Research Paper Assignment

Research Paper Assignment

• The research paper assignment consists of a 7-10 page research paper documenting the results of the student’s research on one of the topics provided. Students will need to cite at least 4 separate sources in addition to the course textbook in their research bibiliography.  Students are free to use any variety of valid internet sources, but must include at least 2 scholarly, academic sources obtained through a library or affiliated databases of academic journals.  (accessible through the Cardinal Meyer Library website)

• This paper will need to be fully annotated in the citation style of your choice. For information on appropriate styles of citation, links to various style manuals are available through the Writing Center webpage. (http://www.marianuniversity.edu/interior.aspx?id=782)
• A correctly formatted listing of the references used must be provided (depending on the citation style, the heading could be “Bibliography, References, Works Cited,” etc.
• The completed work must also include citations throughout…it is not enough to simply provide the reference source, you must cite the specific instances in the paper where you are referring to each source.
• If you have ANY questions on citation, please ask…ignorance is not an excuse for omission – papers without proper citation will receive and immediate full letter grade reduction.

• Basic Essay Formatting Guidelines

• All submitted work must be typewritten and double spaced
• No shorter than 7 pages no longer than 11 pages
• Font size no larger than 12pt, no smaller than 10pt
• One (1) inch margins
• No bulleted lists
• No extra returns between paragraphs
• A document addressing the various forms of plagiarism is posted on MO2. Students are expected to have read it and will be held accountable for the information included in it.

Following is a list of common errors that student writers make.  Be sure to be aware of these issues as you write your paper.

• Be aware of the verb tense that you are using, and be consistent with it…e., don’t switch back and forth between past and present tense constantly. A general rule of thumb, if you are talking about events that happened in the past, you should be using a past tense verb.

• Avoid using the 1^st and 2^nd person pronouns (I, we, you) when writing academic papers. This type of usage personalizes and makes your writing sound too subjective – in writing of this sort, you are striving for objectivity.

• Avoid the use of contractions in academic writing (take a look at the video on MO2 which details the difference between formal and informal writing.) You are striving for FORMAL writing in this assignment

• Words of advice – go through your paper and read it out loud as a means of editing. Often times we have misspellings that slip through spell check, or sentences that seemed OK when we wrote them, but when actually read, make no sense.  Overall grammar and syntax are an important part of an intelligible paper

• There are links to useful essay writing and grammar websites posted on MO2. You are free to consult these or other websites or to make use of the Marian University Writing Center for help with your papers.  Of course, you may also contact me with questions.  Given enough lead time, I am happy to give you feedback on a first draft.

• A grading rubric for the essays, which will show you how your writing assignment will be assessed, is posted on MO2.

• SPELL CHECK ≠ PROOF READ

1. Words that are spelled correctly, but are simply the wrong word, will not be picked up. For instance:  “Much of the work in medieval Europe was done by pheasants.  Pheasants plowed the fields, pheasants milked the cows, and pheasants milled the grain.”
   1. Imagine how tired their little wings must have been! The point is, since pheasant is not misspelled, spell check does not identify it as incorrect.  Amazing the difference one “h” can make J

• PROOF READ, PROOF READ, PROOF READ
  1. You don’t want to lose points for typos, etc