Final Research Paper Assignment

Final Research Paper Assignment

  • The Assignment: write a 10-15 page research paper, based on primary and secondary sources, that investigates some interesting question of European history in the period we are studying.
  • Due: On the last day of class at midnight on Moodle
  • Length: paper should be at least 3000 words and at most 4500 words (about 10-15 pp.)
  • Format: follow the format guidelines of the Sample Research Paper – on our Handouts page
  • Bibliography: Include a bibliography of the sources you have used (which doesn’t count toward paper length)
  • Your final research paper should integrate (with appropriate adaptations, of course) the secondary source paper and the primary source analysis paper you wrote earlier
Organization

I suggest you organize your paper in the following manner:

  • a title that lays out the subject and the central point
  • a 2 ¶ introduction
    • the first ¶ should draw in the reader and announce the topic with a concrete example
    • the second ¶ should lay out the question that you are exploring, point to the works you will use in your analysis, and lay out the thesis
  • important background and context – in 1-3 ¶s
  • treatment of the historiography through your analysis of the secondary source – in a few ¶s
  • analysis of a primary source – in a few ¶s
    • presentation and analysis
    • this is the heart of your paper, where you delver the argument
  • a conclusion
    • typically 1 to 2 ¶s
    • you would want to summarize your central point and tell us why it is significant
  • And if any of these guideliines turn out to be unworkable for your topic and your approach, feel free to throw them out. (But note, the criteria of evaluation will still apply).
Figures

Some of you may want to include figures in your paper. These are welcome but not necessary. If you do use them, insert them into the text at about 1/4 page size and add a figure caption that connects the image to the paper and indicates the source. For example: A British trench during the Battle of the Somme, in July 1916 (Wikimedia Commons) or Vera Brittain With Her Brother Edward in 1915 (Testament of Youth, Penguin Edition).

Citations and footnotes

You must cite: direct quotations, examples, and the source of your information. A typical history paper will have one to three citations in each paragraph.

For citation style, please use footnotes in Chicago style (that is the go-to format for historical research). It is not hard to learn: Microsoft Word and Google Doc both have functions to insert footnotes (see insert… footnote…) that will keep your footnotes correctly numbered and formatted.

You can see Purdue Owl for examples of how to format various footnotes (to books, journal articles, web sites, etc.). I’m not so worried about perfect format and details of publication, but a good footnote should take me to the source and the particular page you are using, such as:
  • Kershaw, 123.
  • Federico Neiburg, “Inflation: Economists and Economic Cultures in Brazil and Argentina,” Comparative Studies in Society and History (2006), 604.
Sharing Research

From the beginning of this project, you should share the work you are doing in a research folder on OneDrive – named with your last name and a short version of your topic (Shaya – Anarchism Research Paper, for example). Inside this folder you should keep your weekly assignments as Word files, bibliographies, and notes. Create a folder called AI Research and save a copy of AI searches or conversations. Some of you may want to work in Google Drive, in which case you can share your research folder to gshaya@gmail.com.

Plagiarism policy

Any sources that you use must be appropriately quoted, paraphrased, and cited. If you borrow more than four words in a row from a source you must put these in quotation marks and cite the source. Please review the handout, “What is Plagiarism – and How to Avoid It” posted on our Handouts page and let’s discuss any questions you have. Plagiarism counts as a serious violation of academic integrity.

AI policy

You are invited to use AI tools to brainstorm ideas and search for sources. I also allow you (maybe even encourage you) to get feedback from AI after completing each research assignment. I require that you track all AI searches and conversations that you do for this paper in a folder of saved results – and keep this within your research folder. What is absolutely not allowed, and is grounds for failing the paper and the course, is using AI generated text in your paper for any reason.

Criteria
  • Do you introduce your paper well? Do you have an interesting argument to launch your paper?
  • Do you provide important context and background to help us understand the topic?
  • Do you present and analyze your secondary source well?
  • Do you present and analyze your primary source well?
  • Is it well written – in clear prose that sounds like you?
  • Do you bring in concrete examples – details and quotations – that explain the primary source and support your analysis?
  • Do you cite your sources – and show how you know what you know?
  • Do you include a bibliography (no annotations necessary, but correctly formatted) of all of the sources you used?
  • Just as important as all of the above is the process of research. How well did you complete the process of research? (Staying on track along the way, sharing files, taking notes, and responding to feedback).