Unit 1 Project: Research Paper and Evaluating Sources
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle
Student Name_________________________________________________________
World History II
Name_____________________________
Semester I Research Paper
Learning how to write a research paper is one of the fundamental skills you will learn this
year in World History. To many the process seems daunting, if not overwhelming.
However, if you work hard and use the time and resources given to you, this should be a
challenging but rewarding assignment. The paper has been broken down into sections with
multiple due dates. The logistical information is listed below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
2-4 pages in length
Typed, double-spaced, 12 point font size, Times or Times New Roman, one-inch
margins (default setting in Microsoft Word)
4 sources (this includes the Jungle plus at least three “primary” sources)
Title Page and Bibliography included with the final paper (no Works Cited Pagestudents will use footnotes)
100 total points (25 for preliminary due dates, 75 for final paper)
Assigned: August 23, 2012
Due: September 11
Note: a list of due dates is attached
What is a research paper? A research paper attempts to analyze a specific topic or question.
It is a collection of pieces of evidence compiled from various sources, drawn together by the
author’s own analysis and conclusions. In your paper, you will “cite” evidence, leaving a
paper trail for the teacher to find where you collected your information.
Assignment For the project in this unit, we will write short research papers (2-4 pages)
regarding The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Your job as the historian is to prove whether or not
The Jungle is an accurate representation of urban life at the turn of the century in the United
States. In addition to discussing the role of fictional books in a history course, our goal is to
learn how to evaluate sources, write like an historian, and review basic research skills.
Is The Jungle an accurate representation of American urban life at the turn of the century?
If yes, prove with other sources that Sinclair’s book is accurate…
If no, prove with other sources that Sinclair’s book is NOT accurate…
The Research Process
1. Select themes / areas of interest. There are four themes we discussed in class while
reading The Jungle regarding America at the turn of the century:
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Immigration
Working Conditions
Growth of Unions and Socialist Ideas
Political Machines
Which of these themes interest you the most?
There are two ways you can organize your paper:

Option 1: Choose three (3) of the four (4) themes listed above and compare /
contrast the information presented in The Jungle with at least one primary
source for each theme. You should spend 1-2 paragraphs discussing each
theme. Properly endnote two citations from each source (for a minimum of 6
endnotes).

Option 2: Choose one (1) of the themes and divide it into three areas. Then
compare / contrast the information presented in The Jungle with at least one
primary source for each area of the theme. You should spend 1-2 paragraphs
discussing each theme. Properly endnote two citations from each source (for
a minimum of 6 endnotes).
2. Begin collecting sources. Keep track of them with the attached cards. This will make
it easier to compile them all into your bibliography. Begin with the sources on your
Pathfinder Research Guide, but be sure and consider all of the following:
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Card Catalog (CHS Library)
Specialized Encyclopedias and Reference Material
On-Line Databases (Proquest, Ebsco Host)
Dartclix (pre-approved internet sites) Note: All internet sites not obtained
through Dartclix must meet my approval before use.
Outside Sources (St. Louis County & City Public Libraries, SLU, Wash. U.)
Once you have several sources, create a working bibliography. After Mrs. Derigne
introduces the Pathfinder guide, try and find three secondary sources to correspond
to your three main ideas. This should be your goal for your first library day.
Then, begin collecting primary sources for your main ideas. You may use primary
sources distributed in class, as well as ones you locate on your own.
3. Begin taking notes. Divide the notes into categories (Background, Main Idea 1, etc).
However you take notes (notecards, double column, outline) make sure you
summarize the information into your own words (changing both the word order as
well as the words used), unless taking a direct quote, and include where you got your
information from. When it’s time to write the paper, you will have all the
information you need to properly cite your information on your notes.
4. Develop thesis.
5. Create detailed outline.
6. Write first draft.
7. Proofread, proofread, proofread.
8. Complete my checklist before submitting. Make sure you pay very close attention to
plagiarism.
9. Submit paper.
10. Rewrite if appropriate: All students may revise all major writing assignments in this
course, provided they met all the initial due dates. In other words, you can’t slack
and then get a free pass at a higher grade!
That’s it! SEE ME FOR HELP THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS!
Due Dates:

Thesis Form and Rough Bibliography, Due: Wednesday, 8/29 (15 points)

Outline Due: Thursday, 9/6 (10 points)

