NAT IONAL QUALIFICAT IONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT
History
Student Guide to
Historical Research, Dissertation
Writing and Assessment
[ADVANCED HIGHER]
Elizabeth Trueland

Acknowledgements
This document is produced by Learning and Teaching Scotland as part of the National
Qualifications support programme for History.
First published 2002
Electronic version 2002
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2002
This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educati onal purposes by
educational establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage.
ISBN 1 85955 916 6
CONTENTS
Introduction
iv
Section 1:
The Historical Research unit
1
Section 2:
Getting started on the research
3
Section 3:
Reading and note maki ng
7
Section 4:
Writing the dissertation
11
Section 5:
Bibliography
17
Appendi x:
Student guide to assessment
19
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
iii
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
This student guide aims to provide practical suggestions about how to tackle
the Historical Research unit for Advanced Higher History.
It takes students through the processes involved in planning, researching and
preparing a major piece of historical writing. It shows how these stages will
enable students to meet the two Outcomes identifie d for Historical Research
as part of the ongoing process of working on their dissertation. It also tackles
some of the issues involved in writing the dissertation that is assessed
externally as part of the National Qualification in Advanced Higher History.
It is hoped that this guide will be of use to all students working on Advanced
Higher History Historical Research, whatever their chosen field of study.
The Appendix
The Appendix contains information handed out to S6 students in one school
that presented a number of candidates for Advanced Higher History in the
first year of the examination. The information therefore reflects the
particular circumstances of that school and it is included here as exemplars of
the sort of material that may prove helpf ul to students who are taking the
Advanced Higher course.
Similarly, the syllabus outlines are one History Department’s approach to
teaching and learning in Field of Study 10, South Africa 1910 –1984. They
represent an attempt to flesh out the course and to provide a range of focused
topics for study/discussion, while ensuring good coverage of all of the main
themes of the course. It should be stressed, however, that this is simply one
possible approach and that there are many other ways of teaching this topic.
iv
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
TH E H I S TO R I CA L R E S EA RCH U NI T
SECTION 1
The Historical Research unit
Historical Research is a 40-hour unit that forms part of the National
Qualification in Advanced Higher History. You research, plan and prepare a
dissertation on an issue relevant to your chosen field of study. The process of
researching, planning and preparing the dissertation is assessed internally.
Your completed dissertation will be submitted to SQA for external
assessment, together with an annotated bibliography, which will be taken into
account in the assessment of the dissertation.
The dissertation is worth 50 marks out of a total of 140 in the external
assessment. It should be no more than 4,000 words long, excluding footnotes.
If the dissertation exceeds 4,000 words, up to 10% of the available marks can
be deducted.
Choosing an issue to research
You should start thinking about your choice of issue at the very beginning of
the Advanced Higher course. Your teacher will give you a list produced by
SQA of possible dissertation issues from which you can choose one that
interests you. Alternatively, you may wish to research an issue that is not
included on the SQA list. It may be that you have already done some
background reading that has raised significant questions about an aspect of
your chosen field of study, or your teacher may be aware of interesting
resources, available locally, that would facilitate the study of a particular,
worthwhile issue.
If you do choose an issue that is not included on the SQA list, it is very
important that your alternative choice of issue should be submitted to the
SQA for approval by 1 October of the academic year in which you are
completing the Historical Research unit. This is to ensure that your choice of
topic is realistic and that it is in accordance with th e requirements of the
Advanced Higher course.
Whether you choose an issue from the relevant SQA list of topics, or
submit your own choice of issue for approval, it is important that you
choose an issue that interests you and about which you wish to
understand more. A good issue gives rise to further challenging
questions that may involve controversy, or be open to more than one
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
1
TH E H I S TO R I CA L R E S EA RCH U NI T
interpretation. A good issue should lead you into analysis rather than
narrative.
If you have some prior knowledge of your chosen field of study (perhaps
from your Higher History course, or from your own reading), you might
already have some ideas about what particular issues will involve.
However, if your chosen field of study is not familiar to you, you will need to
do some basic fact-finding research before you can make an informed
decision about your choice of issue. This might take the form of reading a
short, general overview history of the whole field of study. For some topics,
books written primarily as school textbooks could provide a suitable
introduction.
It might also be possible to view a video that provides an introduction to
some of the issues raised by the field of study.
