Researching the history of an era . . .

1
(No Transcript)
2
Researching the history of an era . . . From
Reading to Writing We get a mere glimpse of the
cultural richness of the Harlem Renaissance in
this unit. It was a time when African Americans
used a variety of means to show pride in their
race and in the contributions they had made to
American culture.
3
Researching the history of an era . . . This
period offers a rich variety of choices for a
research reportan academic paper that presents
and interprets information collected through
reading and other research. When you write a
research report, you not only deepen your
knowledge but you also sharpen your research
skills.
4
B a s i c s i n a B o x
Research Report at a Glance
RUBRIC
Standards for Writing
A successful research project should

• follow a logical pattern of organization, using
  transitions between ideas
• synthesize ideas with a satisfying conclusion
• provide a correctly formatted Works Cited list at
  the end of the paper

• provide a strong introduction with a clear thesis
  statement
• use evidence from primary and secondary sources
  to develop and support ideas
• credit sources of information

5
Writing Your Research Report
The important thing is not to stop
questioning. Albert Einstein
6
Writing Your Research Report
If you are writing your research report on the
Harlem Renaissance, you might begin by looking in
the library for books and articles not only on
the Harlem Renaissance, but also on the 1920s, on
individuals whose works appear in this unit, on
famous African Americans, on black history, on
American jazz, or on American literature.
7
Planning Your Research Report
1. Choose a topic. What subjects really intrigue
you? What would you like to learn about one of
them? Make a list of ideas that appeal to you and
then choose the topic that interests you most.
You might also try making a word web to generate
ideas.
Zora Neale Hurston
Cotton Club
Harlem Renaissance
racial pride
Langston Hughes
8
Planning Your Research Report
2. Narrow your topic. Is your topic too broad for
the research report you plan to write? Can it be
divided into smaller parts? 3. Decide on your
goal. What do you want to achieve with you
report? Do you want to prove a point, draw a
conclusion, or just learn and share information
about the subject?
9
Planning Your Research Report
4. Consider your audience. What do they already
know about the subject? What background
information might they need? 5. Write a thesis
statement. Your thesis statement is a sentence
that explains what your paper will be about. It
will guide your research and help you sort out
relevant and irrelevant information on your
topic. Be flexible enough to consider reworking
your thesis if your research leads you in new
directions.
10
Writing Your Research Report
Begin your research by making a list of relevant
and interesting questions. Use these questions to
guide your review of reliable sources. You might
look in general reference books, such as
encyclopedias, and then examine books,
periodicals, and on-line databases for more
specific information.
11
Writing Your Research Report

• Evaluate Your Source Material
• These guidelines can help you evaluate your
  sources.
• Is the author an unbiased authority?
• Be sure to read material from a variety of
  viewpoints to get a balanced picture.

12
Writing Your Research Report

• How up-to-date is the source?
• In fields such as medicine or technology, rapid
  changes make it crucial that you get the most
  up-to-date information.
• Where was the article published?
• Newspapers that specialize in scandal or
  sensational stories, for example, are not
  reliable sources of information.

13
Writing Your Research Report

• What is the intended audience?
• Is the material written for a general audience?
  Some sources may provide oversimplified
  information, whereas other sources may be too
  technical.

14
Writing Your Research Report
Make Source Cards Make source cards to keep track
of the information you find. Use index cards to
record publishing information for each source you
decide to use. Number each source card and refer
to it when you take notes. You will use these
source cards to credit sources in your report and
to write your Works Cited list.
15
Writing Your Research Report
Read Your Sources and Take Notes As you read,
keep your thesis statement and the questions you
want answered in mind. Use a separate index card
for each piece of information you record. Write
the number of the source on each note card. Use
the following techniques.
16
Writing Your Research Report
Paraphrase. Restate the material in your own
words. Quotation. Copy the original text word for
word, including all punctuation marks. Use
quotation marks to indicate the beginning and end
of the quotation. Use this form to emphasize a
point or when the authors words are well phrased.
17
Writing Your Research Report
Get Organized Once you have gathered a quantity
of material, begin to organize it. It is a good
idea to make an outline that will provide the
framework for the information you have collected.
18
Writing Your Research Report
Get Organized Group your note cards according to
the main ideas on the cards. Then determine the
best way to arrange those main ideas. You might
want to use chronological order,
comparison-and-contrast order, or
cause-and-effect order, depending upon your
subject. Write your outline based on your
arrangement of the main ideas and subpoints in
your stacks of note cards.
19
Writing Your Research Report
Use your outline as a guide to begin writing. The
first part of your report should state your main
idea, or thesis. You will need to end with a
conclusion that restates the thesis and
summarizes your main points. The rest of your
report should be organized according to your
outline.
20
Writing Your Research Report
Craft Your Thesis Statement Now that you have
researched your topic and written your outline,
you should have a better understanding of what
your report will accomplish. Shape your thesis
statement to tell what your paper will prove.
21
Writing Your Research Report
Stay Flexible As You Write Your Draft In the
drafting stage, concentrate on using clear,
natural language to get your ideas on paper.
Follow your outline and refer to your note cards
as you write, but feel free to reorganize your
material any time you collect new information or
discover a different way of connecting ideas.
22
Writing Your Research Report
Add Your Own Analysis. Make inferences and
interpret evidence to reach a conclusion using
facts, quotations, statistics, and examples.
Give Credit Where Credit Is Due. If you do not
credit the sources of information in your report,
you are guilty of plagiarismthe unlawful use of
anothers words or ideas.
23
Writing Your Research Report

• Take Another Look
• Take a break from your writinga few days if
  possible. Then review your draft. Asking the
  following questions can help
• How can I make my thesis statement clearer?
• What additional information would support my
  thesis statement?

24
Writing Your Research Report

• What information, if any, is irrelevant?
• How can I improve organization?
• What facts and documentation do I need to check?

25
Writing Your Research Report
TARGET SKILL ELABORATINGDETAILS AND
EXAMPLES Your report will be more authoritative
and more interesting if you provide facts and
statistics to support your point.
26
Writing Your Research Report
Editing and Proofreading
TARGET SKILL USING COMMAS Reports include a
great deal of information. The correct use of
commas can help your readers better understand
the relationship between ideas.
27
Writing Your Research Report
Making a Works Cited List
When you have finished revising, editing, and
proofreading your report, make a Works Cited list
and attach it to the end of your paper.