Research Paper Project Topic, Thesis Statement, First Paragraph, Bibliography, and Information Form
Due Sunday by 11:59pm Points 100 Submitting a file upload Attempts 0 Allowed Attempts 2 Available Oct 12 at 12am – Oct 24 at 11:59pm 13 days
Research Paper Project Topic, Thesis Statement, First Paragraph, Bibliography, and Information Form is due by Sunday, Sept 5th by 11:59 PM.
Format: Microsoft Word Document file upload (minimum of three pages).
Page One: Research Paper Project Information Form (copy and paste the following questions into your document and then answer the questions in complete sentences with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation).
1. What is the general topic area of your research paper project?
2. What is the focused topic area of your research paper project?
3. What problem will your paper solve and/or what question or questions will your paper answer?
4. What is your thesis statement? What is the central argument that you seek to prove via scholarly sources?
Page Two: First Paragraph of your research paper. Introduce your general and focused topic areas, present the problem and/or question, and state your thesis statement.
Page Three: Bibliography (eight scholarly sources properly cited in MLA format). For help on how to cite sources in MLA format check out Purdue Owl online for examples.
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Research Paper – Topic, Requirements, and Guidelines-2
RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC
The primary topic must be associated with material found in the textbook. Topics to research can include virtually anything taken from your text that appeals to you. You MUST document your sources as you would any research paper. There are numerous opportunities to choose a topic that will hold your interest as you write your paper.
You must get your topic approved first to make sure it is acceptable. Please choose a topic of interest to you since you will have to spend a considerable amount of time doing the paper. Please remember the topic must be about music in America. Papers about Beethoven, Mozart, etc. will not be accepted. Remember, this is a research paper, and you will need plenty of material available to you to be successful.
Note: Late work will not be accepted for this course. Failure to submit the Research Paper on time will result in a grade of zero (0).
RESEARCH PAPER REQUIREMENTS
The Research Paper is worth 200 points and 20% of the final course grade. Research topics and thesis statements are subject to the instructor’s approval and may include virtually any topic, sub-topic, genre, movement, or artist from the textbook. Students should select a topic of interest due to the considerable amount of time and effort involved with the Research Paper Project. Read all research paper-related information in Canvas.
1) Excluding the Bibliography, the research paper must include a minimum of 2000 words. For example, grading for a 1000-word paper will begin at 50%.
2) The research paper must be submitted in Microsoft Word Document format. (For example, no other formats will be accepted, such as Google Docs, PDF, or other formats.)
3) The research paper must consist of complete sentences in paragraphs organized by topic sentences with correct grammar and punctuation.
4) The research paper must be typewritten with double-spacing, twelve-point font, and one-inch margins on all sides, and utilize MLA (Modern Language Association) formatting style.
5) All sourced information must include citations. All in-text citations must include the author’s last name and the page number where the information was found. Example: (Herrmann, 101).
6) The research paper must be written in third-person, not first-person or second-person. The following words generally should not appear in your research paper: “I,” “me,” “my,” “mine,” “you,” “your,” “yours,” “we,” “us,” “ours.” Because the research paper project is not an essay of personal expression, it may not rely upon personal experience.
7) The research paper must include a Bibliography with Works Cited. The Works Cited section will list cited sources used to complete your paper. All sourced information must be cited.
8) The research paper must utilize a minimum of eight scholarly sources, none of which may be Internet websites. All sources, whether accessed via hard-copy or electronic-copy, must have originated as published sources, including books, professional journal articles, peer-reviewed articles, master’s theses, doctoral dissertations, major newspaper articles (such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribue, or Los Angeles Times), and/or other scholarly sources subject to the instructor’s approval. Sources accessed electronically must include the standard MLA citation as well as the web address where the information was accessed. All eight scholarly sources must be used and cited in the research paper.
9) Your research paper must be written in your own words. Do not plagiarize. Do not copy another author’s work. Properly cite other authors’ ideas and information when you include their information in your research paper. Quotations are acceptable, though use them sparingly and cite them properly. ANY ACT OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY OR PLAGIARISM WILL RESULT IN AN “F” FOR THE COURSE AND REFERRAL TO THE COLLEGE DEAN FOR POSSIBLE DISCIPLINARY ACTION.
10) Prior to submitting the Research Paper, consult an online grammar checker, and visit a tutor at ACE and/or Tutor.Com concerning your professional writing style, content, organization, citations, and grammar/punctuation. Submit all components of your Research Paper by their respective due dates in order to receive credit.
TOPICS TO AVOID
Rap music is not permitted as a topic due to a lack of scholarly sources on the subject. Music Therapy and/or the benefit of music to the human, animal, or plant body is not permitted because this is not course-related material. Any topic along the lines of The History of … , The Development of …, or The Evolution of … is not permitted because of the lack of focus and the lack of a viable, discernible thesis statement.
Research paper topics must
1) deal with actual course-related material with a focus on the actual music;
2) include a focused, narrow area of study rather than a broad area of study; and
3) include a discernible and viable thesis statement that is not already common knowledge, obvious, or already proven as established fact or disproven as established fact.
