“All is a mystery; but he is a slave who will not struggle to penetrate the dark veil."
 -- Benjamin Disraeli

“ It is the dim haze of mystery that adds enchantment to pursuit."
 -- Antoine Rivarol

Most humans, being naturally curious, are intrigued by a mystery.  Bookstores thrive on the brisk business of selling the latest novel by P.D. James,  Lillian Jackson Braun, Mary Higgins Clark, Robin Cook, Elizabeth George, Sue Grafton, or John Grisham.  Generations have been fascinated by the adventures of Sherlock Holmes as he sifts through complex crimes to find the guilty party by the end of the book.

  On the other hand, most people are not too excited when they find out that they have to write a research paper for a class, yet the two activities are not mutually exclusive.  In one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, Sherlock Holmes tells his companion Watson, “You know my method.  It is founded on the observance of trifles.” Indeed, writing a research paper is much the same.  You are asked to sift through available materials in order to reach some conclusion about the information you find.  The most interesting research projects are those that require you to really dig for information, rather than finding everything you need in one resource.  

This research assignment will require you to engage your critical thinking skills and to unlock your inquisitive spirit. For this assignment you will gather many pieces of information, synthesize that information, and finally, re-create the information as a coherent, logical, well-written essay. There is no way to complete this assignment passively. No one is going to tell you which pieces of information are important and which are not.

The Assignment

For this research paper, you will become a private investigator.  You will research a murder mystery that took place during the 50s, 60s, or 70s. The exact topic will be assigned to you. You will be required to sift through “trifles” in order to collect the information necessary to piece together what happened and then relate that information in a narrative to your readers.

Useful Resources

There are a number of resources that will be particularly useful to you as you search for information.  A search in The New York Times Index under the heading “murder” will help most of you get started.  You will need to know when your murder or historical event took place in order to begin your search.  The information you can glean from newspaper articles will be invaluable.  Keep in mind that when events are covered in the news, reporters like to emphasize the sensational.  Don’t get caught up in the hype of the time.  Critically evaluate all information before coming to any conclusions.  Other useful resources (some of which are available at the Cerritos Library, some of which are not) include: The International Index to Periodicals; The Social Science and Humanities Index; Index to Legal Periodicals; Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry, and Law; Dictionary of the Underworld, Encyclopedia of Crimes and Criminals; A Pictorial History of Crime; Murder Cases of the Twentieth Century; World Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Murder; The Encyclopedia of American Crime; Great American Trials; Bloodletters and Badmen;  and Dictionary of Criminology.  Other useful newspaper sources include: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Tribune, New Orleans Times Picayune, Los Angeles Times, St Louis Post Dispatch or other local papers that may have reported the event. There are also lots of great electronic data bases available through the Cerritos College library, including Ebscohost, Galenet, and Newsbank. If you happen to have a case that has continued to be of interest, you might get lucky with the data bases. In addition, the Cerritos College librarians have created a research guide especially for students working on this assignment. This will give you clues where to search for information on your particular assignment.

How To Proceed

The best place to begin your search is in the New York Times Index. Keep in mind that the Index is not a "source." It is simply a treasure map to help you find the treasure hidden in the microfilm. The newspaper articles the index helps you locate are the sources you will use to develop your essay.

As you begin collecting information, try to immerse yourself in the time period.  What was life like the year the event took place?  What concerned people?  What did they wear?  Who was important?  What entertainment existed?  In many instances this information can be used in the introduction to your paper, especially if the event/murder reflected dated customs of the era.

Some of you will be overwhelmed by the amount of data that you find on your topic once you begin digging.  It is not necessary for you to read every article, but you do need to screen the information carefully.  If a newspaper headline reads, “Police Continue Search for Killer” you can reasonably assume that nothing new will be revealed and the article is hardly worth reading.  “Trial Drags On,” and something like “Corner Testifies Today” can probably be left out.  Appeals, jury selection, stays of execution--any item that doesn’t indicate in the headline that the case is developing significantly (especially retrials with predictable outcomes) can usually be deleted.  But there are no hard and fast rules--these are just a few suggestions.  As a general rule, the more you read the better off you will be and the greater the chances of finding what you need to write a good paper.

As you are collecting data, try to establish a time line.  It will be important to your endeavor to have a clear idea of what happened when.  You might consider setting up a notebook in which to collect your information.  Note cards will also work well.  When you find information in an index, but sure to copy the information down correctly, especially the page number, so that you can find the articles in the microfilm.  Keep in mind that humans created these indexes, so there may be mistakes.  Don’t get frustrated if you don’t find something right away.  Keep looking!  Watch for mistakes in the day to day unraveling of the case.  Names will be spelled several different ways, facts will be reversed, people shot in opening stories may turn out to be hanged in later accounts.  There are as many mistakes in 19th and 20th century newspapers are there are today.  This will require you to be a careful researcher in order to sort it all out.

