As I explained in the “Final Paper: Introduction” folder, the topic is fully up to you. What you need to focus on is the research question that you will try to answer. This question (and your topic) should not be too broad. If it is, you will feel overwhelmed with data and will not be able to provide a specific answer to your question.
For example: Your topic should not simply be “I want to study the Holocaust.” This topic, although fascinating and of great historical importance, is much too broad. Thousands of books and articles have been written on the topic. What you would need to do here is to find a way to narrow your topic down to a specific aspect of the Holocaust. For example, you could decide to focus on the trauma of survivors of the Holocaust. Or you could do research on how specific countries have dealt with the question of memorializing the holocaust, for example those European countries where the government took part in this genocide. Or any other specific, narrower questions you may have about this specific issue.
Of course, the more you know about a topic, the better equipped you will be to narrow it down in the ways described above, the more equipped you will be to ask specific, productive questions about that topic.
Hence the following piece of advice: Start your research now. Do not wait.
As you do so, remember that your findings may or may not match your initial assumptions. Be aware of confirmation bias, of our natural tendencies to look for sources that match the conclusions we may already have in mind about any given topic. Be open to the possibility that actual facts and evidence may not fit what you initially believed to be true. Be open to the possibility that you may have to change your mind once you have learned more about your topic. Be ready (and willing) to be challenged by your findings. That is, after all, the whole point of this (or any) research exercise.
General Writing Guidelines*
Format and Presentation
Do not skip lines between paragraphs. Use Times New Roman as your font, 12-point size. Papers must be typewritten, double-spaced with approximately 1” margins. The final paper should be between 10 and 15 pages long. You are not required to propose an “abstract.” The bibliography (under the heading Sources or Works Cited or References) comes at the end of the paper and does not count towards reaching the 10-page limit. Please number all pages. Do not use a cover page (if you do, this cover page will not count toward reaching the 10-page minimum limit). Put your name on the upper left-hand corner of the first page, followed by the title, centered.
Citations and Works Cited
I am leaving it up to you to choose which style (APA, MLA, etc) to chose. What I do require, however, is that you be consistent throughout the paper: once you have picked a style, apply it throughout. Here is an online resource you should use to better understand each style:
Remember: you must make sure to cite any ideas that you borrow, not just quoted text
Please note that any direct quotation that is longer than three lines needs to be set off from the body of the paper by indenting and single-spacing.
Do not string quotes together without putting them in context with your own prose. When you use a direct quote, place it in the context of a sentence that includes an explanation of what the quote means and why it is useful in service of the point you are making.
The bibliography should appear at the end of your paper, under the heading “Sources” or “References” or “Works cited.” It should be alphabetically organized, and include the following information about every single source quoted in your paper: author’s name, book or article title, publishing information and page numbers.
Writing Style
In general, write as simply as possible. Never use a big word, when a little one will do. Big words don’t necessarily convey intellectual prowess, especially when they are awkwardly used. Use as few words as possible to make your point. Your most important objective should be to achieve clarity.
Your word choice should be appropriate to formal writing. Please do not use slang or contractions (such as “can’t” or “don’t”) unless you are quoting others. Whenever you are unsure, look up definitions and spellings.
Make sure that you are not confusing “their/there/they’re” or “it’s/its”, or “to/two/too”, or “were/we’re/where”, etc. Also please differentiate between “suppose” and “supposed.” These sets of words give many students trouble, so please be careful.
Try to avoid using “he”, “his”, or “mankind” to mean anyone or all in general.
Make sure that nouns and verbs agree in number (singular with singular, plural with plural). You should re-read your paper once focusing solely on making sure that your verbs all agree with their subjects.
Avoid sentence fragments. The sentences you write should have subjects and predicates. Verbs are also necessary. Do not leave a clause hanging without these necessary components. Once again, re-read your paper once focusing solely on this issue.
Avoid run-on sentences. Make sure that if you link things together in a sentence that you do so by using the proper connective words or punctuation marks. One easy way to catch these kinds of mistakes is by reading your paper aloud. If it sounds wrong, it probably is.
Process
Be sure that all spelling and grammatical errors, and the formatting the paper are correct in the final draft. You must proofread your own paper. It is not acceptable to turn in a paper with typographical errors, misspellings, nouns and verbs that do not agree, misused words, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, etc.
Please note that you may need to rewrite the beginning or end of your paper in the last draft. Often in composing your paper, you will have changed your focus or ideas somewhat by the time you finish. Make sure that these changes are reflected in the final version of your introduction or conclusion.
Important tip: before turning it in, re-read your own paper and imagine that someone else wrote it. Does it make sense? Would you be able to summarize your main points? If the answer is no, it means that modifications are required.
If at all possible, before turning your paper in get someone else to read it and give you comments. It is often hard to be objective when you are so close in the writing process. Someone who does not know the topic subject as intimately as you will also be able to point out when your argument is weak, unclear, or unsubstantiated, when a point you are making is unclear because you did not sufficiently put it in context or when you jump to conclusions too quickly.
As I have told you many times, I am happy to help you if you have trouble with your writing. Please also keep in mind that the campus has a variety of tutoring services available to you.
