Complete Research Paper (minimum 12 pages)
Format – Make sure to use the AU Stan
Complete Research Paper (minimum 12 pages)
Format – Make sure to use the AU Standards for Written Work for your formattingTimes New Roman 12 point font
Double Spaced (See AU Standards for Written Work for specific line spacing instructions)
Margins: For theses and dissertations, the left-hand margin must be 1½ inches and all other margins must be at least one full inch. The initial page of a chapter or a major section (i.e., table of contents, bibliography, etc.) has a full 2-inch margin at the top of the page. For term papers, a left-hand margin of one inch is preferred. (From AU Standards for Written Work)
Use Turabian style for footnotes and bibliography
Make sure to give credit where credit is due: footnote all of the information that you gain from other sources.
Make sure that you give credibility and substance to what you write by backing them up with other academic sources.
Title Page (in addition to the 12 pages)
Introduction (2-3 pages) The introduction will be the proposal of the topic assignment previously submitted. The bibliography will obviously be moved to the end of the paper.
You may wish to edit or expand the historical background and the method section as your further study on the topic will have informed you more fully about the topic you are studying. Make sure you have made any suggested edits or expansions which have been suggested by the instructor on the previous assignment.
Body of the Paper (8-9 pages)
Descriptive research In this section, you will describe the information you have found for your research. Whether this is the information from the writings of a theologian or the exegetical material from commentaries on a specific passage.
Evaluative research In this section, you will evaluate the material that you have described in the previous section. What do you think about what the theologian has said? Do you agree or disagree with the theologian or exegetical writer? Why do you agree or disagree and on what basis do you agree or disagree? What is your argument on the subject and what substantial reasons can you give?
Summary, Conclusion, and Suggestions (1-2 pages)
Summarize the work you have done in the previous section
Offer your conclusions based on the work in the previous section
Give suggestions for future research and study that could be done based on what you have learned.
Bibliography and footnotes (the bibliography is in addition to the 12 pages) A minimum of 15 academic sources: These sources could include: textbooks for this class, theological dictionaries or encyclopedias, academic books (look for books with footnotes in them), academic journal articles (use the ATLA search engine through the library website to find articles on your topic).
You are limited to only 3 website based sources, and the websites need to be academic websites like carm.org or bible.org, the web articles on these sites will have footnotes showing they are research based. (these are different from the journal articles found through ATLA).
These sources should be referenced throughout the document in footnotes. It is often a good idea to include quotes and additional detailed discussion within the footnotes so that the body of the paper flows along nicely.
Possible Topics
Humanity’s relationship to sin
Sin as a condition vs sins as an act
Current topics affecting the identity of the Church
The holistic nature of humanity
The primary purpose of the Sanctuary
Single or Dual-phase atonement
Different understanding of the millennium
Student’s choice in consultation with the instructor