History and Development of the Saxophone

In order to have you explore one topic in depth, you have this assignment to write a five-page research paper on a music topic chosen from a list of acceptable topics which will be provided by your instructor. There will be a sign-up for topics. One research paper is required for the course. This must be a formal academic research paper with at least three sources. It is not a creative writing project nor is it an essay about your personal knowledge, experiences or opinions.

Personal knowledge, experiences, opinions, and the words “I”, “me”, “my” etc. (referring to yourself) should not appear in the main part of your paper. You may write a short (no more than four lines) summary where you may express a concluding opinion. You may also write a short (again, no more than four lines) introductory paragraph indicating what you will be researching. You can write more, but only four lines of introduction and four lines of summary will count toward page length.

The paper must be in MLA Format. Be aware that MLA format requires the use of in-text citations in the body of your paper, not only for direct quotes but for any information you gathered from your sources and restated in your own words. Not including in-text citations for both direct quotes AND information you put in your own words is considered plagiarism in MLA format.

Every source on your “works cited” page must be cited in the body of your paper.

Direct quotes MUST be in quotation marks and MUST have their own in-text citation.

If all the information in a paragraph (other than direct quotes) is from the same source, just one in-text citation at the end of the paragraph is fine. Every paragraph should have at least one in-text citation. If you have a direct quote with an in-text citation, you still need to cite the other information in your paragraph. The required citations on direct quotes cannot be considered as the citation for the entire paragraph.

Use 1” margins and do not use any font larger than 12 point. To be considered for full credit your paper must be at least 5 full pages of writing, NOT INCLUDING the “works cited” page (which will be an extra page). There is no cover page in MLA Format. Your paper should be double spaced.

The last page of writing for your paper must include writing that covers at least 2/3 of the page to be considered a “full” page. You may write a longer paper if you wish, but please do not exceed seven pages.

You may include song lyrics, lists, pictures, drawings, diagrams or other graphic work in your paper, but these do not count toward the length requirement.

You must have at least three sources. Each of your sources must be listed on your “works cited” page. Each source must be correctly cited in the body of your paper using MLA format. You may NOT use your textbook as one of your sources. Wikipedia is not an acceptable source.

Papers shorter than five full pages, but that have at least four full pages of writing will be worth a maximum of 75 points. (half credit)

Papers shorter than four full pages will not be accepted for credit.

Papers that do not have the required minimum of three sources will not be accepted for credit.

Because you have several weeks to do this assignment, I will not accept papers after the due date.

Papers that do not have adequate in-text citations as required by MLA format will receive no credit and may be subject to disciplinary action by the Dean of Students for plagiarism

If you are unsure about how to write in MLA format, please consult with the PPCC Writing Center in the Learning Commons (the Library) for assistance. You can work with them in person or online. They are very helpful. There is also information on the PPCC Library website regarding writing in MLA format.

Your paper must be in Microsoft WORD (.docx) format. No other formats will be accepted. Please do NOT submit papers in Works, Google Docs, Apple Pages, PDF or various other file formats. Please convert your document to the WORD file format before submitting it. If you do not know how to do this, you can get assistance from the PPCC Computer Lab.