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HISTORY 375: The Cold War—From World War II to the End of the Soviet Empire (Fall 2024) : Research Essay Requirements

Research Essay

See Course Requirements c.) Essay in the course syllabus for details about the 2,500-word (about 8-10 pages) research essay, including topics and format.

Students should submit on . . . a two-page outline with:

  • a one-paragraph abstract of the argument
  • an outline of the major points
  • a preliminary bibliography   

Submitted essays, due . . . at the start of the lecture, must have:

  • footnotes
  • bibliography

Required Format: A printed & stapled physical copy must be turned in by hand AND a digital MS Word or PDF copy turned into Canvas no later than 2:30pm on . . .. (Students taking the assignment for Honors credit should hand a physical paper to Prof. McCoy and email him a digital copy directly. Do not turn your paper in via Canvas)

Instructions: Write a maximum 2,500-word essay (about 8 to 10 pages not counting the Bibliography) with a distinct thesis, supporting arguments, and conclusion. A Bibliography Page are required. A list of topics is appended in Part III of the Course Syllabus, and the format for the essays is detailed in Part V of the Course Syllabus.

Thesis: All essays must start with a thesis statement written in the A-B-C formulation as described in Section V of the Syllabus, titled “How to Write an Essay.”

Sources: Each essay must cite a minimum of (1.) six secondary source (two of which cannot be on the syllabus), (2.) ten newspaper articles, and (3.) one of the following. Either A.) Four extended quotes from government documents, or, B.) One extended quote from the Foreign Relations of the United States.

Formatting: All formatting must strictly follow the Chicago Manual of Style: (a.) Double Spaced with 12-Point Font, 1-inch, Justified Margins; (b.) Single-Sided Pages; and, (d.) Proper Footnote Citations as specified in Section V of the Syllabus and the Chicago Manual of Style below:

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html (Links to an external site.)

Plagiarism: All essays will be run through plagiarism detection software. Copying or paraphrasing content without proper citations will result in a 0% on the test.