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RESEARCH PAPER - GENERAL INFORMATION |
Objectives:
The writing assignments are designed to:
§ acquaint you
with historical scholarship addressing some aspect of U.S. history after 1877;
§ provide an
opportunity for you to acquire in-depth knowledge of a specific historical
topic;
§ provide you
with tools to develop analytical thinking abilities;
§ enhance your
ability to synthesize large amounts of written material, in order to critically
examine a historical topic;
§ develop your
knowledge of library resources (specifically: card catalog, computer search,
reference materials, reference personnel, style manuals);
§ assess your ability
to follow directions and meet deadlines.
WARNING: Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any act of
scholastic dishonesty will result in you receiving the grade of "F"
for the course.
§ READ above section, “ACADEMIC INTEGRITY” for further definitions.
§ Writing
assignments must be written by YOU. Purchasing or otherwise acquiring writing
that is not your own will result in you receiving the grade of "F" in
this course.
§ If you copy
from a book or other publication, use quotation marks to indicate the passage
that you copied and a footnote to cite the source of the text.
§ If you copy
from someone else without acknowledging the source, you are
plagiarizing.
§ If you copy
MOST of the words from a source, but change a few, you are plagiarizing.
§ As with other
types of scholastic dishonesty, plagiarism will result in the student receiving
the grade of "F" for the course
§ If you’re UNSURE whether or not you have plagiarized,
please contact Dr. Thomas for clarification BEFORE you submit your paper!
DUE
DATE
§ The Writing
Assignments (Research Papers and Book Analyses) are due on or before 12 NOON
on Tuesday, May 12th, and
will not be accepted late.
§ At any time
during the semester,
I will be happy to look over your outline, thesis statement, footnotes, or
bibliography and send you comments and corrections.
HOW
TO SUBMIT
§ Submit your
Writing Assignment , as an email attachment in “.doc” or “docx.”
Format (do NOT send “Wordperfect”, rtf, pdf,
gif or any other format).
§ When I received your paper, I’ll send you a reply,
acknowledging that I have received your paper.
§ After I've read
your paper, I WILL email you to let you know if the paper was or was not
accepted.
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RESEARCH
PAPER INSTRUCTIONS |
Do this paper ONLY if:
Ø you hope to earn
an "A" for the course AND you have passed the Map test AND
Ø you
have EXAM Total Points of 105 or more on Exams 2
through 5
DON’T
SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON THE PAPER UNTIL YOU’RE SURE THAT YOU’LL
HAVE THE REQUIRED 106 EXAM POINTS THAT ARE ALSO REQUIRED FOR AN A.
ASSIGNMENT:
Prepare
a 7 to 10 page, type-written research paper on an approved topic, following
the guidelines below.
Ø
See
the special “RESEARCH INFORMATION
AND ASSISTANCE” section on my homepage for additional HELP with this
assignment.
Ø
SAMPLE
PAPER:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/documents/20180216124500_717_11.pdf
DUE DATE:
12 NOON, May 12th.
Ø Email it to me
as an attachment - in .doc or .docx format. Do NOT
send pdf, gif, rtf or other format. Do NOT place in “Google
documents”. Send as an email attachment.
Ø Ø
I
will be happy to look over your outline, thesis statement, bibliography, etc.
and send you comments and corrections at any time during the semester.
TOPIC:
You
MUST get Dr. Thomas' approval on a research topic BEFORE you begin, but NO
LATER THAN May 5th.
Ø Choose a topic that interests
you,
covering some aspect of U.S. history after 1877.
Ø Choose a narrowly-defined,
manageable topic, rather than a very general, broad topic.
Ø For example, you would not
want to define your topic as "World War II"; but you could
define the topic as "The Role of Women on the Home Front in World War
II". (Yes, you can use this topic
if you’d like)
Ø If you are not sure which
topic you'd like to work on, browse through the textbook and see which subject
inspires you. Or maybe choose a topic
related to your college major, or a topic you’d like to learn more about.
Ø When choosing a topic,
keep in mind that your paper must present, argue, and support a “thesis” –
something your paper will PROVE about your topic. So as you choose your topic, think in terms
of what you’d hope to prove about your topic.
Ø Contact Dr. Thomas if you need
help choosing or refining a topic.
FORMAT: Research papers must:
Ø use 12-point “Times New
Roman” font - or something similar
Ø use standard one-inch
margins
Ø be double-spaced. (an exception is quotes
that are three or more lines long. These
must be indented and single-spaced.)
Ø be in “doc” or “docx” format (NOT
pdf, rtf, gif, jpeg or any other format)
Ø use either footnotes (at the
bottom of the page) or endnotes (at the end of the paper). See my website “Research Assistance” section
for links and examples.
Ø Use Chicago Manual of Style format for footnotes and bibliographic
citations. See my website “Research
Assistance” section for links and examples.
If you’re not sure what this means, contact me and I can explain. Or, you can also consult a Librarian.
