The first stage is a one-page proposal of your topic for the research essay. It is due first and graded, and if your topic is approved, you will proceed to the second stage which is the final essay. Note: You cannot write the final paper until your proposed topic is approved.
To write the proposal, follow the format below: On top of page 1, write:
Research Essay Proposal
John/Jane Doe (that is, your full name) HIST 2020: American History II
The current semester (Example: Fall 2018)
Start your paper on the next line (No cover page is required). In order to arrange your paper in a logical form, divide it under the following 5 sub-headings: Title of Paper, Theme, Arguments, Rationale for Topic, and Sources. Write out the sub-headings in bold on top of each section.
Title of Paper (10 points)
Provide the title of your research paper in bold letters.
Theme (10 points)
State in one or two complete sentences the central theme of your research paper.
Arguments (10 points)
List 3 key points which your paper will discuss. These must be related to your topic. (Label them (a), (b), (c).
Rationale for Topic (10 points)
State in complete sentences your reason(s) for choosing your topic.
Sources (10 points)
For the proposal, list at least 3 references (at least one book; the other two may be journal articles) which you will use to write your research essay. Note: When you write the full essay, you must use at least five sources including at least one book.
You will write the source in APA format an indicated below.
Books: author’s last name, followed by initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of book: (in italics). Location (i.e. city & state): Publisher. See example below:
Walton A. (1995). America and new immigration. New York, NY: Greenwood Publishers.
Journal Article: author’s last name, followed by initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of journal (in italics), volume number(issue number), pages. See example below:
Anderson, R. (1996). Industrial workers and labor unionism in the late 19th century. Journal of American History, 15(3), 5-21