State a Defensible Claim
Answer the question directly while leaving room for qualification, tension, or competing explanations.
Writing & research center
Make the reasoning visible
Strong academic writing shows not only what the writer concludes, but how the question, sources, evidence, and interpretation support that conclusion.
Historical Argument
An argument is a reasoned answer to a significant question, not simply a topic or a report of information.
Featured visual guide
The Burger Metaphor
Build a historical paragraph in layers: claim, evidence, analysis, and a concluding connection.
Organize the Reasoning
Give each section a clear analytical task and make the relationship among claims explicit.
Address Complexity
Consider counterevidence, uneven change, different scales, and the limits of the available record.
Research Questions
A useful question identifies a problem that can be investigated with available evidence.
01
Begin with a problem
What needs explanation? What relationship, change, disagreement, or pattern is not yet clear?
02
Test the scope
Define the period, place, population, sources, or concepts needed to keep the project manageable.
03
Revise through research
Questions change as the evidence reveals what can be answered and which assumptions need reconsideration.
Source Analysis
Sources are evidence only when a writer explains what they show, why they matter, and what they cannot establish.
Origin
Who produced the source, when, where, and under what circumstances?
Purpose
What was the source meant to do, for whom, and through what form or medium?
Context
What surrounding events, institutions, conventions, or debates shaped its meaning?
Value and Limits
What can this source support, and which questions remain beyond its reach?
From Sources to Interpretation
Scholarly conversation
Historiography
Historiography examines how interpretations have changed, why scholars disagree, which evidence they prioritize, and how their questions reflect broader intellectual or social contexts.
Analytical practice
Evidence and Interpretation
Evidence does not interpret itself. Writers must explain the connection between a source and a claim while avoiding conclusions broader than the source can bear.
Writing and Research Resources
The strongest resources will continue moving into this site. These verified legacy pages remain available during the transition.
Writing tips and rubrics Legacy writing resources, including the original Burger Metaphor page. Research guides Legacy research planning and guidance materials. Source evaluation videos A legacy collection focused on evaluating historical sources. Extended Essay resources Legacy Extended Essay guidance and links. Papers and projects Selected work and project materials retained on the legacy site.