US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

Writing A Research Paper

COMPILED BY

THE EPISCOPAL ACADEMY LIBRARIANS

AND THE UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY DEPARTMENT

2014-2015

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINESTHE PURPOSE OF A RESEARCH PAPER

THE PROCESS OF RESEARCHING AND WRITING THIS PAPER IS IMPORTANT. ALL STEPS MUST BE DONE SATISFACTORILY, AND ON TIME, FOR FULL CREDIT.

We believe that at this stage of your education the process is as important as the final product. You will learn how to choose a suitable topic, to use library approved internet resources, and write a paper of some length and complexity. By working on a longer paper, you will improve note-taking skills, use an organizational outline, and learn proper documentation. This paper requires you to pursue a complex topic and, through disciplined thought, write a coherent, cohesive paper. This project will require Diana Hacker’s A Pocket Style Manual, 4th edition, published by Bedford St. Martins and available through MBS Direct (ISBN: 312406843)

STEP ICHOOSING A SUBJECT AND FORMULATING A THESIS1. CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT INTERESTS YOU. (The reasons are obvious.)

2. YOUR TOPIC MUST BE “RESEARCHABLE” AND “THESISABLE”

Consider availability of resources; your ability to use these resources; the scope of the topic.

3. YOUR PAPER MUST HAVE A THESIS

Your thesis is the answer to the question you raise about your topic. It is your opinion, your interpretation, and your paper will support it. A satisfactory thesis statement is crucial because the success of your paper is determined by how well you have supported your thesis. Be prepared to revise and/or refine your thesis as you proceed with the research and writing process.

4. THIS IS THE ONLY STEP FOR WHICH GENERAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS MAY BE USED.

STEP 2

DEVELOPING A RESEARCH STRATEGY

1. A FULL SEARCH OF BIBLIOGRAPHIC SOURCES IS NECESSARY.

2. YOUR RESEARCH STRATEGY SHEET MUST BE APPROVED BY A LIBRARIAN WHEN IT IS COMPLETED. You will be given this research strategy sheet by the librarians when we have our class visit. It will guide you through an in-depth survey of the resources at Annenberg Library. Here is a general list of categories you should consult in compiling your working bibliography:

library catalogues archives (a source for manuscripts, but itbibliographies (collection of sources) is unlikely that you will need to periodical indexes use this source for any papers newspaper indexes you do here at Episcopal)reference works (specialized encyc1opedias, government documents and publicationsdictionaries, and almanacs) special indexes (e.g., humanities)atlases approved EA Library Databases**ALL SOURCES DERIVED FROM GOOGLE OR SIMILAR SEARCH ENGINE MUST BE APPROVED

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

History Department policies on Academic integrity and Internet research

Academic Integrity and Dishonesty: History Department policies on Academic integrity and Internet research: Because of the unique nature of historical inquiry and the standards of the community of academic scholars, historians rely extensively on the academic integrity of their colleagues. As teachers of history, we fully support the Upper School goal of guiding students to take responsibility for their own learning in the pursuit of excellence, including academic integrity. In cases when that integrity is breached, the History department will rigorously enforce the definitions of cheating, fabrication, academic dishonesty (and facilitation thereof) and plagiarism found on page 38 of the EA Student handbook. For clarity’s sake, we include a few brief examples of situations which may compromise a student’s academic integrity; they do not represent the full scope of cases of academic dishonesty:

Students who receive help on written work should be aware that including the words and/or the ideas of the person giving the help may constitute academic dishonesty (see page 16-17 of student handbook for what may constitute inappropriate help).

Any writing generated from group work and submitted for credit must be the individual’s own work unless collaborative written assignment has prior teacher approval

Cheating includes copying someone else’s work and turning it in as your own for credit.

