World History

7/11/22, 11:09 AM Topic: 10 Term Paper Guidelines
https://elearn.ucr.edu/courses/50539/discussion_topics/273331 1/11
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10 Term Paper Guidelines
Stefan Chrissanthos
1 Section
***History 10 Term Paper Guidelines***
You will submit one electronic copy of your term paper for this course to your TA’s discussion
section website on Canvas.
The term-paper is to be done on a topic of your choice and must be chosen from the subject
matter and time-period this class covers, meaning:
World Civilizations,
3500BCE-1600CE
.
When choosing a topic, choose something you found interesting from the lectures or from the
readings that you want to learn more about. If you are interested in your topic, your paper will
generally be more enjoyable to write and more enjoyable to read.
If you are having trouble picking a topic (or even if you aren’t) please consult with your TA or
with me.
When choosing a topic DO NOT pick subjects that cover a long period of history, or that are
too broad for such a short paper.
DO NOT do a biography of a famous person, or the rise and fall of a dynasty or empire, or the
history of an important state.
Instead, you can pick one specific event in the career or history of a famous person or state, or
one specific aspect of an important civilization to focus on.
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For example, you cannot do a paper on the life of Cleopatra. However, you can pick one
important episode from her career to write about.
The key is picking a topic that covers a relatively short period of time.
(important battles for example that were usually one-day events work well)
Also, DO NOT choose something too narrow or too ancient for which you will be unable to find
sufficient information.
DO NOT compare & contrast ancient topics or compare & contrast an ancient and a modern
topic.
You CANNOT use a paper you previously submitted in another class; this must be a new and
original paper.
The paper is to be between 5 (full) pages and 7 (full) pages of text (NO MORE & NO LESS),
meaning between 1700 and 2350 words.
(cover page/footnotes/bibliography etc. do not count towards page/word total)
Do not use: large/small fonts, abnormal spacing, massive chapter subdivisions,
outlines/numbered sequence points etc.)
Do not use extended quotes (meaning more than a few lines).
Use: double spacing, 12-point font and 1-inch margins.
Use: Times New Roman font.
For the paper you must use 4 sources (2 secondary and 2 primary):
2 Secondary Sources
This means modern, scholarly books written by a university professor. Books from the UCR
campus library fulfill this requirement. You can either go to the library and find hard copies of
the books you need through the library catalogue. Or, you can find Ebooks through the UCR
library website.
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To find Ebooks from the UCR library:
1) go to the UCR library website: library.ucr.edu
2) on the UCR library homepage search for a specific topic under:
“Search UC Library, website, & more…”
3) search results will appear in the box under:
“UC LIBRARY SEARCH”
4) click on:
“SEE ALL (whatever the number is) RESULTS”
5) tweak Your Results:
-Availability: check the “Available Online” box
-Resource Type: check the “Books” box
-Language: check the proper language box
-click “Apply Filters” button
This search will yield anywhere from a couple to a couple thousand books & ebooks that you
will be able to access for your paper.
.
Journal articles from JSTOR (which must be at least 15 pages long) can also fulfill the
secondary source requirements.
To find JSTOR and JSTOR articles:
1) go to the UCR library website: library.ucr.edu
2) click “Databases”
3) in “Search for Databases” type in JSTOR
4) click on JSTOR link
5) click “Advanced Search”
6) type in keyword to search
7) Narrow Result:
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-Item Type: check “Articles” box
-Language: click on proper language
-Journal Filter: click on the relevant box or boxes:
History, African Studies, Archeology, Asian Studies, Classical Studies etc.
8) click on “Submit Advanced Search”
Once you find some secondary sources (Ebooks or journal articles) these can lead you to
other secondary sources. In particular, check the bibliographies of the books you find since
they will list dozens of secondary sources (books and articles) the authors used which you can
then easily find on the library website.
REMEMBER:
With the exception of Ebooks from the UCR library website and journal articles found on
JSTOR,
NO
other type of internet secondary source can be used. This means articles from sites such as
Wikipedia are UNACCEPTABLE, they cannot be used and will not fulfill this requirement.
ALSO:
The main textbook assigned for this class DOES NOT count towards fulfilling this requirement.
Lecture notes DO NOT count as secondary sources. They represent my research and should
not be used or cited in your paper.
DO NOT use books/articles aimed at young people/children.
DO NOT use books/articles that are too old (nothing from before 1960).
DO NOT use anything with “Dictionary” or “Encyclopedia” in the title.
2 Primary Sources
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You also need two primary sources. This means works written by someone who lived during
the time (or shortly thereafter) of the topic you are describing. You always want to find
eyewitness accounts (if they exist) or accounts written by someone who was alive during the
period of your topic. If these do not exist, then you want to find sources written by someone
who lived shortly after the period of your topic. This could mean as much as a few centuries
afterwards since these people would have access to sources that no longer exist today. For
example, if you are writing a paper on Julius Caesar you would first use Caesar’s own
accounts of his military campaigns. Then you could also find accounts written by his
contemporaries such as Cicero before moving on to later authors who wrote biographies of
Caesar or histories of his time. Some of these authors lived a few centuries later but are still
acceptable because they often used contemporary sources that are now lost.
