America in History III, Honors

Research Paper 2015-16

AMERICA IN HISTORY III RESEARCH PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

I. Objectives of the Research Paper:

A. All students in US History courses are required to complete a research paper. The research project has two primary objectives. The first is to allow the individual the opportunity to explore a topic of American History that interests them. The second objective is to allow the individual to work with the processes of standardized research paper methodology.

II. Basic Research Paper Requirements:

A. The research paper must be written on a teacher approved subject in American History between the years 1945 to the present.If you want to write a comparative essay, you may use a period before 1945, but the focus on the paper should be post-WW2. The student may not change the assigned topic after the research proposal has been submitted and accepted.

  1. The research paper requirements for text formatting:
  • A minimum of 5 pages
  • Typed in 12 font (Times New Roman)
  • Double spaced
  • One inch margins on all sides
  1. The research paper requirements for style and documentation:
  • Underline the thesis
  • Use a minimum of 6different sources…
  • Two of the six must be primary
  • Identify your primary source(s) with a * on the work cited page
  • You may use specialized encyclopedias, butNOT general encyclopediaswhich includes Wikipedia, Britannica Online, and Spartacus! A general encyclopedia is for background digging and will NOT count as a source.
  • Parenthetical documentation(MLA format) must be included within the paper and at least two direct quotations with analysis (think primary sources)
  • A properly formatted works cited page
  • All papers MUST be submitted through

D. PLAGIARISM WARNING: The NorthPennSchool District plagiarism policy will be strictly enforced. In the event that the originality of your paper is challenged the following process will be followed and the "burden of proof" will rest with the student. 1) All sources will be presented to the teacher within a reasonable number of days. 2) An appointment with the teacher will be scheduled to review where the ideas for your writing came from. It is the responsibility of the student to show where the information came from. Sources taken from other libraries and the Internet are subject to the same procedure.

Plagiarism is using others' ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information.

To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use

  • another person's idea, opinion, or theory;
  • any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings--any pieces of information--that are not common knowledge;
  • quotations of another person's actual spoken or written words;
  • or paraphrase of another person's spoken or written words.

These guidelines are taken from the Student Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct

E. The America in History research paper will be worth 100 points and is a course requirement for passing the marking period in which the paper is evaluated.

  1. Other Graded Assignments
  • Research proposal: 10 points______
  • Research web:10 points______
  • Working Bibliography:10 points______
  • Note Cards:20 points______
  • Outline of contents:20 points______
  • Rough Draft:20 points______
  • Works Cited Page20 points______
  • The paper is due even if you are absent – NO EXCUSES

G. The student will have sufficient time to prepare the assignment. If the paper is late one letter grade per day will be deducted for the first four days. After four days the paper will be given credit, but will receive a failing grade. I encourage you to turn the paper in even if it is late – some points are better than none!

III. Research Methodology:

  1. Select, define, and focus a topic that you are interested in learning more about.
  2. A simple interest survey is available if you need moredirection.
  3. Start reading and researching about this topic.
  4. Begin to narrow your topic by asking interesting questions
  5. Record note-cards as you find answers to these questions
  6. Begin to record valuable sources in Noodle Tools
  7. Craft and Revise a thesis/research question
  8. These answers to your research question become the basis of your thesis
  9. Arrange your note-cards and materials which become the framework for your outline
  10. Gather Information
  11. Identify and record primary and secondary sources
  12. Return to researching answers to your open-ended questions
  13. Read and continue to create note-cards
  14. Reflect on what you’ve found and ask whether it answers your original question(s). If not, you may have to revise and narrow your thesis
  15. Complete a detailed outline which includes a works cited page with six (6) different sources.
  16. Identify key concepts
  17. Synthesize the information from sources (notecards/noodletools)
  18. Organize the information according to the thesis (strongest to weakest arguments)
  19. Finalize outline
  20. Write, edit, and revise your rough draft.
  21. You are encouraged to have others read it and provide specific feedback. Parents, friends, or older siblings are an excellent editorial resource.
  22. Specifically check for organization, clarity, and thorough explanation of your thesis.
  23. Research papers are written in third person so avoid the use of the word “I”.
  24. Document Sources and Prepare Works Cited (Bibliography)
  25. Quotations
  26. MLA Style Parenthetical documentation
  27. Works Cited preparation
  28. Final draft of your paper
  29. Use your computer’s spell checker and grammar checker.
  30. Give it one last read and print.
  31. Submit to and print a receipt