For some fields of study, there might also be useful CD Roms or websites
that provide background information to give you an idea about what is
involved.
Biographical dictionaries and encyclopaedias are also worth consulting at this
stage.
Discuss possible issues with your teacher/lecturer. S/he may be able to give
advice about the availability of resources that might affect your final
decision.
Having chosen your issue, you are required to explain how it relates to the
field of study as a whole. In other words, you need to place the chosen issue
in its historical context (Outcome 1 PC (a)). This can be done in a few
sentences. It is enough to show that you understand how the detailed aspect
of the field of study you have chosen relates to the overall period which you
are studying. You might already be aware of controversies arising out of the
issue, in which case these can be mentioned in the statement, although this is
not a requirement at this early stage in your wor k.
2
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
G E T T IN G S T AR T E D O N T H E RE S E AR CH
SECTION 2
Getting started on the research
Initial brainstorming
Having decided on your issue, you need to co nsider how you will carry out
your research. Even if your knowledge of your chosen issue is limited, it is a
good idea at this stage to put down on paper some of the questions that you
think you should consider. You might subsequently reject some of the id eas
that you include in this initial brainstorming, and you will certainly add
others of which you are not already aware. Nevertheless, brainstorming helps
to give your work an initial focus.
Mind mapping is one way of brainstorming. This is how an initi al mind map
might look (for a dissertation relating to the black contribution to the
American Civil War – Field of Study 7):
Historiography: recent views of
black/white military historians
Romanticised,
Hollywood view
Impact of the
emancipation
proclamation
How important was the contribution
of black soldiers in the US Civil War?
Racist attitudes towards
blacks in Union army
Contribution to
Union war effort
Treatment of blacks in
the Union army
Treatment of black
soldiers by the
Confederate armies
Factors limiting impact
of black soldiers
Revisit these ideas frequently. Above all, be prepared to amend them in the
future!
Selecting resources
You should also make a list of the sources of information that you intend to
use when researching your dissertation. These should include primary as well
as secondary sources.
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
3
G E T T IN G S T AR T E D O N T H E RE S E AR CH
In most cases your main sources of information will be books and articles
published in historical journals. However, some of the following might also
be of relevance:
site visits
artefacts
maps
newspapers
websites
art galleries
The relevant Advanced Higher annotated bibliography is a good starting
point. This helps identify the key works that you should consult. Some of
these will be in the departmental or school/college lib rary. Others will be less
accessible and you will need to consider how you will be able to consult
them. Forward planning is important; you are unlikely to be able to obtain at
short notice a book that is not in the school/college library. Given sufficien t
notice, however, the school/college librarian might be able to obtain a
specific title for you through inter -library loans, although this can take
several months – so plan ahead!
If you are fortunate enough to have access to a university library, you will be
able to go there to consult many of the books that you need. Most university
library catalogues can now be consulted on-line, so you can find out:
• whether the library has a copy of the book you require
• whether it is available for consultation.
In some cases, the Advanced Higher bibliography will only provide a starting
point. You should also consult the bibliographies provided in recent
textbooks on the period/topic that you are researching.
Footnotes can also provide useful further references. Your choice of issue
could mean that there are relatively few specialist studies directly relevant to
your chosen topic. In other cases, however, you will find that there are
enormous numbers of published works, and you will have to be selective
about what you consult. After all, it is said that there have been well over
50,000 works published on the American Civil War!
As a general rule:
• Use recently published books in preference to older ones, unless you know
that a particular older title is historiographically important, or will provide
information or analysis not available in later works.
4
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
G E T T IN G S T AR T E D O N T H E RE S E AR CH
• Use texts written by academic (i.e. university) historians, rather than
books written by non-specialists. An academic historian is likely to base
what s/he writes on his or her own recent research. Often either the cover,
or the preface, will provide important information about the author of a
book. (Note that many high quality textbooks for school students are
written by non-specialists. You should treat these as a good starting point,
but do not expect such non-specialist books to entirely replace books by
academic historians.)
• Consult primary as well as secondary sources of information. The range
and availability of primary sources will depend on your f ield of study. For
Field of Study 1 (Northern Britain from the Romans to AD1000),
fieldwork observations and the analysis of archaeological evidence are
likely to be relevant.
• Where possible, identify the historian’s viewpoint. Again, the Advanced
Higher annotated bibliography should be helpful here. You should also
consult the Advanced Higher guide to historiography. A Marxist view of
the past will be very different from that of a right -wing historian.
