Research Papers Are Imminent

So get it in gear! I suppose you'd like information as to my general expectations and how you might achieve high marks, wouldn't you? Energise.

Due Date: Monday, September 13, 2010.
Late assignments will be docked 10% per day.

Format:
-2 Pages, Double-Spaced, 12 Point Font
-Must include Citations and a separate "References" page.
-Must answer the question: "What does this topic reflect about human behavior?"

General Expectations:
The research paper is a chance to select a topic of interest within social studies and become an expert. Your primary goal will be to explain the impact of your topic on human behavior. Each quarter, social studies class covers a major field of social science (History, Government, Economics, and Geography) and you will select your topic from within that quarter's field. The first research paper should cover a topic in World History. Your paper will be graded based on ideas/content, organization, use of citations/references, and conventions. Following these guidelines will ensure high marks:

Selecting Topics:
Your topic should be narrow, not general. For instance, "Ancient China" is a poor choice whereas "The Use of Drums as Seismographs in Ancient China" is a keen choice.

Research:
You should have at least two sources of research. I prefer print sources. While I do accept internet research, your sources must have an author and a date. Some websites do not qualify. Wikipedia is not a valid source. You may, however, use Wikipedia to locate valid sources through the "External Links" or "References" sections of its articles.

Organization:
The entire object of this assignment is to answer the question "What does this topic reflect about human behavior?" A standard 5-paragraph format is preferred. Ideally it may be outlined like this:
1. Intro with thesis. Example Thesis: By providing a stable food supply, ending nomadic behavior, and supplementing new technology, the invention of agriculture made a great impact on human behavior.
2. Support Paragraph on stable food supply.
3. Support Paragraph on ending nomadic behavior.
4. Support Paragraph on supplementing new technology.
5. Conclusion.

Citations:
At the end of each paragraph, you must include a citation. It will include the last name of the author of your source for that paragraph and the date of publication. A typical citation will look like this: (Holt, 2005). No direct quotes will be permitted this year. Papers without citations will be docked 5%.

References:
You will include a third page, titled "References." This will include the name, date, and title of each of your references. For example:

2005. Miller, Sue et al. World History.

Papers without references will be docked 10%.

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the act of claiming someone else's work as your own. This includes failure to cite your sources. Plagiarism is detrimental to academic integrity and will result in a grade of "F."