The paper must include at least two scholarly, peer reviewed, journal articles from accredited journals. Some good online journal search engines to use for sociology are: social sciences by Wilson, JSTOR and Proquest. Depending on your topic many of those journals will be useful.
In addition (not in place of) you may also use any credible media source like the New York Times or the Washington Post to supplement your ideas relating to the journal articles and the main point of your paper. Do not use Wikipedia as a source or any other online source that is not credible.
You may also consider using websites that end in .org, .gov or .edu as sources, but just because these websites are "more credible" than ".com's" does not mean they always have unbiased information. It is your responsibility to research the opinions of these websites to ensure their credibility. Assuming that the website is credible because it ends in .org, .gov or .edu is not good research. Always check your sources (the same could be said for any source, it's just more likely that peer-reviewed articles will be less biased and more intellectual).
There are of course exceptions to this. For example, using the census website for data is perfectly acceptable and would not require additional research to ensure its validity. Use your judgment and if you have any questions about the validity of a website's data or material, please talk to me about it. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Generally speaking the paper should be at least 7 pages. Although I will not put a page requirement on the paper, it would be difficult to properly present and discuss two scholarly journal articles in conjuncture with your main point in less than 7 pages. Even at the 7 page mark, only the most concise and excellent writer will be able to perform an "A" paper in that space allotment. If you know you're not a strong and concise writer, it might take you around 7-12 pages (or more) to flesh out your ideas and develop the paper appropriately.
Your paper must be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font and be double spaced. Standard margins must be utilized as well (it's very noticeable if you change your margins). Standard margins are 1" top and bottom, 1.25" left and right.
The paper must use in-text citations guided either by the MLA or APA format. APA format is preferable, as it is the standard in sociology, but MLA is acceptable. In addition to citing the paper properly within the text, you must hand in a work cited page referencing your sources.
Generally speaking your paper must resemble a basic research paper in that it must have a clear thesis, main support to this thesis and then smaller supporting ideas to link the main ideas. Then you must conclude the paper by restating the strongest points of your argument and summing up your ideas.
A research paper is a combination of facts and opinions. Your thesis statement is an opinion, but you have to support it with facts in order to convince the reader that your argument is valid. If you need more help framing out a proper research paper, please see me and I will be pleased to help.
Summary of the requirements:
1) The paper should cover a sociologically relevant topic from the selected list or of your choosing with my approval.
2) A thesis statement must be handed in and approved prior to starting the paper.
3) An annotated bibliography must be completed for at least two of the peer-reviewed journal articles used in the paper and handed in prior to the final draft.
4) The paper should be around 8 pages (writing more than that is perfectly acceptable) double spaced done in 12 point times new roman font, with margins of 1" top and bottom, 1.25" left and right.
5) The paper should utilize a standard research format (intro, thesis, support of thesis, conclusion).
6) The paper must include a work cited and be properly cited within the text.
7) The paper must include at least two scholarly, peer reviewed, journal articles from accredited journals.