Submission Instructions
Submit a paper copy of your 15-20 page research paper to me by 11:00 am on Thursday, April 29—that is, at the beginning of the final lecture. Papers submitted after 11:00 am on April 29 will be considered late. I will not accept technical problems (computing/printing problems) as excuses for late submission. Late papers will lose one-third of a grade for each day late (e.g. an A minus paper submitted on Friday, April 30, will receive a B plus). If you wish to submit a paper over the weekend, you must email the paper to chester@colorado.edu and put a paper copy in my box (in Hellems 204) or under my office door (Hellems 225) by noon on Monday.
Drafts
I am happy to provide feedback on paper drafts. If you submit a draft by April 1, I will do my best to get it back to you within one week. I will accept drafts until April 15, but I cannot guarantee how quickly I will return them to you after April 1.
Extensions
As always, if you anticipate a problem with your paper, contact me in advance to see if an extension can be arranged. Extensions will be available after April 29 only in cases of family or medical emergency.
Turnitin.com Requirement
You must also submit an electronic copy of your paper to turnitin.com by midnight on April 29. Papers not submitted to turnitin.com will receive an F. I will distribute instructions for using turnitin.com in April.
Primary Sources
A “research paper” is a paper whose argument is based on primary sources. If you have any questions about whether the material you are using is primary, do not hesitate to contact me. For a select list of some of the many primary sources available at Norlin Library, see <http://www.colorado.edu/history/chester/ModIndPrimary.htm>.
Timeframe
Your paper should center on a topic that falls within the timeframe of this course. If you wish to focus on a topic outside the modern period, you must consult with me first.
Articulate your argument clearly.
Explain the significance of your topic—answer the “so what?” question.
Make sure your argument is not obvious, i.e. that another observer looking at the same evidence could argue a different case. Acknowledge these alternative arguments and demonstrate why your interpretation fits the facts best.
Offer a roadmap and lay out your argument in the first paragraph.
Offer your analysis of the events/individuals/institutions you’re examining; don’t simply describe what happened.
Clear, thoughtful, non-obvious argument A
Acknowledgement and analysis of alternative arguments
Excellent analysis
Excellent grammar and style
Complete, properly formatted citations
Clear argument B
Leaning towards description rather than analysis
Good grammar and style
Minor problems with citations
Lack of clear argument C
Lack of adequate analysis
Problems with grammar and style
Problems with primary sources (if applicable)
Significant problems with citations
No argument D
Major problems with grammar and style
Major problems with primary sources (e.g. no primary sources)
Lack of any identifiable organization F
Outline your paper in order to lay out how each point of evidence relates to your argument. Incorporate this clear progression into your final paper.
Form an editing group with other students. Read each others’ papers for content and for grammar; give each other feedback.
Visit a writing tutor.
Double space your paper.
Write for an intelligent Martian. Don’t assume your reader has any background information.
Avoid passive tense (e.g. not “the paper was written” but “I wrote the paper”).
Shun repetition. Think of another word to use rather than repeating the same word or phrase.
Specify what “this” is (e.g. not “this angered Nehru” but “this policy angered Nehru”). Your writing will be stronger as a result!
Be attentive to value-laden terminology and consider whether a neutral term is more appropriate (e.g. avoid the word “natives” in favor of “indigenous peoples;” refer to a nation/state as “it” not “she”)
Pay attention to proper use of “which” and “that,” as well as “who,” “whom,” and “that.”
Review “affect” vs “effect.”
Avoid split infinitives (e.g. “to boldly go . . .”)
Be sure that verb and subject agree.
For a superb resource on grammar and style, see Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, which contains classic writing advice like “Omit needless words.”
Spell check and proofread before you submit!
Number each page.
Include your name, the course number, and the date on the first page.
Staple your paper.
Citation
Use footnotes (rather than endnotes or parenthetic citation). Footnotes provide the DNA of historical scholarship. They show your reader where you got your information.
Provide a bibliography, which includes all works you consulted in the course of your research (rather than a works cited page, which includes only the works you actually cited in the paper).
Book (Footnote Format): Salman Rushdie, The Ground beneath Her Feet (New York: Henry Holt, 1999): 83.
Book (Bibliography Format): Rushdie, Salman. The Ground beneath Her Feet. New York: Henry Holt, 1999. [book pages normally not cited in bibliography]
Article (Footnote Format): Judith Lewis, “‘‘Tis a Misfortune to Be a Great Ladie’: Maternal Mortality in the British Aristocracy, 1558-1959,” Journal of British Studies 37 (1998): 45.
Article (Bibliography Format): Lewis, Judith. “‘‘Tis a Misfortune to Be a Great Ladie’: Maternal Mortality in the British Aristocracy, 1558-1959.” Journal of British Studies 37 (1998): 26-53.
Public Document Online (Footnote Format): U.S. Census Bureau, “Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin, 1987 to 1999,” Health Insurance Historical Table 1, 2000, http://www.census.gov/hhes/hlthins/historic/hihist1/html (accessed June 29, 2003).
Public Document Online (Bibliography Format): U.S. Census Bureau. “Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin, 1987 to 1999.” Health Insurance Historical Table 1, 2000. http://www.census.gov/hhes/hlthins/historic/hihist1/html (accessed June 29, 2003).
Cite all secondary accounts in addition to primary sources.
Do not cite class lectures as secondary accounts.
Divide your bibliography into primary sources and secondary accounts.
For more information on citation format, see The Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.