Research Paper

The paper should be divided into three parts: 

Part 1: The Search Story

(1-1.5 pages, double-spaced – one-two paragraphs)

Part 1 establishes your research question and explains why you wanted to know more about this particular topic. This part provides the reader with a clear sense of what you knew about the topic going into the research, what you expected to find, and how your research process led you to a new understanding of the topic.

1. Hook the reader’s attention: in the first one-two sentences, use an attention-grabbing opener to explain why it was important for you to find out more about this particular topic.

2. Explain what you already knew about the topic: Briefly describe what you knew about the topic before starting your research.

3. Explain what you wanted to find out about the topic: What specifically did you want to find out more about? You can start with a broad sentence which explains why the topic is important to you and what motivated your search. Then,  be specific about the research question . What did you end up searching for?

4. Explain how the sources you found either answered the question you asked, or led you in a new direction: You don’t have to go into detail about the sources yet, that will come in Part 2. This part should end with a statement about how the sources you found helped you to answer the question.

Part 2: The Search Results

(1.5-2 pages, double-spaced)

Part 2 should be the most substantial part of the paper. Here, you are reconstructing your research process and discussing the results you found. It is important for me to understand not only what results you found, but how you found them. How did the research process affect your question? Did the sources you found reveal a new angle on the topic which you ultimately found more significant than your original question? How did you interact with the sources you found?

Note: You are required to find two primary sources which help to answer your research question. Primary sources = documents, images, objects, books, etc. written or created in the time period under study.

1. Establish where you started your research. Be honest. Did you start with a Google search using key terms from your research question? That’s okay! What kinds of sources did you find first? If you clicked on an article from Wikipedia, Britannica, History.com, or another encyclopedia-type website, why? What kinds of information did you find and where did it lead you next?

2. Establish, step-by-step, how you found the two primary sources which helped you to answer the research question. Which websites did you consult? How many sources did you read? How did the sources you found change or shape the research question? In these paragraph(s), I really want to know what your thought process was while conducting the research. Did you find too many sources? Did you not find enough? How did you change your search terms or research question to uncover a relevant source?

3. Present an overview of the two primary sources you found. In one paragraph per source, describe the source and analyze how it helps to answer the research question you posed. In these paragraphs, utilize the skills you’ve developed from the first two primary source projects to analyze the source.

Part 3: Reflecting on Your Research Question

(1-2 pages, double-spaced)

In Part 3, reflect on the search process in general. How did it change your understanding of the research question or topic? How did change your understandings about history and/or historical documents? End the paper with a clear and bold argument based on your findings. Essentially, use the primary sources to  answer your research question.

1. Reflect on the search process: What did you learn about your topic from the search process? What did you learn about historical research? How did the research process change your understanding of the topic? How did the research process change the research question?

2. Answer your research question: How do the primary sources you found answer your research question? Is this the same question you started with? Why/why not? The essay should end with a clearly and boldly articulated historical argument based on what you found in your research.

Formatting:

Total length: 4-6 pages, double-spaced. (Note: I’m flexible about the length for this assignment. It can be longer than 6 pages, but must be a minimum of 4 pages.)

Times New Roman, size 12 font.

1-inch margins.

Use of the first person (“I,” “me,” “we,” etc.) is acceptable and expected!

Please include a  separate works cited/bibliography page  (not included in the 3-4 page requirement) where you list your two primary sources (include web links, if applicable).

Citations:

In this project, it is very important that you cite all sources utilized. Make sure it is clear in your discussion of the primary sources where you found them and what they are. If you quote or paraphrase from a secondary source in your description of your research process, be sure to cite it (even if it is Wikipedia). When discussing primary sources, make your citations clear.

I’m not picky in terms of citation formatting, so an acceptable citation can look like this:

Primary Source: (Letter from Washington to James Duane, National Archives)

Secondary Source: (“George Washington,” History.com)

Getting Started

How do you decide on your research question?

In order to come up with a research question which will yield fruitful search results, first think about what you are most interested in. Start with the broad topic (example: citizenship, immigration, race/racism, gender, war, welfare, etc.) and then consider why you find that topic so interesting. You can use your particular interests to narrow the topic down to a searchable question.

You’ll have to play around with the specificity of your question as you search. If you start with something extremely specific, like, “What kind of guns did American soldiers use in the Philippine-American War?” your search might not yield you as many results than if you broadened the question a bit. (Ex. “How did the weapons used affect the outcome of the Phillippine-American War?”) See below for further tips on using key terms to search for primary sources.

Some sample questions:

· What was daily life like under Jim Crow? How did gender roles and relationships between women and men affect black or white families in the Jim Crow South?

· How did Americans frame their arguments for/against immigration to the United States? How did ideas about race and religion affect debates about immigration?

· If you wanted to focus on a particular war, military action, or battle, you could ask how soldiers on either side of the conflict experienced the war? How might the military tactics or weapons used at the time have affected their physical state or emotional morale?

· How did citizens who remained on the home front gain news of war? How did that news affect how they experienced war?

· How did specific social movements for civil and political rights change American laws and institutions? What were the reactions of outsiders to certain political and social movements? (For example, how did white parents react to Brown v. Board of Education?)

Are there any limits on the research question I can ask?

The only limit is that the topic has to come from a theme or concept covered in our course. Thus, your topic should fit roughly within the time span of 1865-Present.

How do I find a primary source?

First, find a primary source collection . What you are looking for are digital collections and/or online exhibits of primary documents assembled and maintained by credible, academic, archival, and/or public history sites. You’re looking for websites with an .edu, .gov, or .org domain name. In order to find those kinds of sites, and then to find the right kinds of sources to answer your question, you’ll have to do some heavy googling. You definitely cannot complete the research portion of this project with just one Google search.

I recommend watching this 4-minute video from the library at Sam Houston State University, which goes into detail about how to use Google’s Advanced Search tool to find primary source collections online.