You must select a topic from the list of approved topics (available from the cou

You must select a topic from the list of approved topics (available from the course website in Moodle). The issue is not that more than one student writes about the same topic. The big issue is relevance to the course and the course material.
The research paper must include a bibliography (in alphabetical order by author). The research paper also requires a title page, a table of contents page, and section headings within the body of the paper.
The minimum number of pages is a total of seven (title page, table of contents page, four pages of research, and bibliography page).
It is suggested (but not required) that graphic items (pictures, maps, diagrams) be put on separate pages at the end of the paper. Make reference to them within the body of the paper, ex.: “see Figure 1a”, “refer to Map 2”, etc. Note that graphic items are not required for this paper.
The table of contents page is an outline with page numbers. This shows organization in the paper. You will use the topics listed in the table of contents within the paper as section headings. The section headings represent logical breaks in the information you are presenting. There is not a section heading for every paragraph or page, just at points in the paper where you have changed the topic being discussed.
You must use 12 point, with one inch margins, double-spaced. Using fonts other than Times-New Roman, Arial, or Calibri will result in points deducted.
Four bibliographic sources are required; they can be all websites, all bound volumes, or a mix of the two formats. The textbook may be used as a source, but not as one of the four required sources. Dictionaries do not qualify as bibliographic sources. Points will be deducted for citing dictionaries as sources.
To receive full credit, any websites used as sources must be listed in the bibliography with complete, functional web addresses. “Web, date” is not acceptable.
Websites must be credible, associated with a governmental agency, a university or college, a corporation or business of repute, a non-profit organization of repute, or from a published source. This insures editorial review and identification of copyright.
Sources should be cited within the paper with parentheses. Don’t use footnotes. Example: Jones said so in a recent paper (Jones, 2003). Example: In a recent paper, Jones said, “This is so…” (Jones, 2003). A paper with no citations within the body of the paper will lose points.
Please make sure that grammar and spelling are correct. Use complete sentences and avoid fragments. Keep paragraphs compact, internally unified, and presented in a logical sequence. Section headings and a table of contents referring to these headings help organize the paper.
Any academic standard (MLA, APA, etc.) is acceptable. However, Internet sources require functional web addresses.
Grading and points: The final grade for writing assignments is determined by these percentages: Content 60%; Completeness 10%; Neatness 10%; Originality 10%; Grammar and Spelling 10%.
A sample paper is available on the Moodle website. It is meant as an example, so your paper will have different section headings, etc.
As a courtesy to the instructor, if you compose your paper in an Apple computer or if you use “open source” software to write the paper, you must save it as “rich text format” or as a .rtf file. If you save the paper in the default format provided in these two computing environments, the instructor may not be able to open the paper.