Research Paper: You will write a 5 to 7 page research paper worth up to 30 points. (You need 5-7 pages of Text and this Does Not Include the Title Page and Bibliography Page) The paper should be typed and double-spaced in a 12 point font with one inch margins and include a Title Page with your name on the Title page. Each page after page 1 must be numbered. Sources may include books, newspaper articles, and journal articles (for example The Journal of Military History, The Journal of American History and many more such journals exist for you to choose from). Finally, your sources should include at least two internet sources. These internet sources must be a scholarly sources. Do NOT use Wikipedia since this is NOT a scholarly source. Scholarly internet sources include such sites at learner.org, besthistorysites.net, history.com, ushistory.org, americanhistory.about.com, americanheritage.com, and archives.org. Many more such sites exist and when you visit these sites you may see links to many other sites on various topics. *All citations to online sources must have the full web address for verification. That means I should be able to type in that link to find the exact page you used for source information. At the end of the paper you should include a separate bibliography page and list on it all sources used in alphabetical order. Do Not Rely Exclusively on the Web. Use other sources such as books as well. If you use only web sources, you will lose points on this paper.
**Discussion Board. You need to go to the discussion board which I will have available and briefly discuss your research project. You should give Your Name, Your Research Topic, Examples of Sources Used, and a Brief Summary of your Paper. This will be available for everyone in the class to see. You do not have to wait until you finish your paper to post your discussion. However, the discussion must be posted by the same deadline as the deadline for the paper to be submitted (see the course outline for the deadline) About 5 percent of your paper grade will be based on your discussion. To post on the Discussion Board:
1. Click on Discussion Board
2. Click on Research Paper Discussion
3. Click on Create Thread
4. Type something in the subject boxfor example, Jones Research Paper
5. Type your discussion in the Message Box and hit Submit
The following information will provide more on the research paper and examples of how to document your work and create a bibliography page.
Research Topics: Choose a topic that is appropriate this course, i.e. related to World War II. Select a topic that interest you. The only requirement is that the paper be related to World War II. Dont just write a story. Look at what happened, why it happened, and what were the results and/or impact of what happened.
Documenting Sources: You must make clear where you got your information. Use ONLY this method to document this paper. At the end of each sentence (or several sentences if you used the same source for all) list where you got the information. For example, you get the information from a book entitled Causes of the Second World War: A Look Behind the Scenes by John Combs and you write a sentence based on something in this book. At the end of that sentence you would have (Combs, p. 34) or if multiple pages were used (Combs, pp. 23, 25-28). Do not quote the work directly unless it is a very significant quote. Instead, paraphrase the words by putting the point into your own words. If you use direct quotes the words must be in quotation marks and the source must be listed immediately after that sentence. It is always wise to avoid the overuse of direct quotes.
Bibliography: At the end of your paper you should include a bibliography. This is simply an alphabetical listing of your sources. For example:
*Single Space and Indent after the First Line in Each Source. Double Space between Sources as the following examples show.
Bartlett, Richard A. The U.S. and World War II: A Concise History.
Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1995. (Example of A Book)
Boone, Richard A. Working with Churchill. Journal of American
History, Nov. 9, 1965. (Example of a Journal Article)
Combs, Bobby. Oral Interview by the Author, Dec. 5, 2010.
The London Times, Sunday March 4, 1940.
Time Magazine, June 1941.
Woodson, Carter. A Journey to the Battlefield.
www.americanhistory.com.
*Start the project early and have fun with it. Do something on a topic that YOU are interested in!
Thus, a total of 100 points is possible for this course. There may be quizzes and/or other work that will account for additional bonus points. **Another good reason to check the blackboard site daily