Paper Guidelines
Remember:
You may only use one direct quote in your entire paper.
You must include three peer-reviewed academic sources.
You must use 12-point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins on all sides.
8-12 double-spaced pages, not including cover page or citation page.
Things to do in your paper:
Discuss why you chose this topic.
Describe the who, what, when, where and why of your topic.
Relate your topic to The Sociological Imagination (personal troubles vs. public issues).
What is the context surrounding your topic?
What social forces influence and shape your chosen issue?
Discuss the social impacts/consequences related to your topic.
Reflect on your peer-reviewed sources and what this research does to shed light on your chosen topic.
Describe what you learned from doing this research paper. Did any of your views or opinions change as a result of doing this paper?
What would Marx and Durkheim have to say about your chosen topic? Conflicts? Social cohesion?
Things you should not do in your paper:
Do not begin your paper with an “icebreaker” or any kind of vague sentence that begins with some phrase like, “Throughout time…”
Do not pass judgment. Instead, provide an understanding of your topic.
Avoid “should,” because this is also a form of judgment.
No decorations or designs on any page of your paper. No images in the paper.
No page numbers on cover page or citation page.
