Repeat after me : NEVER FORGET TO CITE YOUR SOURCES

That’s probably the most important thing you should do, especially when you get to university. I’ve had multiple teachers who expect you to cite your source for every single sentence you write in your essay. It seems a little intense at first but as long as you have good articles/books/etc., you’ll be fine.

As for finding those good references, I definitely recommend going to your school’s library and also using online ressources. A trick I always use before starting an essay is finding out every thing I can on the subject through sites like wikipedia or even youtube (crash course for example), just to get an idea of the main things I’ll have to research. Also, the bibliography on wikipedia articles can be a great starting point if you’re completely lost.

Keep in mind that not every thing is easy to find online. I’m a classical studies student and most of the essays I’ve had to write were on really obscure subjects that don’t even have a wiki page. In those cases, you just have to work a little bit harder. Don’t underestimate mainstream ressources (such as magazines/vulgarizing books) but don’t rely on them completely. Also, if you are a classics student, check out « L’Année philologique » (The Year in Philology), it’s basically the bible.

Start by analyzing your subject. Is it about architecture ? an important emperor ? a long historical period ? Find a starting point and write a list of hypotheses. If it’s about a roman emperor, Augustus for example, you’ll have to talk about his rise to the throne, the emperors that came before him, how long his reign lasted, what kind of emperor he was, his biggest accomplishments, wars, art, architecture, religion, etc. Make a list of things and start researching.

The more you’ll research, the clearer everything will be. You’ll probably end up adding items to your list, items you hadn’t thought of before, and you’ll also probably delete some that aren’t important. Go through your list and create an outline. History papers are usually done in chronological order, meaning that in an essay about Augustus, you would most likely start with the death of Cesar and the battle of Actium, and finish with Augustus’ death. But if you’re writing a history essay on Babylonian art, you might want to create sections, such as sculptures, architecture, paintings, literature, etc. Also, make sure you have a research topic, preferably in the form of a question, that you introduce at the beginning and answer in your conclusion. It doesn’t have to be a super complex question, it can be pretty simple like « what were the impacts of the Persian War on Greece ? » or « what were Alexander the Great’s greatest accomplishments ? »

History essays usually have to be straight to the point. You’re telling a story, yes, but you’re also showing facts. You can add in anecdotes and fun facts, as long as you know your teacher will enjoy them/find them interesting. It’s all about knowing what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Some teachers are really fun : I’ve written essays on how Commodus’ bisexuality is never acknowledged by historians or on how Cleopatra is the greatest female icon ever, and i got an A+ on both of those because the teacher was awesome. But I’ve also lost points on essays because the teacher was very strict and serious and didn’t enjoy my anecdote about toothbrushes in Ancient Greece.

A little more about conclusions : I was taught in high school that conclusions should 1) answer your research topic and 2) introduce some new questions. When I got to university, I realized that the second part was completely unnecessary. Most of my teachers ask for a simple conclusion, 5 to 10 lines, with just a summary of your paper and, if you had one, an answer to your initial question.

Lastly, make sure you have a complete bibliography with a lot of references. Don’t forget to add annexes if they are useful, for example if you are talking about architecture, you can add pictures in your annexes, or if you are studying the death of Socrates, you can add an excerpt of Plato’s Phaedo.

Good luck yo.