Instruction:

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Topic must be research about a “specific type” of death penalty (EX: medicine…etc)

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10 pages (Work cited not included)

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if you are doing LEGAL RESEARCH (an article, memorandum, brief, etc.) you must use the Chicago System

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Every sources need citation

Read the info below before you start to write

THE NECESSARY ELEMENTS OF A RESEARCH PAPER*

Preface:
It is clear after reading hundreds of college “research papers” that students are NOT receiving the proper training in how to write a research paper. Accordingly, I have attempted herein to outline a few of the elements I feel are necessary to draft an adequate research paper, regardless of its content.

Format:
You should expect to meet the following requirements when submitting a research paper: You should use 8 ½ x 11 white paper, a font size of 10 or 1

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, a legible “clean” type face such as Arial or New Times Roman (no italics), and it should be double spaced with a one (1) inch margin all around; each sheet of paper should have printing on only one side (no double sided printing will be accepted); there should be no cover or binding, a single staple in the upper left hand corner is sufficient; there should be a cover sheet indicating the name of the research topic, the student’s name, the name of the professor, the class (name, number & section or period) for which the project was completed, and the date it is submitted; you may have a “Table of Contents” or “Index” as your second page, although this is generally not required; all pages must be sequentially numbered beginning with the first page containing the “Introduction”; a “Work Cited” page is required at the end of the paper (unless you are using the “Chicago” system, so called, in which case you will have a “Bibliography” at the end of the document). The Cover Sheet, Index, Endnotes or Work Cited pages do NOT count toward the total number of required pages for the project.

Research
:
As ridiculous as it sounds, to write a successful research paper you must actually do research. Admittedly, this may include the preliminary use of encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, on-line dictionaries or even a text book. However, citing in a paper to a dictionary, encyclopedia, or textbook is generally an admission that you have done virtually no in-depth, or follow-on, research. With the on-line tools and library facilities (computers, Lexis/Nexis, etc.) available to a student today it is inexcusable not to do proper research. So, how many citations (or information sources) do you need for a research paper? It seems to me that you should have, as a bare minimum, at least as many sources as the number of pages required in the project (i.e. a ten (10) page paper should have a minimum of ten (10) plus sources). Notice the use of words such as “minimum” and “at least”; a good paper will exceed this base by a large margin. The failure to show a genuine attempt at complying with this necessary component of a research assignment will always result in a point reduction of up to twenty (20) points.

Citations/Footnotes
:
It is absolutely necessary to use a formal system for identifying where in the body of the paper your research appears. Citations provide the factual underpinnings for the matter(s) you are asserting in your paper. What should be cited? Except for your “Introduction” and “Conclusion”, just about any and every factual assertion you make (that is not common knowledge, ex. the earth revolves around the sun) should be supported by a reference. What system of citation should you use? While I have a personal preference for the “Chicago” system (Chicago Manual of Style) (<

http://www.shaneland.co.uk/polsis/databin/chicagosystem

>), I recognize that there are several other very good systems that you could adopt such as the MLA (Modern Language Association) (<

http://www.jwu.edu/artsci/mla

>) and APA (American Psychological Association) (<

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook

>). Each has strengths and weaknesses. I prefer the “Chicago” style because it uses footnotes (or endnotes) which are less disruptive to the flow of the written text since the references are not imbedded therein (as in MLA & APA). For most classes I generally do not care which system you pick, but use only one and use it well. However, if you are doing LEGAL RESEARCH (an article, memorandum, brief, etc.) you must use the Chicago System. If you hand in a paper that does not contain citations and/or footnotes you have written either an opinion piece or committed plagiarism. You have NOT produced a research paper. While your opinions are important, and in fact sought, a research paper is about what you have discovered to “support” those opinions. If the paper contains more than just your opinions (i.e. factual assertions), but has no citations or footnotes, then it is plagiarized. Citations and/or footnotes are an absolute necessity in a research project. The failure to have any citations or footnotes will result in the receipt of a failing grade of zero (0) for your project.

Work Cited (References)
:
If you are using the “Chicago” system, generally at the end of the article (or after the endnotes) there is a “Bibliography” listing all the works consulted for the project, whether cited or not. If you are using the MLA or APA you need to create a “Work Cited” (sometimes referred to as “References”) page which appears at the end of your paper listing all of the articles/books/etc. you have actually used in your paper. Normally the references are presented in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. A common format is: author’s name, title of work (in italics), where it was published or by whom, the date of publication, page references, and (if appropriate). The failure to have a Work Cited (or its equivalent) page will result in a failing grade of zero (0); errors in your work cited page will usually result in a point reduction of up to ten (10) points.

Drafting Suggestions
:

Use the 3rd Person – no “I”, “We” or “Me”: A research paper is not a conversational document. It is a formal presentation of your thoughts and analysis supported by primary and secondary sources. As such, the author usually does NOT speak in the “1st person”. It is not about you, it is about what the research supports. That is not to say that you can not have a point of view. Of course you have opinions about your paper’s topic. But a research paper is not about your opinions; it is about what your research supports. Research papers are normally written in the “3rd person”. This gives your paper an aura of objectivity and authority. Accordingly, the words “I’, ‘we” or “me” should almost never appear in a research paper.

Past Tense: Almost everything you will write about in a research paper has already happened. When you describe it in your paper you should always use the past tense. Guard against using the present tense, and/or mixing up your tenses during your drafting. It will definitely affect the quality of your presentation. When proof reading your paper, you should exclusively review your use of tenses, at least once.

Active v. Passive Voice: One of the repetitive problems seen in student writing is the use of the passive rather than active voice. This is usually a mistake and makes sentences overly wordy and difficult to understand. The active voice requires a direct approach when drafting. With the active voice there is: an actor, an action, and an object (in that order). It is a simple and direct way to relate any concept or scenario (ex. The President signed the bill into law). The passive voice usually transposes the object with the actor; thereby disguising who actual did the action (ex. The bill was signed into law by the President). A direct result of this exchange is that the word count must go up. Simple is better. The passive voice should only be used intentionally. The active voice should always be your default setting.

Word Count: Another common problem is extremely long and confusing sentences. The ‘rule of thumb’ is that if your sentence has grown to over 20 words – it is probably to long! You need to rethink the sentence. Examine the possibility of breaking the sentence down into several shorter sentences. Look to see if you are using the passive as opposed to active voice (see the preceding paragraph). Consider changing the way the sentence is structured by switching to the active voice. This will always result in the use of fewer words. If you are striving for clarity of thought, simpler and shorter is usually the better choice.

Proof Your Work: You must proof your work – several times. This means you have to finish your paper at least a day or two before the deadline The first and second time you proof your work should be a general review for spelling and grammar. After that, each subsequent review should be aimed at a specific issue of concern, such as: are the citations accurate, have the proper tenses been used consistently throughout the paper, etc. Consider having someone, whose language skills you respect, proof your paper for an objective review of your work. You should also plan to put the paper away for a period of time (at least a couple of hours – preferably a day or two) to clear your head. Then come back to the document with a fresh eye. You will be surprised at how many mistakes you missed earlier.

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