Topic:

• The topic for the FIRST RESEARCH PAPER is a discussion of a living (not prehistoric) Native American culture that we will not examine in class. You should research and write about the location, name, kinship patterns, subsistence, political organization, religion and any other relevant information.
   
• The topic of the SECOND RESEARCH PAPER is any issue of relevance to Native Americans that you are interested in researching. The topic should be narrowed sufficiently that you could cover it without its being too long and involved.

Style:

• The paper should be from 5 to 8 pages in length.
• It should be typed, double spaced.
• Number the pages and staple.
• The paper should be written in a formal voice, not in a conversational style.
• Research papers are not a forum for one to express personal opinions.
• You should have at least 4 bibliographic sources.
  • Include at least one peer-reviewed journal source found in a database such as Academic Search Complete, ProQuest, or JSTOR.
  • Online sources should come only from .org   and .edu and  .gov  sites. Do not use “.com” sites as source material for this paper.
  • Neither the text nor class lectures should be bibliographic sources.
• The following are among the unacceptable resources that you may NOT use for these papers:
  • Encyclopedia articles (not general encyclopedias like Britannica
  • but SUBJECT ENCYCLOPEDIAS like UXL Encyclopedia of American Tribes ARE ACCEPTABLE)
  • Wikipedia, Conservapedia
  • the text and web sites that are reviews of the material we cover in class
  • book reviews, museum exhibit notes
  • National Geographic, newspapers (print or online)
  • Reader’s Digest
  • Time Life books
  • resources for K-12 students
  • travel guides
  • reality television programs
  • popular films like Little Big Man or Dances with Wolves
  • videos (unless video representation of Native Americans is the topic of the paper)
  • National Park Service websites.  
• The bibliography may be written in any accepted style. It does not count as a page of text. Any accepted style of footnoting and bibliography construction may be used; stay with the same style throughout the paper.  If you plagiarize any of your paper you will receive a zero for the project and you will not be given the opportunity to rewrite the paper. All material utilized by you to write this paper must be cited in the text of the paper, whether quoted or paraphrased (and not just at the end of a paragraph); failure to do so is plagiarism.
• At a minimum, points will be deducted from the total if the following are not present/adequate: Grammar and Punctuation: 2; Citations: 3

• Do not construct a paragraph from quotations. Use quotations for emphasis.    Quotations that are three lines or longer should be indented and single spaced.
• Use a dictionary and a writer’s reference or consult with the tutors in the writing center if you are unsure about structure and form. Points will be deducted for unacceptable grammatical errors (e.g confusing there and their; then and than; to, too and two, etc.).
• Do not purchase a cover/folder for the paper; a cover sheet announcing the title and your name is sufficient.
• All papers are due at the beginning of class, whether submitted as hard copies or through Canvas. Be advised: I will not print off papers or assignment submitted through Canvas; you will need to check Canvas for comments on your work and your grade.
• Research papers submitted through e-mail or Canvas will be accepted only to document the date of submission. Turn in a hard copy the next class day.
• Late papers will not be accepted.