Final Paper Due: Tuesday, 9/11 (75 points)
Option 1: A Visual Organizer
Introduction
Appropriate Background
Thesis
Theme 1: Immigration
Information presented in The Jungle
Information presented in Primary Source 1
Analysis
Theme 2: Growth of Unions and Socialist Ideas
Information presented in The Jungle
Information presented in Primary Source 2
Analysis
Theme 3: Political Corruption
Information presented in The Jungle
Information presented in Primary Source 3
Analysis
Conclusion
Option 2: A Visual Organizer
Introduction
Appropriate Background
Thesis
Area 1: Immigrants and Housing
Information presented in The Jungle
Information presented in Primary Source 1
Analysis
Theme 2: Immigrants and Employment
Information presented in The Jungle
Information presented in Primary Source 2
Analysis
Theme 3: Immigrants and Politics
Information presented in The Jungle
Information presented in Primary Source 3
Analysis
Conclusion
A Brief Guide to Evaluating Sources
A good way to evaluate sources in general is to use the PROP method:
P
Primary or Secondary Source
R
Reason to Distort Evidence
O
Other Evidence
P
Public or Private Audience
(P) Primary or Secondary Source
A primary source is firsthand evidence. A primary source document is an item written or
created by the people directly involved in the event. Primary source documents could be
letters, journal entries, speeches, government documents, treaties, photographs, artifacts,
and/or interviews. Secondary sources are usually analysis of multiple primary sources,
written by individuals who were not first-hand witnesses to the events. Which of these
should be more reliable?
Remember, you need at least three (3) primary sources and three (3) secondary sources
in your bibliography.
(R)
Reason to Distort Evidence
Who is the author of the source? Did they have any reason to distort the truth, provide
evidence in a subjective manner, or omit key pieces of information? Is the source biased?
What does the author have to gain from writing this source?
(O)
Other Evidence
Does other evidence back up what this source is saying?
(P)
Public or Private Audience
Who was the intended audience of the message? An autobiography written for the masses
may illuminate different information about a man or woman than that person’s diary.
Generally speaking, evidence intended for private audiences may be more reliable.
World History II- Mr. Aiello
Name_________________________
Thesis Submission Form
Working Thesis Statement: Make a prediction, based on the knowledge you have of the
topic so far. Your thesis could argue that The Jungle is completely accurate, somewhat
accurate, or not at all accurate. Below are three sample thesis statements.
Sample 1: The Jungle accurately portrays immigration, socialism, and political corruption in
urban America at the turn of the century.
Sample 2: The Jungle does not accurately portray immigration, socialism, and political
corruption in urban America at the turn of the century.
Sample 3: The Jungle accurately portrays immigration and socialism in urban America at the
turn of the century, however the book inaccurately portrays political corruption.
My Working Thesis:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
My Main Ideas:
Theme / Area #1:_________________________________________________________
Theme / Area #2:_________________________________________________________
Theme / Area #3:_________________________________________________________
My Working Bibliography: Three Sources (Provide Full Bibliographic Citation Please)
Source #1:_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Source #2:_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Source #3:_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Fact or Fiction?
An Analysis of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle:
by
Student Name
World History II
Mr. Aiello
September 11, 2012
Sample Outline: The Jungle
I-
Introduction
ABCD-
II-
America at turn of century
Urbanization, immigration
Quote from Bailey, p. 204
Thesis: The Jungle accurately portrays immigration, socialism, and political
corruption in urban America at the turn of the century.
Body
A. Main Idea / Theme 1: Immigration
1. Information presented in The Jungle
a. Large numbers (statistic)
b. Difficult life (Sinclair, p. 196-198)
c. Description of tenement housing
2. Information presented in Primary Source 1
a. Diary of immigrant from Poland
b. 1.2 million immigrants the year they arrived
c. Describe help from family
d. Difficulty navigating government bureaucracy (Diary, p. 4)
3. Analysis
a. Primarily accurate
b. Discrepancy regarding housing between the two sources
B. Main Idea / Theme 2: Growth of Unions and Socialist Ideas
(similar format as above)
C. Main Idea / Theme 3: Political Corruption
(similar format as above)
III-
Conclusion
ABCD-
Restate thesis in diff. Words
Quote from Sinclair, p. 290
Significance of The Jungle
Thoughts on historical fiction and use of sources
Sample Bibliography
Berlin, Ira, and Leslie S. Rowland, eds. Families and Freedom: A Documentary History
of African-American Kinship in the Civil War Era. New York: The New Press,
1997.
Conrad, Howard L., ed. Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri. Vol 4. New York:
Southern Historical Company, 1901.
Dyer, Frederick H., ed. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Washington D.C.:
Broadfast Publishing Company, Morningside Press, 1994.
Fellman, Michael J. Inside War: The Guerilla Conflict in Missouri, 1861-1865. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Gerteis, Louis S. Civil War St. Louis. Kansas: University of Kansas Press, 2001.
McPherson, James. “From Limited to Total War: Missouri and the Nation, 1861-1865.”
Gateway Heritage 16 (1995): 4.
Shoemaker, Floyd C., ed. “Missouri History Not Found In Textbooks.” Missouri
Historical Review 44 (July 1950): 430.
Trudeau, Noah Andre. Like Men of War: Black Troops in the Civil War 1862-1865.
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1998.
Guide to Citations and Avoiding Plagiarism
Whitaker, Anne. “Why do Students…” Accessed September 1, 2004.
www.cutn.sk/textbooks/rpg/rpg2004.pdf
Footnote and Bibliography Guide
Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford / St.
Martins, 2004.
RP: Final Score Sheet
Name_____________________ Final Score______ /75
FOCUS: clear thesis, relevant content
_______/3: Thesis
_______/2: Introduction
_______/2: Conclusion
___thesis is difficult to see / unclear
___thesis is not appropriate or provable
___some info not relevant to thesis
___need to develop more
___too much background
___poor transition to thesis
___need to develop more
___need to restate thesis in diff. words
___need to demonstrate significance
ORGANIZATION: systematic arrangement of info., clear intro. and conclusion
_______/1: Title Page
___inappropriate title or format
_______/1: Transitions / Topic Sentences
___main ideas unclear (topic sentences!)
___need appropriate transitions
_______/5: Organization of Paragraphs and
Accompanying Evidence
___ main idea(s) not organized logically
___evidence does not support MI or thesis
DEVELOPMENT: specific, accurate evidence; in-depth analysis, documentation
_______/40: Supporting Details / Evidence
___main idea #___needs more evidence
___all main ideas need more evidence
_______/15: Documentation of Evidence/Sources
(Footnotes & Bibliography)
___unnecessary or missed citations
___intentional / unintentional plagiarism
___incorrect footnote or bib. format
___evidence not drawn from enough
sources or correct type of sources
STYLE: word-choice, sentence variety, objective perspective, active voice
_______/3: Style
___subjective and / or passive voice
___informal / inappropriate language
MECHANICS: correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
_______/3: Mechanics
Final Comments:
___spelling-grammar-punctuation mistakes