show, don’t tell”. This means provide evidence for what you argue. It also means that while some signposting is necessary, there is no need to over-signpost (such as “In the coming paragraph, I will make the case that…”). If your argument is logical, the reader will follow you, so you don’t need to constantly remind the reader where you’re going.
o“Show your work.” If you cite 10 sources, but only discuss 1 in detail, the reader may assume you didn’t fully examine or understand the other 9. Be sure to discuss many. And if you went beyond the requirements of the assignment, be sure to showcase that fact. (“A reading of every British newspaper published in 1500 determined that….”)

Conclusion:
o Maybe10% of the essay’s length.
oThere’s some truth that the Conclusion is where you“Tell ‘em what you told ‘em,”but
that can open it up to being repetitive and boring. The fact that you have already made your argument, and that the reader can see the blank white space at the end of your essay, allows you both to relax a little. Consider taking your topic or thesis in a fresh, slightly different direction. For example, perhaps relate the historical question to the present-day, or discuss what questions your essay was unable to answer. Or bring things back to the anecdote, quote, or statistic that began the essay.