Your term paper should be 5-7 pages long. You will need 5-7 sources in your List of Works Cited which means you must cite from a minimum of 5 different sources. Of course, you may cite from any source more than once. Do not include in your List of Works Cited any source you did not cite from, and do list every source you cited from.
As soon as you can, you should decide what topic you want to choose on which to write your term paper. Remember, you will be working on this assignment all semester, so you must choose a topic you can sustain interest in for a long time. I usually suggest you choose a topic connected with your major if you know what that will be. Choose an area of interest within your major that you would like to learn more about, perhaps because that will be something you will be working with for a long time. Or you can choose a topic of personal interest (one student chose to learn more about breast cancer when her mother was diagnosed with the disease; another choose autism because his sister had just discovered that his nephew was autistic). Of you could choose a topic of interest right now because something had just happened recently to bring that issue to the attention of the world. For example, you could research fetal cell use in organ transplants or the impeachment process. Or you could choose a topic of interest primarily to San Diegans, for example sewage contamination of our beaches or the effectiveness of Operation Gatekeeper. Please let me know what you would like to write your term paper on as soon as you decide by sending me an e-mail. Sometimes these is a link from the library page to suggested topics. You can try http:www.palomar.edu/library
Since your term paper will be 5-7 pages in length, you need to have between 5 and 7 references in your List of Works Cited. In order to get 5-7 references, you must read twice as many, or 10-14 sources, because half of the sources you read will not be helpful for you in writing your paper. In order to find 10-14 sources to read, you must find reference for at least 3 times the number of sources you need because some of the sources you find reference to will not be available to you. Therefore, your working bibliography should contain 15-21 sources; to make sure you have enough sources to choose from, I am requiring a working bibliography of at least 20 sources. If, in doing your research you do not find at least 20 sources, your topic may be too narrow. If you find more than 50 sources, your topic may be too broad and you should try to narrow it down before you begin reading. All I need is a printout or an e-mailed copy of a list of 20 sources. You may actually go to any library to check out its card catalog or to look in its print materials indexes or you can check the library web pages for access to our catalog holdings or to use SearchBank, ProQuest, or any of the other search tools available from our library. You can also look into any other web search engine like AltaVista from the same Library web site. Click on "Library web site" to go to the library page, register if you are using an off-campus computer, and use either SearchBank or ProQuest from home. The code for using InfoTrak this semester is HTCXB3V9VF (all capital letters); be careful it is hard to type perfectly. For ProQuest or GeoRef, the account ID is HTCXB3V9VF and the password if welcome (all lower case). You may need to be on campus to use GeoRef or the other sources. You can find the SearchBank icon in the upper left of the page. The ProQuest icon in part of the first paragraph of text. The other search tools are under Periodicals. That page will tell you how to register so that you can use these tools from home. You can also go from the Library to other search tool, such as Alta Vista. Tag the articles you are most interested in and when you have at least 20 sources, e-mail me your results. There is a very good web page made up by one of our librarians which provides some material she has collected from different sources or created herself giving you advice on how to begin writing a term paper and how to use the library. You can find it at http://daphne.palomar.edu/libguide/Index.htm
Choose one article or a chapter form a book which you will be using for your term paper. The article should be at least 2 pages long (8 1/2 x 11). Read the article thoroughly; then write a 100-word summary telling the main points of the article or chapter. A 100-word summary is defined as containing between 95 and 105 words. Please count the words and put the total at the bottom. All words, even "a," count as one word; hyphenated words--like twenty-five--count as one word; number--such as 2,354--count as one word.
Before you turn in your summary, please number each of your sentences. Then on a Xerox of your article or chapter, label in the margin the information you used in making your summary. This will help me to see that 1) you have summarized the entire article, not just the first few paragraphs, and 2) you are not plagiarizing. You could download the article and put the labeled material in bold or italics. Send me a copy of the article as well as your 100-word summary.
I am looking for general statements which cover most of the main points of the article or chapter, presented in your own words. I expect an accurate representation of the author's thesis and main points.
