Dr. CasserlyPAPER GUIDELINES:

Your paper should follow the following guidelines:

  • It must have a thesis or argument that addresses the question and which drives your analysis of the book. Your thesis should be supported throughout the paper by the effective use of evidence. Each paragraph should be adding to the overall argument you are making in your paper.
  • Your paper should have an introduction, where you define your thesis, and a logical organization that flows from the thesis.
  • It should have a conclusion where you restate your thesis and explain its significance.
  • You should have effective transitions between paragraphs, each of which should add to the overall argument in your paper.
  • All papers must be typed double space with standard margins and fonts.
  • All ideas and evidence that are not your own should be cited using a consistent format. I prefer the Chicago Manual of Style format. The following website offers a good summary of this citation format
  • Use of ideas or material that is not your own without providing a proper citation for the source of that material constitutes plagiarism and will result in a grade of 0.0 for the assignment and possible referral to the college authorities for disciplinary action.
  • Check your papers for grammatical mistakes, typos, and spelling. The effectiveness and clarity of your writing will be a significant factor in the grades you get for papers.I highly recommend that you use the LOFT to help with writing your papers. For more information, see the Loft webpage at
  • Avoid the passive voice.
  • Quotes should be used sparingly andideally only from primary sources. Avoid long "block" quotes. All quotes must be introduced and placed in context. They cannot just be “plopped” down in the middle of a paragraph. Do not use quotes longer than 3 lines.
  • A good guide to writing papers is Patrick Rael, Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students (Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College, 2004), available at
  • It is the student’s responsibility to keep an electronic copy of all papers and homework submitted to me.
  • Late papers will be penalized .3 per day late (including weekends). If you have a legitimate problem completing a paper on time I tend to be much more sympathetic if you let me know before the paper is due.
  • Once papers and exams are handed back to you, if you are unhappy with your grade you must wait 24 hours before discussing this with me. Please submit in writing the reasons you disagree with my assessment of your work. After reconsidering your grade I may decide to increase or decrease your grade or leave it unchanged.