Paper Checklist

MAT 336 Fall 2020 - Syllabus

Presentation and paper:

The paper and presentation must be addressed to an audience who is not necessarily a mathematician, rather somebody who knows some mathematics (say, a  sophomore Math major at Stony Brook who knows what a proof is.) It should be as self-contained as possible.

Bibliography checklist for presentation and paper:

  • It contains at least book. (Besides the Stony Brook Library, a good source of online books is the Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg.)
  • It contains at least one primary source, possibly translated from the original language. (A primary source is an original writing -possibly translated- from the area under study. For instance,  Euler on the Bridges of Koningsber, translated by Prof. Phillips, The Foundations of Geometry by David Hilbert.)
  • It contains at least one secondary source. A secondary source is a paper that elaborates on a primary source. The paper "Jiu zhang suan shu" (Nine Chapters on the Art of Mathematics) - An Appraisal of the Text, its Editions, and Translations is an example of a secondary source. (JSTOR is a good source of such papers).
  • The bibliography must contain at least one paper (a secondary source). In the course website, there is one suggested paper. Most of the suggestions are papers I found on a quick search, and it is not mandatory to use them.
  • Numerical pointers to the bibliography are fine. Other formats are acceptable as long as they are clear and precise. (Google scholar is usually helpful. Check the “ below an entry). The URL address can be added but it cannot replace all the other data (author, title, year, etc). JSTOR also gives citation. For instance, the secondary source cited about is Dauben, Joseph W. “九章箅术 ‘Jiu Zhang Suan Shu’ (Nine Chapters on the Art of Mathematics) - An Appraisal of the Text, Its Editions, and Translations.” Sudhoffs Archiv, vol. 97, no. 2, 2013, pp. 199–235. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43694474. Accessed 14 Aug. 2020.

Outline and abstract of paper and presentation checklist:
  • The abstract is a short summary (a couple of paragraphs) of the material.
  • The outline describes the structure of the paper (see the examples).

 

Format, topic and submission of the paper checklist:

    The paper must include a separate page with:
        • Total number of words of the text
        • Abstract
        • Outline
        • What is the math point.
        • Book appearing in bibliography.
        • Primary source appearing in bibliography.
        • Secondary source appearing in bibliography.
  • The topic is chosen by the student and approved by the instructor.
  • The topic is different from that of the presentation.
  • The paper contains at least 2500 words (excluding the bibliography).
  • The number of words (excluding the bibliography) of the paper is  included after the title.
  • The paper is written in an easily readable font (like Times New Roman or Cambria), size 12 pts.
  • The paper is in PDF form.
  • The paper is submitted through Blackboard.
  •  The paragraphs are double spaced and have their first line indented.
  • The paper contains relevant diagrams, figures and/or tables.
  • Diagrams, figures and tables  should be clearly captioned, and, if appropriate, include credits. They are referenced in a consistent way.  (If a diagram, figure or table is not referenced, it may not be relevant).
  • The paper contains
    • a brief historic frame of the topic in question,
    • a brief mathematical frame
    • a very clear discussion of a particular math point. This math point can be, for instance, the solution of a problem, or the proof of a statement. The “math point” has to be something that the student understands very well.
  • Lengthy biographical sketches are not needed -they are easily available. But historical antecedents of the points you are explaining, and their historical consequences, are worth exploring.

Paper grading rubric:

  1. (10 points) Outline Content 
  2. (10 points) Bibliography  (follows the syllabus guidelines)
  3. (10 points) Abstract
  4. (10 points)  References are relevant and correctly cited.
  5. (10 points) The paper contains relevant diagrams, figures and/or tables. Diagrams, figures and tables  are be clearly captioned, and, if appropriate, include credits. They are referenced in a consistent way.
  6. (10 points)  Ideas are arranged logically and flow smoothly.
  7. (10 points)  Writing is clear, with no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation  errors. 
  8. (10 points) Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding and careful, critical analysis
  9. (10 points) Creativity/Originality, personal point of view.
  10. (10 points) The paper contains  a brief historic frame of the topic in question,
  11. (40 points)  Mathematical general content is clear an relevant.
  12. (40 points)  Mathematical  point is well understood and explained.