What is the title?
What does it tell you about
what the essay is about?
What do you already know about the subject?
What do you expect the essay to say about it--especially
given when it was written and who the author was (see
next questions)?
When was the essay
written?
Do you know anything about the
state of the historical literature on the subject at
that time?
If so, what do you expect the essay to say?
Who wrote it?
What do you
expect him or her to say here?
What are the author's
credentials, or affiliations?
What are his/her prejudices?
Are you familiar with the authors' other work related to
the subject?
Read the essay,
marking the information that is crucial to you.
When the text gives you crucial information, mark and note
it:
What exactly is the subject?
How does it correspond to the title?
What are the main points--the theses?
What is the evidence that the author gives to sustain
the thesis or theses?
What is the factual
information that you want to retain?
Is there a good description of
something you knew, or did not know, that you want to
remember its location? If so, mark it. If for
research, make out a research note on it.
Does the author cite some
important source that you want to retain for future
reference?
If so, mark it. If for research, make out a
bibliographic note either now or on reviewing the
article for such citations.
Once you have
finished the article, reflect on:
What have your learned?
How does it relate to what you already know?
Did you find the argument convincing on its own terms?
Given what you know about the subject, do you think the
main point(s) might be correct even if the argument was
not convincing?
Can you think of information that makes you doubt the
main point(s), even if the essay argued it well?
How does the essay relate to other things you have
read--that is, how does it fit in the historical
literature?
Make
out a summary sheet on the essay
