GUIDELINES FOR HH315 RESEARCH PAPER (Spring 2009):

    The research paper is to be modeled on a scholarly journal essay.

    Topic: write a research paper based on at least three (3) PRIMARY sources illuminating the life and significance of ONE man or woman of the High Middle Ages (1050-1300), or examining fully the significance of a specific historical event during this period. (List of names of medieval people) You are free to choose the subject of your research. You are to select some particular aspect of this person or event and use it to explain and illuminate the institutions, attitudes, ethos, or practices of the era of the subject.  Do NOT write an 'encyclopedia entry.'  A paper that is no more than a narrative summary of events in a person's life, even one that is a good narrative summary, will receive at the very best a 'C'.

As an alternative, I will allow you to write on ANY TOPIC that deals with a well-defined and significant historical issue or problem relating to the history of Western Europe between  A.D. 1000 and 1300.  The paper must have a 'thesis,' that is, it must present a solution to a historical problem based on your own interpretation of the sources. Mere narratives of events will earn you no better than a 'C'--and that is if they are well done and based on primary sources. The paper must demonstrate your own thought and analysis.

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PAPER. Model your research paper on a scholarly journal article.
1. the length requirement is 12-15 typewritten page long (in Times New Roman 12 point font), including a one page summary statement (see below) but excluding endnotes, bibliography, and title page.
2. the paper is to be an examination of a particular aspect of an individual's life that is used to illuminate the institutions, ethos, attitudes of his or her era. Alternatively, you may write a paper on ANY well-defined topic dealing with issues significant for the study of medieval history;
3. a thesis (a governing idea or viewpoint addressing the issues raised by the topic);
4. the paper must have a systematic analysis of the issues raised by the topic;
5. it must demonstrate research (!!!!!): the evidence must be drawn from at least four primary sources supplemented by scholarly secondary sources and must be relevant to the topic, supportive of the thesis, and analyzed critically throughout;
6. it must be fully documented (PAPERS LACKING FOOTNOTES OR ENDNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY WILL RECEIVE AN F);
7. you must attach to the paper a one-page summary page explaining your findings.

    Length: 11-15 doublespaced, typewritten page long (in Times New Roman 12-point font), including a one page summary statement (see below) but excluding endnotes/footnotes, bibliography, and title page.

   Summary statement: You must attach to your paper a one-page long statement of 1) the topic of the paper, 2) your thesis, and 3) your findings.

    Research requirement: You must base your paper on at least THREE PRIMARY sources. (This is a MINIMUM requirement. Since this is a RESEARCH paper, a large part of your grade will depend upon the quality of your research as reflected in the paper you turn in.) At least three (3) of these works must be PRIMARY sources, i.e. a contemporary or near contemporary accounts of the event. These primary sources may be supplemented by the use of scholarly secondary sources. You may, of course, use the assigned class reading for these papers. If you cannot find primary sources in Nimitz, you should either with me, and I will help you look or order primary sources on interlibrary loan, or you should pick another topic that is better supported by the library.

    Explanation of 'scholarly source": Secondary authorities must be SCHOLARLY books and/or articles, written by professional historians to explore issues rather than by amateurs to entertain an audience. If you are uncertain as to whether a book is "scholarly" or not, you should look for the following: 1) publication by a university press or in a professional academic journal, 2) the author's use of primary sources in his or her endnotes or footnotes and bibliography, 3) reviews of the book in academic journals (such as Speculum or The English Historical Review).

    Encyclopedia articles: Encyclopedia articles, especially from specialized encyclopedias such as The Dictionary of Medieval History, are a good way to begin researching a topic and often contain good, brief bibliographies on the subject, but they are not scholarly works. I will not count them as fulfilling the four source minimum requirement. If you do use an encyclopedia entry, make certain that you identify the AUTHOR of the article. (Yes, entries are written by different authors, usually identified by initials with a key to initials in the first volume of the encyclopedia.)

    Internet research:  The internet is a valuable resource, but it must be used carefully. Make sure that the authors of the sites that you use are, in fact, scholars/experts in the field. (An '.edu' domain in the URL does not guarantee this, but it is at least one indication that the page is associated with an academic institution.) One can find primary sources on the internet (as evidenced by the syllabus). The 'downside' is that these are usually old translations in public domain, and may not be quite as readable as more recent translations of the work. The internet ought to be used to supplement, not replace, library research.  If you have any questions, please ask me. All internet sources must be properly cited. (How to cite an internet source.)

 USE OF SOURCES: Read critically and evaluate what the sources that you use. Do not merely summarize the arguments and theses presented in
these secondary works. CRITIQUE them: weigh contrasting interpretations against each other; analyze the logic of their arguments and, where you
can, their use of sources. Your footnotes should NOT be a series of references to a single work. They should show the reader that you have
consulted a number of authorities, contemporary and modern, on the points that you are discussing. If you have questions, ask me.

I REQUIRE the Chicago Manual of Style Format (see the Holt Handbook, 4th edn, 40c: pp. 633-9)

    EXAMPLES OF ENDNOTES/FOOTNOTES:

BOOK
First reference
1David Crouch, William Marshal: Court, Career and Chvialry in the Angevin Empire, 1147-1219 (London: Longman, 1990), pp. 43-52.
Normal order: First and last name, Title in italics (Place of publ: publisher, date of pub in parentheses), pp. page numbers.
Note the punctuation (commas separating author and tile; no comma before parentheses; comma following parentheses; period at end)

Subsequent references

2Crouch, William Marshal, p.70.

Translated Primary source in a collection:

3Gregory VII, 'The Dictates of the Pope," trans. E.F. Henderson, in The Middle Ages, Vol. 1: Sources of Medieval History, ed. Brian Tierney, 4th ed. (New
York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983), pp.142-3.

Journal article

4J. C. Holt, "Politics and property in early medieval England," Past and Present, 57 (1972), 3-52.

Primary source quoted in a secondary authority:

5 Orderic Vitalis, Ecclesiastical History, trans. M. Chibnall, bk 5, ch. 3, cited in Stephen Morillo, Warfare under the Anglo-Norman Kings, 1066-1135
(Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1994), p. 152.

BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY: (Note the differences between the bibliography and note formats):

Crouch, David. William Marshal: Court, Career and Chvialry in the Angevin Empire, 1147-1219. London: Longman, 1990.

Normal order: Last name, first name, period, title (book in italics), period, place of publication, colon, publisher, comma, date, period.

Bibliographies are arranged in alphabetical order

   PLAGIARISM/HONOR OFFENSE: DEPARTMENTAL PLAGIARISM STATEMENT http://www.nadn.navy.mil/History/plagiarism.html. READ AND KNOW.