Choose a different article or chapter, again that you can used for the term paper. In that paper, choose one paragraph of approximately 100 words. In your own words, and using your own phrasing, give me the same information. Do not add or leave out any information.
Before you turn in a Xerox of the paragraph and your paraphrase, be sure to label which paragraph you have chosen.
In evaluating the paraphrase, I am looking for your own style or phrasing, not just a changing of vocabulary words in the original author's sentence structure.
Your annotated bibliography will reference all the sources you read for the term paper, even ones you will probably not use. Please put the reference to the source in the correct MLA bibliographic format. The annotation will be like a 100-word summary of each article or part of a book. If you ever are assigned an annotated bibliography from another class, this is what you should do. However, for my class I am very specific in what I want in the annotation part. I still want some summary information (1-3 sentences). I would also like to have you explicitly identify the author's thesis or bias. What was the author's point in writing the article? Also I would like a statement about whether this article will be helpful for your term paper. It is OK to say "This article is too technical and I probably won't be able to use it" or "This is a great article which has helped me a lot."
Annotated bibliography
1. Alphabetize all referenced by last name of the author or title if there is no author.
2. Begin all author's last names on the margin, all second lines one tab or five (5) spaces in. (If 5 spaces do not look like 1/2 inch, use tab)
3. Double space everything. Do not put extra spaces between references.
4. For annotation, write 3-5 sentences (not more than 100 words), giving a SUMMARY of the article (1-3 sentences), the THESIS or BIAS of the author of the article or book (1 sentence), and whether the work will be HELPFUL for your term paper (1 sentence). Some material can be combined, for example "In John Smith's very useful article, he states that he is against . . ."
5. You need between 10 and 14 references in the annotated bibliography to generate enough material for a term paper of 5 to 7 pages. You may say that you have not yet read up to 3 of the article in your annotated bibliography. In other words, you need summaries for a minimum of seven (7) references.
6. Use proper bibliographic form:
for a book:
|
For online materials or other sources not listed above, check the MLA web page. Note that to get back to this page, you will have to use "Back" in the upper left corner.
www.mla.org/main_stl.htm#styl_top or Library citation page
Sample Annotated Bibliography
Abrahams, Andrew. "To Moreton Binn, Sultan of Swap, Cash is Nice, But
Barter is Better." People Weekly 30 November 1987: 105-106.
Abrahams writes about Moreton Binn’s love to swap, starting from
his childhood and leading to the present: his career as president of a
barter firm. His thesis is that Binn is the one who transformed barter
into an exploding and lucrative business. This article will be helpful
for my term paper since it shows the success of barter.
Bragg, Arthur. "Bartering Comes of Age." Sales & Marketing
Management 140.1 (January 1988): 61-63.
Bragg writes how bartering opens up new markets to companies,
and about the importance of barter firms in trade. His thesis is that in
the past, bartering had been used only to save companies from
mistakes or unwanted products, but now it is used as an essential
tool for long-term plans. The article will be helpful since it gives me
information about barter firms.
Eltis, David, and Lawrence C. Jennings. " Trade Between Western Africa
And the Atlantic World in the Pre-Colonial Era." American Historical
Review 93.4 (October 1988): 936-959.
Eltis’s article is an examination of value and volume of overseas
trade, of the purchasing power of exports in relation to imports, and
of the types of merchandise [this article goes on to the next page]
After you have written your term paper, find two paragraphs in your paper in which you cite from some of your references. Send me a Xerox of the articles or books you are citing from and a typed copy of your paper. I will be checking to see that you have introduced the quoted material in a logical manner and that you copied EXACTLY from the reference work.
In evaluating this paragraph, I want to see your ideas in emphatic positions, with the reference material merely as support, not carrying the argument. The quotes should definitely be connected to your argument.
