Remember that your task here is to write an analytical paper: this means that you need to assemble information from reliable and original (peer-reviewed) sources, which will help you come up with your own interesting, inclusive conclusions.
Remember to focus on conceptual analysis rather than simple descriiption. Avoid arguing one exclusive point of view and try to form more comprehensive arguments about your topic of choice.
https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html
Final Research Papers (8-10) should include a minimum of 5 peer-reviewed publications/ 2 primary sources (double spaced/ Chicago style for review articles).
Use of Footnotes
Footnotes are notes placed at the bottom of a page. They cite references or comment on a designated part of the text above it. Footnotes are not just for interesting comments. They refer to relevant sources — they let your reader know where certain material came from, or where they can look for other sources on the subject. Cite your sources clearly according to a specific citation style (preferably according to the Chicago Manual of Style, see http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html)
Originality and Plagiarism
When preparing an undergraduate paper your instructors do not expect you to master a specific topic. But they expect you to use your judgement and critical thinking in formulating original arguments. They also expect you to use your own words. Plagiarism means automatic failure.
A strict definition of plagiarism is as follows:
“The appropriation of ideas, language, or work of another without sufficient acknowledgment that the material is not one’s own. Although it is generally recognized that everything an individual has thought has probably been influenced to some degree by the previously expressed thoughts and actions of others, such influences are general. Plagiarism involves the deliberate taking of specific words and ideas of others without proper acknowledgment.” (Ronald R. Butters and George D. Gopen, GUIDELINES for the use of students submitting papers for University Writing Courses and other classes in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering [Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Department of English, 1992, p. 15]).
Sources
Your sources should be peer reviewed. What does this mean?
A board of scholarly reviewers in the subject area of the journal or book series, review materials they publish for quality of research and adherence to editorial standards, before publication. If you use materials from peer-reviewed publications, they have been vetted by scholars in your field for quality and importance.
-Popular magazine or newspaper articles are not peer reviewed sources.
-Encyclopedias are peer reviewed publications but should be used as an additional rather than exclusive source.
See also:
For a link: http://history.rutgers.edu/component/content/article/52/106-writing-historical-essays-a-guide- for-undergraduates
For a book: Jack Horner, The History of Corners in the Modern Age (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994), pp. 36-9.
For an article: Mary Contrary, “How Gardens Grow: Things in a Row,” The Journal of Earthly Delights, vol. 26, nr. 3 (1995), p. 123.
