Throughout the University, we do our best to teach critical thinking and the skills of self-expression. There is no better exercise in analytical thinking than the research report. A written proposal is due November 6, consisting of (1) A few sentences describing your topic and (2) at least two sources you plan to use. At least one printed source is required. Your textbook is not eligible as a source for your paper. Internet sources may be used in addition to, but not as a substitute for, books and articles in art journals. Good sources are the Art Database and Groveart in the VU Library.
Be sure to describe or footnote all your sources of information. Plagiarism is easy to discover these days and if you are found guilty, you will have to appear before the University Honor Council.
I will be happy to discuss your topic with you beforehand, suggest books to read, lend you books from my own collection, warn you away from overly ambitious projects, work with you to improve your draft, and so forth.
Footnote format
A footnote is required for quotations and illustrations. You may write the footnote as in the bibliography entries above. If the source is already in your bibliography, you can abbreviate it as follows: (Scrivener 38) . “38” is the page number. Quotations require page numbers.