Writing Term Papers

This site offers practical information for writing term papers (not just for this proseminar). It addresses the following issues:

1. selecting a topic
2. finding material for your term paper
3. writing the term paper
4. spell-check in Word for Windows
5. checklist of things to remember before you hand in your paper
6. handing in the paper
7. pledge concerning scholarly honesty

1. selecting a topic

• select the topic for which you have prepared your assignment sheet
• select another topic from the Proseminar (see syllabus)
• select a topic from the list of alternative paper topics
• choose your own topic - in which case I want you to check back with me in order to ensure that your topic (1) has a clearly linguistic focus and (2) is narrowed down to a manageable question

2. finding material for your paper

Remember that researching your topic on your own is part of the task of writing a term paper!

Starting points for your research are

• the course bibliography
• bibliographies in the books from which the course pack excerpts are taken (If I have excerpted a text for the course pack, be sure to look at the complete text from which the relevant excerpt in the course pack is taken!)
• bibliographies in the books on the reserve shelf in the departmental library (front desk)
• the MLA Bibliography - either in print format or in online format (available in Bibliographisches Zentrum at the university library)
• the Internet

Concerning the MLA Bibliography and the Internet: Select your key words carefully! For example, "AAVE" or "Creole" are too broad; instead, try e.g. "AAVE AND schools" or "Louisiana Creole" ...

And a word of warning concerning research via the Internet: a critical attitude towards Internet sources is essential (there is no editor or other controlling authority, therefore occasionally you find unscholarly approaches/ attitudes published here) - but feel free to use it alright.
For more hints, especially concerning the use of Wikipedia, see the FAQ site . While it is okay to use Wikipedia as a source like any other encyclopedia for definitions of individual terms, it cannot be the main source of your paper! Encyclopedia entries may be starting points, but not detailed scholarly sources for term papers, here you need more in-depth sources. Proof of why Wikipedia does not suffice is provided in ReaderPlus under "General Information."

By the way: I have repeatedly been asked how many sources I require for term papers. The number of sources you list is besides the point - the relevance of the sources is essential. Also, for this linguistic Proseminar, it may actually be more productive to look for articles rather than book-length studies, because the latter may be too detailed (read the introduction and conclusion to find out how useful such a monograph is). Essay collections may also yield interesting articles. Don't look only at the articles in the coursepack, but check out the books on the reserve shelf in the upstairs departmental library as well. If you are not yet familiar with the electronic version of the MLA bibliography in the main library, ask the library staff for help (they are tremendously patient and helpful!), because the MLA is really useful for your whole course of studies. However, before you order a book through interlibrary loan, make sure that it's worth the time that will take. Anyway, conducting your own research for your topic is part of the task of writing a term paper.

3. Writing the term paper

• observe the guidelines for writing term papers provided here - especially concerning the argumentative line of your paper (remember what you learned in the essay courses!)
• check that your sources are properly referenced in the MLA format (incl. Internet sources!) Please note: Plagiarism, even if unintentional, will result in a failing grade. If you are not sure what constitutes plagiarism, consult the MLA Handbook or me.
• check the MLA format of the paper itself (cf. MLA style sheet or MLA Handbook)
• make sure your paper is double-spaced
• check the spelling in your paper!
• check the grammar in your paper
• check the punctuation in your paper - especially commas (note that there are different rules than in German, esp. with quotations and enumerations)!
• observe the rules concerning plagiarism and include the pledge on scholarly honesty (take it seriously, too!)

The standard technicalities you already know: 8-12 pages text, standards fonts (Arial or Times New Roman or the like - no Courier, please!), 11 or 12 point fonts, wide margins (but 5 cm on either side is excessive), ...

4. spell-check in Word for Windows

1. mark the entire text with Strg + A
2. open menu "Extras" and select "Sprache" (in WinWord 97: select "Sprache auswählen" next)
3. select "Englisch (Großbritannien)" (you can choose any other kind of English, but usually you'll always get a British English spell check - keep that in mind when the spell check marks AE spelling as faulty and click "Ignorieren"!)
4. enter with "OK"
5. open menu "Extras" and select "Rechtschreibung" - then proceed with spell-checking as usual

5. checklist of things to remember before you hand in your paper

Here is a checklist of things to remember before you hand in your paper, as well as a link to Harold Schiffman's "cheklist"

6. handing in the paper

On the due date for the term papers (check "Rules of the Game"), please hand in 2 versions of your term paper:
1. an electronic version in MS Word format (!), sent as an e-mail attachment to the following address: pwacker@uni-mainz.de
2. a printed version submitted to Ms. Vollrath's office (02-579), where I have a mailbox (only if you have registered for the Zwischenprüfung should you hand it in to Ms. Wächter). If you want to send the printed paper by mail, address it to:

P.-A. Wacker
Amerikanistik
Dept. of English & Linguistics
FB 05
Universität Mainz
D - 55099 Mainz

Bachelor students have to hand in 2 forms with their term paper:

• cover form
• pledge of academic honesty
  

Important: if for some reasons or another you can't meet the deadline of the term paper, contact me by e-mail *before* the due date - if you simply hand in the paper late without any explanation, I won't accept it.

7. pledge concerning scholarly honesty

Because cases of plagiarism have occurred in this class, all students are required to add a pledge concerning scholarly honesty to their term paper. The text of this pledge, which you have to date and sign personally, is:

"Ich versichere hiermit, dass ich die vorliegende Arbeit selbstständig verfasst habe und keine anderen Hilfsmittel als die hier angegebenen Quellen benutzt habe. Ich versichere weiter, dass ich diese Arbeit noch nie an anderer Stelle vorgelegt habe und noch keinen akademischen Leistungsnachweis dafür bekommen habe."

Plagiarism, even if unintentional, will result in a non-passing grade. If you are not sure what constitutes plagiarism, consult the MLA Handbook or me.

frequently asked questions about term papers

to the guidelines for writing term papers

to the checklist for writing term papers

back to the top of the page

back to the homepage