RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES
You have the opportunity to write a research paper on a music topic that interests you. There will be a sign-up for topics in the “Discussions” area of D2L.
One research paper is required for the course. This must be an academic research paper. It is not a creative writing project or an essay about your personal experiences or opinions. The paper must be in MLA Format. Be aware that MLA format requires the use of in-text citations in the body of your paper, not only for direct quotes but for any information you gathered from your sources and restated in your own words. Do not use any font larger than 12 point.
To be considered for full credit (150 points) your paper must be at least 7 full pages of writing, NOT INCLUDING the “works cited” page (which will be an extra page). There is no “Cover Page” in MLA Format. The last page of writing for your paper must include writing that covers at least 2/3 of the page to be considered a “full” page. You may include song lyrics, pictures, drawings, diagrams or other graphic work in your paper but additional writing would then be required to meet the length requirement.
You must have at least five sources cited in your paper and listed on the “works cited” page (the final, extra page of your paper). You may use your textbook as one of your sources, but you must then have at least four additional sources.
- Papers that are shorter than seven full pages, but at least five full pages will be worth a maximum of 125 points.
- Papers that are shorter than five full pages, but at least three full pages will be worth a maximum of 75 points.
- Papers shorter than three full pages will not be accepted for credit.
- Papers with few than five sources will carry a penalty of 50% of the possible points for that length of paper.
I will not accept papers after the due date, or that do not have in-text citations as required by MLA format. You will receive no credit if your paper does not meet these requirements and this could have a major impact on your final grade. NO EXCEPTIONS!
If you are not familiar with MLA Format, the PPCC Writing Center can assist you with formatting. Also, the Reference Librarians in the PPCC Library can assist you with researching your paper.
Papers will be submitted electronically in the “Dropbox” on the D2L (PPCC Online) website at PPCC. You will find the drop-box in the “Assignments” area under the “Activities” tab. D2L can only open documents in MS WORD, WordPerfect, PDF, Postscript, HTML, RF and Plain Text. I cannot open documents submitted in “Works” or Apple “Pages” files or various other file formats. Please convert your document to an accepted file format before submitting it.
Every source on your “works cited” page must actually be cited in the body of your paper. Direct quotes MUST be in quotation marks.
If you submit a paper at least one week early I will check it for any problems with length, citations, sources or other MLA formatting issues and let you know via the “Feedback” option in the drop-box if you need to make corrections.
Corrected papers need to be resubmitted by the due date.
