INFORMATION CENTRAL: Guidelines, Advice & Essays for Writing History Papers

Dr. Butros' Guide to Happy Paper Writing	Required Guidelines for Preparing and Formatting Term Papers and Essays
What is Historical Writing?	FROM QUERIES TO ANSWERS: A Taxonomy of Historical Questioning
Citation Styles: The Internet Sourcebooks and Other Web-based Documents"	Sample Research Paper (to view and consult)

Specific Paper Topic. The required topic is a comparative study of the historical documents from two different ancient cultures or empires of the student's own choosing to show what the inscriptions might reveal historically about those empires, including organization and factors in their expansion or dissolution. Any other topic cannot be accepted. The texts and documents are found as primary sources (i.e., original documents) in the course readings and assignments, as well as any other inscriptions that students would find on their own.

The paper must not be cobbled together from secondary sources. Neither can it be merely a restatement of things already written by other historians and authors. It must include original thinking by the student, based on the contents of appropriate primary-source documents.

Hypothesis and Thesis Statement. Be analytical and evaluative in your use of the sources. The paper is a series of arguments to prove a point (a thesis). Develop a specific hypothesis or theme drawn from the primary sources. Then strive to prove that hypothesis throughout the paper. The first paragraph of the paper must contain an introduction with a Thesis Statement. A thesis statement a clear assertion of the very point of the paper; it is the hypothesis that the paper intends to prove, and the paper is built around the thesis. For more information on formulating thesis statements and evaluating and questioning sources, see the document (listed above) entitled, "FROM QUERIES TO ANSWERS: A Taxonomy of Historical Questioning." This paper will be graded acccording to how well it incorporates the various levels of historical questioning in its analyses, as described in the "Taxonomy".

MINIMUM REFERENCE REQUIREMENTS: To develop this paper properly, students must also consult a number of secondary sources on the societies they are studying. More recent publications and treatments are preferable to earlier publications. Avoid sources published before the 1930's where possible. The paper must include and cite a minimum of 3 different primary text?documents from each of the 2 empires being compared and contrasted (total minimum = 6) plus a minimum of 3 modern secondary sources. Failure to meet these necessary reference minimums will result in deductions in the paper grades.

Therefore, take copious notes to prepare this paper, keep track of all the books, articles and sources that you use. Compile them, and keep them together for submission. These notes must reflect the evolution and unfolding research for the paper. Don't skimp, and don't fudge the assignment by trying to tinker notes together after the fact--after the paper is already completed (that always shows!). A mere outline of the paper's contents is unacceptable. The notes will be a component in grading the paper.

Sample Paper. To see a sample or template of a paper using the required formats and styles for this research paper, including setup, margins, spacings, block quotations, footnotes, bibiography, etc., follow the links at the top of this page marked Sample Paper.

Format. All research papers should be printed printed single-sided only, using black ink only on 8.5x11-inch white paper, with 1-inch margins all around. Two-sided printing is not permitted and results in grade deductions. The paper must include:

1. cover page (do not repeat paper title and course information on page 1 of text);
   
2. text typed double spaced and in 12-point type (not Helvetica, Arial or any ornamental font);
3. printed page numbers on all pages except cover sheet and page 1;
4. citations (footnotes only; no endnotes or parenthesis-notes);
   
5. separate Bibliography-page.

The cover page and the bibliography do not count toward the required number of 6-7 pages. Pagination begins on the first page of text.

Papers should be submitted in paper format only. Two-sided printing is not permitted and results in grade deductions. Papers submitted electronically via e-mail are unacceptable, since: (1) formatting changes can occur when transferring files between computers; (2) it is not the responsibility of the History Department to print out students' papers.

Required Style Guide. In the preparation and execution of all papers for the class, students are required to follow the style and format presented by Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996), especially in regard to the style of block quotations, citations (i.e., footnotes), and bibliographies.

Turabian's style, also called the "Chicago style," is the official style-guide of the History Department of the College of Charleston. This style is recognized throughout the world for academic writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences. If you are not familiar with this format, open the book and learn it! Do not try to "wing" it or fudge the format. Any papers that do not conform to Turabian's Manual will be graded accordingly. Copies are located in the College of Charleston Library Reference Section and on Permanent Reserve. The Writing Lab can also advise any student in Turabian's format; it also provides a Turabian style sheet (only marginally useful!).

You will find various extracts of Turabian's Manual at the following Web addresses (n.b.: these are not replacements for full Turabian's Manual!):

University of Chicago Press: Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers

https://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html

Bridgewater State College: "Turabian Style: Sample Footnotes and Bibliographic Entries (6th edition)"

https://www.bridgew.edu/library/turabian.cfm

Ohio State University: "Chicago Manual of Style Form Guide"

https://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/guides/chicagogd.html

University of Wisconsin-Madison: "Writer's Guide (Chicago Turabian Documentation)"

https://www.wisc.edu/writing/handbook/docchicago.html

Citations: Required Footnotes. Footnotes are required in this paper. Footnotes occur at the bottom of each page. Remember, this paper requires you to cite a minimum of 3 different primary text-documents from each of the two sides empires (minimum total = 6) plus a minimum of 3 modern secondary sources. Consult Turabian's Manual on how to space, number, and format footnotes properly.