The first step in finding the primary sources is choosing a topic. Once you have a topic go to
the UCR library website and begin a search. Once you find secondary sources (Ebooks or
journal articles) these can lead you to primary sources. The authors will discuss in detail the
various primary sources they used as evidence for their books and will cite those sources in
the footnotes or endnotes.
Once you have the names of the ancient authors and the titles of their works you can then find
these primary sources in the library or google them on the internet.
Primary source material assigned for this class CAN be used towards fulfilling this
requirement.
The campus library also has a huge selection of primary sources translated into English for all
periods of history no matter what your topic.
Also, most primary sources can now be found online.
It is acceptable to use the internet to fulfill the primary source requirement.
Once you have the authors’ names and the titles of their works you can usually do an online
search and find translations of the primary sources you need.
Some examples of PRIMARY SOURCE LINKS online and through the UCR library:
-Ancient Mediterranean Sources:
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Perseus-Tufts
https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/
(once you reach the site you can search for primary sources through the author’s name and
the title of their work)
-Reading the Middle Ages: Sources from Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic World edited by
Barbara H. Rosenwien
https://search.library.ucr.edu/permalink/01CDL_RIV_INST/1fsm6hf/alma99103356792910
4706
(https://search.library.ucr.edu/permalink/01CDL_RIV_INST/1fsm6hf/alma991033567929104706)
-Islamic Central Asia: An Anthology of Historical Sources edited by Scott C. Levi and Ron Sela
https://search.library.ucr.edu/permalink/01CDL_RIV_INST/1h1k791/alma99103297467150
4706
(https://search.library.ucr.edu/permalink/01CDL_RIV_INST/1h1k791/alma991032974671504706)
-The Pacific
https://search.library.ucr.edu/permalink/01CDL_RIV_INST/1h1k791/alma99147983673065
31 (https://search.library.ucr.edu/permalink/01CDL_RIV_INST/1h1k791/alma9914798367306531)
Loeb Classical Library Online (with UCR VPN): https://www.loebclassics.com/
(https://www.loebclassics.com/)
East Asia for Educators: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ (http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/)
(click on “Primary Sources” Tab to access various selections)
Fordham Sourcebooks: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/
(https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/)
(click on the period/region of your topic from the list [Internet Ancient History Sourcebook for
example], click on the correct subject on the left [Persia for example], a list of Persian primary
sources will appear)
Bibliography & Citations
Your paper must have a proper bibliography page at the end (the bibliography page does not
count towards the page total). The bibliography must contain all the information about each
source you used. It must include the author’s name (last name first), the year the book was
published, the title of the book (in italics), and the publisher. For a journal article, you must
include the author’s name, year published, title (in quotation marks), the name of the journal
(in italics), and page numbers. For primary sources either include the above information from
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the book along with the name of the translator or the information from the website where you
found the source.
In your paper all references and quotes must have proper citations. Since there will be a full
citation in the bibliography you do not need a full citation in each citation. Instead in the
citations only include the author’s name and the page number where you found your
information. If the citation is from a primary source include the author’s name and page or
chapter number. When trying to decide when to quote the sources, a few “rules of thumb” are
useful. You should always cite the sources if you are using information from them that you did
not already know (again don’t cite the lectures). Additionally, cite the sources or offer
quotations when you think they enrich or support your point. For instance, if you are describing
the cruelty of a particular ruler, offer a quote from a source that would make your point.
Imagine that you were reading your paper in a presentation and think of the quotes as if they
were pictures: whenever you would want to show the audience a picture to make your point or
give them a better idea of what you mean, then add a quote. If you are making claims that
may be controversial, then quotes/citations are even more important. Chicago, APA or MLA
formatting are all OK (just make sure to pick 1 system & stick to it).
These are the requirements.
Do not turn in papers which ignore these requirements or your paper will be marked down
(check the rubric for specifics).
Late papers will be marked down as well:
1 letter grade for each day it is late.
There are NO extensions for term papers.
These papers must be your own work: PLAGIARISM IS ILLEGAL. Plagiarized papers will be
given a zero and you will receive an F for the course. In addition, the matter will be referred to
the university administration.
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Proofread your papers! Do not ruin an “A” paper with shoddy grammar/spelling etc.
If you are having problems fulfilling these guidelines please talk to me or your TA.
