Paper Info

MECHANICAL AND STYLISTIC INFORMATION

Each professor you take may have slight variations on writing requirements; therefore, you must read directions carefully. Individual instructors, like professional organizations, have their own “style sheets” which must be followed. This is the Comerford stylesheet. If you have any questions, please ask.

Click here for reasons I will return your paper without a grade and consider it late, and for reasons you will do poorly on the paper even if you do not make the first mistakes.

Page guidelines and word count are non-negotiable. Each page of text must be double-spaced, using a 10- or 12-point approved font, with 1”-margins on all sides, and a page number, except the required separate title page (with your paper title, your name, the date due, the course name and number, and my name) and required separate bibliography. Note that the title page is NOT page 1; the first page of your text is page 1, not page 2. Do not put your name with the page number; it should not say Comerford/1, but 1. The separate bibliography must have numbered pages, but the bibliography pages are not to be counted in the page range stipulated for the assignment. If I ask for a paper submission, your papers must be stapled. This is also non-negotiable; I will return non-stapled papers.

For information on how to cite any sources you use, including internet sources, consult the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style or the abridgment generally referred to as “Turabian” (A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate Turabian et al.); and also see elcite. You must observe formal citation practices for historians, and not the citation practices common in other disciplines. Although the Chicago Manual describes parenthetical references, they are not acceptable in Comerford classes. Do not use any secondary sources found on line in your bibliography without permission, except in the cases of online books and articles published by reputable organizations--never use self-publications or lecture notes found on line. NOTE: when you cite your sources, never include the search engine/catalog information. In other words, do not include in the citation for a book that you found it via Georgia Southern University's library catalog. By extension, therefore, do not include in the citation such search engines as Academic Search Complete or EBSCO. These are not publishers, authors, editors, or URLs and should never be included.

You must cite quotations, paraphrases, and ideas which do not come directly from you. Failure to do this will result in action against you for plagiarism. See this page for information on how to incorporate quotations into your paper.

Pay attention to how you write, and always read your final version before you hand it in. Careless errors result in loss of points, lack of clarity, and messiness. Careless errors include, but are not limited to:

• improper use of its/it’s, their/they’re, there, etc. (NO POSSESSIVE PRONOUN IN ENGLISH USES AN APOSTROPHE)

• lack of subject-verb agreement.

• shift in verb tenses.

• failure to number pages, and/or numbering the title page, and/or beginning the text pages with #2 instead of #1

• incorrect capitalization, e.g. saying “the King/Princess/Pope/Duchess/etc.” instead of “the king etc.” Only use capitals when the title modifies a name, e.g. Queen Elizabeth II or Pope Boniface VIII, but never “the Queen” or “the Pope.”

• disregarding of directions regarding placement of your name and the name of the paper (ONLY ON THE COVER!)

• incorrect margins

• unacceptable footnote/endnote format and/or bibliography format

• use of paper clip or no fastener at all instead of a staple

• typos or incorrect spelling. If you are not sure about something, do not rely exclusively on your spellchecker, which often does not have sophisticated words; very frequently does not have the more technical words used in this class; does not account for verb tense (i.e. it will mark “carries” correct when you meant “carried,” or vice versa, since both are spelled correctly); will not catch certain mistakes of fast typing (I frequently make the same mistake and type “of” when I mean “for”); and sometimes has incorrect spellings (e.g. some versions of Microsoft Word have “therefor” as the proper spelling instead of the correct “therefore”). Look up words in the dictionary or have someone with a talent for spelling check it.

• sentence fragments or run-on sentences

• use of commas instead of semi-colons, and vice versa

• contractions or informal language including commonplace idiomatic expressions

• personal references

• ...and a host of others which are the result of either poor training (i.e. not initially your fault you did not learn it previous classes, but quite seriously high time you did—pay attention to the things you read and you will pick up on standard vocabulary, grammar, and form) or working too quickly.

Judgment calls are not careless errors, but are to be avoided nonetheless. Learn the difference between “opinion” and “interpretation” and between “bias” and “prejudice” (use a dictionary!). Opinion and prejudice are not acceptable in a history paper; interpretation is often required. Bias is a natural human condition, but you should rein it in wherever possible. This point is a particular problem with religious history classes. Nothing in your paper should suggest that you consider one thing “true” or “right” versus another thing; a history paper is about facts and context, not about beliefs.

Be certain, every time you introduce a new person, concept, or event in your writing, that you explain it. This means giving dates, places, definitions, etc. to demonstrate your grasp of the situation, relationship, etc.

Avoid phrases like “as stated above” or “as mentioned before.” If you have already stated it, I have already read it. If you need to make the point again, ask yourself why you did not address everything at once. Sometimes it is necessary to return to a point, for example to develop your argument from several diverse angles, but do not make statements which sound rather like “you have already seen this but I am bringing it up again because I want to use up more space on the page.”

You must proofread your paper. Note punctuation, spelling, grammar (be particularly careful of possessive pronouns and the use of the word “being”), consistency of verb tenses, and vocabulary (never use contractions or colloquial expressions; avoid at all costs personal references in the form of “I”, “we”, “my”, “our”, etc.). In my upper-level classes, unless stated otherwise, I will only read your papers until I find 7 careless errors (spelling, grammar, and punctuation included); at that point, I will return them to you for rewriting and consider them late.

A FEW FINAL WORDS YOU NEED TO KEEP IN MIND:

• 1. Almost all college and university students are under the same misapprehension that conclusions must make grand statements about the importance of the issue they are considering to the world. This is a habit you must break. Never end a history paper with a statement like “If so-and-so had not discovered such-and-such, the world would be a different place.” This is trite—and while it is indeed true, it is meaningless. Such statements are bad analytical writing practices. Think of a conclusion as a recap and a restatement of your introduction. Your introduction includes and is based on your thesis, and lays out what you will do to prove that thesis. Logically, therefore, your conclusion should be the place to point out the success of your endeavor. Use the conclusion to say, in so many words, “I have proved my thesis.” In order to do that, do not say “I have demonstrated...” or “my paper has shown...”. Instead, make certain that you do the following: (a) rewrite your thesis, (b) briefly point out ways in which this thesis has been proven, and (c) stop.

  3. Students are always surprised when I tell them that they should write papers “sideways”—begin with a clear thesis statement, write an outline to show how and where you will prove that thesis statement, write the conclusion, and then—and only then—write the introduction. In other words, write the first thing that your reader will see almost last. This serves a number of purposes: it forces you to reread your paper, thus ensuring that you will catch typos, grammar errors, missed footnotes, etc.; it keeps you constantly in mind of your thesis; and it ensures that your introduction is no more or no less than that—a road map of how to read the rest of the paper. Often, people who write the introduction first are surprised to find, upon rereading, that they have not done what they said they would do. Writing it later prevents this.

1. PROOFREAD, proofread, PrOoFrEaD.