Always discuss your proposed reading with your teacher/lecturer. S/he may
want to suggest additional, or alternative, titles that you should consult. S/he
may also be able to help you with regard to the availability of particular
resources in your area.
Remember that you should make a list of the p rimary and secondary sources
you have consulted, and that you should be able to comment on the relevance
of each to your dissertation topic. Make a note of the title of each book you
have consulted, the name of the author and the date and place of publicat ion.
This will enable you to show you have met Outcome 1 PC(b), ‘information is
sought from a range of primary and secondary sources’.
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
5
6
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
RE AD I N G AN D NO T E M AK IN G
SECTION 3
Reading and note making
This will be a major part of your work for your dissertation. It is also the aspect
of your work that is most personal, in that the notes you make are meant to help
you remember key pieces of relevant information and important analysis. They
are not meant to be a shortened version of a whole book! Notes that are too
brief will not help you when you come to write your dissertation. On the other
hand, notes that are too detailed will not help you recognise the main points in
an author’s argument. Too much detail will also mean that your research
becomes too lengthy and time-consuming a process.
There is no single ‘right’ way of note making. However, the following should
provide useful guidance:
• For any book that you are consulting, always note down the title of the book,
the name of the author and the date and place of publica tion.
• Make a brief note of factual evidence that is relevant to your chosen topic.
• Note down statements of opinion. You should identify opinion by using terms
such as ‘According to Davenport …’ or ‘In Kershaw’s opinion …’.
• Try to read a section of the book through before starting to make notes. A
section might be a whole chapter, or just part of a chapter. Then, if you think
that the information or the argument is relevant to your dissertation, go back
and summarise the main points while they are still fresh in your mind.
• Remember that you do not have to make notes on everything you read! It is
also important that you should learn to rely on your memory and your
growing understanding of a particular issue.
• If you come across a reference to differences between professional historians,
note down the names of those involved in the debate, and a summary of what
each has argued.
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
7
RE AD I N G AN D NO T E M AK IN G
Your teacher/lecturer may ask to see your notes as part of her/his assessment of
Outcome 1 PC(c ) – ‘relevant information is selected from the sources’.
Planning the dissertation
Although the initial ‘brainstorming’ should have given you some ideas about
what you hope to consider in your dissertation, as you read around the topic you
will have a clearer idea of the issues that are involved. You must be willing to
amend your initial plan in the light of your research. You should also be
prepared to discuss your ideas with your teacher who might suggest other
aspects of the topic that could be important. You might reali se that your initial
plan covers too much and decide to focus on those aspects of the issue which
emerge from your reading as being the most significant.
Once you have done sufficient reading to be able to make a confident start on
your dissertation, you should draw up a clear plan, outlining how you intend to
approach your chosen issue.
• You will need to have a clear introduction that sets the issue in its historical
context and identifies the approach that you intend to take.
• It is recommended that you divide your work into chapters, or sections, with
each chapter/section examining one aspect of the topic.
• Obviously you will also need a conclusion that draws together your findings
and provides your researched, analytical answer to the issue y ou have been
considering.
It is suggested that your plan should be about 150–200 words in length. Where
appropriate, it should include references to the views of different historians. It
is also important that you analyse the evidence available to you a nd reach an
informed judgement about the issue.
Planning your dissertation in this way will ensure that you produce a structured,
well argued dissertation. It will also help your teacher to provide you with
advice at this stage since the approach that yo u intend to take should be clearly
identifiable from your plan.
8
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
RE AD I N G AN D NO T E M AK IN G
Example 1
Issue: Why did the Reds win the Civil War? (Field of Study 11: Soviet Russia
1917–1953).
A good plan might include the following:
Introduction: The background to the Civil War in Russia (setting the issue in its
historical context) and the uncertainty about the outcome. The range of possible
reasons why the Bolsheviks finally won; outline of the approach to be taken in
the dissertation, with reference to possible historical d ebate regarding the
significance of particular factors.
Chapter 1: An analysis of the role of Trotsky and of the Red Army.
Chapter 2: An assessment of the contribution War Communism made to the
Bolsheviks’ ultimate victory in the Civil War.
Chapter 3: An assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the Bolsheviks’
opponents: the White armies and the failure of foreign intervention.