Suggestions
1. Your paper should have a clear thesis or argument within the introduction. The introduction
itself is one of the most important parts of the paper. As a rough suggestion, the introductory
paragraph (or few paragraphs) should introduce the subject of your paper, state your thesis,
and offer some information on how the paper will be organized or how your argument will
proceed. For instance, if the topic of your paper is the role/importance of the Praetorian
Guard in the early Roman Empire, you could offer a thesis such as: “The Praetorian Guard
exerted noticeable influence on the political system of the early Roman Empire, at least during
key moments of crisis.” When commenting on the structure of your argument (or organization
of the paper), you could write: “The terror carried out by Sejanus, the role of Macro in Gaius
Caligula’s rise to the position of emperor, the conspiracy of Cassius Chaerea, and the insertion
of Claudius by the Praetorian Guard all indicate that this elite body of troops was able to
threaten, remove, and even install emperors during this period of the Empire.” In this example,
your reader would know that you were going to discuss (1) Sejanus, (2) Macro/Caligula, (3)
Cassius Chaerea’s conspiracy, and (4) Claudius in separate sections or paragraphs of your
paper. That format could provide the general outline of your whole paper. One way of
evaluating your introduction is to ask yourself: “If all of my paper blew away in the wind on the
way to class and the professor could read only my introduction, would he know what my paper
is about?” If not, then you may want to rework your introduction. I stress this because the best
papers have the best introductions.
2. When trying to decide on the thesis of your paper, a few considerations are helpful. Ask
yourself what drew you to the topic. If you had a specific question in mind, then providing the
answer to that question could be a valid thesis. If you had no specific questions in mind, then
you can look at the secondary literature you are reading for the paper (i.e. things written by
modern scholars/historians) and see what their thesis is. Their thesis might give you ideas. An
important consideration when deciding on a thesis is that you should only present a specific
thesis when you have enough sources/evidence to argue for that conclusion. For instance, if
you have a large number of sources (primary and secondary) that claim that Tiberius
encouraged Sejanus in his reign of terror, then you are warranted in positing that as your
thesis. If not, then you probably cannot argue that thesis effectively.
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3. Likewise, when trying to decide on how to focus your paper, a major consideration should
be the amount of material you have on each subject. In other words, write what the sources
enable you to write. Another consideration is the “So what?” question: decide which elements
are most important and interesting. Of course, I or your TA can provide suggestions on this
matter.
4. When trying to decide what you need to explain or include in your paper, assume that your
audience is made up of fellow classmates with fairly respectable attendance in our class. You
may exclude things from your paper that they could be expected to know, except if it is
essential to your subject. Anything that you feel is necessary to convince your reader of the
truth of your thesis should be included. Likewise, facts that are completely irrelevant to your
argument can probably be removed.
5. Think of your paper as a combination of narrative and argumentation. You are telling a story
in your paper, but you want the reader to draw very specific conclusions from what you have
said. Have enough narration (story-telling) to make sure your reader can follow the arguments,
and enough argumentation that your reader understands the significance or meaning of the
story you are telling.
Lastly:
Please consult the grading rubric that is posted on Canvas.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask your professor or your TA.
Good Luck!
Item
10 Paper Rubric
Students: Refer to the HIST 010 Term Paper Guidelines for all definitions and criteria required
for the paper.
Criteria Outstanding Satisfactory
Needs
Improvement
Below Basic
Expectations
Thesis
Statement/Topic
Sentences
14-15 points
A clear, concise,
identifiable thesis
12-13 points
A thesis is
present, but
9-11 points
Some sense of a
thesis is present,
0-8 points
No thesis and/or
topic sentences
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supported by
specific
examples. Topic
sentences
consistently and
effectively relate
to the thesis.
requires further
specificity and/or
support. Topic
sentences often
relate to the
thesis, but not
always.
but it is vague
and/or poorly
constructed. Topic
sentences rarely
relate to the
thesis.
are present.
Analysis/Critical
Reasoning
14-15 points
Paper exhibits a
compelling critical
analysis of the
topic and
elaborates upon
explicit points that
strongly support
the thesis.
12-13 points
Some critical
analysis/reasonin
g is present but
sometimes lacks
explicit
elaboration.
9-11 points
Little critical
analysis/reasonin
g is evident, and
little to no
elaboration of
points are raised.
0-8 points
Incorrect
information and/or
only summarizes
sources with no
analysis.
Use of
Evidence/Sources
and Citations
14-15 points
Extremely
effective use of
primary sources
by demonstrating
specifics about
historical context,
bias, etc. Employs
appropriate use of
both secondary
sources for
quotes, facts, and
commentary.
12-13 points
Provides a
relatively effective
integration of
primary and
secondary
sources.
9-11 points
Little to no
evidence has
been utilized
and/or
demonstrates a
limited
understanding of
the primary and/or
secondary
sources.
0-8 points
Evidence is
improperly utilized
and/or missing.
Utilizes sources
outside of the
paper guidelines
(i.e. improper
internet sources).
Grammar,
Spelling, and
Organization
5 points
Little to no
grammatical,
punctuation, or
spelling errors,
and correct use of
formatting,
4 points
A few
grammatical,
punctuation, or
spelling errors
and/or minor
issues relating to
formatting,
3 points
Repetitive,
multiple basic
errors in format,
citations, and/or
mechanics.
Understanding
0-2 points
Just words on
paper. Fails to
meet the page
range.
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This announcement is closed for comments
Search entries or author
citations, and
mechanics.
citations, and
mechanics.
the paper is often
difficult.
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