Central Bucks School District
Writing Research Papers
Sample #5: Page one of a middle level explanatory research paper
(Title page required by teacher)
America’s Legend: Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan had a connection
to late 19th century American thought through his great strength, wisdom,
kindness, and his wonderful folklore tales. The folk tales of Paul
Bunyan originated through a specific occupation, the lumberjacks of the
Northern United States. The Paul Bunyan stories originated in such
states as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and even Canada. The
highest concentration of stories comes from the Great Lakes area
(Shepard 12). The stories began here because these states were
the high logging areas of the United States. The original Paul Bunyan
stories were created by the lumberjacks in these states and have become
part of the ongoing folklore of our nation.
There are two ideas
about the development of the Paul Bunyan legend. The first is that
Paul Bunyan may have been a real person who possessed great skill as a
lumberjack. As he moved around and more people knew of him in the
lumber camps, exaggerated stories arose about him. On the other hand,
the figure of Paul Bunyan may have been made from a combination of the
stories of many skilled lumberjacks. Which is true, we will never
know, for there is no way of tracing his origin. The stories were
told orally, so there is no record (Shepard 16).
Things to Notice:
1. The student’s last name and page number appear in the upper right
hand corner, 1/2" down from the top of the page, flush with the right
margin.
2. The title is repeated from the title page.
3. Double spacing is used throughout the paper. No extra spacing
is used on page one.
Return to Table of Contents