Historians’ views should be included in each of these chapters.
Conclusion: An assessment of the relative importance of all of these factors,
providing a clear answer to the question raised in the dissertation title.
Example 2
Issue: Military defeat or a failure of southern nationalism? An examination of
the reasons why the South lost the Civil War. (Field of St udy 7: The House
Divided: The USA 1850–1865)
N.B. this is an example of a promising dissertation title that is not included in
the list of dissertation issues and which would therefore have to be submitted to
SQA before 1 October.
A good plan might include the following:
Introduction: Early Civil War historians considered Northern victory
inevitable; more recently historians have questioned why Lee’s surrender at
Appomattox ended all Southern resistance. Outline of the range of possible
explanations.
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
9
RE AD I N G AN D NO T E M AK IN G
Section 1: Southern nationalism; initial support in the South for secession; the
traditional emphasis on states’ rights and the extent to which this undermined a
sense of Southern nationalism; the contribution of individual Southern
politicians who put state rights ahead of centralised power and the war effort.
Section 2: Military defeat: military turning points in the war; the impact of the
Union campaigns of 1864; the reasons why the South was not able to continue
traditional warfare by 1865.
Section 3: Economic factors: an evaluation of the economic consequences of the
war for the South.
Section 4: Why was the South fighting? The lack of a single, unifying war aim
in the South.
Section 5: The loss of the will to fight; the extent to which los s of will may have
been the critical factor in the failure of the Southern war effort.
Conclusion: The historical debate regarding the reasons for Southern defeat in
the Civil War. Military defeat led to a loss of will to fight; Southern nationalism
was not sufficiently strong to revive flagging support for military resistance.
Your written plan should meet the requirements of Outcome 2 PC(c). In
discussing your approach with your teacher, and by showing awareness of the
main issues involved, you should be able to meet Outcome 2 PC(a) and PC(b).
10
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
SECTION 4
Writing the dissertation
Once you are ready to start writing, you should aim to produce a first draft of
your dissertation, so that your teacher can provide you with feedback about
possible omissions, areas that need greater clarification, etc. You may then
amend your dissertation, in the light of these comments. This will provide you
with a further important opportunity to discuss your chosen issue with your
teacher.
The introduction
The introduction is a very important part of the dissertation. A good introduction
sets the topic in its historical context, identifies some of the significant
historical issues that are involved and clarifies the approach that will be taken.
Two examples of very good introductions are given below.
Example 1: Field of Study 10: South Africa 1910 –1984
Dissertation title: The development of Afrikaner nationalism to 1948:
preservation, adaptation and propagation of the Afrikaner sense of identity.
‘Ask the nation to lose itself in some other existing or as yet
non-existing nation, and it will answer: by God’s honour,
never.’ (D F Malan, 1915)
If the notion of an Afrikaner nation was very tangible to
Afrikaners following the Nationalist victory in the 1948
election, the mere concept of Afrikanerdom, or even of an
Afrikaner, had been uncertain fifty years earlier. It was in this
period that the Afrikaner identity was moulded into its modern
form, a counterforce first against British Imperialism, then
against Marxism. Once in power, the Nationalists remained as
the only real force in South African politics until 1990,
surviving international condemnation and staving off the threat
of black majority rule. The development of Afrikaner
nationalism before 1948 was, therefore, of vital importance.
How did the Afrikaners come to identify themselves as such a
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
11
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
distinct group? The first section of this dissertation will
concentrate on the role of language, religion and history in the
Afrikaner identity and how these came together to form one
coherent ideology. The second section will focus on how this
identity
12
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
was propagated and how it permeated society – the role of
cultural and economic organisations in the creation and
safeguarding of the volk.
Finally, any attempt to measure the success of Afrikaner
nationalism has to take account of its political impact, in the
years preceding the election victory of 1948. (230 words)
Example 2: Field of Study 9: Germany: Versailles to the Outbreak of World
War II)
Dissertation title: A State within a State: who controlled the SS – Hitler or
Himmler?
Created in 1923, the SS (or Schutzstaffel – protection squads )
was only three hundred strong when Himmler was appointed
Reichsführer-SS in 1929, but it grew into a huge organis ation
that encompassed so many roles that it has been described as a
‘State within a State’. The SS would mastermind and
implement the liquidation of the Jews, create a financial
empire, and grow into an armed force that would rival the
Wehrmacht.