IV. The structure for your outline and research paper...

  1. Page one header (SINGLE SPACED AND LEFT ALIGNED):

First and last name

Teacher, p. 2

America in History III, 6.0

Date due

  1. Title of the Research Paper
  2. Skip one line between the header and the title.
  3. The title should be descriptive, do not try to be funny or mysterious.
  4. Skip one line after the title and indent the first paragraph five spaces.
  5. The Introduction
  6. Attention getting sentence
  7. Something that will grab the readers’ attention
  8. Why is your question about this topic interesting or significant?
  9. Orient your readers by providing basic background information about your question.
  10. Date, place, situation surrounding the question.
  11. Definition of terms contained within the question.
  12. The last sentence of the introductory paragraph should be your thesis and “roadmap” of what your research has proven to be the answer to your question.
  13. Underline the thesis statement.
  14. The Main Body Paragraphs are where you prove your thesis.
  15. First set of Body Paragraphs (Thesis Point/Prong #1)
  16. Sub Thesis:
  17. State your first argument for why your thesis is true.
  18. Evidence:
  19. Back up each position/argument with two or three details gathered from your sources.
  20. Every concept, idea and statistic must be documented using the MLA citation format.
  21. If the information is paraphrased, it must be cited.
  22. If the information is a direct quote, it must be cited.
  23. Use quotes selectively. A quote should be unique and add a dimension to the paper that would be lost in paraphrasing.
  24. Long quotations: more than four sentences; indent ten spaces; SINGLE space; no quotation marks; use the end mark punctuation in the quote and then the parenthetical citation. This is different from short quotes where the end punctuation follows the parenthetical citation.
  25. Proving the first thesis point/prong may take one, two, or three body paragraphs. Remember to stick to one topic/point per paragraph.
  26. Argument
  27. Explanation of why Reason #1 is one factor that answers your question.
  28. Second Set of Body Paragraphs(Thesis Point/Prong #2)
  29. Sub Thesis:
  30. State your second argument for why your thesis is true.
  31. Evidence:
  32. See instructions from body paragraphsrelated to thesis point #1 above
  33. Argument
  34. Explanation of why Reason #2 is one factor that answers your question.
  35. Third Set of Body Paragraphs (Thesis Point/Prong #3)
  36. Sub Thesis:
  37. State your third argument for why your thesis is true.
  38. Evidence:
  39. See instructions from body paragraphsrelated to thesis point #1 above
  40. Argument
  41. Explanation of why Reason #3 is one factor that answers your question.

  1. The Conclusion
  2. Restatement of your thesis
  3. This is not an exact duplication of your thesis but a restatement (in differing words) of your thesis statement.
  4. Summarize the key evidence presented.
  5. Do not introduce new evidence or new arguments!
  6. Explain why your original question is significant or important.
  7. Highlight the truthfulness of your arguments.
  8. Why is your question important today?
  9. Why is this question important to remember?
  10. Work Cited Page
  11. You will use Noodle Tools to create the Works Cited page. Establishing a Noodle Tool account will be part of the instruction during your IMC orientation.
  12. All sources used (cited) in the paper must be included on your works cited page. If it is not used in the paper, it does not belong on the works cited page.
  13. Keep in mind that you will be evaluated on the quality of sources that you select for your paper. The use of Wikipedia.com and other online general encyclopedias is strictly prohibited.
  14. Remember that you are required to use a minimum of six (6) different sources and that at least two (2) of those must be primary sources. Please identify your primary sources by placing an * symbol as the first character in the entry.
  15. Primary sources consist of or contain the evidence you use in your argument.
  16. Primary sources have not been subjected to analysis or interpretation.
  17. Primary sources pertain to fundamental ideas, truths and beliefs.
  18. Possible primary sources...
  19. The text of important documents (Ex: The U.S. Constitution)
  20. Speeches
  21. Editorials
  22. News articles from past time periods
  23. Letters or communications between important people involved in the topic
  24. Photographs and Paintings
  25. Secondary sources are scholarly works that refer to, explain, and interpret evidence and its sources.
  26. The entries on the works cited page are listed in alphabetical order.

Proofread, proofread, proofread!

Thesis Statements

Writing a Thesis Statement: A thesis statement is a sentence or two that expresses the main ideas of your essay and answers the question or questions posed by your essay. It offers your readers a quick and easy to follow summary of what the essay will be discussing and what you as a writer are setting out to tell them.

General Thesis Statement Tips:

  • A thesis statement generally consists of two parts: your topic, and then the analysis, explanation(s), or assertion(s) that you are making about the topic.
  • A thesis statement is a very specific statement -- it should cover only what you want to discuss in your essay, and be supported with specific evidence.
  • Generally, a thesis statement appears at the end of the first paragraph of an essay, so that readers will have a clear idea of what to expect as they read.

You can think of your thesis as a map or a guide both for yourself and your audience, so it might be helpful to draw a chart or picture of your ideas and how they are connected to help you get started. The thesis is the single most important element of an essay. It tells the reader exactly what you will discuss by previewing your major points and clarifying your overall assessment of the text you’re analyzing.

When written well, the thesis expresses your argument so clearly that it is not necessary to read the rest of your essay to understand what you believe. The only reason readers should need to keep reading beyond your thesis statement is to understand why you hold the view you do, and how you came to form this view.

A strong thesis also helps to ensure you write a well-organized, well-focused essay. All you need to do is explain and illustrate each of the ideas contained in your thesis. In fact, you can think of each paragraph (or set of paragraphs) in the body as trying to answer a specific question about each part of your thesis.

Sample thesis statements....

  • The formation of the Committee for Industrial Organization (C.I.O.) in 1935 successfully fought to increase the bargaining power of workers in mass production industries, expanded workers’ rights and broadened the basis of social democracy in the United States.
  • Upton Sinclair’s novel about labor exploitation and unsanitary conditions in the meat packing industry shocked the American public, expedited government reform and made the food supply safer for all Americans.
  • Immigration legislation in 1921 created a quota system that unfairly favored the nations of northern Europe and Western Europe, exemplified the existence of xenophobia in American society and put an end to the idea of the United States as a melting pot.
  • The United Nations was created to preserve international peace by means of multicultural diplomacy, address the need for humanitarian aid to economically challenged nations and use collective military action against any state committing an act of aggression.
  • President Roosevelt’s New Deal policy uplifted millions of Americans from poverty, changed the role of American government in the everyday lives of people and guided a desperate nation through a difficult period.
  • The stock market crash of 1929 was the result of unrealistic optimism by the common investor, unethical investment practices by the economic elite and a lack of government regulation.
  • John Muir’s leadership in the conservation movement helped slow the exploitation of natural resources, encouraged the government to pass conservation laws, and created a permanent awareness about the environment.
  • The impractical social experiment known as Prohibition increased, rather than decreased alcohol consumption, fostered attitudes of disrespect for the law and led to the rapid growth of organized crime in America.
  • Since its inception, the Internet has had a profound impact on commerce including shopping marketplaces, researchwith regards newspapers, databases, and search engines, and communication through email and videochatting.
  • The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) at the Battle of Belleau Wood proved their effectiveness by breaking through the German trench lines, forcing the Germans to pursue a defensive strategy and providing new hope for the tired Allied campaign.
  • The publicity surrounding the Triangle Fire tragedy, exposed dangerous working conditions, abusive management practices and made clear the need for labor reform in America.

Take Notes

Note taking: Recording information from sources that supports a thesis.

Citations for sources should be completed before notes are taken. These citations may be in electronic or paper format. Citations are notes, frequently on note cards, that identify the sources you may use in your paper; citations record the bibliographic information about the source that will appear in your Works Cited page. The Works Cited page is a listing of all the resources you have used to write the paper.

While the examples in this Writing Guide have the appearance of 3 x 5 index cards, you may use the electronic version of taking notes. See your librarian or teacher to learn to use Noodletools or other on-line formats to take notes from primary and secondary sources. The information and analysis remains the same regardless of the format used.

Sample Source Card:

Researchers use notecards to extract, synthesize and organize information to support a thesis. (If the final product is an argumentative essay, notecards may also include the counterpoint to the argument.)

Some teachers have their students use electronic tools for note taking (NoodleTools, EasyBib, etc.) while others prefer handwritten notes (Cornell notes or index cards).

Your librarian can help with this step. Regardless of the method of note taking, all notes should include the following:

• the source and location (page number) of the information

• a way to arrange or group notecards by topic or idea that corresponds to your outline (slug, tag)

• a place to record the information (quotation, paraphrase, and analysis)

Three Types of Note Cards:

All notes must relate to and prove the thesis.

Direct Quotation: This notecard contains a direct quotation from the source and is punctuated with quotation marks at the beginning of the quotation and at the end.

Paraphrase: A paraphrase reflects the meaning of the selected textual passage but uses the words of the student writing the paper. Be careful when paraphrasing NOT to plagiarize.

Summary: A summary notecard offers in a sentence or two, the thoughts the student gathers while reading a source. Be careful NOT to plagiarize.