I. Getting ready for the paper

1. Narrow down the topic that you have selected from the two topics available in the syllabus.

2. Think of a specific period and country (if you want to submit a comparative research, then compare only two countries), or historical figure and start looking for books and articles on the FDU online library catalog, Google Books, JSTOR, and Project Muse databases.

3. You will need either 3 books or 6 academic articles (peer reviewed and published in academic journals).

¥ If you are using only books: You are allowed to use 3 minimum.

¥ If you are using only articles: You need a minimum of 6 from JSTOR or Project MUSE.

¥ Other options: 1 book + 4 articles / 2 books + 2 articles.

Websites, encyclopedia articles, book reviews, and online presentations are not appropriate sources; including them in your bibliography and final draft will negatively affect your grade. If you did not find the books that you need in our library, remember that the library catalogs of the College of Saint Elizabeth and Drew University are accessible… yes you can check books out from those libraries too!

4. If you did not find books that matched the period/country/historical figure selected… that means that your project is probably not doable… Start again!

5. If you found the books and articles that you need, then: save the articles (print them if you want) and check out the books as soon as possible. Start reading and take notes so you can figure out the theses/arguments of each source.

II. Writing the paper

6. Now that you know what is available for your research and have a better idea of your topic, think of a title that is both creative and informative. The title should include the country/place and period selected.

7. In the paper, write the topic selected and that title and then organize the bibliography in alphabetic order. Include your notes (between 60 and 90 words) under each book/article. Your notes should identify the thesis of the text and the main ideas.

III. Formatting and proofreading the paper

8. Remember that we will be using Chicago Style! Here are some examples of formats for articles and books:

Book: Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2006.

Article: MacDonald, Susan Peck. “The Erasure of Language.” Journal of Composition and Communication 58, no. 4 (2007): 585-625.

For more info and examples, go to: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

9. Use Times New Roman, font size 12. Always proofread your papers before submitting them. If you feel that you need extra help, set an appointment with the Academic Support Center.

10. See the attached example!