Clearly this touches on some historiographical issues: namely
the question of who was responsible for the Holocaust, the
intentionalist–structuralist debate, and the nature of Hitler’s
rule.
The issue of the responsibility for the Holocaust is currently the
most controversial. There is a wide variety of opinions which
could lead to the conclusion that it was solely the SS, headed
by Himmler, that was responsible for the Holocaust, and hence
in this respect the SS was truly a ‘state within a state’, or that
the SS were the professionals employed for the task by a
collectively eager German nation. It seems to me that the role of
Hitler requires examination in conjunction with both opinions.
The issue is closely linked to the debate on the nature of Hitler’s
rule. As Kershaw comments, today ‘historians are in no
fundamental disagreement over the fact that the government of
Nazi Germany was chaotic in structure’. Himmler’s ‘massive
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
13
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
coercion of power’ is evidence of the disorganised nature of the
state, as well as the squabbles between the second tier of ruling
Nazis, who tried to outdo each other in influence and power.
In this dissertation, I intend to examine the three areas in which I
consider the possibility of the SS being a real ‘State within a State’
was the most likely: the final Solution, the financing of the
organisation, and the role of the Waffen -SS. I will also examine who
actually controlled the SS – Hitler or Himmler. (317 words)
(In both examples, footnote references have been omitted.)
14
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
In the two examples given above, a sound introduction ensures that the structure
of the dissertation is clear from the start. It is also evident that the candidate’s
approach will involve argument based on evaluation and analysis of evidence.
Questions have been identified that have to be addressed in the main part of the
dissertation and it is clear that the conclusion will have to attempt to provide
answers to the issues raised.
The main chapters/sections of the dissertation
Whether or not you decide to divide your dissertation into separate chapters, your
plan should ensure that the main body of your dissertation has a clear structure
and that what you write is clearly relevant to your chosen issue. You should avoid
a largely narrative approach (in other words, you should not be ‘telling the
story’). Factual evidence must be used to argue a particular point of view.
In the following brief extract, a candidate is examining the view that the
Provisional Government, established in Russia in February 1917, h ad little
credibility from the start. It provides a very good example of using evidence to
construct a historical argument.
(The extract relates to Field of Study 11: Soviet Russia 1917 –1953)
The abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and his brother’s subsequen t
refusal to accept the throne created a power vacuum in Russia
which the Provisional Government duly announced it would
fill. Those critical of the Provisional Government would
perhaps say that they should have realised that they were
doomed from the outset when a bystander in the crowd
responded to the announcement of the Provisional Government’s
establishment by demanding: ‘And who appointed you?’
The fundamental reason for such a statement is that the
Provisional Government really had no legitimacy to take power.
Their only real electoral mandate was in the Duma, a watered down remnant of the overthrown regime. An indicator of exactly
how unrepresentative the Provisional Government was of the
political affiliations of the Russian people came from the l ocal
elections later in the year. The Kadets, the major influence in the
Provisional Government, performed disastrously. This highlighted
the unlikelihood of the Provisional Government ever truly
representing the interests of the majority of Russians.
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
15
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
The Provisional Government also experienced difficulties in their
relationship with the Petrograd Soviet. This institution, which was
the safeguard of the rights of workers and soldiers of Russia,
entered into a relationship with government
16
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
known as ‘Dual Power’. However, there is little argument among
historians that entering into this relationship and allowing it
the almost total control it gained from Soviet Order No. 1 was
one of the most monumental of the Provisional Government’s
many mistakes. The Petrograd Soviet fooled and betrayed them.
Although its relationship with the Petrograd Soviet exposed it
as weak and ineffective in the eyes of the people, the
Provisional Government’s failure to produce solutions for the
key issues of 1917 and their apparent lack of commitment to
these issues further jeopardised the nation’s confidence. They
staked their entire future on a hope for democracy which would
transcend any other hopes the Russian people might have had.
The conclusion
Every dissertation must have a conclusion in which a considered answer is
provided to the issue/s identified in the introduction. The reader should be left in
no doubt about what you have made of all the evidence you have considered.
Example
Issue: Military defeat or a failure of southern nationalism? An examination of
the reasons why the South lost the Civil War (Field of Study 9: The House
Divided: The USA 1850–1865). Note: the plan of this dissertation was given on
pp 9–10.
