Gifted Freshman Research Project, Fall 2013: Nobel Laureate
Dates we will be in the Media Center: 10/21-10/25
Paper Due Date: Friday, 10/25
Objective: Research a Nobel Prize winner and write a 4-5 page paper (not including a separate Works
Cited page) in MLA style detailing your findings. (These pages will be double spaced in Times New
Roman, size 12 font.)
Topic: Since 1901, Nobel Prizes have recognized individuals for outstanding, world-class achievement
in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace. A Nobel Prize in Economic
Sciences was established in 1968.
 You are to choose a Laureate and research his or her life and life’s work. The information you
present must be narrowed to fit in a short paper.
 In other words, you need to establish and maintain a focus on the person’s life as it applies to the
life’s work that led to the awarding of the prize. (For example, the fact that a Chemistry Laureate
lost his parents at an early age and was raised in an orphanage might be interesting, but it has no
bearing on the field in which he or she later chose to work.)
Procedure:
 Choose your Nobel Laureate.
 Read and gather information and take electronic notes. Good paraphrasing is critical.
 Direct Quotes: Include two direct quotes, properly formatted with lead-ins and parenthetical
citations. Each quote should support a point you’ve made and the source for each one should be
included on your Works Cited page.
 As you gather information, use Easy Bib to create and add to your Works Cited page. Use Easy Bib
to organize information (virtual notecards/dynamic outlining). The Works Cited page must include
all sources used in your paper. It may NOT include any source that you looked at but didn’t use.
Content
 Introduction paragraph that narrows down to your thesis statement at the end. Your thesis statement
will identify the Nobel Laureate and the Nobel Prize he or she won.
 Several paragraphs that present your findings. Remember that the focus of your paper is not a
biography of the person’s entire life. You need to establish and maintain a focus on the person’s life
as it applies to the life’s work that led to the awarding of the prize.
 Conclusion Paragraph – might include implications for the future of the person’s life’s work
Dates we will be in the CHHS Media Center: October 21-25
There will be an opportunity for you to print out your paper on 10/25 (for no charge) on our last day in
the media center. Outside of class, printing at school costs 10 cents per page.
Electronic Resources
Your information must come from no fewer than four electronic sources, including three school
database sources. Outside of school, you can access school database sources with a password. Be sure
you have the passwords before you leave the media center on the first day of research.
Some Internet sources are specious and not acceptable for use in a research paper. Examples include
Wikipedia, Ask.com, Biography.com, NNDB.com (Notable Names Database). If in doubt about the
credibility of a source, ask your teacher or the media specialist.
Use Perdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) for MLA style requirements and examples of
everything you’ll need. http://owl.english.purdue.edu
Use Easy Bib to organize your information, to view mini-lessons on how to paraphrase, and to create
your Works Cited page. http://www.easybib.com
Don’t have access to a computer at home? You will use computers in the CHHS media center during
our five days there and before or after school. The CHHS Writing Center (1.068) is also available to you
during Advisement for both research and for word processing. Ask for a pass.
Research Paper Requirements Checklist
 Length: 4-5 pages plus a separate Works Cited page
 Thesis statement in the first paragraph is easily identified
 No first or second person point or view; no contractions
 No errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, or spelling; no shifts in verb tense
 Printed copy to turn in: no cover page, report cover, or art work, please.
 Avoid plagiarism – NO PAPER WITH PLAGIARIZED ELEMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR CREDIT.
 MLA Style (see http://owl.english.purdue.edu)
 Heading (double spaced) on page one only; header on page one and every page thereafter,
including Works Cited page
 Typed, double spaced, 1” margins
 Times New Roman 12 point font only
 Paragraphs indented; no extra space between paragraphs
 Properly formatted direct quotes (with lead-ins and MLA parenthetical citations) within the text
of the paper; all direct quotes must be relevant to the point being made.
 Works Cited page properly labeled and formatted with at least four sources listed
Works Cited Page – Basic Rules
 Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should
have the same one-inch margins and header as the rest of your paper, and its page number should
be either 5 or 6.
 Center the words Works Cited at the top of the page, one inch down. Do not italicize the words
or put them in quotation marks.
 Each entry must be in ‘hanging indentation’ format.
 Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.
 Entries must be in alphabetical order. Do not include the URL.
 Only works actually used in your research paper may be included on the Works Cited page.