Format your paper accordingly: title page, body of paper (including an introduction, body, and conclusion), in-text citation and quotes, and a list of references (Works Cited page).
Introduction:
Your introduction should direct the reader to the purpose of your paper, i.e. it should include a thesis statement. The thesis statement is the organizing principle of your paper and is usually the last sentence of your introduction.
Body:
With regard to the body of your paper, group related ideas together and use a clear pattern of organization.
Conclusion:
Your conclusion does not have to summarize your entire paper, but should reinforce your thesis statement and the general argument of your paper. Avoid needlessly repeating yourself or introducing new information in your conclusion.
Citations:
Avoid plagiarism or any misunderstandings by following proper rules regarding punctuation, grammar, citing and quoting sources. Inadequate credit given to your sources constitutes plagiarism.
References:
The reference page should include all sources cited within the paper, in alphabetical order. The reference page should include a minimum of 7 scholarly peer-reviewed sources.
Notes
Always cite direct quotes, paraphrases of statements made by others, and opinions or theories that are not your own.
Direct quotes should be enclosed in quotation marks and cited with page numbers. Use direct quotes sparingly to support your ideas; whenever possible, put the information into your own words to demonstrate comprehension and further the ideas of your paper.
Only use a quote if it expresses an important idea more clearly, concisely or eloquently than you can express it yourself.
Your summary of an author’s work should demonstrate a concrete understanding. Many students assume that they can put a passage in their paper without referencing it if they simply substitute words or rearrange sentence structure; this still constitutes plagiarism.
Your paper should contain citations within the body of the text and a list of references at the end of the paper.
Do not include all the works you have read, but rather, just the ones cited in your final paper.
Citations in the body of the text should be placed in parentheses with the author’s name, year of publication, and page number e.g. (Weitzel, 2005, p.150).
You must have a minimum of seven sources; there is no maximum number of sources you can use; use as many sources as you need to develop and support a well-articulated thesis statement and paper.
References are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
The paper, citations, and references must be presented in a standardized citation format such as: APA, MLA, or Chicago.
