Research papers, as we all know, can be boring, stressful, and uninterrupted. This spring semester, students at Carterville High School are preparing for the research paper. Juniors and Seniors will be assigned a topic provided by their English teachers or of the students choice. Students stress over the continuous work that is put into the research paper that takes a few weeks to prepare and write. With extracurriculars and studying for other classes including AP exams, the research paper is a crucial part of the student’s English grades.

Juniors and Seniors are writing a research paper that consists of 8-12 pages of research. They must include a minimum of 5 sources and 50 plus note cards to their final drafts. Students are graded on their title page, outline, body, and a work’s cited page. They  are required to complete a full research paper in order to pass their English class.

English teachers stress how important it is for students to work diligently on their papers and to not plagiarize other students’ work. Juniors Annie Mitchell and Kirsten Jordan were asked a few questions about their research paper and how far they were in the process.

Junior Annie Mitchell hasn’t yet started her research paper; she has, however, chosen her topic over The Stonewall Riots. Annie hopes to learn ,“The effect of making a political stand, as well as moral stand points of different communities.” This is something that she hopes to learn and gain understanding from when researching and writing her paper.

Junior Kirsten Jordan expressed that she wants to research “something that ties into APUSH” “so she can get extra credit”. Kirsten has chosen to research The Great Depression;she expressed, “statistics, people, places” are some topics she hopes to cover within her research paper.

As a result of the research paper, students want to end their papers with good grades and learn new things from their research. In the end, the research paper is used to help prepare students for future careers and their college lives. Carterville High School will succeed in their academics and the research paper is just a small part to succeeding.