Signatures due Jan. 10 (A) / 13(B)
January 8(A) / 9(B), 2014
Dear Freshmen and Parents,
This letter is to make parents aware of the English 1 research paper and to provide a list of expectations and due dates. I think at this stage that it is more important that students learn how to do research than that they do a lot of it. Because I am more interested in quality than volume, the project will not be extensive. It must, however, be accomplished thoroughly, accurately, and honestly.
Our students are used to doing reports, but this project requires a more thorough examination of sources and a more complex level of organization. More than simply a presentation of facts on a given subject, a research paper is a synthesis of information, organized by the student into a coherent whole for the purpose of making a point. Thorough research on a subject invariably leads students to insights of their own. On the way to these insights, they learn skills that will prove valuable in college and in the workplace.
In order to receive a minimum passing grade, every student must do research and document his or her research according to Modern Language Association specifications. A good resource for MLA guidelines is the Purdue University Online Writing Lab. I will be reviewing some of this information in class, but students are expected to familiarize themselves with MLA citation specifications on their own as well so that the contents will be reflected in their papers.
General Guidelines for the Paper
Topic: Your choice of a current issue from anywhere in the world excluding North America and Great Britain. You will study American Lit. in your Sophomore and Junior years. You will study British Lit. in your senior year. This is World Lit. and may be your last chance to explore a topic from anywhere in the world. Choose a narrow field of inquiry. “Global Warming” is too broad.
Length: 3-5 pages (not counting the Works Cited page), typed, 12 pt. font, double-spaced, Times New Roman.
Formatting: Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers a complete, for our purposes, explanation of formatting according to Modern Language Association style. Please use this resource. Your first page should look like the model first page at the website. Your Works Cited page should look like the sample Works Cited page at the website. We will explore MLA specifications in class, but you should also look to the OWL for any formatting questions that arise outside of class.
Sources: Four (4), minimum, EXCLUDING bound and electronic encyclopedia sources. You are welcome to use an encyclopedia and should document the source if you use one, but this will not count as one of the four minimum sources. Sources need not be book length. Every Internet source must originate at a reputable web site and must be approved by me. We will address the issue of web sites in class. Interviews and videotapes are acceptable sources, as are chapters from books, articles from professional and scholarly journals, and some magazine articles. On the other hand, two videos, a newspaper story, and an article from Sports Illustrated do not constitute an acceptable Works Cited page. If you are not certain whether your sources meet the minimum requirement, ask me. A paper with no sources or with fewer than four sources will fail.
Locating Sources: Most, if not all, library catalogues can be accessed online. This is a very useful tool in the planning stages, and may save a trip to the library to determine whether information is available on the chosen topic. You can search multiple library catalogues at JerseyCat This service requires the barcode number from your library card, plus a PIN, which you can get by calling your library.
While services in the town libraries vary, this is, again, not a huge project. You may have to adjust your topic according to the availability of resources. Some libraries offer access to online databases such as EBSCO. These feature articles in most disciplines from newspapers, magazines, reference books, and scholarly journals. Some of these can be accessed from home with a library card number.
Most libraries have reciprocal borrowing agreements, so you are not limited to your town’s library.
Schedule of Due Dates with Point Values. The A and B designations could change with the weather. If this happens, the assignment is due on the next class day.
Jan 8(A) / 11(B): This letter signed by a parent or guardian. 10 pts.
Jan 12(A) / 13(B): Selection of tentative topic. Topic may be adjusted over the next week, but should be settled by Jan 31. If you get your sources early, you can complete the first draft before spring break. 10 pts.
Jan 21(A) / 22(B): Show three sources. 10 pts. Bring the actual book or article, and not simply the title, to class. I have to see the whole source. If you’re using an online book, bring the title infoand URL.
Feb 4(A) / 5(B): Works Cited page that correctly documents the three sources above according to MLA specifications. See the Purdue OWL for formatting specifications. 20 pts
Feb 6(A) 7(B): A working thesis statement that shows the direction in which the paper is heading. I understand that this may change, but it ought to reflect some time spent reading and thinking. Keep it narrow. 10 pts.
Feb 18(A) / 19(B): Substantial notes from the sources. Students who prefer to use loose leaf paper should have at least three full pages of notes, including paraphrases and quotes, with the sources and page numbers documented. Students who prefer to use index cards should have 10-15 cards, codified according to the guidelines on p. 268 of Writers Inc. 15 pts.
Mar 18(A) / 19(B): First Draft due for peer critique. This is not a rough draft. It is a typed, carefully proofread first draft of the paper, complete with in-text documentation and a Works Cited page. It must be at least two pages in length and show information from three sources. It should have a clear introduction, with thesis, and a conclusion. 30 pts.
I will examine first drafts for the above specifications during the peer critique. You will use feedback from your readers to improve your paper.
April 3(A) / 4(B): Final Draft. 115 pts. 20% per day will be deducted from late submissions. Absence will not excuse late submission.
Total Time: 12 weeks Total Points: 220
On Plagiarism
According to Writers Inc, plagiarism is "the act of presenting someone else's ideas as your own" (275). Every bit of information from a source other than the writer’s personal experience, or that which is considered to be "general knowledge," must be documented. Any deviation from this practice is plagiarism. The use of a paper obtained from a web site that publishes or sells research papers is still plagiarism. If you pay for the paper, it remains somebody else’s work, and if you try to pass it off as your own, you plagiarize.
If any part of a paper appears to be plagiarized, I will ask you to produce the sources listed on your Works Cited page for review. If the information cannot be found among those sources, then you have clearly used some other source and failed to cite it. This is, of course, plagiarism. Plagiarized projects will receive a grade of zero.
In order to receive full credit, a paper must
meet min. requirements for length. Papers that fall short of the min. requirement
will be penalized according to the percentage of the minimum that is missing.
adhere to MLA specifications for format and documentation of sources.
make a point, and support that point with research.
be free of plagiarism.
be submitted on time.
be clearly organized, with a strong beginning and ending.
observe the conventions of standard English for sentence structure, grammar,
usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.
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I am aware of the schedule and expectations for the research paper.
______
Parent/Guardian signature date
Student name (please print) ______
Any changes in the schedule will be posted at the website. Dates might be moved back to
accommodate, for example, weather. I will not move due dates up.