David M. Lauderback, Ph.D.
Professor of History

Research Project Outline Guidelines
US History II

http://www.austincc.edu/dlauderb
 

The Research Project is required for those students who desire a grade of B or better.  If you do NOT complete the Research Project the highest grade that you can receive is a C.  Additionally, completion of the Research Project does NOT automatically guarantee a grade of B or better.  The final effort will receive a point value that will be factored into the final course grade. The Research Project is comprised of a: Respondent Choice, Topic Page (10 pts), Annotated Bibliography (15 pts), Outline (25 pts), and Final Draft (50 pts). Combined, the Research Project will equal the value of one exam grade (100 pts).

The purpose of the Outline is to give students an opportunity to organize their research in a useful manner and to provide the blueprint for the Final Draft.  The Outline must conform to the Format and Documentation Requirements specified below.  Students must submit an Outline by the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

The Research Project has several components.   Please see the Course Schedule for the dates by which you must submit your:  Respondent, Recorded Interview, Topic Page, Annotated Bibliography, Outline, and Final Draft.

NOTE:  You must complete all parts of the Research Project by the deadlines listed in the Course Schedule for the assignment to factor in to your final average and your final grade. You may not earn "partial credit." The points on the outlines and final drafts are not extra credit.

Instead, like the quizzes and exams, the points on the completed Research Project is calculated in the total course average. 

See the Course Schedule for the quiz, exam, and Research Project deadlines.

Submitting an Outline (25 pts)

Students are expected to accomplish five (5) tasks in the Final Draft:

To assist  in developing the Final Draft, students will be required to complete an Outline of their proposed Research Project.  A typical Research Project would be organized as follows.

Title: Subtitle
By [Your Name]

I. Introduction
Purpose:  Here students will rely on the Oral History to frame the research paper.  Students will draw on the words of the Respondent to illustrate the important themes that they will explore in the research paper.  Students will conclude the introduction with a dynamic thesis that explains the argument of the paper.

Directions:  Use your Topic Page to frame the introduction.  Clean up and revise your Topic Page as necessary in light of what you have learned conducting primary research.  Be sure that you make three main points in your introduction that you will explore in later evidence paragraphs.  Conclude your paragraph with a dynamic thesis statement where you tell the reader what you think and why.

II. Analysis
A. Historical Context
Purpose:  Here students will use the secondary sources from the Annotated Bibliography to place the research in historical context.  Students will focus on the themes stated in the introduction and show how the secondary sources treat the same themes.  The purpose of this paragraph is to give the reader a sense of what was happening and what other historians have said about the topic.

Directions:  Focus on your Topic and explain how the sources from Annotated Bibliography treat the same themes.  You should be able to prune your discussion of the secondary sources in the Annotated Bibliography to write the historical context.

[Outline format]

1. Topic sentence

[Explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.' Begin your paragraph with a dynamic topic sentence that tells the reader who did what in the paragraph and why it matters. When you tell your reader what you are going to talk about, you describe. When you explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why' it matters, now you analyze. So be sure to start your paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies the key historical actor or actors, explains what they did, and why.  So be sure to tell the reader: 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']

2. Sentence with quote from secondary source with end note.
3. Sentence with quote from secondary source with end note.
4. Sentence with quote from secondary source with end note.
5. Sentence with quote from secondary source with end note.
6. Sentence with quote from secondary source with end note.
7. Concluding thought
[Remember, explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']
Use at least five (5) quotes from at least four (4) different secondary sources in points 2-6 above.  You may include more quotes and add the number of points you intend to make in your Final Draft.  See the Documentation requirements below for the proper format for citing your sources. 
B. Evidence -- Theme
Purpose: In this paragraph, students will draw on primary sources to examine one of the main themes discussed in the introduction concerning immigrant experiences in the United States.

Directions:  Collect selected quotes from the primary sources that illustrate the key points about the topic made in the introduction and which support the thesis statement.  Organize your evidence as follows:

[Outline format]

1. Topic sentence

[Explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.' Begin your paragraph with a dynamic topic sentence that tells the reader who did what in the paragraph and why it matters. When you tell your reader what you are going to talk about, you describe. When you explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why' it matters, now you analyze. So be sure to start your paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies the key historical actor or actors, explains what they did, and why.  So be sure to tell the reader: 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']

2. Quote from primary source with end note.
3. Quote from primary source with end note.
4. Quote from primary source with end note.
5. Quote from primary source with end note.
6. Quote from primary source with end note.
7. Concluding thought
[Remember, explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']
Use at least five (5) quotes from at least four (4) different primary sources in points 2-6 above.  You may include more quotes and add the number of points you intend to make in your Final Draft.  See the Documentation requirements below for the proper format for citing your sources.
C. Evidence -- Theme
    Purpose: In this paragraph, students will draw on primary sources to examine one of the main themes discussed in the introduction concerning immigrant experiences in the United States.

