How to Write Your Paper In the first paragraph, write your historical question and your hypothesis for answering it. Say no more in this paragraph. In subsequent paragraphs, defend your hypothesis. Analysis is key here: don't just list the facts, explain their relevance to the topic at hand. Quotes should be used sparingly to support your evidence. The judges want to see what you have to say, not what someone else had to say about it - unless you're putting it in context of your own argument. In the final paragraph, simply restate your hypothesis. Don't forget your citations! Citations must be done in MLA or Turabian format, and any work that is not properly cited can be seen as plagiarism, which is grounds for competition disqualification.
