A Guide for Writing Research Papers based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation

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A Guide for Writing Research Papersbased
onModern Language Association(MLA)
Documentation
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Research Paper

• A Brief Introduction

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A research paper presents the results of your
investigations on a selected topic. Based on your
own thoughts and the facts and ideas you have
gathered from a variety of sources, a research
paper is a creation that is uniquely yours. The
experience of gathering, interpreting, and
documenting information, developing and
organizing ideas and conclusions, and
communicating them clearly will prove to be an
important and satisfying part of your education.
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There are many approaches to research. The
library has books which will help you, and most
English composition textbooks contain chapters on
research techniques and style. It is important to
follow consistently and accurately a recommended
format that is clear and concise and that has
been approved by your teacher.
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Writing Research Papers A Step-by-Step Procedure
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The Preliminaries

• ___ 1. Choose a topic
• ___ 2. Begin preliminary reading
• ___ 3. Restrict the subject
• ___ 4. Develop a preliminary thesis statement

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Gathering Data

• ___ 1. Compile the working bibliography
• ___ 2. Prepare the bibliography on cards in
  correct form (3" x 5" cards)
• ___ 3. Begin extensive work in the library
  reference room be sure to check
• ___ a. general bibliographies ___ b. trade
  bibliographies
• ___ c. indexes (books and collections, literature
  in periodicals, newspaper indexes, pamphlet
  indexes)
• ___ d. library electronic catalogue

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Taking Notes

• ___ 1. Develop a preliminary outline
• ___ 2. Evaluate your source material which is
  primary material and which is secondary material?
• ___ 3. Begin note-taking on cards (4" x 6" cards)
• ___ 4. Avoid plagiarism

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Writing the Paper

• ___ 1. Develop the final outline test your
  outline
• ___ 2. Prepare to write
• ___ a. put your note cards in the order that your
  outline is in ___ b. consider your (real and
  imagined) readers and how their expectations may
  affect your tone and style
• ___ 3. Write the rough draft
• ___ 4. Check your documentation carefully
• ___ 5. Revise and rewrite
• ___ 6. Check the format of the text, citations,
  notes, and bibliography (most instructors
  recommend MLA or APA format)
• ___ 7. Proofread

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Contents

• procedures
• Statement onPlagiarism
• Developing a Thesis Statement
• GatheringMaterials
• TakingNotes
• UsingOutlines

• Working withQuotations
• Formattingthe Paper
• Preparing aWorks-CitedPage
• More Suggestions

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A Statement on Plagiarism

• Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and
  representing those ideas or phrasing as our own,
  either on purpose or through carelessness, is a
  serious offense known as plagiarism.

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Penalty for Plagiarism

• In many schools and colleges, it could involve
  failure for the paper and it could mean failure
  for the entire course and even expulsion from
  school.
• At the very least, however, students who
  plagiarize have cheated themselves out of the
  experience of being responsible members of the
  academic community.

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Thesis and Thesis Statements

• Everything you write should develop around a
  clear central thesis. Your thesis is the backbone
  of your paper the main point, the central idea.
  In fact, if you ask yourself -- "What is the main
  point of this paper?" -- your answer should
  resemble your essay's thesis statement. The
  thesis statement focuses your central ideas into
  one or two sentences.

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Gathering Materials

• Books
• Essay or Article in a Collection or Anthology
• Encyclopedia
• Pamphlets, brochures
• Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers
• Electronic, On-Line Resources,
• CD-ROMArticle/Dissertation
• Reference Books

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Source AnalysisAnalysis of Simple Data
Developing Critical Thinking Critical Reading
Persuasion Analytical Reading Compare/Contrast
Tools for Reading Critically Electronic Note
Taking Content Grid Synthesis Workshop Source
Synthesis Exercise Summarizing Your Article
Article Analysis and Summary Comparing Sources
Analysis of Source Material Electronic Notes
Context Grid
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1.      Two books written by Umberto Eco and two
book reviews on his novels.2.      Two books
about weapons and two related essays from
magazines. (Time, Economist, Newsweek, and the
like.)3.      Two books written by Harold Bloom
and two articles from Economist.
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• 4.      Two books about Islam and two related
  articles or essays from magazines. (Time,
  Economist, Newsweek, and the like.)5.      Two
  books about black hole and two related articles
  or essays from journals or periodicals. (Science,
  Nature, and the like)6.      Two books about
  earthquakes and two related articles or essays
  from journals or periodicals. (Science, Nature,
  and the like)

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 7.Two books about virtual reality and two
related articles or essays from journals or
periodicals. (Science, Nature, and the
like)8.      Two books about African
over-population and two related articles or
essays from magazines. (Time, Economist,
Newsweek, and the like.)9.      Two books about
anti-matter and two related articles or essays
from journals or periodicals. (Science, Nature,
and the like)
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10.  Two books about basketball or culture and
two related articles or essays from magazines.
(Time, Economist, Newsweek, and the like.)11. 
Two books about French history and two related
articles or essays from magazines. (Time,
Economist, Newsweek, and the like.)12.  Two
books about Nobel Prize and two related articles
or essays from magazines. (Time, Economist,
Newsweek, and the like.)13.  Two books written
by Mark Twain and two book reviews from
magazines. (Time, Economist, Newsweek, and the
like.) 
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List the bibliographic data according to MLA
style
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Taking Notes
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Preparing and Using Outlines

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MLA

• Modern Language Association (MLA) format provides
  writers with a system for cross-referencing their
  sources--from their parenthetical references to
  their works cited page. This cross-referencing
  system allows readers to locate the publication
  information of source material. This is of great
  value for researchers who may want to locate your
  sources for their own research projects.

