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Greetings National History Day participants!



Welcome to the Q & A page from the NHD online discussion about the contest rules.  

Feel free to have another look at the NHD Rule Book, also available on the Getting Started  page in the "Contest" section. Please also have a look at the NHD theme page.

This page will remain posted on our web site through the Spring for you to view at your convenience.

Rules Questions and Answers:

We are often asked how much help is considered "reasonable help" when it comes to carrying props or exhibit boards, and set up of projects? We have always told students that they have to put the exhibit board on the table themselves, carrying props for performances into the room themselves, and set-up everything on their own regardless of project size/weight.
I like to have students practice putting up the display. Students should be the lead and then call on a parent for help with one or two items if needed.  The common sense rule is the student is the leader and then asks for help - not have the parent doing things alongside the student.

If we videotape people's responses to an interview question at the mall can we include this footage in our documentary?
Yes, you may use comments from people on the street, but remember, you have a very short time to present historical content on your NHD documentary. Make sure what you film will enhance your historical content and does not waste precious time. Also, you should get written permission from the people you interview.

If I am unsure if an author of a source is real do I need to cite the source that confirms that this person is real and connected to my topic?
Yes, you need to cite all your sources or do not use the source.

Can we use music in our documentary?  What do we need to do to use it?
Yes, you may use music in your Documentary entry.  Be sure to properly cite the sources of your music in your annotated bibliography, and to list the source in your credits which appear at the end of the documentary.

Our group is researching the revolution of women's bras in America...Can we say "bra" in our documentary?  What can we not include in our documentary?
You can say the word bra.  We do not censor content as long as it relates to the topic and enhances your historical argument.

How do we cite photographs in our documentary?
You should consult the style guide you are using, either Turabian or MLA, for instructions on the proper way to cite photographs and images in your annotated bibliography.  As far as crediting the source of the photograph in your Documentary entry, you can list the source in your credits at the end of the Documentary.

My question is about the process papers. The rules state that you need to write the paper within 500 words or less. Do the 500 words apply for the overall paper for all four sections or is this stating that each section could be 500 words or less?
The process paper as a whole must be 500 words or less.

Will words in embedded items be counted towards the 1200 word-count limit in the Web Site category?
Please see the NHD Rule Book page 21, Rule E4: All multimedia must be stored within the site; you may not use embedded material hosted elsewhere (e.g. YouTube, Google Video).

On an exhibit board, can a student quote a secondary source timeline without it counting towards their 500 word limit?
Quotes do not count against your word limit. However, please remember the judges want to see what you think and how you present your case for your historical argument. They are less interested in what other people have said.  You have such a limited number of words and space on an exhibit board you might ask yourself:
  • Do you need the quote from the timeline? (There are no requirements that every project have a timeline.)
  • How does this quoted timeline add to my research?  
  • Could I have said it better in my own words?  
  • Would an image be better?

Do primary source quotes count towards a student's 500 word limit on an exhibit board?
No, quotations from primary sources do not count. The 500 word limit is for student-composed words.


If two students research a topic together but each creates an independent paper and exhibit with a different slant on the topic, can they each enter separately, or should they select one entry and enter as a team? They used the same primary sources but different secondary sources.
Please review page 8 of the NHD Rule Book, specifically Rule 2 and Rule 3.  Since these students conducted research together, they must now create an entry as a team.

In the exhibit rules it says: "Brief citations crediting the sources of illustrations or quotations included on the exhibit do not count toward the 500-word limit."  What does a brief citation consist of? Does every item on the board need a "brief citation?"
A brief citation is not required as long as the featured items (images, graphs, quotes, etc.) are properly cited in the annotated bibliography. However, brief citations are encouraged because they alert the judges immediately to your sources for those items.
A brief citation that does not count toward the student-composed word limit is one that uses minimal words to merely identify as opposed to interpret. Example of a brief citation with identification: 
"These are handwritten notes by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. National Archives and Records Administration."
Example of a citation with interpretation:
"These handwritten notes by Franklin Delano Roosevelt are a window to his thought process as they clearly show that he revised his ideas frequently. National Archives and Records Administration."

Web Site Rule E4 (page 21) states that "each multimedia clip [on the website] may not last more than 45 seconds."  If I want to have music in the background, can I continuously loop a 45-second clip of a song?
Yes, you may loop a 45 second clip of a song. You should be sure to have an easy way for judges or viewers to turn the music off should they choose to do so.