Research papers must include all of the following:
Ø A COVER PAGE with your name, paper title, and semester.
Ø An OUTLINE PAGE with
your THESIS STATEMENT
§ 1 page or less, with a
thesis statement (saying what your paper will prove about your topic).
§ An outline showing
how you plan to develop your topic is required and should be placed at the
beginning of your paper.
§ The outline shows, in
abbreviated form, how your paper will be organized.
§ It should be no more than a
page in length. SAMPLE OUTLINE.
Ø 7 to 10 PAGES OF TEXT (typed, double-spaced).
§ Do not submit less than 7
full pages.
§ You must have at least 7 full
pages of TEXT. SAMPLE
PAPER with endnotes.
§ Footnotes or endnotes DO count as
part of your 7 pages.
§ Your Bibliography page does
NOT count as part of the 7 pages.
§ Your Outline page does NOT
count as part of the 7 pages.
§ Any quotes
in your paper that are over 3 lines must be INDENTED AND SINGLE-SPACED.
Ø FOOTNOTES or ENDNOTES ("parenthetical"
citations are not allowed).
§
The
paper must include at least three PRIMARY and four SECONDARY sources (see
explanation below).
§
For your “Secondary Sources” you must
use at least two scholarly books
about your subject (see
“Secondary Sources” below).
§ You MUST cite the source
for any material that is not your own.
§ This is done using a footnote
("endnotes" are also acceptable).
§ Use the footnote form in
the Chicago Manual of Style. See the section on my website “Research
Assistance” for a LINK to the Chicago
Manual of Style and examples.
§ Do not use
parenthetical citations
(that is, do not use an author's name and a page number in parentheses at the end
of a sentence).
§ Ask Dr. Thomas or a
reference librarian for assistance.
§ Do not use encyclopedias.
§ Do not use
online encyclopedias, such as about.com. history.com, or Wikipedia
§
See
below for more suggestions on sources
§ SAMPLE FOOTNOTES
format.
If you have a question or
concern about a source, contact Dr. Thomas.
NOTE: If you use Microsoft Word to write your
paper, there is a FOOTNOTE function that will allow you to insert a footnote
and will automatically keep track of the numbering of footnotes. In later editions of Word, use the
“REFERENCES” Menu and select “INSERT FOOTNOTE”.
I am happy to show you how this works - you can also get help with this at any ACC Library or
Learning Lab. It will make your life a lot easier!
Ø A BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE with Primary and Secondary sources listed separately.
§
A Bibliography is different
from Endnotes or Footnotes.
§
A Bibliography goes at the very
end of your paper, on a separate page - AFTER the Endnotes. It lists ALL the
sources that you’ve used in writing your paper.
§
Follow the bibliographic form
found in either the Chicago Manual of
Style or Kate Turabian's A Guide for Writers of Term
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
§
A bibliography is
alphabetized by author’s last name.
§
For THIS paper, you must separate the bibliography into
Primary and Secondary sources.
But for most research papers, you do not do that.
§
Ask Dr. Thomas or a reference
librarian if you need assistance.
§ SAMPLE BIBLIOGRAPHY
(scroll down ½ page).
Ø Writing assignments must be typed
and double-spaced.
§
ACC Learning Resource Centers (libraries) have computers available to students.
THESIS:
Your
paper must argue a thesis -that is, something you are trying to prove about
your topic.
Ø It is not enough to say what
happened and when - you must argue the historical significance of your topic.
Ø For example, if you are writing about Women on the
Home front during the Revolutionary War, you could argue that women played
roles critical to success, such as growing crops, running businesses, etc.
Ø Your paper would then discuss
and support this argument by giving evidence (examples) from historical
sources. State your thesis on the OUTLINE page.
Ø Example of a thesis statement:
§ "This paper will prove that
women on the home front played a critical support role during the Revolutionary
War, by [doing what?]."
SOURCES:
§
The
paper must include at least three PRIMARY and four SECONDARY sources.
§
For
your “Secondary Sources” you must use at least TWO scholarly books about your subject.
§
A
“scholarly book” is a book that uses historical evidence to support a
thesis. It usually will have
footnotes and a bibliography. The publisher usually will be a University
Press (example: “Oxford University Press”).
If you have a question or
concern about a source, contact Dr. Thomas.
Ø PRIMARY SOURCES
A primary
source is something written (or left) by someone who lived at that time
in history and took part in the events that you are writing about.
§ Examples of primary sources are:
diaries, letters, legislation, tax records; property deeds; business ledgers;
newspapers, government documents, autobiographies.
The following are good starting points for primary
sources:
§
Links to Primary Sources for U.S.