Language Issues

Another important point to keep in mind is that language changes.  If you come across unfamiliar terms, you may need to do some investigation in order to determine what it means.  You need to be skeptical and read between the lines.  For example, in sex crimes the crime is often explained in coded terms.  When it is reported that an “outrage” was committed, it means the girl was raped.  Psychiatrists are called “alienists,” the "Tombs" is the name for the New York City detention center, “arsenic eating” was the practice of swallowing arsenic to impart a light complexion for cosmetic purposes.  All stories need to be taken with a grain of salt and all sources evaluated in the same way modern scholars investigate conclusions arrived at by earlier researchers.  Another point to remember is that physical descriptions are often given when a story breaks, but are never repeated.  On the other hand, newspapers will give vast coverage to items that ultimately are of little importance simply because there is nothing else to report.  You will need to provide a step-by-step reconstruction of what happened, even filling in gaps with logical hypothesis if needed.

Case Coverage

If a case goes to trial, the coverage tends to be daily, with long stretches of dialogue that simply lay the groundwork for future evidence.  In these cases you can scan the material very quickly.  In fact, there are times when twenty stories can be reduced to a single line, such as : “After a long trial Albert Fish was convicted and sentenced to death.” A better method of dealing with trial material is to take courtroom testimony and use it elsewhere in the paper.  During the trial, facts about the crime itself will come out that can be used in the introduction of the paper.  Rather than repeat the case or use the trial as a focal point, it is often possible to treat the trial as a single source of information.  You should also be aware that sometimes there will be material that is not cited in the index, especially letters-to-the-editor.  Cases that capture public attention often bring community reactions which range from the violent to the bizarre, and sometimes they reveal attitudes not reflected in news stories themselves.  A quick glance at the editorial pages is worth your effort.

Finally, never assume that your case is over.  People rarely stay in prison for life, or they make news while in prison, or at times they escape from prison.  Go at least five years beyond the “last” story in the New York Times to be sure that nothing new occurs that should be reported. 

Your Introduction

Although a variety of introductions can be used effectively, one method that can be easily incorporated is the old newspaper dictate of who, what, when, where.  Your research paper is going to follow a chronological approach, so this is an easy place to begin.

Your Conclusion

 You will need to devote the last two pages of the paper to your own views on the case.  Was justice done?  What mistakes were made?  Did they find the right man/woman?  As the world’s expert on this case, you must present an opinion on what happened.  In unsolved cases, you need to construct a solution. Keep in mind that just because you are offering your opinion does not mean that you should start using "I" here. There should not be any "I" in this paper that refers to you!  You need to stay objective. Remember that using "I" weakens what you have to say.

Style and Format Issues (The Nit-picky Stuff)

You will need to document your sources following MLA format. You must include a MINIMUM of TWENTY sources in your bibliography (otherwise known as the “List of Works Cited”).  Of those sources, a maximum of four can be from the Internet. The rest need to be another type of resource. There is no limit to the number of newspaper sources you can have. I will expect to see evidence that you are using all 20 sources to develop your essay (this means that you should be integrating the source material into your essay and providing in-text citations). Your paper will need to be a MINIMUM of SEVEN full pages.  When you turn in the final paper, you will need to put it in a paper binder along with the letter to me   (what did you like about this assignment, what did you find difficult, etc),  the rough drafts and Xeroxed copies of any pages from which you used quotes with the quotes themselves highlighted. 

  Be sure to check the syllabus for due dates.  There will be a number of intermediary steps in this process. If you do not complete all of the assignments associated with this research paper and submit them on time (the research paper fact sheet, the draft of the bibliography, and the chronology of events), I will not accept your final research paper. 

The Fast Track to a "D" or an "F" on This Assignment: 

Even though this assignment is a significant percentage of the final class grade, many students don't put in their best effort. There are a few mistakes that will automatically drop your grade down to a D or an F. Here is list so you can be sure to avoid these mistakes up front and save yourself some heartache and anguish:

• Not providing BOTH in-text citations AND a bibliography or list of works cited. You are expected to use 20 sources to develop this essay. I would expect to see those sources referenced not only in the bibliography but also within the text. If you are only using one or two sources to write your paper and then simply listing the rest in the bibliography, you are probably coming very close to plagiarism.

• Using first person pronouns (I, me) to refer to yourself. Again, this paper is not about you personally. It has nothing to do with you. I shouldn't be reading, "I think," "I feel," "I believe" or anything even close to that in this paper. 

• Not developing the essay to the full seven page minimum. This has been true of all of the essays you have submitted this semester, but often people forget about it on the research paper.

• Not submitting the assignments associated with the research paper. No matter how many times I say that this assignment will be time consuming, students still wait until the last minute. The associated assignments are a means to push you to work on the paper early and to be sure you have the events in order. It is also a way for me to monitor your progress and offer suggestions if I notice any problems. 

Remember that if you get stuck I am here to answer your questions. There is a sample research paper on reserve in the library if this will help you see what you need to do. This can be a fun and challenging assignment, but sometimes it takes some getting used to. If you do get stuck, don't stay stuck. Come and talk to me as soon as possible.