Research Paper Packet and Guidelines

Research Project
Mr. Anderson
AP European History IHHS 2012-13
Overview
This is a project that will introduce you to the various stages that are involved in
the creation of a research paper. The skills that you will be developing are essential to
your success in college, or other higher levels of learning.
The project will culminate in a research paper, approximately 5-8 pages long. The
project will be completed in manageable stages, each with a specific deadline, so that you
will not be attempting to complete the project all at once.
An important note: The successful completion of this project is absolutely
essential to your grade in this class (Basically, it is worth A LOT of points). Noncompletion
of some, if not all, of the components can result in a significantly reduced
grade in the class. Overall, with all the components combined, the entire project is worth
up to 250 points. This is equivalent to 2.5 exams, so it must be taken seriously.
Phases of the Project
1. Choosing a Topic (25 points)
• Questions that you’ll want to consider when choosing a topic: What am I
interested in? What do I want to learn more about? Is my topic broad
enough to write an entire paper?
• Select several possibilities, and then begin to look for available sources.
Narrow down your choices to one topic.
• Keep in mind that this paper will not be a narrative, but one in which you
will be arguing a point of view – in essence, you will be presenting a
thesis statement. When you think about topics, think of something about
which you can make an argument.
• Do not hesitate to come see me if you are having trouble choosing a topic.
Requirement: Turn in your proposed topic and the possible stance you will
be taking in regards to that topic. Must be typed.
Due Date: Tuesday, February 5, 2013
2. Annotated Bibliography and Thesis (50 points)
• This will be the first part of the actual research for your paper. You will
need to find 5 - 8 sources that will supply you with the material you need
to write your paper.
• You must have a mixture of digital and non-digital sources. However, in
regards to digital (internet) sources, you are limited to three sources. The
rest must be from books or articles. * I realize in the Internet age we live
in there are many books online. I am going to clarify what a “digital”
source is in terms of this paper; A digital source is a source that was
generated for the purpose of online viewing only. For example, an article
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from CNN.com is a digital source. A scholarly journal found on JSTOR is
not.
• In your annotated bibliography you are required to write a paragraph
summarizing the information contained in each source. (This must be in
MLA format, see attached example, MLA Format for Annotated
Bibliographies).
• Also by this point, you will need to have developed a tentative thesis
statement. For help with a thesis statement, please see me or refer to the
book Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide (This is just a
suggestion. There are a ton of these types of books out there.).
Requirement: Turn your annotated bibliography, and your thesis
statement. Both must be typed.
Due Date: Friday, February 22, 2013.
3. Source Note Cards (25 points)
• For each source you are going to use, you will be making bibliography
cards. On each card, you will need a descriptive heading, factual
information pertinent to your paper, and the source name and page
number.
Requirement: Turn in all note cards.
Due Date: Friday, March 8, 2013. Please note that your thesis and outline
are also due on this day.
4. Thesis and Outline (50 points)
• Re-write your thesis, if it needs to be re-written. It may have changed
since you have concluded your research. It should not change much after
this point.
• Type a thorough outline of the information your paper is going to cover.
(See attached handout, Structure of Paper)
Requirement: Turn in your thesis statement and your outline. Both must be
typed.
Due Date: Friday, March 8, 2013. Please note that your source notecards
are also due on this day.
5. Final Draft (100 points)
• Write your paper! By this point, this should be the easy part, since you
have gotten the research and outline out of the way.
• Use MLA format, in-text citations, and include a Works Cited page. (See
attached handouts, In-Text Citations, Works Cited Page
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Requirement: Turn in your completed paper, with separate works cited
page attached. This must be typed.
Due Date: Monday, April 8, 2013.
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MLA Format for Annotated Bibliographies
Examples:
Fryer, Sarah Beebe. "Beneath the Mask: The Plight of Daisy Buchanan."
Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Ed. Scott Donaldson.
Boston: G.K. Hall, 1984. 153-166. This is a feminist essay that argues that Daisy
is trapped in cultural constructions of Rich Wife and Pretty Girl - she chooses the
"unsatisfactory stability" of her marriage because of those constructions. Fryer's
only mention of Jordan is a foil to Daisy - - "Like Jordan, Daisy is affected"
(156).
Kerr, Frances. "Feeling Half-Feminine: Modernism and the Politics of
Emotion in The Great Gatsby." American Literature 68 (1996): 405-31. A
brilliant analysis of the homoerotics in the novel--Nick's attraction to McKee and
to Gatsby. Kerr thinks the tennis girl with sweat on her lip is Jordan (which I
think is wrong); she notes that Jordan has more control over her emotions than the
other women in the novel (Daisy and Myrtle). Kerr argues that Nick's narrative
about his dumping her "leads the reader to believe that it is Jordan's indifference,
shallowness, and dishonesty that prompt his move. The psychological subtext of
Gatsby, however, suggests a motivation entirely different. Nick Carraway
identifies with and feels most romantically drawn not to 'masculine' women but to
'feminine' men" (418).