Clearly there is no definitive answer to the complex question of
why the South lost the Civil War. Debate still continues and a
number of prominent historians have arrived at different
conclusions. Did the basic loss of will, caused by a lack of
nationalism, bring military defeat to the Confederate s as
Beringer, Hattaway, Jones and Still have argued? Or is James M
McPherson correct in saying that the loss of will to continue was
caused by military events?
It was only in 1864, after Sherman’s march had devastated a large
area of the South, that desertion rates in the Southern armies
soared. Due to military failures, the South was gradually dissected
into pieces, towns were destroyed and thousands lost their lives. The
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
17
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
capturing of the railways, the rivers and the seaports caused the
South’s economy to deteriorate rapidly, whilst also making life
extremely harsh for Southerners. This undoubtedly weakened
Southern morale.
The military failures also caused other problems to surface within
the Confederacy. Throughout the war years, the importance of s tate
rights remained
18
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
high and consequently the South never fully utilised its
resources by working together as a nation. The basic lack of a
sense of true nationalism caused an unwillingness to carry on a
war against other Americans. This constant oppos ition from
other parties and pacifists further weakened the South’s war
effort. In the North, Lincoln faced a similar problem. However,
his military successes weakened his opponents’ cause and
helped to win him the support of the public.
When the war began to go badly in military terms and life
became increasingly difficult, the lack of a real war aim caused
many Southerners to question whether the fighting was worth it.
As Mary Chesnut wrote in 1864: ‘Think of all the young lives
sacrificed. If three for one be killed, what comfort is that?
What good will that do?’
Without a nation to fight for, the Southerners lost the will to
fight on and it was the loss of will that ultimately led to the
collapse of the Confederacy. In the Vietnam War, in the Boer
War and in the War of the Triple Alliance in Paraguay, the
hardships inflicted on the insurgents were far greater, yet their
spirit kept them going. By 1865, the Confederates had had
enough.
‘The officers acted in accord with the feelings of their men, the
many who had already left the war as well as those who had
remained with the colors until the end. And the men reflected
the sentiments of the country.’
This loss of will was sparked off by the series of military defeats
that had led many Southerners to question their cause. As
McPherson concludes, the loss of will theory puts the cart before
the horse. Defeat caused demoralisation and loss of will.
Therefore Lee’s surrender at Appomattox was precipitated by
military failure.
Footnotes
You are expected to make appropriate use of footnotes in your dissertation. As
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
19
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
you read, you will notice that many of the books you consult contain numbered
footnotes that appear either at the bottom of the page, at the end of the chapter
or at the end of the book. Occasionally, these footnotes will contain additional
information or comments that add to the main text. Mostly, though, they will
refer to another source of evidence (primary or secondary) that has been
consulted. You should always provide footnotes for t he following:
• direct quotations
• specific facts/figures that are central to your argument
• analysis that is based on someone else’s argument.
20
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
WR I T IN G T H E D I SS E RT A T IO N
Footnotes should be set out in the following way:
– Surname and first name or initials of author;
Title of book, article, or academic journal;
Place and date of publication;
Page number(s), i.e. p or pp, where the reference is to
several consecutive pages of a book.
1.
First reference
2.
Consecutive references – Ibid., and the page number (ibid. is short for
Latin ibidem, meaning ‘the same source’).
3.
Non-consecutive references to the same book and author – surname, op.
cit., and the page number.
(op. cit. is short for Latin opere citato, meaning ‘in the work cited, or
previously quoted’).
For example, if you want to refer directly to a point made in The Scottish Nation
by Tom Devine you would footnote this in the following way:
First reference to the book: Devine, T M, The Scottish Nation 1700–2000,
London, 1999, p 25
Consecutive reference to the book: Ibid., p 26
Further reference to Devine’s book, after references to other works: Devine, op.
cit. pp 33–4
Important tip!
Since you will need to include footnotes in your dissertation, remember to
include source and page references in the notes you make as you read. This will
save you time in the long run: failure to do this may result in a lot of wasted
time later on, looking up an elusive reference.
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
21
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliography
As part of your internal assessment you should already have collected
full bibliographical details of the resources you have consulted.
Therefore, it should not be difficult to compile a bibliography to be
submitted with your di ssertation. You should provide details of all of
the resources, and collections o f resources, you have consulted. These
should include the author’s name, the title of the wor k, the place and
date of publication. Where individual pri mar y sources of evidence
have been consulted, you should make specific reference to these.
