George Bush 43 and the Media

Paper
The final research paper should be well-organized (with an introduction containing a thesis, body
paragraphs, and a conclusion), clearly argued, amply supported, and grammatically sound. It
must be at least 15 pages in length, double-spaced, using a 12-point font with 1-inch margins.
use footnotes for references.

Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in up to a 1/3-letter-grade penalty for
each infraction.

Structurally, your paper should contain each of the following:
• A contextual introduction: In a paper of this length, the reader should know the context,
subject matter, and argumentative thesis within the first two pages. One approach might
be to offer an allegorical introductory paragraph that sets an exemplary tone for your
subject matter. Most important, put your argument on a silver platter. Do not make the
reader mine your essay for it.

• Historiography: Your primary research must be well grounded in the scholarly work
already done in your selected or related field. This work should be distilled to 1-2 pages
to explain concisely where your research fits in the body of already published work.

• Body of Evidence: To convince the reader that your argument is sound, be sure to
consider some of the following questions: Is it organized logically? Are you analyzing
the evidence (explaining why it happened or why it is significant)? Are you analyzing it
appropriately? Are you making sense of your evidence in a way that is sensitive to the
subject’s already-existing literature? Is your evidence useful or relevant (or are you
including it simply because you did the research)? Are there any exceptions to your
presented arguments or evidence?
•

Conclusion: In the last paragraph, incorporate your thesis with your major observations.
If your paper screeches to a halt, then you likely do not have an adequate conclusion.
Also, be judicious in your use of quotations. Only use quotes to illustrate your points; don’t use
them to make your points for you. Be sure to analyze all of your quotes in a way that explains to
the reader why they are significant enough to be added to your paper. When possible, avoid the
use of lengthy/block quotes; they should be four lines of text or less. If it feels like you are
simply filling space, then you likely are. Remember, I am more interested in reading your always is and insights.