Mandel, Jerome. "The Grotesque Rose: Medieval Romance
and The Great Gatsby." Modern Fiction Studies 34(1988): 541-558. Mandel
argues that Gatsby follows many of the conventions of medieval romance, and
analyzes East and West Egg as competing courts, Buchanan as a prince/Lord with
Daisy as unattainable queen/fair lady. Gatsby and Nick are both construed as
knights; Jordan is only mentioned in passing as a sort of attendant figure on
Queen Daisy. This whole analysis seems somewhat farfetched.
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Structure of Paper
Mr. Anderson
AP European History IHHS 2012-13
The following is a rough outline of how your essay could be structured. Please
note that this is only a suggestion or possible example of how the essay should be
structured. If you choose to structure your essay if a different manner, that is acceptable,
as long as you are meeting all the listed requirements.
Again, if you are struggling with one or more of the different sections, please
come see me for assistance.
I. Introduction
a. Brief overview of the topic of the essay
b. A full explanation of your thesis, or the position you will be taking in
regards to the essay topic
II. Overview of the Essay Topic
a. A thorough explanation of the history of your topic
b. This should give the reader a complete understanding of the topic
III. Explanation of Your Thesis
a. A detailed analysis and explanation of your thesis
b. Be sure to use numerous historical examples to support or defend your
assertion
IV. Explanation of Opposing Arguments to Your Thesis
a. Detailed analysis or explanation of all or some of the opposing arguments
to your thesis
V. Conclusion
a. Re-statement of your thesis
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MLA In-Text Parenthetical Citations
The Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines require that you cite the quotations,
summaries, paraphrases, and other material used from sources within parentheses typically placed
at the end of the sentence in which the quoted or paraphrased material appears. The parenthetical
method replaces the use of citational footnotes. These in-text parenthetical citations correspond to
the full bibliographic entries found in a list of references at the end of your paper. (Note that the
titles of works are underlined rather than placed in italics.) Unless otherwise indicated, on-line
sources follow the same pattern as print versions.
Single author named in parentheses.
The tendency to come to terms with difficult experiences is referred to as a "purification process"
whereby "threatening or painful dissonances are warded off to preserve intact a clear and
articulated image of oneself and one’s place in the world" (Sennett 11).
Single author named in a signal phrase.
Social historian Richard Sennett names the tendency to come to terms with difficult experiences a
"purification process" whereby "threatening or painful dissonances are warded off to preserve
intact a clear and articulated image of oneself and one’s place in the world" (11).
Two or more authors.
Certain literacy theorists have gone so far as to declare that "the most significant elements of
human culture are undoubtedly channeled through words, and reside in the particular range of
meanings and attitudes which members of any society attach to their verbal symbols" (Goody and
Watt 323).
Corporate author (organization, association, etc.).
The federal government has funded research concerning consumer protection and consumer
transactions with online pharmacies (Food and Drug Administration 125).
Works with no author.
Several critics of the concept of the transparent society ask if a large society would be able to
handle the complete loss of privacy ("Surveillance Society" 115).
Two or more works by the same author.
In his investigation of social identity, The Uses of Disorder, Sennett defines adulthood as a stage
where people "learn to tolerate painful ambiguity and uncertainty" (108).
In a surprising move, Richard Sennett combines the idea of power with that of virtue: "the idea of
strength is complex in ordinary life because of what might be called the element of its integrity"
(Authority 19).
Work found in an anthology or edited collection.
For an essay, short story, or other document included in an anthology or edited collection, use the
name of the author of the work, not the editor of the anthology or collection, but use the page
numbers from the anthology or collection.
Lawrence Rosenfield analyzes the way in which New York’s Central Park held a socializing
function for nineteenth-century residents similar to that of traditional republican civic oratory
(222).
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Bible passage.
Unfortunately, the president could not recall the truism that "Wisdom is a fountain to one who has
it, but folly is the punishment of fools" (New Oxford Annotated Bible, Prov. 20-22).
Secondary source of a quotation (someone quoted within the text of another author).
As Erickson reminds us, the early psychoanalysts focused on a single objective: "introspective
honesty in the service of self enlightenment" (qtd. in Weiland 42).
Web page.
Abraham Lincoln's birthplace was designated as a National Historical Site in 1959 (National Park
Service).
Note: Internet citations follow the style of printed works. Personal or corporate author and page
number should be given if they exist on the website.
Further information: http://library.duke.edu/research/citing/within/mla.html
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Works Cited MLA Format
Book Sources
First or single author's name is written last name, first name. The basic form for a book
citation is:
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Book with One Author
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin Books, 1987.
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray, 1999.
Book with More Than One Author
First author name is written last name first; subsequent author names are written first
name, last name.
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston:
Allyn, 2000.
Web Sources
Web sites (in MLA style, the "W" in Web is capitalized, and "Web site" or "Web sites"
are written as two words) and Web pages are arguably the most commonly cited form of
electronic resource today. Below are a variety of Web sites and pages you might need to
cite.
An Entire Web Site
Basic format:
Name of Site. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with
the site (sometimes found in copyright statements). Date you accessed the site [electronic
address].
It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and
information available on one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the
complete address for the site. Here are some examples:
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. 26 Aug. 2005. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue
and Purdue University. 23 April 2006 .
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. 28 Nov. 2003. Purdue University.
10 May 2006 .
Further Information:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/06/
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