Respond to a prompt on page 4 with a clear argument supported by historical evidence. Draw
logical conclusions based on research and analysis. This assignment calls for an argument about
– not a narrative of – an historical event.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Double-spaced Times New Roman 12-pt font.
5 pages (1500 words) with 1″ margins plus a Works Cited page
Basic mastery of grammar, syntax, and style
Developed paragraphs with topic sentence
An introduction must contain context (who, what, where, and when) and a thesis statement.
4 scholarly source, s in addition to your textbook, which occur in Works Cited Page and in-text
citations.
All claims (not just direct quotations) require MLA in-text
citations.
All in-text citations require both authorship and page
number.
A concluding paragraph attempting to answer the question – ‘so what?’
To determine if a work is acceptable:
Does it have both an author and page numbers?
Is it published by an academic or university press?
Is it an article by an academic journal?
Does it have a form of citation or a reference?
The following sources are unacceptable:
Sources that do not provide both author and page numbers
Websites (e.g. academic blogs, authorless database articles, university web pages, Wikipedia,
etc.…).
Encyclopedias of any kind
To understand why you cannot use these types of sources, see tutorial “Scholarly Sources
Explained” in “User Links.”
You must support your assertions with MLA in-text citations and provide a Works Cited page.
DIRECT QUOTATIONS (“QUOTING”)
Using word-for-word excerpts requires quotation marks followed by an MLA in-text citation.
Direct quotations cannot stand alone. Introduce each quotation into your sentences.
After a direct quotation, you must provide analysis.
Explain the significance of the quotation.
Do not use quotations that are longer than two lines.
A sentence containing a direct quotation found on page 127 of a book by John Hunter:
John Hunter argues that until Napoleon’s failure in Russia, “the Jacobin commander’s tactics
resulted in victory and high morale among his troops” (Hunter 127).
INDIRECT QUOTATIONS (“PARAPHRASING”)
Use MLA in-text citations when summarizing or paraphrasing information from a source. In-text
citations are required even when you are not using direct quotations.
A sentence based on information (not a direct quotation) found on page 17 by John Hunter would
look like:
Despite his modest background, Napoleon excelled at leadership, exuding revolutionary fervor
(Hunter 17).
ACTIVE VOICE: Strong formal writing uses active voice, in which the subject of the sentence
performs the action:
Passive: It was believed that the dead were judged by Osiris.
Active: Egyptians believed that Osiris judged the dead.
FIRST PERSON: Formal writing avoids using first person pronouns (“I” or “me”).
VERB TENSE: To avoid confusion, write in the past tense when referring to past events, people,
and societies. For example:
Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to a church door in Wittenberg (Robinson 234).
The exception to this rule is when referring to an author’s assertions in the context of their
writings. For example:
In his magnum opus, The Theory of Moral Sentiment, eighteenth-century economist Adam Smith
argues that capitalism “promotes social stability” (Smith 76-8).
“A” Essay:
Well-developed thesis and complex conclusion
Full length and correct formatting
Consistent analysis, context, and examples
Correct number of scholarly sources
Correct citations, quotations, and Works Cited
No spelling or grammatical errors
Thank you and good luck!! 🙂