Internet research: Our goal as teachers of history is to encourage intellectual curiosity both in the classroom and beyond, balanced by the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion, assertion and evidence. To that end, we encourage students to carefully consider the perspective of sources they encounter both inside and outside the classroom. Critical analysis requires a discriminating approach to research beyond the classroom, to be certain that sources used and/or cited meet the standards of both the Academy and the community of historical scholarship. Students should begin all of their internet research with the Annenberg library databases. In cases where limited availability of materials dictate a wider search, they should only access information which meets the “peer review” standards of higher academia (published sources reviewed by major publishing houses, college faculty, academic publications, university press, eg.) Any internet sources that do not meet these standards must be cleared in advance with your teacher. (Note that because Wikipedia does not meet these standards, like general encyclopedias, Wikipedia should not by cited as an authoritative source.)

STEP 3

MAKING A PRELIMINARY WORKS CITED LIST

1. DURING THE PROCESS, YOUR WORKS CITED SHOULD INCLUDE A LARGE NUMBER OF SOURCES, MORE THAN YOU MAY EVENTUALLY USE. YOU WILL CUT DOWN THIS WORKS CITED LIST AT THE END. REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST USE AT LEAST ONE PRIMARY SOURCE

2. EACH ITEM IN YOUR WORKS CITED SHOULD BE ON A HARD COPY OF A NOODLETOOLS WORKS CITED LIST

3. WORKS CITED ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY AUTHOR'S LAST NAME (See p.8). NOODLEBIB, AN ONLINE DATABASE AVAILABLE FROM THE LIBRARY WEBSITE, CAN

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINESBE A GREAT RESOURCE WHEN PREPARING YOUR WORKS CITED.

4. BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT TO WEIGH THE VALIDITY OF A SOURCE, YOUR FINAL WORKS CITED LIST WILL BE ANNOTATED; THAT IS, YOU MUST COMMENT ONTHE USEFULNESS OF SOURCES YOU USE IN TIIE PAPER. THESE COMMENTS CAN GO ON THE BACK OF THE NOTE CARDS.

Hint: You may find helpful cross references on your topic in some of your sources. Textbooks (ours included) and encyclopedias often have short bibliographies at the end of chapters or articles. Be sure to include the Library (eg. EA, below) and call number (eg. 290.A16, below)

On the back of the printout, comment on the usefulness of the source. Who is the author? Is he/she reliable or biased? Is the evidence convincing? How is this source useful to your thesis? This information will be helpful in writing the paper and in compiling an annotated works cited at the end of your paper.

STEP 4

MAKING A BRIEF WORKING OUTLINE. If you are using the graphic organizing program Inspiration to create “electronic note cards,” the program will turn your semantic map into an outline—and back— by clicking the box marked “Outline” (or “Diagram”) near the upper left hand corner of the menu bar.

1. THE BRIEF WORKING OUTLINE IS A LIST OF KEY POINTS OR ARGUMENTS THAT YOU PLAN TO USE TO SUPPORT YOUR THESIS.

2. TIIE WORKING OUTLINE GUIDES YOUR RESEARCH BY PROVIDING HEADINGS FOR YOUR NOTE CARDS AND A STRUCTURE FOR YOUR PAPER.

3. YOU WILL ADD TO THE WORKING OUTLINE AS YOU GO ALONG SO THAT IT BECOMES A DETAILED OUTLINE.

FORM

I Intro (include Thesis) IIIIIIVV Conclusion

EA290.A16

Anderson, John. The World’s Religions. London: Harper and Co., 1979

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINESBelow is an example of a brief working outline to help guide research to support the following thesis:

I IntroductionThesis statement: Slave resistance rarely resulted in rebellion because masters’ restrictions on travel and meetings, along with threats of brutality, prevented insurrection.II Job resistanceIII EscapeIV RebellionV Conclusion

As you gather more information, fill in your outline, making it more detailed so that major headings are supported by subheadings. You may want to add new categories and/or leave some out. By the time you are ready to begin writing the rough draft, you should have a complete, detailed outline into which to fit your note cards. Note that Inspiration will allow you to create all headings and subheadings directly from electronic note cards if you choose this option for research.

STEP 5

DOING RESEARCH—You must complete the equivalent of 60 noodletools note cards for regular U.S. History classes (and 80 noodletools or Inspiration note cards for A.P. U.S. History classes) on the day assigned by your teacher for Step 5. This step may include a verbal conference with your teacher.

