RESEARCH PAPER

• Step 1, due February 10, 2005:

  • Preliminary title and brief description of your top three (or fewer) possible topics

• Step 2, due February 24, 2005:

  • Title of your chosen paper topic

  • Preliminary list of sources

• Step 3, due March 24, 2005:  [this has been revised from 3/24 so as not to conflict with the midterm date]

  • Title

  • Preliminary abstract

  • Rough outline

  • Revised/ updated list of sources

• Step 4, due April 7, 2005 (OPTIONAL):

  • Rough draft

• Step 5, due April 21, 2005:

  • FINAL PAPER.  A grading penalty will apply to late papers.

  Note:  You may make substantial changes in topic, source list, and outline after each of the above submissions. However, if you do, I recommend that you consult with me before proceeding.

TOPIC

Choose an anthropological topic that (a) seems interesting to you, (b) relates at least partly to archaeology; and (c) concerns some aspect of Great Lakes archaeology (does not have to be Michigan). Do not define your topic so broadly that you are forced to cover it on only a very superficial level. Nor should you make your topic so specific that you will not be able gather much information about if from the bibliographic sources at hand. Feel free to discuss your topic with me before you get very far along in the research process!

Most of your research should be based on professional, scholarly sources, as opposed to popular, non-academic sources targeted at a general audience. Often, the presence or absence of citations and a list of works cited (or bibliography) will indicate if a reference is professional or popular. Ask a reference librarian (see below), or me, or both, for help in finding sources. Start early! You may wish to acquire some sources from other libraries and/or via interlibrary loan. Try searching for topics and authors via on-line catalogues at major research institutions, to at least find out what printed sources exist, and who wrote them. Try to gather as many sources as you can, to get a broader grasp of the research that has been done.

You may include a few Internet sources, but your paper should be based mainly on conventional, published sources in books, professional journals, government documents, etc.  The Internet and various on-line reference tools should be used mostly as a convenient way to find out who is publishing what, where, and when; in other words, as a means of building a bibliography of more conventional and reliable sources.  There may be some exceptions to this, but it would be wise to consult with me before relying too heavily on the Internet.

One step (of many) in your search for sources may be to consult either the CMU Library's Social Science web page for Anthropology Resources or the Social Science bibliographer and reference librarian, Rui Wang.  She has been advised that students from Michigan Archaeology may be seeking reference assistance and will help in any way she can.

LENGTH

Depending on content and writing style, a reasonable target length for the main body of the text might be about 8-12 typed pages, not including the title page, abstract, and works cited pages.

STYLE

Use a formal writing style, with no contractions, no slang or colloquial expressions, and no sentence fragments or run-ons. Do not address the readers as "you." Avoid spelling errors; use a computer spell-check or a dictionary.

AUDIENCE

Assume your readers are reasonably intelligent people who have a basic knowledge of anthropology and might potentially be interested in your subject. Do not assume that they know much about your specific research topic; some might be totally unfamiliar with it, while others could be experts ready to pounce on any errors in logic, evidence, or documentation you might make. Assume that your paper might be read by a widespread, diverse, and anonymous readership, rather than by just your instructor. Take care to define how you are using any terms that might not be familiar to a general audience. By the time you begin writing, you should feel knowledgeable on your topic and be ready to educate your readers on what you have learned.

FORMAT

• Title Page: You may design this page however you wish, but be sure to include basic information: title, name, date, Anthropology 344, and instructor's name (never put a page number on title page or count it in page numbering).  Do not repeat the title at the top of your first page of text; once is enough!

• Abstract: This may appear either (a) somewhere on the title page or (b) by itself on a second, unnumbered page, with the word "Abstract" centered at the top as heading. This should be what is called a "descriptive abstract," a single paragraph consisting of a few sentences that describe what is covered in the main body of the paper.

• Body: This is the main part of your paper, in which you present the findings of your research. Page 1 begins here. Feel free to use headings and subheadings (any format), but this is not required. If you do, you should still develop smooth transitions that help the reader shift from one topic to the next in your text. The body should be double spaced throughout--between lines and between paragraphs. Use consistent margins throughout the paper. Margins around the actual text should be about 1" on the top, bottom, left, and right. Include page numbers! Put them within that margin, i.e. less that 1" from the top or bottom edge of the paper (your choice). Use a conventional 10 or 12 point font (12 or 10 cpi); never choose "cutesy" or flowery fonts for a formal research paper.

• In-text Citations: For those of you who have not written research papers, use any standard guidelines for research papers (such as MLA or APA), or the common style guide in many anthropology publications (such as American Antiquity). For example,

... text to be referenced ... (Jones 1992: 264).

This indicates that the referenced idea, argument, or information in the sentence was published by Jones in 1992 on p. 264 of that publication. I will not insist on strict adherence to any specific style guide, but you should take care to reference and give credit to the sources you are using.

• Works Cited: This section begins on a separate page numbered in sequence after the last page of the body of the text. The heading "Works Cited" (without quotation marks) should appear at the top. Again, use any standard style guide in making your bibliographic entries. I will not insist on strict adherence to any one style guide, but you should include the basic material that would enable a reader to track down that source.

Important: The Works Cited section should list only those sources you have actually cited in the text, and every source you have cited. Be certain you understand what PLAGIARISM is, and how to avoid it!  Flagrant plagiarism is a violation of academic integrity and will be result in severe punitive action.

Edit your rough draft, proofread it very carefully, then do so again.  Staple all sections together (or insert into any sort of binder if you wish), and turn it in!