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The proper use of MLA style also shows the
credibility of writers such writers show
accountability to their source material. Most
importantly, the use of MLA style can protect
writers from accusations of plagiarism--the
purposeful or accidental use of source material
by other writers without giving appropriate
credit.
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Working With Quotations

• Quotations that constitute fewer than five lines
  in your paper should be set off with quotation
  marks and be incorporated within the
  normal flow of your text.
• For material exceeding that length, omit the
  quotation marks and indent the quoted language
  one inch from your left-hand margin. If an
  indented quotation is taken entirely from one
  paragraph, the first line should be even with all
  the other lines in that quotation.

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Your Research Paper's Format

• Paper
• Margins
• Spacing
• Heading and Title
• Page Numbers

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(No Transcript)
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Preparing a "Works Cited" Section

• the name of the author or authors
• title
• editor, translator, compiler, if any
• edition, if it is not the first (i.e., 2nd ed.,
  rev. ed.)
• place and date of the book's publication and
• the name of the book's publisher.

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Example

• Mumford, Lewis. The Highway and the City. New
  York Harcourt Brace and World, 1963.
• Pikarsky, M. Urban Transportation Policy and
  Management. Boston D.C. Heath, 1976.

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Write a separate listing for each article from a
magazine or journal. Includethe name(s) of the
author(s) the title of the article the title
of the periodical the date of the issue in
which the article appears and the pages on
which the article you are referring to appears.
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Examples

• Prin, Dinah. "Marriage in the '90s." New York 2
  June 1990 40-45.
• Schell, Orville. China Syndrome Have Chinas
  Leaders Lost the Gift for Bold, Creative
  Thought? Time 25 November 2002 40.

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Cross-referencingUsing MLA Format

• Allows readers to cross-reference your sources
  easily
• Provides consistent format within a discipline
• Gives you credibility as a writer
• Protects yourself from plagiarism

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What are the differences among quoting,
paraphrasing, and summarizing?

• These three ways of incorporating other writers'
  work into your own writing differ according to
  the closeness of your writing to the source
  writing.

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Paraphrase

• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from
  source material into your own words. A paraphrase
  must also be attributed to the original source.
• The major issue of drug abuse among the teenagers
  did not call a public attention until 1999
  (Pinker 200).

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Summary

• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s)
  into your own words, including only the main
  point(s). Once again, it is necessary to
  attribute summarized ideas to the original
  source. Summaries are significantly shorter than
  the original and take a broad overview of the
  source material.
• In How to Survive, Peter Wang aims to
  demonstrate the importance of humorous but
  positive attitudes towards the most dangerous
  situations in our life (13-55).

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Quotations

• Quotations must be identical to the original,
  using a narrow segment of the source. They must
  match the source document word for word and must
  be attributed to the original author.
• Shorter and longer citations

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Authors last name and page number(s) of quote
must appear in the text

• Romantic poetry is characterized by the
  spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings
  (Wordsworth 263).
• Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was
  marked by a spontaneous overflow of powerful
  feelings (263).

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If no known author. . .

• If the source has no known author, then use an
  abbreviated version of the title
• Full Title California Cigarette Tax Deters
  Smokers
• This indicates the danger of smoking
  (California A14).

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• David becomes identified and defined by James
  Steerforth, a young man with whom David is
  acquainted from his days at Salem House. Before
  meeting Steerforth, David accepts Steerforths
  name as an authoritative power
• There was an old door in this playground, on
  which the boys had a custom of carving their
  names. . . . In my dread of the end of the
  vacation and their coming back, I could not read
  a boys name, without inquiring in what tone and
  with what emphasis he would read, Take care of
  him. He bites. There was one boya certain J.
  Steerforthwho cut his name very deep and very
  often, who I conceived, would read it in a rather
  strong voice, and afterwards pull my hair.
  (Dickens 68)
• For Steerforth, naming becomes an act of
  possession, as well as exploitation. Steerforth
  names David for his fresh look and innocence, but
  also uses the name Daisy to exploit David's
  romantic tendencies (Dyson 122).

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SOS!

• There are many different combinations and
  variations within MLA citation format.
• If you run into something unusual, look it up!

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Where Do I Find MLA Format?

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th
  ed.
• Composition textbooks
• www.mla.org

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Improving Your Writing  Some Practical Advice

• 1) You can improve your writing--anyone can--but
  it will require work and time. Even a small
  effort toward improvement can have positive
  results. Its up to you
• 2) Care about your writing. Take it seriously.
  Good writing is important. 
• 3) Most writing can stand some improvement.

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4) Read. Anything. Daily. The more familiar you
are with a language, the more comfortable you are
with it. Distinguishing between proper and
improper word choice, grammar, and so on will
become easier. 5) Improve your vocabulary. Learn
a few new words every week, month, or year. A
wide vocabulary gives you a better command of a
language bigger word menu provides you with more
selection, more possibilities of expression when
conveying ideas to others
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• 6) Practice writing. Write letters. Write in a
  journal. Write whenever you can. Write about
  anything. You'll become more comfortable with the
  act of writing.
• 7) Buy books about writing style, and read them.
  Even a few pages every month can be helpful.

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8) Revise your writing. Revise. Revise. Why
Revise?             A. Simplicity            B.
Clarity            C. Readability