Research Paper Rules

You must submit your entry no later than one week before the contest. Websites will be updated each year to reflect the submission due dates.  Instructions for uploading the entry will be published on the contest website and/or distributed to teachers each year. Specific instructions for labeling the entries with name(s), school, event, and title(s) (if appropriate) are included in the individual event rules.

RULES- This is a “virtual event.”
Entry Limit: 2 research papers per school, with 1-2 authors each; if 2 entries are submitted, they must be
written by 2 different authors or pairs of authors (i.e., no contestant may work on more than one paper)

Length Limits: minimum 700 words, maximum 1000 words, not including Works Cited

Write a research paper in English on an interesting German-Texan cultural and/or historical topic. The topic
should be a little-known person, family, place, building, business, area, group, settlement, organization, church,
tradition, activity, practice, etc. The paper should contribute to a greater understanding of German-Texan
history and/or culture.

**The entry must be typed, double-spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman or Arial font and include proper
in-text citation and a Works Cited page, as per MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines. Follow the
rules in the latest MLA Style Sheet, paying special attention to rules for entering Internet sources.

Contestants must use a minimum of three sources, at least two of which must be non-Internet. Digitally
archived sources originally published in hard copy are acceptable as non-Internet sources. Sources must
include both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are evidence in the form of artifacts, photos,
letters, interviews, music, charts, illustrations, etc. with a direct connection to the era being studied. They may
be personally documented by the contestant(s) (photos taken, interviews recorded) or found in personal
collections, archives, libraries, museums, etc. Secondary sources are documents that discuss or analyze
primary sources and topics– primarily other academic work.

**Important: All entries must be written solely in Google Docs. The revision history of the paper will be
checked from inception (blank document) to submission. Writing in/from a different platform and then pasting
into a Google Doc will result in disqualification of the entry. Plagiarism, which may include insufficient internal
citation or Works Cited, as well as AI generated text will result in automatic disqualification.

Submission Process:
1. Using MLA Style, include your name(s), your school, the date, and the title of the paper at the top of
page 1.
2. To include photographs, other images, and/or audio materials, add an appendix after the Works Cited
page. Images may be pasted directly into the document. Audio files should be linked, e.g., via a Google
Drive link.
3. Submit the link to the Google Doc of the completed research paper, including the Works Cited and any
appendix according to the instructions provided. Contestants will NOT be uploading a PDF!!