How to Write Your Entries

---

When you submit your episodes to your TA for approval, first as rough drafts and then again as graded final drafts, they must conform to the standard format shown below, and should be written according to the style guide found here. These are the fields that will be required for entering each of your events into the Database, so you should make sure that you have the following when you write your episodes:

Click here for an example of what a COMPLETED episode should look like.

• Episode Title: This is a short but descriptive title for your episode, less than a sentence.
• Episode Narrative: This is your episode narrative, which is the most important part of your entry. It should be two to three paragraphs long, telling a story and its significance.
• Start and End Dates: The Database will need to know when the episode began and, if applicable, when it ended. For one-day events, no end date is necessary. For others, however, the episode will have occurred over the course of several days, weeks, or even months. Nat Turner's Rebellion, for example, occurred over several days.
• Episode Location: For the maps to be effective, the Southern History Database will need to know where the event occurred. We will be organizing these by the state and county where the event occurred. For each episode, try to determine what state and county they occurred in. Without a location, you will not be able to enter the episode into the Database. As part of your research, you should become as familiar as possible with your assigned counties. If you have trouble finding the name of the county where an episode occurred, you may use the U. S. Geological Survey website to help you find the correct county. Just enter the locational information you do have into the form on the webpage, and it will help you find the correct county name. Please note, however, that website is aligned with today's county boundaries, and thus may give incorrect information if those boundaries were different when your episode occurred.
• Episode Keywords: These are terms that describe aspects of your event. They will allow your class to quickly search the Database for every event involving "slavery," "agriculture," or one of the other keywords. We have complied a list of sixteen keywords that everyone will use. Many, if not most, episodes will encompass more than one keyword. A very small number may not have any.
• Episode Scope: Was the episode of local, state, regional (the South), national, or international significance? Some events, like Nat Turner's revolt in 1831, were many of those all at once. Many episodes will be of only local significance, even if they shed light on national or international trends.
• Episode Citation: The Database will need to know where you got the information for this episode. This way, others who are interested in the event will be able to find the original source of your information. Please consult the guide to how to cite sources for SHD entries.