A. NOTETAKING: Note that you have only one option for taking notes, all of which MUST follow the form outlined in steps 1-6 below. This note-taking methods will help you to digest, reorganize, and synthesize all information you have researched. This options is:

Noodletools new “Notes” option (see librarians for details), which can be used to make an electronic outline using the “categories” function (this may be transferred to an organizational rubric: Electronic note cards using Inspiration (see your teacher or Mr. Memmo in the Upper School Technology Department about how to get started with this)

1. MAKE A SEPARATE NOTE CARD/ENTRY FOR EACH FACT OR IDEA OR QUOTATION.

2. EACH CARD MUST HAVE A HEADING TO MATCH HEADINGS, OR SUBHEADINGS, IN YOUR OUTLINE. NB: INSPIRATION WILL AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGN A ROMAN NUMERAL/ALPHABETICAL HEADING/SUBHEADING TO EACH ENTRY FOR YOU

3. EACH CARD MUST HAVE THE PAGE NUMBER AND SOURCE FOR ACCURATE CITATAIONS: (See examples in the Hacker Guide)

4. THE PAPER WILL BE WRITTEN FROM THE NOTE CARDS/NOTEBOOK ENTRIES, NOT FROM THE BOOKS. GOOD NOTE CARDS/ENTRIES ARE VITAL.

5. TAKE NOTES IN YOUR OWN WORDS, UNLESS QUOTING DIRECTLY.

6. USE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING FOR THE FIRST TWELVE NOTE CARDS

A. Quotation: exact phrasing, surrounded by quotation marksB. Paraphrase: author’s ideas, summarized in student's own words: C. My ideas: student’s ideas, in student’s own words

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

Noodletools note-card sample (Source: Evan Marks ’10)

B. MAKING THE FINAL, OR DETAILED, OUTLINE: If you are using Inspiration, once you have made all the appropriate links between “electronic note card” boxes, you will create your detailed outline simply by clicking on the icon marked “Outline” at the upper left-hand corner of the menu bar.

1. THE FINAL OUTLINE SHOULD BE CONSTRUCTED FROM THE HEADINGS AND SUBHEADINGS ON THE NOTE CARDS/ENTRIES, USING EITHER NOODLETOOLS, INSPIRATION OR WORD.

2. ARRANGE YOUR NOTE CARDS TO CORRESPOND TO THE DETAILED OUTLINE.After you have gathered all the information on note cards, studied it, and evaluated it, the next step is to construct the final outline. Remember that your final outline will be more detailed than your brief or working outline. Use all your insight, objectivity, and organizational ability in constructing your final outline. Of course, your outline should consist of the usual introduction, body, and conclusion. Be sure that the body of the paper elaborates on the important generalizations made in the introduction and that the conclusion reinforces the unity of the paper. .

Here is an example, expanded from the brief outline on p. 4, of a more detailed outline, which can now be made because research has provided the necessary information. We would have a corresponding note card heading and subheading for each of the headings and subheadings of the expanded outline.

Pages: 142-143

Tags: COI, OSS, SIS

Cues: none

Quotation:

"the statist tendency of the New Deal developed

into a full-blown national secuirty state, and set

in train the process of bereaucratic empire-

building that culminated in the CIA”.

Paraphrase:

involved heavily in the british SIS and american

relations, roosevelt appoints Donovan to lead

COI.

Ineffective agency, failed to predict pearl harbor

5 months after conception, not enough funding,

overshadowed by British SIS.

My Ideas:Nevertheless, built up a backbone for future

american espionage

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

II. Escape— Slaves "escaped" for many reasons

A. Evidence from variety of contemporary sources1. records by slaves themselves were not kept2. newspaper ads for runaways3. diaries of slave owners4. slave narratives

B. Some escapes were temporary1. to take a "holiday"2. to visit relatives

C. Permanent1. some carefully planned. using Underground Railroad 2. sudden escape because of emergency

a. to escape a saleb. to avoid whipping

STEP 6

WRITING THE ROUGH DRAFT

1. WRITE YOUR ROUGH DRAFT (PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH) FROM THE OUTLINE AND NOTE CARDS: DOUBLE SPACE; NUMBER YOUR PAGES; INCLUDE TITLE PAGE.

