HOW TO WRITE THE WORLD CULTURES RESEARCH PAPER
Title Page:
• Includes title of paper, your name, my name, course name, date due
• No page number
Overall:
• No title or personal info on first page; only header
• Header should be “last name page #”; start with 1 on the first page on your paper,
not the title page
• Times New Roman 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced
• 5 pages total (not including title page and bibliography)
• 5+ sources; at least one book
• Primary sources required
• No folders or binders necessary
Introduction:
• Set the stage/provide the context for your paper.
• Use introduction to provide background information that allows you to make
arguments in you overall paper.
• Should be about a page
• Need an idea? Beginning with a quote from a primary source is good
• Last sentence is the thesis statement
Thesis Statement:
• Your argument, point, overall perspective –the summation of your research
• One sentence; use a semi-colon if you have more than one thing to link together
• At the end of the introductory paragraph
• Not too broad, not too specific
• Should give the reader an idea of exactly what the paper is going to be about
• Always ask yourself throughout the paper… “Am I proving my thesis?”
Body Paragraphs:
• Clearly organized
• Support the thesis
• No specific number required
• Paper should flow freely; no section divisions necessary
Conclusion:
• Sums up the argument made
• Should not be introducing new information that should have been included in body
paragraphs
• A good trick is to allude to the future, such as… “While the slave trade in Africa
would officially end in 1886, there would be another 50 years until all countries in
the world ended the practice of slavery.”
• Your paper ends with a knot not bow. Try to tie up loose ends,.
Citations:
• Chicago style
• Footnotes are okay; if you have long/many footnotes, your paper should be longer
to compensate
• Refer to these resources for help:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/12/
How to cite sources in footnotes used more than once in your paper
First footnote:
Meredith, Martin. The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-year History of Wealth, Greed, and
Endeavour. New York, NY: Public Affairs, 2016. Pg.96.
2nd notation directly following on the same Page.
2nd citation: Ibid., 26.
If used later in the paper after you’ve used other sources in between:
Meredith, 58.
Bibliography:
• Last page of research paper
• A list of all the sources you cited in your footnotes/endnotes
• Alphabetical by last name
• Unnumbered
• Chicago style
Writing Tips:
• Always write in the past tense!
• Never use first or second person (“you” “we” “I”) –there is no room in this paper for
your opinion or your advice
• Avoid contractions… (“do not” is more professional than “don’t”!)
• Know the difference between Quotes, Paraphrase and Summarizing
• These three ways of incorporating other writers’ work into your own writing differ
according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.
• Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the
source. They must match the source document word for word and must be
attributed to the original author.
• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own
words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased
material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader
segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including
only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas
to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and
take a broad overview of the source material.
When do I quote?
• Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
• Give examples of several points of view on a subject
• Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the
original
• Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the
words are not your own
When do I paraphrase?
• Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
• Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay.
When do I summarize?
• Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing.
• Research questions.
Some questions help you with the writing process.
For example:
How did a certain event affect history?
When did somebody do something that changed society?
What really interests me that made some kind of impact in history?
What factors needed to be put together to explain an event?HOW TO WRITE THE WORLD CULTURES RESEARCH PAPER
Title Page:
• Includes title of paper, your name, my name, course name, date due
• No page number
Overall:
• No title or personal info on first page; only header
• Header should be “last name page #”; start with 1 on the first page on your paper,
not the title page
• Times New Roman 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced
• 5 pages total (not including title page and bibliography)
• 5+ sources; at least one book
• Primary sources required
• No folders or binders necessary
Introduction:
• Set the stage/provide the context for your paper.
• Use introduction to provide background information that allows you to make
arguments in you overall paper.
• Should be about a page
• Need an idea? Beginning with a quote from a primary source is good
• Last sentence is the thesis statement
Thesis Statement:
• Your argument, point, overall perspective –the summation of your research
• One sentence; use a semi-colon if you have more than one thing to link together
• At the end of the introductory paragraph
• Not too broad, not too specific
• Should give the reader an idea of exactly what the paper is going to be about
• Always ask yourself throughout the paper… “Am I proving my thesis?”
Body Paragraphs:
• Clearly organized
• Support the thesis
• No specific number required
• Paper should flow freely; no section divisions necessary
Conclusion:
• Sums up the argument made
• Should not be introducing new information that should have been included in body
paragraphs
• A good trick is to allude to the future, such as… “While the slave trade in Africa
would officially end in 1886, there would be another 50 years until all countries in
the world ended the practice of slavery.”
• Your paper ends with a knot not bow. Try to tie up loose ends,.
