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HIS 105-Country Research (Washburn)

Getting Started

Exclamation PointFirst Things First - Assignment Requirements

Before you begin work on any research project, examine the assignment closely for any requirements. 

Q. How long is the paper? 

You are writing a 2-3 page research paper.  

Q. How many sources?

You will need at least 5 sources. 

Q. What kind of sources?

Your sources should come from books, quality magazines and newspapers, academic journals, credible websites, etc.  

Q. How do you cite sources?

You will use MLA for your Works Cited page and your in-text citations.  

Q. What about the presentation?

You may use PowerPoint, Prezy, or any other program you wish.  Your presentation should be 3 minutes.

 

 

 

Selecting a Topic

The first thing you need to do before you begin a research project is to select a topic that you're going to write about. Consider the following:

Q. Do you have a choice?

Review your assignment - are you allowed to choose a topic or does your instructor assign you one?

Q. Do you have an interest?

If you have a choice on what topic you can choose, consider which one you find the most interesting.  Which topic do you think would be the easiest to research? Which topic would you have the most to say about?

Q. Are there sources?

Before you totally commit to a topic, you'll want to make sure that there are enough outside sources on the topic for your assignment. Not every topic is going to have information written about it. Newer topics or topics that aren't as well known may be harder to find sources for.  Do some searching in the library's databases to make sure there are sources, and Ask-A-Librarian to double-check if you're not sure there are enough sources for a topic you're really interested in.

Topic Guidance

Choose a topic that interests you.  You can look into health care, political systems, geography, education, etc.  You might have to narrow your topic to keep it within the 2-3 page paper length.  Once you have decided on a topic, you will then choose a country that you would like to focus on in your research.