The Han Empire of China History Research Paper Essay

HINTS FOR A BETTER PAPER

This paper is 6-8 pages, DOUBLE-SPACED.  Use Times Roman font in 12-pt. size.

Your paper must show that you have done research beyond what we learned in class.  Try to find an unusual angle or perspective (your thesis). Formulate your own opinion and back it up with sources. Don’t forget to look for primary sources, such as letters, diaries, speeches, etc.  

ALL information should be referenced, not just quotations.  

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You can use any style or format that you choose, as long as it is consistent throughout the paper.

However, here are some helpful hints: 

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 Style

 The style most used for history papers in the United States is the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS).

               Here's a link for Chicago Style, for your information:

               https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html 

              Click on "Notes and Bibliography Style" to see how to do footnotes and a bibliography at the end of the paper.

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OR for this paper you might prefer to use the Turabian Citation Quick Guide at 

             http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html 

             For example, #1 (below) is the first time you cite a source; #2 is the second time you cite the same source with a different page number.  Every specific quotation or information from another source must be cited.  All quotations must be in quotation marks.  Avoid long quotations. Try to write in your own words.  See the Quick Guide also for multiple authors, etc.  If you get started and have questions, please email me. (Dr. Hook)

           1. Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Boston: Little, Brown, 2000), 64-65.

            2. Gladwell, Tipping Point, 71. 

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If you are accustomed to using APA style already, that is acceptable too.  Regardless of which style you choose, be consistent throughout the paper.

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You may also have an optional “Bibliography” at the end with sources you’ve consulted, whether you used them all in the paper or not.  This is NOT the same as a “Sources cited” page.  You do not need a Sources Cited page for this paper.  

You may attach a sheet of images or charts, but this does not count toward the 4-6 pages.  BE SURE to cite the sources of the images too, and to refer to them in the paper.  In other words, there should be a reason related to the story you are telling for the illustration to be there.  But charts, photos, etc. are helpful and will strengthen your paper.

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To cite information in the text, insert the number for the footnote at the end of the paragraph or after a specific quotation, then type the citation at the bottom of the page.  

Here are VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS for  "How to Insert Footnotes in Word":   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9_dw_CxG6w 

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Here is an explanation of how and why we use citations:

Proper citation allows you to separate what you know and think from what others have said, so that readers can appreciate the power of your ideas. It reveals where you got your information and enables your readers to trust you as a reliable writer. All scholarship depends on that trust. Without it, without good citations that can be traced to the sources you have used, your work is something else: fiction, propaganda, lies, deception, or fantasy. For your citations to be effective, you have to know when to use them. You don’t have to use them for widely known facts (example: “George Washington was the first president of the United States.”). You must cite when you put lesser-known information into your paper (the population of the U.S. in 1800, say), or use someone else’s words, ideas, or analytical framework. The citation lets you show the reader that you have done your research and marks those findings of from your own thoughts and interpretations of that research. It also lets readers verify and follow up on your claims. Without citations, your voice gets lost. 

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If you have any other questions, please ask or email me!  - Dr. Hook

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