All good word processing programs (e.g, Microsoft Word, Works, Word Perfect, etc.) can automatically number and format footnotes. You must know how to activate the footnote commands to create these notes. You must also adjust the footnote formatting options to ensure that the format of the notes conforms specifically to Turabian's style. For example, footnotes are properly single-spaced inside each note, but double-spaced between notes. Certain software do not do that automatically (e.g., Microsoft Word and Works), which means you must insert the double space manually by typing the "Enter"-key at the end of every note.

You should footnote any fact or piece of information that is not common knowledge. Be conscientious to note the sources of all facts, thoughts, and ideas that you use from other books and articles in your paper, whether or not you actually quote them directly. Even paraphrases must be footnoted. As a rule of thumb, never quote class-lecture notes. If you want to quote material mentioned in class, you should go find it in published sources among the course readings, and quote from there. If you cannot find the source among the readings, see the instructor for advice. Also, do not cite or quote from any encyclopedias, dictionaries, or from the course textbook (Spodek, The World's History); for details, see Required Guidelines for Preparing and Formatting Term Papers and Essays)". However, it is permissable to quote from the course primary-text reader (Riley et al., The Global Experience).

Use footnotes only. Do not use endnotes or parenthetical references. That means you cannot put references into parentheses at the end of a sentence, nor can you group all your notes into a single list at the end of the paper. Do not mix the two in the same paper. Read Turabian, chapter 11, pp. 185-213, to compare the forms and styles of citations. Do not copy and paste footnotes into the bibliography; they are different. Turabian's Manual uses the following different formats for notes versus bibliography (e.g., p. 187):

Repeating Citations and References. The first time a reference occurs in a footnote, type the full citation (author, title, series, volume no., publisher, date, pages, etc.--see Turabian, ch. 11). Thereafter, when the reference occurs again in later footnotes, do not copy and paste the full citation, but use a simple short form of the reference (see Turabian, 8.88-98, "short reference"), e.g., [author]+[page no.] If the bibliography contains two works by the same author, differentiate the short references so: [author]+[abbreviated title]+[page no.]. When a repeat reference occurs immediately in the next footnote, you may use the Latin, "Ibid." (where the page no. is the same) and "Ibid."+[page no.] (where the page no. is different--see Turabian, 8.85-87, for details).

Format of Internet Sources. Use the correct Turabian format to properly cite sources from Internet Ancient History Sourcebook and the Internet Medieval Sourcebook and other legitimate Internet sources pre-approved by the instructor. For samples of footnotes and bibliography entries and advice on the form and format of Internet sources, see the instructor's guide (also listed above), "Citation Styles: The Internet Sourcebooks and Other Web-based Documents".

Bibliography. The Bibliography comes at the end of the paper beginning on a separate page of its own. It is a listing of each book and article quoted or cited earlier in the footnotes. Do not list any sources that you did not actually footnote in the paper. All the books and articles are listed in alphabetical order according to the last name of the author. Although you can cite a reference as many times as necessary in the footnotes, in the Bibliography, you may list each entry only once. Similarly, do not list each primary text-reference separately in the bibliography, if they come from the same anthology. List only the anthology in which it is published, and list it only once.

Spelling. Form and spelling are factors in grading the final research paper. If you are uncertain of your spelling, use a dictionary. You must proofread your paper before submitting it, and make any minor last-minute corrections cleanly in ink, if necessary!! A few handwritten corrections will be tolerated; more than a few will lower your grade. If you employ a word processor, use a spell-check program. Admittedly, that will not be of help in spelling foreign names. So you will need to be conscious of spelling throughout.

Form! Form! Form! Why? Why? Why? Why all the emphasis on form? A research paper is a means of communication. The purpose of any paper is to convey an argument as logically as possible according to standards of form that facilitate its communicative function. Form is not merely format and correct spelling but also includes the logical arrangement of an argument and the rational ordering of historical and textual data to support a particular point of view. Poor form can impede the communication of a valid point of view. When a paper cannot communicate due to a lapse of form, it has failed in its purpose.

Use the Web to research topics and issues, but do not quote or paraphrase from the open Web without prior permission of the instructor . . .

The Web for Research? One does not perform research merely by sitting at a computer monitor Googling and browsing the World Wide Web (not yet anyway). One does research by paging through books and journal articles (in print or electronic databases). One consults the bibliographies at the backs of relevant books. One also identifies sources by following citations in the footnotes of recent publications backward to earlier publications. Research data forms a paper trail through the sources. In any article or book that you read, look at the footnotes and bibliography there, then add the appropriate citations to your own bibliography.

