A history paper or thesis generally consists of a catchy title, an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Your title is important, but it is normally the finishing touch which you complete only after you have written and rewritten your text. Writing an introduction can be helpful to provide yourself with an overview of what you are going to research, but you will definitely need to rewrite the introduction after you have done your research and written the body. The body is the core of your paper. This is where you answer your main research question and subquestions. The conclusion is a summary of the findings you described in the body; it reiterates your introduction. By adhering to this tripartite structure you ensure that your research paper or thesis is clearly structured, includes all the necessary elements and meets the criteria for sound research.