American History Research Paper 2010
Research Paper Guidelines Handout - Basic information on the format and expectations for the research paper.
Tentative Schedule - The Research Paper is completed in stages to encourage good time management. Here is the tentative schedule indicating when different elements of the paper are due.
Friday, Feb. 5- Finish Research Phase. Preliminary bibliography due. You should have at least four sources, one of which is an encyclopedia, and one of which is a book or periodical. Be prepared to turn in a preliminary bibliography listing your sources today.
Friday, Feb. 12 - Notecards Due. You should have at least 15 notecards completed using the following format. Each idea should be expressed in your own words!
Friday, Feb. 26 - Outline Due. Thesis and topic sentences should be full sentences, the rest of the outline should express ideas in the simplest terms possible (not full sentences)
TBA - Rough Draft of Body Paragraphs 1,2, and 3 Due.Remember, these are your body paragraphs, not your introduction!
TBA - Rough Draft of Body Paragraphs 4, 5, and 6. Body paragraphs only, not introduction or conclusion.
TBA - Rough Draft of Introduction and Conclusion Due
TBA- Complete Rough Draft Due. Don't forget a correct heading, catchy title, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion and bibliography.
Final Draft Due Date TBA
One of the best ways to succeed is to learn from the successful! Link here to read a fantastic paper from last year!
Paper Topic Choices for the 09/10 Research Paper
If you're having trouble opening the link above, try this link to the research paper topics.
Research Paper Quicklinks
Introductions and Conclusions | Research | Bibliographies
A Checklist for Papers in MLA Form | Topic Sentences
Research
So you need to do some research. Start with these:
Santa Barbara Public Library Catalog
If you "Google," you must fill out this handout for each source you use.
Now you need to put the information you've gathered into your own brilliant words. Do not plagiarize. I use internet technology to verify the originality of your work!
Identify the information you will include in your paper, by highlighting or underlining your sources. Obviously, if your source is a book, skip this step!
Make notes or notecards: write down key information in your own words, and record facts or quotations that require in-text citations. Make sure to identify the source on each page of notes or notecards.
Now you need to write an outline. See this handout.
With a strong outline, writing your body paragraphs is a breeze. Just put your information into clear sentences in the order you listed them!
Now for the icing on the cake: your introduction and conclusion.
The introduction should begin with a juicy "hook" to get your reader interested in your topic, followed by a transition that leads into your thesis sentence. The thesis sentence is the last sentence in your introduction, and it's a strong statement about the main subject of your paper.
The conclusion should begin with a re-statement of your thesis, and then transition into a discussion of how your topic is connected to other ideas in history, or how it is still relevant today.
Finally, the bibliography and in-text citations.
We'll be using the MLA form for the bibliography. You can build your bibliography with Noodletools, or by hand. Remember to alphabetize your entries.
If you cite specific facts, numbers, images, or quotes straight from one of your sources, follow them with in-text citations. You'll indicate the author or editor of one of the sources in your bibliography, and the page number where the information is found. Here are two examples:
As Mr. Rogers once observed, "I've never met a cardigan I didn't like," (Williams, pg. 259).
or
Experts have indicated that Mr. Rogers had more than 500 cardigans in his closet by the time he was 60. (Williams, pg. 231)
Mini-Research Papers
Rough Drafts Due Friday, Oct. 23
Mini - Research Papers
Your assignment: To write a 1 page research paper on your assigned topic (some aspect of colonial life). Here are my expectations:
- Your paper should have an attention-grabbing title.
- Your paper should begin with an introductory paragraph that grabs your reader with a juicy "hook" and and introduces them to your topic.
- The final sentence of the introduction should be your thesis, or the main idea of your paper, for example: "Samurai trained physically, mentally, and spiritually to prepare for the brutality of the battleground." A multi-part thesis makes it easier to organize your writing.
- Your paper should contain three or more body paragraphs which give facts and details about your topic.
- Each body paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence, such as "The mental training of the samurai taught students to concentrate, think quickly, and always be ready for the unexpected." All the information in that body paragraph should fall under the topic of your topic sentence.
- The concluding paragraph of your paper should begin with a restatement of your thesis. Then, transition into the "big picture," how your topic is still relevant today, or how your reader can apply the new knowledge they've gained by reading your paper.
- A bibliography on a separate sheet of paper with 2-3 sources, one of which could be the textbook. Your bibliography should follow the MLA style.
See the research page for useful research sites.