Quoting in the term paper
You must use quotation marks when you copy words, phrases, or sentences directly from
someone else's work. You must follow the quoted material immediately with a parenthetical
reference. Do not use quotation marks when you paraphrase, nor do you need to reference
paraphrases for this class; you should check with other teachers to see if they want you
to cite paraphrases, but MLA prefers you cite only actual copied quotes, and in my class I
do not allow you to count paraphrases because then you wouldn't quote exactly as it is
more difficult to cite actual quotes. Familiar terms such as theory of relativity or
Reaganomics do not need to be in quotes.
Introduce all quotes
Your sentence must logically flow into the quote. Since you cannot change the wording of
the quote, you must make your sentence introduce the quote such that there are no sentence
level errors created (fragments, run-together sentences, mixed construction, etc.).
The best way to introduce the quote is to make a generalization that the quote supports.
For example: Ying-ying waits like a tiger in the guest bedroom of her daughter's house for
Lena to recognize what is wrong with her marriage to Harold. "I know a thing before
it happens. She will hear the vase and the table crashing to the floor. She will come up
the stairs and into my room. Her eyes will see nothing in the darkness, where I am waiting
between the trees" (Tan 287).
You can also introduce a quote by citing the author, especially if he is an acknowledged
authority. For example: David Bevington, in his introduction to the definitive text of
Hamlet, states, "although Hamlet may seem to react with excessive bitterness toward
those who are set to watch over him, the corruption he decries in Denmark is both real and
universal" (900).
Notice that if you use the author's name in your text, you do not repeat it in the parenthetical reference.
Use quotes even for a few words. Follow the quoted material immediately with the
parenthetical reference even if the sentence is not finished. For example: Willa Cather
writes of the importance of "the thing not named" (50) in fiction.
Do not just repeat the material which is stated in the quote. This is an example of poor
form: Eliezer is fascinated with death: "Death wrapped itself around me till I was
stifled. The idea of dying began to fascinate me" (Joyce 82).
Also, do not write meaningless words as introduction, for example: It is important to know
"Literature must not be a surrogate for experience but a consummation of it"
(Eastman et al. xvi). Your statement of "it is important to know" really does
not say anything of significance.
Quoting within the text:
For less than or equal to 4 lines of typed text within a quote
1. Put double quotation marks around material copied from original source.
2. Put no punctuation mark after quote but before parentheses.
3. Skip one space and put in parentheses the information needed to identify the source in the List of Works Cited.
A. For single authors with only one work
"quoted material" (Last name page number)
"quoted material" (Smith 37)
B. For more than one author
"quoted material" (Last and Last page)
"quoted material" (Smith and Jones 37)
"quoted material" (Smith, Jones, and Doe 145)
"quoted material" (Smith et al. 312)
C. For one author with more than one work
"quoted material" (Last Title page)
or (Last "Title" page)
"quoted material" (Smith Earth 231)
or "quoted material" (Smith "Environment" 41)
D. For more than one author with more than one work
"quoted material" (Smith and Jones Earth 32)
E. For interviews or films use just last name
"quoted material" (Monroe)
4. Put period or other punctuation from sentence after end parenthesis.
For 4 or more lines of text indent the entire quote but double space as usual.
1. Do not put quotation marks around the entire quote. Use indentation instead.
2. Put end punctuation mark before parenthetical information.
3. If you have to go to a new line for parenthetical information, put it close to the right margin. Do not wrap around parenthetical information.
"quoted material, more quoted material, until end of line."
(Smith and Jones 45)
COPY QUOTED MATERIAL EXACTLY. CHECK IT TWICE. CHECK IT AGAIN.
Check to make sure all reference in parentheses correspond to references in your List of Works Cited and that you do not have extra references which you do not quote from.
Quotes within quotes:
If the author who wrote the book or article you read has quoted from some
other author and you would like to include that material into your paper, then
do the following. For quotes within
the text (less than or equal to 4 lines)
Put double quotes around the entire quote, which may or may not include
material from the book or article you read.
Let's say you were quoting something from Smith's book (on page37) that
he quoted from Jones. You would
need single quotes around the material which Jones said.
