Select a historical figure or event from the span of time we will cover in class (i.e. American History from the beginning of time to 1865). With this
individual/event/invention you will analyze and explain why they are influential in history in a research paper consisting of the following: Martin Luther King
Jr.
1. At least 4 sources are to be used. These sources can include:
a. Primary sources **At least 1 is required**
b. Secondary sources (outside of the textbook; the textbook will not count as a source)
c. Periodicals, to include historical journals, magazines, etc.
d. Scholarly websites (typically ending in .gov, .edu, .org) If you have questions on what is scholarly, please ask your instructor. **See note below about
scholarly sources.
e. Sometimes it helps to look at a discipline other than History such as Psychology, Sociology, Humanities, Religion, Art, or Music. If you are struggling with
finding a 4th source, try searching resources from these disciplines.
2. Minimum length of submission is 4-6 pages, double-spaced, using 12-point font, 1” margins on all sides, and contain a works cited/bibliography page.
These are standard MLA formatting practices. If you are unsure about what MLA formatting is, you can refer to the OWL at Purdue website.
3. Note: DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA. DO NOT USE WEEBLY. DO NOT USE QUIZLET. Etc! Citing such sources will be an automatic 10 points off from your overall
term project grade. These are open platform and anyone has the capability of editing them.
** See note below on about scholarly sources.
4. Proper citation is crucial! Plagiarism is not just against the college’s rules, but it is also against the law and will go on your school record.
“When in doubt, cite it out.”
**In regards to Scholarly Sources!**
This all being said, there are excellent websites outside of the library that you can use, most especially for Primary Sources (sources that come directly from
the time in history you are researching). These will typically end in “.gov”, “.edu”, or “.org”. I try to include several in the “Resources” folders within each
module.
Websites to Avoid:
The use of any of the following websites will count as an automatic 10 points off your research paper grade and the sources will not be counted towards the
required 4:
Wikipedia
Weebly
Quora
Khan Academy
Any Encyclopedia/Encyclopedia Britannica (encyclopedias only give short snippets of information, you’ll need more for a research paper)
Quizlet
History.com (it’s a website for a television channel)
Any website that ends in “.info” or “.net” (these are typically blogs, and not scholarly)
Most websites that end in “.com”
Many of these listed websites are open platform, meaning anyone can edit them. This is why they cannot be used. They are not scholarly. If you have any
questions on if a website is reliable, just ask!