Writing a research paper involves reading, analyzing, and citing multiple sources to understand or describe an event or phenomenon through a formal paper. In the case of history, it is expected the event analyzed is broad enough that it requires consulting multiple sources and it can be developed in 5 to 10 pages.
This does not occur with the topic chosen by Ilana because she is focusing on only one day, which is too narrow for a research paper. Indeed, it is likely there are only a few sources about this event and the complete topic can be developed in only a couple of pages, which is not enough for a research paper.