Directions:  Collect selected quotes from the primary sources that illustrate the key points about the topic made in the introduction and which support the thesis statement.  Organize your evidence as follows:

[Outline format]

1. Topic sentence

[Explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.' Begin your paragraph with a dynamic topic sentence that tells the reader who did what in the paragraph and why it matters. When you tell your reader what you are going to talk about, you describe. When you explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why' it matters, now you analyze. So be sure to start your paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies the key historical actor or actors, explains what they did, and why.  So be sure to tell the reader: 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']

2. Quote from primary source with end note.
3. Quote from primary source with end note.
4. Quote from primary source with end note.
5. Quote from primary source with end note.
6. Quote from primary source with end note.
7. Concluding though

[Remember, explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']

Use at least five (5) quotes from at least four (4) different primary sources in points 2-6 above.  You may include more quotes and add the number of points you intend to make in your Final Draft.  See the Documentation requirements below for the proper format for citing your sources.

D. Evidence -- Legacy

Purpose: In this paragraph students will examine the long term impact of their immigrant group in the US and how their lives have changed over time, if at all.

Directions:  Collect selected quotes from the primary sources that illustrate the key points about the topic made in the introduction and which support the thesis statement.  Organize your evidence as follows:

[Outline format]

1. Topic sentence

[Explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.' Begin your paragraph with a dynamic topic sentence that tells the reader who did what in the paragraph and why it matters. When you tell your reader what you are going to talk about, you describe. When you explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why' it matters, now you analyze. So be sure to start your paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies the key historical actor or actors, explains what they did, and why.  So be sure to tell the reader: 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']

2. Quote from primary source with end note.
3. Quote from primary source with end note.
4. Quote from primary source with end note.
5. Quote from primary source with end note.
6. Quote from primary source with end note.
7. Concluding thought
[Remember, explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']
Use at least five (5) quotes from at least four (4) different primary sources in each point 2-6 above.  You may include more quotes and add the number of points you intend to make in your Final Draft.  See the Documentation requirements below for the proper format for citing your sources.
E. Reaction
This is most important paragraph in the Final Draft.  What did you learn? What does your reader need to know? Here, you will evaluate your research and your evidence and compare that to the analysis provided by the secondary sources.  Does your research support, contradict, and/or modify the existing literature?  Your research might do some of all three.  Show how and why with specific examples from the secondary and primary sources. Tell what you learned.

[Outline format]

1. Topic sentence

[Explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.' Begin your paragraph with a dynamic topic sentence that tells the reader who did what in the paragraph and why it matters. When you tell your reader what you are going to talk about, you describe. When you explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why' it matters, now you analyze. So be sure to start your paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies the key historical actor or actors, explains what they did, and why.  So be sure to tell the reader: 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']

2. Quote from primary or secondary source with end note.
3. Quote from primary or secondary source with end note.
4. Quote from primary or secondary source with end note.
5. Quote from primary or secondary source with end note.
6. Quote from primary or secondary source with end note.
7. Concluding thought
[Remember, explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']
Use at least five (5) quotes from at least two (2) different primary sources and two (2) different secondary sources in points 2-6 above.  You may include more quotes and add the number of points you intend to make in your Final Draft.  See the Documentation requirements below for the proper format for citing your sources.
III. Summary
In this paragraph you must summarize your paper.  Briefly restate your purpose, summarize your main points, and offer some final thoughts.

[Outline format]

1. Topic sentence

[Explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.' Begin your paragraph with a dynamic topic sentence that tells the reader who did what in the paragraph and why it matters. When you tell your reader what you are going to talk about, you describe. When you explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why' it matters, now you analyze. So be sure to start your paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies the key historical actor or actors, explains what they did, and why.  So be sure to tell the reader: 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']

2. Restate topic sentence to II. A.
3. Restate topic sentence to II. B.
4. Restate topic sentence to II. C.
5. Restate topic sentence to II. D.
6. Restate topic sentence to II. E.
7. Concluding thought
[Remember, explain 'who' did 'what' and 'why.']

Format Requirements

ALL ASSIGNMENTS -- TOPIC PAGE, ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, OUTLINE, AND FINAL DRAFT -- MUST CONFORM TO THE FORMAT SPECIFICATIONS BELOW. 

If you do not follow the format requirements for the completed Topic Page, Annotated Bibliography, Outline, and Final Draft listed below, then you will lose Points:

Please:

DO NOT BOLDFACE; or
DO NOT ITALICIZE; or
DO    NOT         JUSTIFY

your text.

