Term Paper Guide

GOVT132 & GOVT444

In your term paper you will be demonstrating that you are able to identify, research and argue a position on a topic of your choice. Rather than just a "report" that lists facts, what I am looking for is evidence that you have investigated (through library research) and critically reflected upon a particular question or issue and have then gone on to formulate your own argument. So mainly I am hoping to see a mind at work ö supported, of course, with relevant evidence.

Your first step is to establish the boundaries of your paper in terms of what you will be writing about. You need a topic that is not so general and wide as to leave you with no focus, but at the same time you donât want something so narrow that you have difficulty finding information and drawing broader conclusions.

EXAMPLES

Too broad: "The United Nations"

Too narrow: "Logistical issues in UN Peacekeeping: UNOSOM II, 1993-94"

A good balance: "Lessons for UN Peacekeeping: the Somalia Experience"

Once you have chosen a topic, a good way to get started is to state your topic as the working title of your term paper, perhaps in the form of a question:

EXAMPLE: "What lessons for UN peacekeeping were learned from the experience in Somalia?"

Broadly-speaking, your paper will have three sections: an introduction, a body, and a closing. In the introduction you want to explain your purpose to the reader. What are you writing about and why is the topic important? You might also want to provide a brief explanation of your argument and how the paper will be structured.

EXAMPLE: In this paper I will show how the UNâs experience in Somalia provided valuable lessons for future peacekeeping operations. In a global climate marked by increasing levels of intra-state conflict, it is vitally important that the UN learn how to adapt its peace missions to the very specific challenges posed by such conflicts. I will begin by providing a brief background to the UNâs involvement in Somalia and then go on to identify and explain several key challenges that the organization faced once it was on the ground. I will conclude by suggesting that during its experience in Somalia, the UN was forced to question many of its former, "Cold War" assumptions about the nature of peacekeeping. Finally, I put forward some suggestions as to how the lessons of Somalia can inform future peacekeeping operations.

After this opening statement (no more than a couple of paragraphs), your introduction will also want to provide some background information (historical and/or theoretical). Obviously the nature of this will depend very much on your specific topic, but you need to be careful not to go overboard here. For purposes of a term paper such as this, you only need to include as much background information as the reader needs to follow your argument.

In the body of the term paper you will present the research you have undertaken. This will most likely include references to other scholars who have looked at this topic and their findings ö as well as your own views on what they have argued. Of course you will also want to include other relevant information and references that you have found. It is vitally important that you pay attention to the structure of this section. Make sure that it is accomplishing what you set out to do. Do your ideas and statements flow naturally and logically? Are you building up a good case for the argument you want to make?

In the closing section, you will link the purpose you stated in the introduction with the argument you developed in the body in order to produce a summarizing conclusion. You may want to restate your starting point from the introduction and then hit a couple of the strongest, key points that arose from the main body of the paper. Most of all, it is important to include a statement about the implications of your conclusion. Youâve already told us in the introduction why your topic is important; now tell us why your conclusion is important and, moreover, where it leads us·

Anytime you use the words or ideas of another author, you must provide a reference. Whenever another authorâs exact words are used, they must be set apart from your text "in quotes," with a proper foot/endnote or parenthetical citation included. I do not mind what system of referencing you use, so long as you choose one of the well-recognized systems (e.g. MLA or Chicago) and apply it consistently throughout your term paper. Some useful online sources for referencing information:

If you need to cite online/electronic sources, use the Columbia Guide to Online Style; details can be found at:

For the most part, it is up to you to determine how much supporting material you need to make your argument effectively. Suffice it to say that it will be obvious if your topic is poorly or narrowly researched, or if the exact same book gets referenced over and over again! Evidence of wide reading always comes through and, inevitably, has a positive impact on your grade.

As a general guideline, I require you to use at least four sources. Of these, at least one should be an online source, and at least two should be academic books found in the library. Your textbook does not count as one of these four, nor do encyclopedias. In fact, you should move away from using encyclopedias for anything other than the most basic of factual information. This is college.

Please include a full bibliography at the end of your term paper ö again, formatted according to one of the standard bibliographic styles.

• All term papers MUST be typed with double line spacing.
• Any supporting materials (graphs, charts, illustrations, etc.) do not count towards the overall page count.

If you want to show me an outline of your paper before you start writing (and I would encourage you to write an outline; it helps to keep you on track), I am always happy to provide feedback. Itâs best to e-mail it to me (along, of course, with a note of your title/topic).

Updated November 2001