Independence in World Context
general article writing
Description
Research assignment
The article should be 4 pages, double-spaced in 12 point Times New Roman or Arial font. The paper
should provide a description of your topic and its significance to the big picture of American history. You
should use at least 4 sources (but no more than 8). Sources should be traditional sources (i.e., historical
monographs, articles, etc). Encyclopedias, dictionaries, textbooks, and other such general sources will
not be acceptable. It will be graded on both content and style (grammar, clarity, etc) and should be
written in the third person. The paper should include citations and a “works cited” page.
This will be an informational paper, not an analytical essay. It should inform your reader about a topic
but should not be aimed at making an argument (i.e., an encyclopedia entry).
The assignment will also include a peer review of a classmate’s research paper. The review should be
one page, single-spaced and should critique positive and negative aspects of the paper being reviewed.
You should consider things like clarity of writing, organization, accuracy of research, etc.
The assignment will be submitted in three phases: First, a bibliography to indicate to me that you are on
the right track with your research; second, two copies of the research paper with citations and final
bibliography; and, finally, the peer review of your classmate’s research paper.