A rough draft includes a title page, citations, and an annotated works cited list. Double space and number all pages.

2. MAKE SMOOTH TRANSITIONS FROM PARAGRAPH TO PARAGRAPH; WORK FROM THE GENERALIZATION TO THE SPECIFIC SUPPORTING EVIDENCE. KEEP FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING YOUR THESIS. EACH PARAGRAPH SHOULD HELP TO ADVANCE YOUR THESIS.

3. INCLUDE CITATIONS AS YOU GO ALONG. CITE ALL IDEAS AND INFORMATION FROM YOUR SOURCES. FOLLOW MLA GUIDELINES IN HACKER 122-141. REMEMBER THAT CITATIONS PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR PAPER. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO USE THEM!

4. MINIMIZE QUOTATIONS AND USE YOUR OWN WORDS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.Quote directly when:a. you want to use the language of a primary source;b. a particularly apt metaphor or phrasing justifies quoting directly.

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

5. IF YOU HAVE AN APPENDIX FOR MAPS, CHARTS, TABLES, GRAPHS, OR OTHER DATA, PLACE IT AT THE END OF THE PAPER BUT BEFORE THE WORKS CITED.

6. ANNOTATE YOUR WORKS CITED.

Guidelines for proper quotations:

1. Keep your quotations as short as possible. A good paper is not measured by the number of quotes.

2. Short prose quotations (one or two sentences) should be incorporated into the text of the paper and enclosed in quotation marks. An example follows:

Charles Pettit-Dutallis notes that “everything was changed in Germany and in the direction of the Christian world after the death of Emperor Henry VI” (32)

3. Longer prose passages are separated from the text, indented, and single spaced. An example follows:

Charles Pettit-Dutallis observes:

Everything was changed in Germany and in the direction of the Christian world after the death of Emperor Henry VI. The new Pontiff was Innocent III. He was an Italian of high birth, according to the standards of the day. He was a great theologian and was trained by the masters in Paris in the sciences and dialectics. (32)

EXAMPLE OF ANNOTATION OF BOOK IN WORKS CITED LIST:

Ziegler, Philip. The Black Death. New York: John Day Co., 1969.

A fascinating study of one of the greatest crises of western civilization concluding that fundamental questions of fact about the Black Death are still hotly debated by scholars.

Guidelines for submission: Both the rough draft and the final copy of the US History term paper MUST be submitted through Turnitin.com (see your teacher and/or Mr. Memmo for instructions on how to submit papers to Turnitin.com). Your teacher may also require you to make either a separate electronic (e-mail or on K drive) or hard copy (paper) submission in addition to doing so on Turnitin.com. See your teacher for his/her specific policy.

STEP 7

STUDENT PEER REVIEW

1. A WRITER PROFITS FROM HAVING OTHERS REVIEW HIS OR HER WORK WHILE IT IS AT THE ROUGH DRAFT STAGE.

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES2. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR ROUGH DRAFT REVIEWED BY A CLASSMATE. SELECT SOMEONE WHO WILL GIVE YOU A THOUGHTFUL, CANDID CRITIQUE.

3. THE REVIEWER MUST FILL OUT A STUDENT CRITIQUE SHEET AND THE SHEETS MUST BE TURNED IN TO THE TEACHER WITH THE ROUGH DRAFT.

4. EACH STUDENT MUST REVIEW ONE PAPER AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ARRANGING TO DO SO WITH A STUDENT AUTHOR.

5. YOU WILL BE GRADED ON THE QUALITY OF YOUR CRITIQUE OF YOUR CLASSMATE’S PAPER.

STEP 8

THE FINAL COPY [Length: 1800-2400 words]

1. READ YOUR ROUGH DRAFT CAREFULLY, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE COMMENTS BY TEACHER AND CLASSMATE, BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO REVISE.

