Deadlines and Instructions for the Economics 231 S Term Paper

The objective of the term paper is to examine the historical development of a contemporary economic issue or problem. You should decide what issue you wish to write about based upon your own interests, but in consultation with me.

All papers must include a substantive discussion of the relevant economic theory. Your arguments should be based on this discussion. It is critical that your paper is well written and carefully edited.  Sloppy editing, grammatical and spelling errors will be heavily penalized.  The formatting instructions below apply to each phase of the term paper.

Proposal: Due Friday, March 2

• The proposal should include the proposed Title, a proposed ‘Table of Contents’ you hope to develop on, a page long summary of your project, and at least 5 academic references. 
• You are advised to develop the proposal after due thought, having browsed source materials. The proposal should specifically articulate the research problem you will investigate.
• Think about your paper project well ahead of this date. It is critical to narrow your area of interest early. 
• You are encouraged to meet with me to discuss your proposal prior to its due date.

go to top

Draft: Due Wednesday, April 18

• Though the paper is expected to be incomplete at this stage, the draft should meet each of the following requirements:

• The draft should be based on at least seven (7) academic references.

• It must include the following sections: Introduction, Survey of the Literature, and at least one additional section.

• It should be a clear exposition of the issue you have proposed to examine, and be at a stage of development where the reader can tell the sorts of arguments that will   follow in the completed paper.

• It should be approximately 10 pages in length.

• Follow all formatting instructions above.

go to top

Paper: Due Monday, May 7 by Noon

• Submit in my office (Chambers 3158) 

go to top

Formatting Instructions

Failure to follow all instructions below will result in penalties.

1.       Number all pages. Provide a Title Page, giving the title of your paper, your name, etc. 

2.       Following this page, provide a Table of Contents, listing the Section headings (discussed below) and their page numbers. 

3.       Arrange your paper in logical Sections associated with the development of the arguments. Each Section should be labeled by an appropriate heading.

§   The term paper must begin with a Section entitled ‘Introduction.’ It should be about 10% of the length of the term paper. Present your motivation for the paper and argue why the topic selected merits the readers’ attention. Then provide a short paragraph laying out the structure of your paper.

 §  The second section must be entitled Survey of the Literature. You should discuss the relevant literature on the subject based on academic references you have selected.

 §  Examples of other sections include: Historical Background, Contemporary Relevance, Theoretical Issues, Policy Implications, etc. 

§  Conclude your paper with Section entitled ‘Concluding Remarks.’ Summarize here your findings, their policy implications, and your own opinions. 

4.       You may select any citation type you wish as long as all citations are in a Reference section at the end of the paper. Do not provide citations in footnotes; use endnotes for in-text citations.  Note that at least 5 academic (non-newspaper, non-magazine) references must be used and cited.

5.       The term paper should be typed with double-spacing, 12-point font and normal margins. It should be 16-20 pages in length.  

            go to top