History 138:  Science in the U.S.

Research Paper Guidelines
The Nature of the Beast The research paper is what it says.  It presents your original research, formulating your findings as an analytical, interpretive contribution to your chosen topic .  The research paper puts you in the position of the historian.

These guidelines will start you on the process.  The website is divided into four sections:

Introduction to the research paper
Constructing a research paper
Finding a topic and sources
Moving towards the final paper (assignments)
Before continuing to those pages, please finish these guidelines.
Task Your paper may deal with any topic in the history of science in the U.S.  You may  define science in the broad sense we have used in this course.  The subject matter must be historical, and topics must lie at least 25 years in the past. 

Your aim is not simply to report what happened, but to analyze and interpret.  You must develop a thesis and an argument to support it.  Explain the significance and implications of your topic;  fit it into what we have learned in class.  Your argument must be based on research in primary sources (at least two) and secondary sources (at least two).

The paper of 9-12 pages is due at the beginning of class on Monday, November 25. Intermediate assignments are due on September 20 (first thoughts), October 4 (topic), October 28 (source list), and November 6 (abstract).
Authorship It is highly recommended that you seek help from a friend in revising.  An argument must be persuasive to the reader, so try to get comments.  The Student Learning Center offers drop-in writing tutoring.  You may consult with classmates — indeed, you are encouraged to — but the paper you turn in must be your own work.  If you have questions, please ask.

Don't even think of using a paper from a proprietary website.  If you take text off the web, be assured I will find it.  And I know the print literature;  I will look up your sources.
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On to:
Introduction to the research paper
Constructing a research paper
Finding a topic and sources
Moving towards the final paper (assignments)
 

Copyright © Cathryn Carson 2002