2: MAKE THE FINAL COPY NEAT. ALL FINAL COPIES SHOULD BE DOUBLE SPACED. PROOF READ YOUR PAPER CAREFULLY!!

3. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR TITLE ACCURATELY REFLECTS THE SUBJECT MATTER OF YOUR PAPER, AND PIQUES THE INTEREST OF YOUR READER.

4. THE TITLE PAGE OF YOUR PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE THE TITLE, YOUR NAME, THE NAME OF THE COURSE, THE TEACHER'S NAME, AND THE DATE.

5. XEROXED COPIES OF ALL BOOKS AND OTHER SOURCES CITED IN YOUR PAPER MUST BE HANDED IN WITH THE FINAL COPY. RETURN BOOKS TO THE ANNENBERG LIBRARY AND HAVE BOOKS CHECKED OUT TO YOUR TEACHER.

Guidelines for submission: Both the rough draft and the final copy of the US History term paper MUST be submitted through Turnitin.com (see your teacher and/or Mr. Memmo for instructions on how to submit papers to Turnitin.com). Your teacher may also require you to make either a separate electronic (e-mail or on K drive) or hard copy (paper) submission in addition to doing so on Turnitin.com. See your teacher for his/her specific policy.

Below is an example of the proper format for the title page:

DA MORSI CODE:Dotting the I’s and Dashing to Victory

Stan Brown United States History

Mr. HessApril 18, 2015

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Students should remember that academic honesty is expected in all aspects of the research process.

1. DOCUMENTATIONBe sure that your citations are accurate. Your teacher will check for authenticity and accuracy.

2. PLAGIARISM: The following statement is adapted from: Committee of Academic Responsibility, Mount Holyoke College.

Plagiarism is the recognized name for literary theft, and, in the world of books, it is punishable under the laws of copyright. When plagiarism occurs, it is treated as a major offense against the standards of academic honesty. Colleges and some secondary schools have been known to expel students from their institution for this offense. Deliberate plagiarism is, however, relatively rare. Most of what appears to be plagiarism in student work is unintentional borrowing, a result of inexperience, of carelessness in note taking, or of uncertainty as to the degree of documentation expected.

Any student writing a documented paper knows proper acknowledgement must be made of the facts and ideas borrowed from printed sources. The question then arises: what is proper acknowledgement? There is no simple answer to this question. It may be stated that facts commonly known are public property. Dates, for example, unless they are debatable, almost never require a footnote. Sometimes it is not easy even for professional writers to determine what is in the public domain, as lawsuits on the matter testify. A statement may be repeated in, say, three sources and the student may decide that, "What I tell you three times is true." It may happen, however, that two of the books are borrowing from the third without verification or acknowledgement. The presence of undocumented books among the sources is often puzzling to the student writer. It is not as if they could all be dismissed as bad books; some turn out to be the work of reputable scholars. The only advice that can be-given here is: find out something about the authors and their trustworthiness and, when in doubt, cite. In general, the following should have citations: facts which are the particular findings of a particular person, especially those facts- which have only recently come to light; apparent fact which is questioned by some authority; ideas and opinions which can be traced to individuals. Direct quotation always demands a citation, except for the use of the incidental, familiar phrase. .

It is in the dubious area of indirect quotation, half-quotation or loose paraphrase that most unintentional borrowings take place. Students who, in taking notes, copy down whole sentences from the original, substituting a word of their own only here and there, are not only laying themselves open to the charge of plagiarism but are evading part of the problem of learning to write. A writer's words are his or her own; the structure of the sentences and their sequence are original. Ideally, the student should be assimilating the material, thinking it out into his or her own words, as the work goes along. This is a counsel of perfection, especially for the early stages of a paper. But accuracy in copying and careful recording of quotation marks are expected.

A writer's organization of the material also is original. Often it has been arrived at after long struggle; it is something individual and new. To take over the structure of another person's work and use it as one's own is to commit plagiarism. It is also possible to misconceive the purpose of the documented paper and, indeed, of education itself.

