FINAL PAPER SPECIFICATIONS
I. Final Paper
Your cover page must include your title, which must incorporate
dates or reference to a
clear time period. Find an interesting way to alert readers as to what
topic awaits them within.
Your final paper should be 12-15 pages of text, double-space,
in 12 pt. type [Courier or
Time Roman; see examples], with one-inch margins, and free from spelling
errors. The
12-15 pages do not include endnotes, appendix, etc.
Use endnotes in quoting sources. For the form to use for both
endnotes and
bibliography see Manual, section 5.3, pp. 93-111. Do not use
footnotes.
Your paper must include an appendix of no more than three pages.
One of the pages
must be a sample of your primary source material. You may include documents,
maps,
photographs, graphs, interviews, or any other relevant exhibits that
will help the reader
understand your work. Make sure each page is labeled and the source
noted (Manual,
section 4.11, pp. 70-71).
Your paper must include a bibliography, divided into section
according to the nature of
the source material: primary sources, secondary literature, interviews,
websites. If you
read a book or an article that helped your understand your topic, you
may include it in the
bibliography even if you did not quote from it in the paper.
II. Checklist
A final paper consists of the following:
______ cover page (title, your name, course number)
______12-15 page paper
______ appendix
______ endnotes
______ bibliography
______ research log
III. Organizational and Writing Tips
Your paper should begin with a clear statement as to the topic, question,
and thesis. Each
paragraph should advance your thesis, making points which relate specifically
to your
question and proposed response. The concluding paragraph should summarize
your
findings and assert how they support your argument. No new information
in the
conclusion! Make sure your quotes are fully referenced in the endnotes
and the sources
in the bibliography.
Try to avoid overuse of the passive tense. Use your search function
to look for was, had,
were, and would to see if you can identify compound verbs
and make them more direct
(she threw instead of she had thrown or the vase was
thrown).
Use search to check for vocabulary which appears too often and substitute synonyms.
Use "I" sparingly, if at all.
Cut out long introductory openings to sentences: "In analyzing this
topic it would appear
that the energy level of students drops at finals time" should become
"The energy level of
students drops." Clean, concise, to-the-point sentences are the goal!
Consult your Manual as you research, organize, and write your
paper.
IV. Research log
Your research log may be typed or may be a loose collection of paper.
The point is, I
want to see with what you have been working. Your log should include
contactsí names;
sources which proved useful and those which did not; some description
of what you have
been doing; tips for additional avenues of research; and the like.
V. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious academic violation. Plagiarism means to take
the ideas, writing,
or arguments of others and pass them off as your own. If you quote
directly from a book,
you must enclose that material in quotation marks and indicate the
source with an
endnote. You should not paraphrase so closely that you say essentially
the same thing as
your source. Plagiarism is discussed in the CMU student handbook. Please
read the
passage closely before writing your papers! The penalty for plagiarism
in this course
will be failure in the course.