You cannot write about a topic after 1980. Keep in mind that you need a topic with access to primary sources and that is one part of the reason for the cut-off point being 1980.
You cannot write about the following people: Walter Cronkite, Hunter S. Thompson, Nellie Bly, Gloria Steinem, or Tom Wolfe. There is too much temptation to recycle prior academic work and/or other essays.
This is a research paper, which means you have to do some research. You will need a minimum of five primary sources and five secondary sources for a total of a minimum of 10 sources. That means you need to cite at least 10 different sources in your research paper, meaning merely using them and not citing them is not enough. Please note:
Wikipedia and similar sources are not acceptable for a research paper; they are not considered academic sources. Neither are blogs, student websites, course websites or personal websites. I also will not allow more than one source that is either an encyclopedia entry or a dictionary.
If you plan on conducting oral history interviews, those need to be approved in advance by the instructor – via email – as there will be oral history rules to follow.
There is a tab called “Research paper resources.” Click on that and then “primary/secondary sources.” It outlines what types of primary and secondary sources you can use.
You need to make sure you center your research paper properly in the adequate literature. Show that you know how the topic fits with the time period. That means you need to provide adequate background information.
Your paper needs to have an introduction, a thesis statement (what you are arguing in the paper), body paragraphs (use sources to back up statements/make your points in the body paragraphs), and a conclusion that re-states the thesis statement.
This research paper should be a minimum of 2300 words (that’s about 7 pages or so, double spaced) and a maximum of 2900 words. For the word count, please note:
I only count your introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. Your endnotes and your title page (if you use a title page) are not included in your word count.
Important! When you use endnotes, Word automatically includes the endnotes in the total word count. You have to uncheck the box that includes the endnotes in the total word count. One quick, easy way to check is to see how many words you have, remove one of your citation numbers in your assignment, then check the word count again. If the word count changes, then you word count is including endnotes. If it stays the same, your word count does not include endnotes. This way to check only works if you are using proper endnotes.
Your paper should be clear, concise and free of grammatical errors and spelling errors.
Stylistic requirements
Assignments must be typed in 12 point, Times New Roman font, using black ink. This is standard for academic assignments
Double space your assignment, with a 1″ margin on top/bottom/left/right
Don’t use extra spaces between paragraphs
Make sure your assignment has page numbers, electronically inserted
Always cite material that isn’t your own
Use Chicago style citations, listed as endnotes (NOT footnotes, hyperlinks, or “manual” endnotes).
Do not include a separate reference page (bibliography) in addition to the endnotes; the endnotes are your references and they serve as your reference list.
Research papers are written in third person. If you use first person, it’s an editorial and this is not an editorial.
You are not allowed to use more than 1 quote that is over 40 words and that quote can be max 60 words. Direct quotes are meant to enhance arguments and not “write” the paper for you. Keep in mind that the bulk of any assignment needs to be in your words.
Please note:
This needs to be submitted as a Word document. Assignments submitted via other applications will not be accepted. You will receive a 0 if you submit this as something other than a Word document.
You are not allowed to work together with others on this research paper and doing so is academic dishonesty (see the syllabus).
This paper has a grading rubric visible to you. I highly encourage you to review it prior to writing so you understand how this will be graded.
