World History Honors
Research Paper Instructions
Write a 6-8 page research paper on an element of world history that we have covered or will cover in class using at least 7 historical sources. This essay will not merely be a narrative of the factual information found in these sources but will be an argumentative essay in which you present a thesis statement clearly supported by specific historical evidence.
Choose your topic from any element of World History that we have studied or will study this year into which you would like to delve deeper or that you would like to examine more thoroughly.
**Focus on WORLD History
-you may not write on any topic even tangentially related to the United States
-you may not write on any topic related to the more obvious or regularly covered events of
western civilization or European history
**Be sure that you will be able to write 6-8 pages on your topic, that you will be able to find suitable
and relevant sources, and that you will be able to make an argument.
Essay Format:
-introductory paragraph with a strong thesis statement
-body paragraphs, each with a topic sentence that directly connects to/supports your thesis and that
includes supporting evidence
-the number of body paragraphs will depend on your thesis and evidence, be sure that
you thoroughly support your argument will all relevant information
-you should not use body paragraphs as narrative (recitation of facts) or to give background
information
-focus on analysis of historical evidence and how this evidence supports your thesis
-conclusion paragraph that restates your thesis and your supporting evidence
**see the “Outline Format” (on the Documents page) for more detailed instructions and the format you will use in the outline you will turn in
Formatting:
-use Times New Roman font, size 12
-Header on the top left corner of the first page with only the following:
-Your name
-Course name
-Date due
-Essay title centered in bold
-Page numbers at the bottom of each page
-Indent the first line of each paragraph
-Double space the entire essay, including title
-no additional spaces between paragraphs
Sources:
You must use and citeat least 7 sources in your essay. These sources should be books or articles available in internet databases.
Books: from our school library, your local public library and/or UGA
Internet Databases:
-JSTOR and ABC-CLIO through our MediaCenter
-HistoryReferenceCenter and EBSCO Host through the public library’s Galileo
**Check the “Electronic Resource Guide” (on the Documents page) for detailed information on how to access the Internet Databases.
Encyclopedias are not appropriate sources and should only be used to help you understand the background or general context of your topic. Similarly, websites are not legitimate resources for historical research papers.
Bibliography:
A bibliography, with all the sources you used while writing your essay (including those you read, but did not actually cite in the paper) must be included as the last page of your essay (on its own separate page)
-center the title (Bibliography) in bold
-Alphabetize by the first word in each entry (ignoring articles like “the” and “a/an”)
-Double space the entire bibliography
-no additional spaces between entries
-First line of each entry at the margin, indent every following line of the entry
Format:
You should use MLA format for your bibliography. See the below examples for formatting and check the provided MLA Guide links (on the Documents page) for more information.
Books:
Author last name, Author first name. Title of Book. Place of Publication (use geographically
closest): Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
ex. McCall, Jeremiah. The Cavalry of the RomanRepublic: Cavalry Combat and Elite
Reputations in the Middle and Late Republic. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.
Internet Database Articles:
Author last name, Author first name. “Article Title.” Journal Name. Volume.Issue Number
(Month abbrev. Year): page numbers. Publisher name. Database name. Medium of
Publication. Date of Access.
ex.Heather, Peter. “The Huns and the End of the Roman Empire in Western Europe.” The English
Historical Review. 110.435 (Feb. 1995): 4-41. OxfordUniversity Press. JSTOR. Web. 10
Feb. 2010.
Footnotes:
You must cite the evidence you use from any and all of your sources in the body of your essay to attribute the information to the proper source and to avoid plagiarism.
**You must use/cite at least 7 different sources in the body of your essay
Footnotes should be inserted at the end of the sentence that includes the cited evidence
-after the period of the sentence, type Ctrl+Alt+F
-a superscript number will appear after the period
-another superscript number will appear at the bottom of the page with your cursor
-enter the citation next to the appropriate footnote number at the bottom of the page
-do not change the way Word does footnoting – it is already formatted correctly
-the number footnote refers to the place in the essay that the information appears not the
particular source you are using
-use Times New Roman font, size 10 in your footnotes (the default setting)
-all footnotes should be single spaced
-do not indent any part of your citation entry
-you only use the full entry the first time you cite each source
-thereafter use an abbreviation (see below for specifics)
Format:
You should use MLA format for your bibliography. See the below examples for formatting and check the provided MLA Guide links (on the Documents page) for more information.
Books:
Author name (first name first), Title (PublicationCity: Publisher, year of publication),
page number.
ex. Jeremiah McCall, The Cavalry of the RomanRepublic: Cavalry Combat and Elite
Reputations in the Middle and Late Republic (New York: Routledge, 2002), 100.
**Abbreviation for second, etc. citations
Author’s last name, page number.
ex. McCall, 101.
Internet Database Articles:
Author name (first name first), “Article Title,” Journal Name, Volume Number.Issue Number
(Month abbrev. Year): page numbers, Publisher Name, Database name, Medium of Publication,
Date of Access.
ex. Peter Heather, “The Huns and the End of the Roman Empire in Western Europe,” The English
Historical Review, 110.435 (Feb. 1995): 4-41, Oxford University Press, JSTOR, Web, 10 Feb.
2010.
**Abbreviation for second, etc. citations
Author’s last name, “Abbreviated Article Title.”
ex. Heather, “The Huns and the End of the Roman Empire.”