See also the Princeton University policy: http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/08/intro/index.htm

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINESHISTORY RESEARCH PAPERSTUDENT CRITIQUE SHEET

The reviewer should provide constructive commentary on the paper being considered. Remember, only honest, candid remarks will benefit the writer; be as thorough as possible.

Name of Reviewer:

Name of Writer:

Title of Paper:

I. Thesis Statement:

Questions to consider: Can the thesis statement be clearly identified? Is the thesis located in its proper place? To what degree is the thesis “provable” and why? To what degree is the thesis creative? To what degree might it help answer how and why events transpired as they did?

II. Organization:Questions to consider: Do the topic sentences preview the paragraphs that follow? Do the topic sentences develop the thesis statement? Is the paper organized by key ideas? Are transitions between key ideas made smoothly?

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

III. Mechanical Skills:Questions to consider: Are there any "run-on" sentences or "run-on" paragraphs? Punctuation problems? Misspellings? Has the writer used proper grammar?

IV. Development of Argument:Questions to consider: Does the writer provide sufficient factual evidence to support the argument? Is there a balance of concept and fact in the paper? Is the argument a creative one? Is the writing clear? Do you believe the argument, as stated in the thesis, has been proven?

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

Upper School History Department Guidelines for Research Paper

1. Research papers for U.S. History must be between 1800 and 2400 words long excluding in-text citations, works cited, and any appendices. The paper must have at least six bibliographical sources, excluding general encyclopedias which are not to be listed in the works cited. All least one source must be a primary source. Each of the six sources must be cited, including the primary source .

2. All papers must conform to the guidelines set forth in this pamphlet.

3. All research and writing on the paper must be the student's own.

4. Each step of the process must be approved before the student may go on to the next. Failing efforts must be redone until they are satisfactory before the student may go on to the next step. Failure to meet deadlines will result in a penalty (one full grade level per school day for that step).

5. Extensions, if needed, must be requested and granted before the day that a step is due.

6. A passing final paper is a requirement for receiving credit for the U. S. History course. A failing paper must be redone until it is passing. This project will count 30% of the second semester grade.

7. BE SURE TO HAND ALL WORK DIRECTLY TO THE TEACHER—EITHER BY ELECTRONIC DEPOSIT/E-MAIL OR DIRECTLY IN HIS/HER HANDS. DO NOT PUT IT IN A MAILBOX OR ON A DESK. SAVE ALL STEPS UNTIL YOU GET YOUR FINAL PAPER BACK.

8. When you submit the completed paper to TurnItIn.com, be sure to include the following: a. The final paper (title page, paper, and annotated works cited) to TurnItIn.comb. The corrected rough draft (already submitted to your teacher)c. All note-cards—electronic, traditional, or in notebook—in proper order, including works cited, books, articles, and internet sources cited in paper directly to your teacher.

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US HISTORY TERM PAPER GUIDELINESSTUDENT RECORD SHEET

Name

Date due Date Grade values

12/15/14 1. Approval of general topic after completing _______ some general background reading in the text or in a general reference work.

12/19/14 2. Approval of completed research strategy _______ sheet.

1/20/15 3. Final topic approval in the form of your _______ thesis statement and a preliminary works cited of at least 6 sources in proper form (but not annotated at this stage).

2/2/15 4. The equivalent of two noodeltools note cards in proper form from each of at least six of your sources. A very brief outline of the paper. _______

2/23/15 5. Detailed outline with all note cards (or their _______ _______ 20% equivalent) fitted into the outline headings properly. Note that Inspiration will do this automatically. This step may include a graded, verbal conference with your teacher.

3/19/15 6. Double-spaced rough draft with citations _______ _______ 20% and annotated works cited.

4/9/15 7. Rough draft reviewed and critiqued in _______ _______ 10% writing by a classmate. Turn in rough draft and student critique.

4/17/15 8. The final completed paper with annotated _______ _______ 50% works cited and citations. Turn in all note cards and outlines, rough drafts, and xeroxed copies of all sources cited (books, internet etc.) in the paper.

Final grade ________

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