Students should confine the bulk of their research to printed peer-reviewed publications or their digital versions on the Internet, or located in Addlestone Library's electronic databases. However, they can still use the open and public World Wide Web selectively to help research their paper topic and identify issues (although they may never quote or footnote these pages). However Beware! A great deal of pseudo-historical trash exists on the open Web that does not conform to modern academic standards. The open World Wide Web (not electronic databases) contains three types of historical materials:

1. primary sources, i.e., collections of original historical documents and inscriptions (most originally published on paper then later scanned on to the Web);

2. synthetical studies and essays prepared by historians and other scholars (often as Web versions of reputable printed publications) that have been scanned and loaded on to open web sites, or to research paper services (e.g., Academia.edu and ResearchGate.net), or to GoogleDocs, or are published on line by professional academic journals;

3. blogs, idiosyncratic essays, polemical tracts, and document collections of uneven and inconsistent quality. These pieces are prepared by non-professionals, dilettantes, and hobbyists, as well as the poorly educated, hate mongerers, and the self-proclaimed prophets of the new revelation. These web pages are often erroneous, inaccurate or misleading in content. This category also includes Wikipedia which is wildly inconsistent and unreliable. Because such essays are not vetted, and they have NOT(!) undergone independent peer-review by qualified scholars and academics, they are not appropriate as source materials for research papers.

Sadly, this cyber-trash [no. 3] permeates much of the historical material on the open and public World Wide Web, and students must learn to recognize and avoid it. Many of the primary sources on the Web [no. 1] include translations of foreign language documents into English. However, these translations are often obsolete, incomplete, or idiosyncratic and out of copyright (which is why they are freely available on the open Web). More modern and accurate translations are published in print (books and journals) or in digital versions, and they supercede the older, less correct, and obsolete translations on the open Web. Rule: newer translations are more preferable to older translations.

While students may not quote from any open Web source without prior approval, they are still free to consult reliable Web pages (i.e., those authored by professional scholars) to learn about issues and arguments and to identify printed books and other published sources that they could then obtain and quote in their papers. Reliable Web pages are usually identifiable by the domain-marker ".edu" or ".ac.uk" or ".org" in their Web addresses, while the less trustworthy pages are often--but not always--identifiable by the domain-marker ".com" or "net" in their Web addresses. If in doubt about the appropriateness of any research source--either on the Web or in print--do not hesitate to consult the instructor or to run these pages by him.

Library Electronic Databases: OK! On the other hand, many legitimate and professional peer-reviewed historical academic journals, texts, and books are also scanned and published in restricted portions of the Internet (requiring password access). They include digital editions of reputable journals, books and doctoral dissertations, and these are collected together into electronic databases and digital archives for easy searching and access. The databases are not on the open World Wide Web. The Addlestone Library subscribes to many of these electronic databases, and they are available only through the Library catalogue under the heading, "Databases" or "A-Z Databases". Students will find these extremely useful and informative, and they are encouraged to use them:

You should use these electronic databases and sources to find articles and materials for writing your papers; you do not need the instructor's permission to quote from these, e.g.:

• Academic OneFile
• Academic Search Premier
• JSTOR
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

Format of Database Sources. Many of these databases provide the full text of the journal articles and dissertations for download to your computer. Again, you may employ these database-sources in your papers without prior approval of the instructor. Your footnote and bibliography should include the [full citation of the article], including the correct page numbers, as well as the [name of the database], [the URL] (web address), and the [date you accessed it]. See Turabian's Manual for proper form and format.

Academic Honor Code. As you prepare your papers for this course, be careful not plagiarize any of your sources. Plagiarism is copying or paraphrasing the words and ideas of others and passing them off as your own or misleading the reader into thinking that the words and ideas of other writers are your own. Any plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, whether blatant or merely inappropriate paraphrasing, will not be tolerated.

If you have any questions as you prepare your assignments, please ask the advice of the instructor. If in doubt about anything, quote it--even indirect quotations! The Honor Code of the College of Charleston strictly prohibits plagiarism, cheating, and attempted cheating. A student found responsible by the Honor Board for academic dishonesty will receive a "XXF" in the course, indicating failure of the course due to academic dishonesty. This status indicator will appear on the student s transcript for two years after which the student may petition for the "XX" to be expunged. The "F" is permanent. However, if a student receives an "XXF"-grade in their 3rd or 4th year, it will stay on the transcript permanently. So, protect yourself. Don't screw around.

Students should be aware that unauthorized collaboration--working together without permission--is a form of cheating. Research conducted and/or papers written for other classes cannot be used in whole or in part for any assignment in this class without obtaining prior permission from the instructor.

You are responsible for informing yourself of all definitions and regulations on this subject. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse before the College Honor Board. Protect yourself; when in doubt, footnote it!

© 2020. P. Piccione