The above particulars are designed to ensure that all students complete works of similar length.

Please:

Do NOT use folders or other such binders; and
You do NOT need a cover sheet.

Documentation

ALL ASSIGNMENTS -- TOPIC PAGE, ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, OUTLINE, AND FINAL DRAFT -- MUST CONFORM TO THE DOCUMENTATION SPECIFICATIONS BELOW.  ANY TOPIC PAGE, ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, OUTLINE, OR FINAL DRAFT THAT DOES NOT CONFORM TO THE DOCUMENTATION SPECIFICATIONS BELOW WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

The documentation requirements for the completed Topic Page, Annotated Bibliography, Outline, and Final Draft are:

Please use endnotes and a bibliography to refer to the source from which you extracted information. To ensure that you give credit where credit is due, use Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013). Please use the ACC Library link to Turabian.  Save yourself considerable time confusion and do NOT use any other Turabian web page. Seriously. Most are incorrect. For the correct style, you can also see John Grossman, ed., The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010). Both guides can be found at the ACC Library.

.......................................................................................................

If you have a recording of the interview, then be sure to include the timestamp, the time on the recording where the quote begins and ends.

Note Entry: [with timestamp]

First name Last name, Tape recording, Date, Location, 01:34-01:45.

When you have the interview in consecutive notes with a different timestamp, then do: 

Ibid., 00:15-00:23.

If you did the interview via email or text or chat or through the mail, then you will not have a time stamp.

Note Entry: [no timestamp]

First name Last name, Tape recording, Date, Location.

When you have the interview with no timestamp in consecutive notes, then do:

Ibid.

Biblio entry:

Last name, First name. Tape recording. Date. Location.

A few things.

First, if you recorded the interview with a phone, or Skype, or chat, or fb, then change Tape recording to:

Phone recording

Skype recording

personal fb conversation

And so on.

Next, punctuate the interview in the notes and the biblio. like any other note or biblio. citation, i.e., commas to separate elements in the notes; periods to separate elements in the bibliography.

Finally, use a first-line indent in the notes and a hanging indent in the bibliography.

.......................................................................................................

Please do NOT use reference style where you put the author's name and page number at the end of the sentence. (Lauderback 2013, 1) Instead, be sure to insert an endnote in your text to tell your reader you have details that come from a source that is not you. Go to Microsoft Word Help and enter 'endnote' for how to insert notes. See the ACC Library link to Turabian for:

The ACC Librarians have put together a remarkable page with all kinds of details and examples for you to follow. And, a link for asking questions! Check out Turabian. Please use the appropriate formatting -- including margins, font size and type, and spacing (see above).

Include a Bibliography on a separate page (with no page number), at the end of your Topic Page,Outline and Final Draft.  Here you provide a complete citation for each work cited. A bibliography is NOT the same as a Works Cited. And, a bibliography is NOT the same as the endnotes. And while a bibliography includes most of the same information as the notes, there are important differences, e.g., the order of the author's names, the use of commas, periods, parentheses, and page numbers. Please use the appropriate formatting -- including margins, font size and type, and spacing (see above). 

And, please, do NOT ask if you can use MLA.  Use Turabian. Thank you!

Grading Policy

The Outline will receive a maximum 25 points. Recognize that an Outline rife with misspellings and grammatical errors will NOT be considered acceptable. Any Outline that does NOT conform to the Format and Documentation specifications above will NOT be accepted. If you submit your Outline before the deadline date in the Course Schedule and it is graded "NOT ACCEPTED" you may revise it and resubmit it prior to the deadline date. Any Outline that is NOT submitted by the deadline listed in the Course Schedule will NOT be accepted.

Deadlines

STUDENTS WHO DO NOT SUBMIT AN OUTLINE BY THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO SUBMIT A FINAL DRAFT.

REMEMBER:  THE OUTLINE IS DUE NO LATER THAN 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE.

and

YOU MAY SUBMIT ANY OR ALL OF THE PARTS OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT ELECTRONICALLY VIA EMAIL AS A WORD DOCX OR PDF FILE.

but

ALL ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS MUST MEET THE FORMAT REQUIREMENTS ABOVE SANS STAPLE.

and

IF THE ATTACHED FILE CANNOT BE VIEWED BY THE INSTRUCTOR THEN THE ASSIGNMENT WILL BE MARKED “NOT ACCEPTED.”

The Research Project has several components.   Please see the Course Schedule for the dates by which you must submit your:  Respondent, Recorded Interview, Topic Page, Annotated Bibliography, Outline, and Final Draft.

© David Marcus Lauderback, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED