A few key points: Papers have to be written
in your own words. MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE: AVOID ALL CUTTING AND PASTING
TEXT FROM THE WEB OR OTHER SOURCES! On the rare occasion that you feel
you must cite something literally, it has to be
put in quotation marks and the reference should be indicated. Reference
material that you consulted should also be listed at the end, even if
you do not take literal citations from it. Do
not literally cite excessive amounts of direct text
from sources. Use your own words. Direct citations usually only
include a single sentence or statement here and there as needed. It is best to indicate a reference where you use it and
then put the full reference at the end.
Example of how it would be phrased in an essay: Jones and Smith (1988) argued for the existence of man before apes were around, based on their discovery of a cellular telephone in 50 million year old deposits in a south african mine shaft. They could not rule out, however, that a miner had lost the cell phone from his belt clip. The latter hypothesis gained support when it was discovered that the batteries still worked. Subsequent analysis of the device showed a voice message from his wife that he left his lunch box at home.
And then at the end:
References
Jones, B., Smith, C., 1988, Journal of the
American Society of Fringe Scientists, Volume 1, page 1.
Overall purpose:
The paper should explore the principle topic as
stated. Try to stick to just one or a few points you are trying to
make, keep it focused. Materials to be consulted can range from text
books, to science books or science articles in journals, etc. Try to
include more than just one reference, don't summarize just one article
or textbook section. Try to look at your topic from difference
perspectives, including your own. You want to write something that
others would find interesting to read.
Please consult me if you have any questions.