need one primary and one secondary source. One book source.

Revolutionary America, 1763-1791
History 1301
McGaughy
Guidelines for Research Paper Assignment
Each student enrolled in this course will write a research paper topic on a subject of their own
choosing that pertains to the history of Revolutionary America, 1763 to 1791. Students must
select the topic of their paper by Tuesday, 15 September 2015 (PLEASE NOTE: Students who
have not selected a topic by the posted deadline for their class will have 50 points deducted from
their overall Research Paper grade. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.
The final drafts of Research Papers are due during class on Tuesday, 24 November 2015.
PLEASE NOTE: Late Research Papers will not be accepted by the professor. Students who do
not turn in their Research Papers on or before the posted deadline for their class will receive a
zero for their Research Paper grade. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.
For more detailed guidelines for the successful completion of the research paper see the
Performance Rubric for this assignment.
Students are required to use primary sources and secondary works while completing their
research. Students are required to use both printed and Internet-based sources. PLEASE NOTE:
Research papers that are entirely based on Internet-based sources will automatically receive a
zero for their overall research paper grade. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.
Primary sources represent first-hand accounts, or eyewitness testimony. Primary sources include
(but are not limited to) letters, diaries, journals, newspaper articles published at the time the
events took place, and books written by participants in the events. Secondary works are books
and articles written after the events transpired by someone who was not a direct participant in the
events.
Please Note: The Research Paper assignment will require library research, which entails the use
of printed resources along with Internet-based resources. Students will have to carefully select the
Internet-based resources before using them. There is a strong possibility that students may have to
rely upon resources available at nearby universities if those items are not available through the
HCC Library.
Please Note: Students are required to cite all of the sources used in their research by using both
footnotes and a bibliography. All sources that appear on the final draft of the bibliography must,
in some way, be cited in a footnote. The professor will explain the difference between a
bibliographical entry and the correct format for both later in the semester. Students whose final
drafts have incorrect citations will suffer substantial point deductions. THERE IS NO
EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE.
Please Note: Under no circumstance are students allowed to use Wikipedia as a source of
information. Wikipedia has proven to be too unreliable for a variety of reasons for it to be trusted
as a source of information. Students who list material from Wikipedia as a source on the final
draft of their bibliography will have 50 points deducted from their overall research paper grade.
THERE IS NO EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE.
The research paper will account for 50% of your overall course grade.
Format Guidelines for Research Paper:
1. There is no optimum length for the research paper, but the research paper should not
exceed fifteen pages. However long the final draft becomes, each research paper must
include an introduction, a theme and thesis, and must demonstrate actual research on the
topic through the use of footnotes and a bibliography. Final drafts that are short and do
not include the items listed above will suffer substantial point deductions.
2. In the upper-right corner of the title page put your first and last name, the title of the
course, the course identification numbers, and the date that the final draft of the research
paper is due. In the center of the title page place the title of the research paper.
3. Put your last name and the page number in the upper-right hand corner of each
subsequent page following the title page and topic approval sheet using the header feature
on Microsoft Word.
4. Pay attention to grammar. Take time to carefully proofread your work before turning in
the final draft. Students are strongly encouraged to submit work to Ask Online and have
their papers reviewed for grammar errors before submitting their final drafts. See course
syllabus for more details regarding Ask Online.
5. At the end of the research paper as part of a separate section include a bibliography of
both primary sources and secondary works used in your research, both print- and
Internet-based resources. Final drafts that are based exclusively on web-based resources
will suffer substantial point deductions.
6. Document your research throughout your paper by using footnotes indicating the extent
to which you used the items presented in your bibliography. Every source listed on the
final draft of the bibliography must be cited in the footnotes throughout the paper. If it is
not cited in a footnote then do not include it on the final draft of the bibliography.
If any part of the format guidelines is not clear, get them clarified before submitting the final draft
of your research paper.