"part of the Smith article. Now
he will quote from Jones: 'This is the material that Jones said'" (Sydney
L. Jones as cited in Smith 37).
"In King Lear there is a great amount of imagery drawn from
vision and the eyes. 'The larger dramatic value of a meeting between the mad
Lear and blind Gloster is surely hard to overrate.'"
(Thomas Granville-Barker as
cited in Stewart 82).
For indented quotes (greater than or equal to 4 lines), put no quotes
around just the material quoted from your primary author, but do put double
quotes around material that (s)he quoted.
In King Lear there is a great amount of imagery drawn from vision
and the eyes. "The larger dramatic value of a meeting between the mad Lear
and blind Gloster is surely hard to overrate."
(Thomas Granville-Barker as
cited in Stewart 82).
If the only thing you are quoting is the material your author quoted,
then begin with quotes.
"The larger dramatic value of a meeting between the mad Lear and
blind Gloster is surely hard to overrate. What
could better point the transcendent issue Shakespeare has developed from the two
old stories than this encounter of the sensual man robbed of his eyes with the willful
man, the light of his mind gone out?"
(Thomas Granville-Barker as
cited in Stewart 82).
Naturally all these quotes and the text material would be double spaced.
RULE #1
ALWAYS introduce your quotes with some material of your own.
NEVER put two quotes back to back.
RULE #2
Within parenthesis, between author and title is just one space.
No "p.", no "," no "-_, no "page"
NOTHING BUT A SPACE
RULES of THUMB
Use between 1 and 3 quotes per page average.
Do not have more than 1/3 of any page be quoted material.
DO NOT PAD your paper with quotes. You
should write at least 2/3 of the entire paper.
Ellipses are typed
" . . . " Note
that there are spaces before and between each period and that there are only 3
periods.
Brackets can be used to add
material of your own or to clarify ambiguous pronoun references or change tense.
Never use ellipses or brackets at the beginning or end of your quotes.
You can change punctuation at the end or capitals at the
beginning of quotes without identifying that you have done so.
Most often missed quoting errors:
COPY EXACTLY, No "p." in reference, no "," in
reference, etc., need both authors names is parentheses (or number that are
listed in List), need shortened form of title if author has written more than
one work, put period after end parentheses, no period before end quotation mark,
need single quotes within double quotes for "as cited in," do not wrap
around reference with indented quotes, period after reference before parentheses
in indented quotes.
Check your term paper for these possible errors in quoting:
1) COPY EXACTLY -1
2) no "p" or comma or period or "page" between name
and page number in parentheses. -1/3 (all other errors = -1/3)
3) period comes after end parentheses in quotes within the text
4) period comes before end parentheses in indented quotes
5) no quotation marks necessary in indented quotes
6) spell name of author consistently
7) the parentheses must come right after quoted material, not a few words
later. Finish sentence after parentheses.
8) parenthetical statement cannot wrap around in indented quotes
9) parenthetical statement should come right after indented quote or
right-justified on new line if no room
10) if there is more than one author, all names should appear in
parenthesis as (Smith and Jones 37) (Smith, Jones, and Doe 76) or (Smith et al.
337)
11) if author has more than one book or article, a shortened form of the
title is needed in parenthesis as (Jones "Earth" 18) or (Jones Environment
181)
12) if there is no author, use a shortened form of the title as
("Earth" 14) if the title is in quotes, use quotes, if
underlined, then underline
13) if you put the author's name in your text, then do not put it in
parentheses also.
14) with quotes within quotes, you need "'quoted material'"
single quotes within double quotes and in parentheses you need the person's
whole name that made the statement "as cited in" and your resource
last name and page number as (Bill Clinton as cited in Smith 37)
15)ellipses need spaces: space dot space dot space dot space (do not spell out . . . )
16) dashes are typed as 2 hyphens
17) no ellipses or brackets at the beginning or end of a quote
18) the quoted material must make sense. If it is not a complete
sentence, then you must add words to make it a complete sentence.
19) do not reference paraphrases for this class. Cross out any such
references and do not count those books or magazines in your List of Works Cited
unless you quote from them somewhere else.