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
23
24
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
S TU D EN T G U ID E TO AS S ES SM E N T
APPENDIX
Student guide to assessment
The AH History course
Advanced Higher History consists of two units of work relating to a chosen
field of study. These units, which are assessed internally (NAB items) and
externally (SQA examination), are:
Historical Study (AH)
Historical Research (AH)
80 hours
40 hours
You will be given a detailed syllabus for the particular field of study that you
have chosen. Your work through the year relates to the Historical Study;
your work for the dissertation that you will resear ch and write constitutes the
Historical Research unit.
The number of hours indicated above is suggested as a guide to the number of
hours of teaching time; in practice, more class time may be spent on the
Historical Study and less on Historical Research. Time spent on homework
and personal study is not included in these totals!
Internal assessment: Historical Study
As there is only one unit covering course content, there is only one NAB item
to be completed under ‘test’ conditions. However, this NAB is divided into
two parts, reflecting the different Outcomes covered. In practice, the two
parts of the NAB may be tackled at different times.
In Part 1 of the NAB, you will have one hour in which to write one essay,
chosen from up to four essay titles. As in Higher History, you will be
expected to write a well informed and well structured essay with a sound
introduction and conclusion. In addition you will be expected to show
awareness of historiography and different historical interpretations. This is a
much more significant aspect of Advanced Higher than it was of Higher
History.
As at Higher, a mark of 13/25 or more will indicate that you have met the
Outcomes and have achieved a pass. If you achieve 15 or above, your answer
could be used as evidence of performance at B or A grade for appeal
purposes.
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
25
S TU D EN T G U ID E TO AS S ES SM E N T
Part 2 of the NAB assesses your ability to evaluate sources. You will be
given 1½ hours to answer three questions, from a choice of four. The
questions will relate to five sources, at least one of wh ich will be a secondary
source. These sources cover the whole period of the field of study. To pass
this part of the internal assessment you will need to meet each of the
performance criteria (PCs) relating to the two relevant Outcomes.
Internal assessment: Historical Research
As you work on your dissertation your progress in different aspects of the
research will be assessed. You will receive further details about this aspect
of internal assessment in due course.
External assessment
The external assessment of AH History is as follows:
The dissertation
One 3-hour examination paper
Total number of marks available
50 marks
90 marks
140 marks
The examination paper is divided into two parts. You are advised to spend
1½ hours on each part.
Part 1 consists of six essay questions. You are required to answer two
questions (25 marks each). You should spend 45 minutes on each essay.
Part 2 consists of three compulsory questions relating to four different
sources. Each question is worth 12 marks, but beca use of the weighting
given to this part of the examination, the total marks given will be scaled up
to a mark out of 40, rather than a mark out of 36. You should spend
approximately 30 minutes on each question.
26
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
S TU D EN T G U ID E TO AS S ES SM E N T
Department of History
Essay section
NAB Part 1
SQA examination paper
Section A
[80-hour unit + 40-hour dissertation]
Pass/Fail, based on Outcomes
50 marks
1 essay
1 hour
(45 minutes each essay)
2 essays
1½ hours
Choice of 4 essay questions
Choice of 6 essay questions
Document section
NAB Part 2
Section B
1½ hours
1½ hours
Pass/Fail based on Outcomes
[can be marked out of 40]
36 marks  40 marks
[weighted 40/140]
3 out of 4 questions must be answered
3 questions
5 sources
4 sources
Questions worth 12, 12, 12 and
16 marks
Each question worth 12 marks
16-mark question involves evaluation
of 3 sources
Must include comparison
(2 sources)
Must meet all the PCs
No need to meet all PCs
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
27
S TU D EN T G U ID E TO AS S ES SM E N T
Advanced Higher History: Field of Study 10
South Africa 1910–1984
Key issues in South African History
Areas of the prescribed syllabus not already covered will be studied through
the identified ‘key issues’, during Term II.
Identified key issues:
• How different were the politics/policies of Smuts and Hertzog?
• How significant was Coloured and Indian opposition to the governments of
South Africa?
• What impact did economic developments have on apartheid and
resistance?
• What effects did the Homelands policy have on the lives of Black South
Africans?