History
§
The
ACC History Department website (www.austincc.edu/history)
§
My
website has a lot of links to documents (www.austincc.edu/tmthomas)
§
History
museum websites often have documents
(for example, a museum dedicated to World War I) or LINKS to documents
§
Public
television website (pbs.org)
§
The
Library of Congress website (loc.gov)
One way to easily search for primary source
documents is to use Google and search for
“primary sources [your topic]”
Or
“documents [your topic]”
Or
“documents [your topic]”
So, if your topic is Alexander Hamilton,
then your Google search would look like:
“primary sources Alexander Hamilton”
Or
“documents Alexander Hamilton”
Or
“archives Alexander Hamilton”
You should
get plenty of results using this method.
Ø SECONDARY SOURCES
Secondary sources are
accounts of the event that take place sometime after the event has been
completed.
§
These
are books or articles, written by scholars, to analyze the importance of some
historical event.
§
For
your “Secondary Sources” you must use at least TWO scholarly books about your subject.
§
A
“scholarly book” is a book that uses historical evidence to support a
thesis. It usually will have
footnotes and a bibliography. The publisher usually will be a University
Press (example: “Oxford University Press”).
§
One
good search engine for online books is Google Books, https://books.google.com/
If you use Google Books, do a search on
“scholarly books about [your topic]”
Scholarly books are also available in area college and university libraries (see Library links
below)
§ Do not use encyclopedias.
§ Do not use online encyclopedias, such as about.com.
history.com, history.org or Wikipedia
§ Stay
away from .com sources – these are usually not scholarly sources
(contact me if any questions)
§
Look
for websites that end in .org. or .gov
§
College
and university libraries will have the scholarly books that are required. See Library links below.
§
History
museum websites can be useful, as are government websites, such as the
Library of Congress (www.loc.gov).
§
Another
good source is Public Broadcasting System’s website (www.pbs.org)
GRADING:
Your
research paper will be graded "ACCEPTED" or "NOT ACCEPTED".
Only "ACCEPTED" papers will be counted towards the grade of
"A". You will be graded on:
Ø the thoroughness with which
you cover your chosen topic;
Ø
your ability to present your
topic and supporting evidence logically and clearly;
Ø your ability to organize
and communicate your arguments clearly;
Ø the scholarly
quality of your supporting evidence;
Ø written expression that is mostly
in your words – that is, don’t
“string together” a bunch of quotes from various sources and then add a few
sentences of your own. The paper must be
mostly YOUR words, with some quotes.
Ø written expression that is
clear and comprehensible;
Ø written expression that employs
proper English language grammar, spelling, and capitalization.
Ø your ability to follow
directions
You
may submit a draft of your thesis statement, outline, or bibliography anytime
and I’ll send it back with comments and suggestions. See the section of my website Homepage,
entitled “Research Information and Assistance” for samples of outline,
footnotes, and sample paper. I also have
sample papers in my office at SAC that you’re welcome to review.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESEARCH
PAPER:
Ø Email it to me as an
attachment - in .doc or .docx format. Do NOT
send pdf, gif, rtf or other format. Do NOT send zip files.
Ø Before you submit your
research paper, review the requirements (above) and make sure you have
everything that is required.
Ø be sure to proofread for
typos, misspellings, grammatical errors, etc., as these will seriously detract
from the quality of your paper.
Ø YOU WILL NOT HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO “REVISE” THE PAPER.
Contact Dr.
Thomas if you’d like to see SAMPLES of “accepted” Research Papers that students
have written in the past.
SUGGESTIONS:
For
your research, you should use college or university libraries, as
opposed to public libraries.
§ Ø The college/university
libraries will have a greater selection of scholarly, research-oriented sources
on a particular topic.
§ Perhaps the best way to
start is to develop an outline for your paper – so that you can focus your
research.
§ Your outline should be a
logical progression of ideas that offers arguments to support your
topic.
§ Next, compile a
bibliography of possible sources, then consult your
sources to see if they are suitable for your paper.
§ To help avoid
plagiarism: read over your source, then
close the book (or close the browser if it’s online). THEN write notes about what you’ve read. This will help to ensure that you’re not
copying or completely paraphrasing your source.
Paraphrasing is ok to do but on a VERY limited basis. You cannot paraphrase entire paragraphs or
sections of your paper – because then it wouldn’t be YOUR work - it would be
considered “plagiarism”.
Ø After you have written your
paper, be sure to proofread for typos, misspellings, grammatical errors, etc.,
as these will seriously detract from the quality of your paper.
HOW TO GET
BORROWING PRIVILEGES AT UT or TEXAS STATE:
Ø go to any ACC librarian and
ask for a “Tex Share” card.
Ø then, fill it out and
bring it (along with your ACC ID) to the college/university library of your
choice
Ø show them the Tex Share card and they’ll give you a one-semester card for
their library
Ø the borrowing privileges
will probably be good for one semester only, and the library might charge you a
nominal fee
HELPFUL LINKS
Ø University of Texas Libraries (including
on-line catalogs)
Ø Texas State University Library
Ø Help with Choosing a
Topic & All Other Aspects of Writing a Research Paper
Ø My homepage with special
section on RESEARCH INFORMATION AND
ASSISTANCE.