Mitchell 1

Tia Mitchell

Mrs. Tia Mitchell

Honors English

1 December 2015

Research Paper Information and Instructions

Your research paper should contain approximately 75% YOU—your thoughts, your commentary, and your ideas. The other 25% consists of the research evidence you use to support your thoughts, commentary, and ideas. This breakdown allows you to enjoy the process more, learn more (about yourself and your subject), and makes your paper more fun to write and read! Also, I have heard (and read) many college professors say they are tired of reading and grading BORING papers. They want to hear your voice; they want to know you feel passionately about something and that you make connections with your subject. One of our main goals in your research paper work is to give you the opportunity to learn more about a subject that interests you, and to give you the opportunity to show and express yourself through your writing.

  1. Due Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2015 – no later than 8 a.m. – TYPED PER MLA GUIDELINES
  2. No excuses accepted for late work. You have enough notice. Complete it early if you think this may be an issue for you. (Instructions provided 10/23/15)
  3. Late papers receive a letter grade deduction each day paper is late.
  4. Topic: Select five current events/topics you are most interested in. Research each one a little to determine YOUR position on that topic. Bring your top five to class on Wednesday Oct. 28. Be careful to NOT submit the same topics as others. Google the NY Times article, “301 Prompts for Argumentative Writing,” for topic help. I will give you YOUR topic on Friday, Oct. 30.
  5. Sources (All primary and secondary sources)
  6. Five to sevenreliable, USEDsources required on your Works Cited page and in your parenthetical documentation. (No less than five, no more than seven.)
  7. May consist of:
  8. One textbook (Literature, History, etc.)
  9. One Encyclopedia (You may use one book source and one computer source; however, Wikipedia, Answers.com, etc., and blog sites arenot allowed as sources.)
  10. Use multiple formats for sources: journal articles, books, videos, magazines, interviews, television, newspapers, etc.
  11. DO NOT use all internet sources; doing so results in a failing grade. You must have at least two non-internet sources to avoid failure.
  12. Upon deciding to use a source, write down or print all information related to the source so you will have it for parenthetical documentation and Works Cited page. Write page numbers from sources also.
  13. Length and Formatting: MLA - See Purdue Owl link for help.
  14. Minimum of four pages, maximum of six, of TYPED BODY—Works Cited not included in the page count, but is numbered at the top, right corner
  15. Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman ONLY (including pagination), One-inch margins top, right and left; set bottom margin to .8” or .85” to insure no more than 1” at bottom. Insert Page Number to set pagination ½ inch from top), Black ink only
  16. Refer to owl.english.purdue.edu MLA formatting for help with ALL THINGS research paper related.
  17. Grading: See Grading rubrics for grading information in addition to the following issues that warrant immediate failing grade:
  18. Typed body too long (greater than 6 pages), or typed body too short (less than four pages)
  19. No “Works Cited” page
  20. No parenthetical documentation (giving author credit in body of work)
  21. Plagiarism
  22. All computer sources
  23. Four days late
  24. Helpful Hints to Writing a Great Paper
  25. See various handouts posted in the “Research Paper” folder on my school website.
  26. Do not use “you” or any of its forms.
  27. Print and personally proofread your paper PRIOR to submitting for grade. You should also complete it early enough that someone else has time to proofread it for you.
  28. Waiting until the last minute can really hurt some people.
  29. Plagiarism: We will discuss this in class together, but you need to see this in print. Plagiarism is assigning your name to another person’s work, ideas, words, etc., as if it is your work, your ideas, your words, etc., without giving credit to the appropriate person. You will earn an “F” if you submit a plagiarized paper.