• ‘The apartheid state survived for so long lar gely because the international
community was so reluctant to challenge it.’
28
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
S TU D EN T G U ID E TO AS S ES SM E N T
Governing South Africa: Advanced Higher History: Field of Study 10: South Africa 1910 –84
Theme
Prescribed syllabus covered
Identif ied issue(s)
1. Creating the Union of
South
The 1910 constitutional
settlement.
2. White supremacy and
segregation 1910 –48
Political developments from
1920 to 1 948: differing
approaches of Hertzog and
Smuts and the emer gence of
the United Part y and t he
Nationalists.
3. The growth of Afrikaner
nationalism 1910 –48
The Broederbond and t he
advance of Afrikanerdom
[The emer gence of the
Nationalists]
The Union of South Africa
created to meet Britain’s
economic and i mperial
interests.’
[Discuss/debate]
Was segregation a new
development after 1910?
‘Segregation was introduced
to meet the needs of
capitalism.’
[Debate]
[HISTORIOGRAPHICAL
DEBATE]
‘Afrikaner nationalism was a
carefully for ged movement.’
[Discuss]
[HISTORIOGRAPHICAL
DEBATE]
4. World War II and its
social, economic and
political consequences
for South Africa
5. The 1948 election
[Economic developments;
townships; political
developments to 1948]
Focus f or w ritten w ork/
Assessment
Essay on an aspect of
segregation


Document practice
Essay on an aspect of
Africaner nationalism
Why did the Nationalists win
the election of 1948?
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
29
S TU D EN T G U ID E TO AS S ES SM E N T
Governing South Africa: Advanced Higher History: Field of Study 10: South Africa 1910 –84
Theme
Prescribed syllabus covered
Identif ied issue(s)
6.
The nature of the
apartheid state
The creation of the
apartheid state 1948 –59
The theoretical basis of
apartheid
Apartheid policies and their
effects
8.
Separate development
1959–79
Bantustans and independent
Homelands
9.
The government response
to opposition:
(a) The Treason Trial
(b) The Police State
(c) Total strategy
Responses to oppositi on,
including:
The Treason Trial
The Sharpeville Massacre
The Rivonia Trial
Adaptable policies or a master
plan?
‘Safeguarding white
supremacy.’
Does this adequately describe
the apartheid legislation of
1948–59?
‘The Independent Homelands
provided windows of
opportunity for some black
Africans.’
[Discuss/debate]
‘Total strategy was the
rej ection of apartheid in all
but name.’ Is this a valid
criticism?
7.
30
HI ST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
Focus f or w ritten w ork/
Assessment
• Document practice
• Document practice
S TU D EN T G U ID E TO AS S ES SM E N T
Oppressed people in a wealthy land: Advanced Higher History: Field of Study 10 : South Africa 1910 –84
Theme
1. The economy
(a) Agriculture and the Land
Act of 191 3
(b) The mineral revolution of
the 1880s and its 20 t h
century consequences
(c) The growth of
manufacturing
Prescribed syllabus covered
Economic developments and their
consequences, including the white
labour force and the strikes of
1913 and 1922, mi grant black
wor kers, compounds.
2.
Black urban culture
Townships
3.
The growth of African
opposition
4.
African opposition to
apartheid in the 1950s
5.
New for ms of oppositi on
to apartheid 1959 -69
6.
Soweto (1976) and its
impact on resistance t o
apartheid
Non -white communities and their
politics; the founding of the
African National Congress
Non -white resistance, especially
the ANC, including splits in the
ANC and the for ming of the PAC.
The Sharpeville Massacre; t he
for mation of Umkonto wa Si zwa
and violence; the Ri vonia trial;
the i mprisonment of Nelson
Mandela
Soweto 1975
Identif ied issue(s)
Focus f or w ritten
w ork/ Assessment
Was the 1913 Land Act as
 Essay focusing on an
harsh as its critics claimed?
aspect of economic
[HISTORIOGRAPHICAL
development
DEBATE]
 [Essay on an aspect
‘The growth of mi ning changed
of segregation]
African communities f or ever.’
[Discuss/debate]
[HISTORIOGRAPHICAL
DEBATE]
Did black townships create
their own culture?
• Document practice
[HISTORIOGRAPHICAL
DEBATE]
• Document practice
• Document practice
HIST O RI C AL RE SE AR CH G UIDE ( AH)
31