Writing Homework Help

Biography Instructions

You will identify an important figure in American history from the American National Biography Online database, available through the Jerry Falwell Library, and write a one-to-two page biography of that individual with a ten-source bibliography.

• Biography 2 must address an individual who was important in U.S. history after 1945.

Your paper should be a full, 1-2 page summary. The summary should not include any footnotes or other citations.

After writing the summary, you will create a bibliography that includes the American National Biography Online page you used, as well as three scholarly books using the Jerry Falwell Online Library search engine and/or WorldCat (www.worldcat.org), three scholarly, journal articles using JSTOR, Academic Search Complete, Academic OneFile, and/or Summon (found in Liberty Library’s databases), and three reputable websites (.org, .edu, .gov, .mil) to create a bibliography related to the subject of your biography. The use of current Turabian formatting in your bibliography is required.

The purposes of this assignment are to teach you about important figures in U.S. history, introduce you to the process of finding different sources available through Liberty University, and help you learn the importance of proper formatting.

SPECIFIC POLICIES FOR THE BIOGRAPHIES

1. Include your name, date, and course on the upper right of your biography. Please single space these items.
2. The summary must be typed and doubled-spaced, have 1-inch margins, and be between 1-2 pages.
3. The summary should have at least three paragraphs including an introduction, body, and conclusion. There should be no extra space between paragraphs.
4. You must place page numbers at the bottom of each page of your summary and bibliography.
5. Each source in the bibliography must be single-spaced with an extra space between the sources. The sources should be in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Please see the sample citations below for guidance.
6. Read and apply the “Tips for Reading and Writing in History” (found in the course’s Additional Information folder, under Syllabus and Assignment Instructions). With very few exceptions, the best biographies will be the ones that undergo several revisions. In your revisions, check for grammatical errors, organizational problems, and the clarity of your descriptions.

   Proper Turabian format for Biography

   Citation for American National Biograpy Online (at top of Bibliography):

   Bruce, Robert V. “Bell, Alexander Graham.” American National Biograpy Online. http://www.anb.org/articles/13/13-00115.html.

   Bibliography (in alphabetical order)

Books (three books)

Gray, Charlotte.

Articles (three scholarly articles)

Beauchamp, Christopher. “Who Invented the Telephone? Lawyers, Patents, and the Judgments of History”. Technology and Culture vol. 51, 4 (October 2010): 854-78.

Websites (three reputable websites)

Library of Congress. “The Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers.” http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bellhtml/bellhome.html.

Biography Grading Rubric

Criteria	Levels of Achievement				Points Earned
	Advanced	Proficient	Developing	Not Present
Content	63 to 70 points Thorough summary of the historic figure. Identifies American National Biography Online citation, 3 scholarly books, 3 scholarly articles, and 3 reputable websites.	49 to 62 points Substantial coverage of the historic figure but not in sufficient detail. Biography needs further development in up to 4 areas. 1 or 2 sources do not meet the standards in the directions for scholarly sources. Identifies only 6 or 7 scholarly sources.	1 to 48 points Biography does not address the historic figure adequately and needs substantial development. Biography covers an individual outside the required time period. 4 or more sources are not scholarly or reputable. Identifies 5 or less scholarly sources. Sources address a historical figure outside the required time period.	0 points
Structure	28 to 30 points Follows the format provided with the assignment including length (1-2 pages), margins, spacing, and page numbers. Is typed into a single Word document. 2 or less formatting errors in the bibliography. Includes distinct introduction, body, and conclusion. Includes thesis statement in first paragraph. Uses well-developed paragraphs with clear transitions. Uses direct, clear, concise sentences. Avoids common mistakes described in the course’s “Reading and Writing Tips for History.” Minimal grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation errors.	21 to 27 points Summary is slightly shorter than 1 page or slightly longer than two pages. No more than 2–3 of the following incorrect: margins, spacing, and page numbers. There are 3–9 formatting errors in the bibliography. Missing either the introduction or conclusion; or one of them is not effective. Lacks clear thesis statement . Paragraphs may not be well-developed, but all paragraphs are unified (one topic). Some paragraphs do not have topic sentences and/or effective transitions. No more than 4 poorly written sentences. No more than 6 grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation errors.	1 to 20 points Summary is ½ page or less, or longer than 2 ½ pages. More than 4 of the following incorrect: margins, spacing, and page numbers. There are more than 10 formatting errors in the bibliography. Lacks thesis statement. Excessively long or short paragraphs. Paragraphs not well-developed and many are not unified (one topic). Most do not have topic sentences and/or transitions. 5 or more poorly written sentences. 7 or more grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation errors.	0 points
Total					/100
Instructor’s Comments: