MUS 23224.Dineen,2016. Term PaperOrder Instructions:
Based on the outline and the requirement to finish the paper. 7 pages,
MUS 23224. Dineen, 2016. Term Paper
Instructions.
Bibliography and outline due February 26 at the start of class. Final paper due April 8
at the start of class. Please note that your term paper constitutes 25% of your final
grade. Of that 10% is for the outline with bibliography, and the remaining 15% is for the
paper itself. One important thing:
DON’T DECIDE UPON A TOPIC BEFORE FINDING A SUITABLE BIBLIOGRAPHY.
If you can’t find any appropriate scholarly writings about a subject, you won’t be able to
do the paper. I want you to draw your paper topic out of the bibliography you find, not
try to find a bibliography to support a paper topic you already have in your mind. So the
first thing to do is to find a set of at least 10 sources–books, articles, but no more than
two websites–that address your subject, either directly or indirectly. If you can’t find
appropriate material for a bibliography, then change your subject.
Length and grading:
Length of outline and bibliography: 4 to 6 pages of outline, double spaced; add to this 2
to 4 pages of annotated bibliography of a minimum 10 titles. See the outline on the
course website: your outline does not have to be this long. Your annotations (brief
descriptions) should be two-to-three sentence descriptions of the bibliographic source,
telling what it is and why it is important to you.
Length of final paper: 6 to 8 pages of text. Add to this a bibliography (not necessarily
annotated) and any illustrative material (tables, photos, etc.) as appendices.
I will mark you not only on the ideas and argument set forth in your essay, but also on
the way in which you engage with the literature of your bibliography.
Calendar:
Bibliography and outline due February 26 at the start of class. Final paper due April 8 at
the start of class. (Remember: Midterm, March 4th.)
PHOTOCOPY EVERYTHING YOU HAND IN TO ME.
You need to find out at least 10 reousrce, 2 web resource maximum and at least 5 resources from the readings i provided to you. Please use the biblio in the outline.
Incorporating references into your term paper. Dineen. 2016.
Some of you have made references to your bibliography in your outline. I encourage
you all to do so. This becomes more and more important the further on in studies
you go. Ultimately, in your dissertation, you are constantly engaging with other
scholars in a kind of debate. Only on very, very rare instances are you engaged in a
monologue; scholarship is a dialog at heart.
At the sketching stage, I begin by balancing my ideas against whole block
quotations taken from my bibliography. I do this either by typing out the quotation
into my text, or I photocopy or print out an important passage, and then paste it on a
sheet of paper. I find a big table and arrange all my quotations and my notes out in
an order that makes sense. I wrap text around my quotations, sometimes I drop a
quotation into my prose. You must always introduce a quotation, and often add a
comment on it afterward.
Intro.
Notes for intro.
Paper part 1.
Notes for first point of paper.
Quotations 1 and 2.
More notes for first point of paper.
Quotations 3, 4, and 5.
More notes for first point of paper.
Summary for first part of paper.
Paper part 2.
Notes for second point of paper.
Etc.
From the very beginning, then, I’m already working with my bibliography and
incorporating references into my thought. Then I transform this into an outline.
1. Intro.
1.1. Introductory paragraph.
etc.
2. Paper part 1.
2.1. Introductory paragraph to part 1.
2.2. Second paragraph, citing or quoting references (quotations 1 and 2).
Etc.
This way, I’m already tightly linking my argument to my sources. Here is a good
website for writing with references.
http://writing.ku.edu/incorporating-references
http://writing.ku.edu/incorporating-references
Incorporating References
Make the best use of your research efforts by incorporating reference information smoothly and
systematically into the text and citing your sources accurately and in a consistent fashion. Weave the
research through the paper rather than patching a paper together with bits of research. Use quotations
of credible references with citations to strengthen your argument.
Putting the Information in Your Own Words
Unless the reference is best stated and most effective for your purposes as a quotation, paraphrasing or
summarizing is one way to use research to make your argument. Both require restatement of the
material in your own words, while conveying the same ideas or conclusions as the original that you
are citing. Remember, you need to cite the source for all material that you have paraphrased or
summarized. Even if the words are your own, you must give the author credit for the specific idea.
Using Direct Quotations
Weave quotations into your own writing by clarifying the quote’s significance to the topic. Avoid
stacking quotations on top of each other. Incorporate them into the writing instead of inserting writing
into the quotations. Introduce the quotation, comment on content, explain its significance, disagree
with it if necessary, but do not drop a lengthy quotation in the middle of the prose with no comment.
Quotation marks are used to indicate material that is borrowed verbatim and should be followed by a
citation. Sources should be cited for all borrowed material, whether direct quotations or ideas. Citation
conventions vary by discipline; see Citing/Documenting Your Sources for your specific citation
formatting style.
Citing Reference Sources
To avoid plagiarism, cite everything you borrow in the text unless that information is common
knowledge.
Determining What Constitutes Common Knowledge
Sometimes, however, common knowledge is difficult to determine. Consider information common
knowledge if:
• reliable authors refer to it without citing its source,
• most people knowledgeable in the field accept it as a fact,
• few experts would dispute it,
• it is reported in most introductory textbooks or basic reference books on the subject.
In addition, keep in mind that the ultimate test is whether your audience can access your research by
using the material you have provided. If in doubt, cite your source.