Citations:
• Chicago style
• Footnotes are okay; if you have long/many footnotes, your paper should be longer
to compensate
• Refer to these resources for help:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/12/
How to cite sources in footnotes used more than once in your paper
First footnote:
Meredith, Martin. The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-year History of Wealth, Greed, and
Endeavour. New York, NY: Public Affairs, 2016. Pg.96.
2nd notation directly following on the same Page.
2nd citation: Ibid., 26.
If used later in the paper after you’ve used other sources in between:
Meredith, 58.
Bibliography:
• Last page of research paper
• A list of all the sources you cited in your footnotes/endnotes
• Alphabetical by last name
• Unnumbered
• Chicago style
Writing Tips:
• Always write in the past tense!
• Never use first or second person (“you” “we” “I”) –there is no room in this paper for
your opinion or your advice
• Avoid contractions… (“do not” is more professional than “don’t”!)
• Know the difference between Quotes, Paraphrase and Summarizing
• These three ways of incorporating other writers’ work into your own writing differ
according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.
• Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the
source. They must match the source document word for word and must be
attributed to the original author.
• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own
words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased
material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader
segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including
only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas
to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and
take a broad overview of the source material.
When do I quote?
• Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
• Give examples of several points of view on a subject
• Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the
original
• Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the
words are not your own
When do I paraphrase?
• Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
• Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay.
When do I summarize?
• Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing.
• Research questions.
Some questions help you with the writing process.
For example:
How did a certain event affect history?
When did somebody do something that changed society?
What really interests me that made some kind of impact in history?
What factors needed to be put together to explain an event?HOW TO WRITE THE WORLD CULTURES RESEARCH PAPER
Title Page:
• Includes title of paper, your name, my name, course name, date due
• No page number
Overall:
• No title or personal info on first page; only header
• Header should be “last name page #”; start with 1 on the first page on your paper,
not the title page
• Times New Roman 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced
• 5 pages total (not including title page and bibliography)
• 5+ sources; at least one book
• Primary sources required
• No folders or binders necessary
Introduction:
• Set the stage/provide the context for your paper.
• Use introduction to provide background information that allows you to make
arguments in you overall paper.
• Should be about a page
• Need an idea? Beginning with a quote from a primary source is good
• Last sentence is the thesis statement
Thesis Statement:
• Your argument, point, overall perspective –the summation of your research
• One sentence; use a semi-colon if you have more than one thing to link together
• At the end of the introductory paragraph
• Not too broad, not too specific
• Should give the reader an idea of exactly what the paper is going to be about
• Always ask yourself throughout the paper… “Am I proving my thesis?”
Body Paragraphs:
• Clearly organized
• Support the thesis
• No specific number required
• Paper should flow freely; no section divisions necessary
Conclusion:
• Sums up the argument made
• Should not be introducing new information that should have been included in body
paragraphs
• A good trick is to allude to the future, such as… “While the slave trade in Africa
would officially end in 1886, there would be another 50 years until all countries in
the world ended the practice of slavery.”
• Your paper ends with a knot not bow. Try to tie up loose ends,.
Citations:
• Chicago style
• Footnotes are okay; if you have long/many footnotes, your paper should be longer
to compensate
• Refer to these resources for help:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/12/
How to cite sources in footnotes used more than once in your paper
First footnote:
Meredith, Martin. The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-year History of Wealth, Greed, and
Endeavour. New York, NY: Public Affairs, 2016. Pg.96.
2nd notation directly following on the same Page.
2nd citation: Ibid., 26.
If used later in the paper after you’ve used other sources in between:
Meredith, 58.
Bibliography:
• Last page of research paper
• A list of all the sources you cited in your footnotes/endnotes
• Alphabetical by last name
• Unnumbered
• Chicago style
Writing Tips:
• Always write in the past tense!
• Never use first or second person (“you” “we” “I”) –there is no room in this paper for
your opinion or your advice
• Avoid contractions… (“do not” is more professional than “don’t”!)
• Know the difference between Quotes, Paraphrase and Summarizing
• These three ways of incorporating other writers’ work into your own writing differ
according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing.
• Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the
source. They must match the source document word for word and must be
attributed to the original author.
• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own
words. A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased
material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader
segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including
only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas
to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and
take a broad overview of the source material.
When do I quote?
• Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
• Give examples of several points of view on a subject
• Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the
original
• Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the
words are not your own
When do I paraphrase?
• Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
• Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the essay.
When do I summarize?
• Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing.
• Research questions.
Some questions help you with the writing process.
For example:
How did a certain event affect history?
When did somebody do something that changed society?
What really interests me that made some kind of impact in history?
What factors needed to be put together to explain an event?
Make sure the thesis correlates to the idea of change over time.