Writing the Investigative Essay

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Writing the Investigative Essay

• Chapter 6 Investigation

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Essay Criteria

• 4 -4.5 pages. See page 272
• 2-3 sources
• Web site .edu or .org
• Professional journal using one of these online
  databases
• Academic Onefile
• Academic Search Premier
• Local newspaper
• Interview Campus professional

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Getting Started Topic and Audience

• I want to investigate____________
• Because_______________________
• (See list of suggested topics on 122 home page)
• My audience will be_____________
• Be very Specific

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Purpose of Investigation

• To uncover or to discover the facts, opinions,
  information, or reactions
• Writer reports what he/she has discovered to an
  audience who will benefit or value the
  investigation
• Report findings in objective and neutral manner,
  nonbiased. This is not an argumentative essay

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Where to Begin

• Decide on our general topic (see list)
• Collect your information
• The Source to locate articles in professional
  journals
• World Wide Web (Google, Dogpile, Ask). Use only
  .edu and .org sites
• Interview a campus Authority
• Do a survey or questionnaire (25-50 participants)

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Techniques for Investigative Writing (p. 272)

• 1. Begin with an interesting title and
  interesting, catching opening for introduction
• 2. Background information who, what, when,
  where, why
• 3. Thesis clearly states main idea or question
  to help focus the investigation

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• Safe Assignment See instructions on 122 home
  page for uploading essay to Safe Assignment in
  Black Board

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• 4. Summarize, paraphrase or quote from written or
  oral sources cite sources in the text (use MLA)
• 5.Genre
• 6.Write in a readable and interesting style
  appropriate for your topic and audience. (see pg.
  272)

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Before and During research process

• Develop a list of questions 5 journalistic
  questions
• Who, what, when, where, why, even how
• From the list of suggested topics provided on 122
  home page, narrow and focus your investigation

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• Decide on two possible topic
• Begin your computer search to see which topic
  will be more interesting, easiest to research.
• Spend time investigating your topic by asking key
  questions that you do not have the answers to but
  what you would like to know

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Gathering Information

• 2 or 3 sources are required
• At least 1 journal article located through one of
  the online databases found in Articles Index on
  The Source
• At least 1 web page .edu or .org

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• Provide printouts of your sources
• NOTE you find more than 3 sources. Print all,
  read, select the best, most useful

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The Outline

• I. Introduction
• A. Attention-getting
• B. startling statistic
• amazing quotation from an expert
• personal experience
• results from a survey your
• conducted
• C.Thesis and Essay Map (a statement that answers
  your research question)

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The Thesis

• Written in Active voice no is, are, was, were
  (Be verb)
• Avoid 1st person I
• Avoid 2nd person you
• Direct thesis to a specific audience

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• II. First main point (see essay map)
• A. Support
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• B.
• C.
• III. Next main point
• IV. Final main point

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Conclusion

• V. Conclusion
• A. Restates thesis and main points (summary)
• B. Review most important information
• C. Save best for the last
• D. Refer to information presented in the
  introduction to bring essay full circle, create
  unity

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Using MLA to Cite Sources

• Introduce borrowed material with author tag,
  also known as an author acknowledgment

• Ex According to Ken Smith, associate professor
  in psychology at UCLA, most children need more
  sleep(34).

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For Books

• Place page number at the close of the quotation
  in
• (--)
• Place period after close of parentheses.

• Ex According to Ken Smith, associate professor
  in psychology at UCLA, most children need more
  sleep(34).

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For Hard Copy Periodicals

• If article does not have an author and you
  paraphrase the borrowed material Introduce
  paraphrase with source acknowledgement and page
  number in (--) at end of paraphrase. Remember
  paraphrased material is borrowed information.

• Newsweeks article, Children and Sleep,
  indicates that nightmares sometimes prevent
  children from getting enough rest (36).

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Periodical information accessed through an
article database or web sites

• PDF file page numbers
• Web sites and other online sources either
  authors name if it is not in the acknowledgment
• Use paragraph number

• In her article on childrens sleep habits, Jones
  advises parents to establish set bedtime
  rituals(par. 10).

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Developing the Works Cited

• Separate page at the end of the essay, numbered
  with the rest of the paper
• Entries are listed in alphabetical order.
• (.) at the end of each entry
• List alphabetically according to title is the
  source does not have an author.
• Page is double spaced as is the rest of the paper
• Create a hanging indent for entries that run more
  than one line

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Works Cited Entry for journal article found in an
online data base

• Author last name first
• Title of the article
• Title of the journal
• Volume and issue (35.2)
• Year in (---).
• Page number.
• Name of Database
• Name of Library
• City, State
• Date of access (date you found the article)

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Example See pg. 360 Hacker

• Smith, Ken. Children and Sleep.
  Psychology Today 35.6 (2007)245. Academic
  OneFile.Gale Group. Library University of
  Northern Colorado. Michener Lib. Greeley, CO.
  7 Oct. 2007.

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Citing Web Pages (see p. 358)

• Name or author or corporation, organization,
  institution
• Title of Web Site, Underlined
• Names of editors (if available)
• Date of publication or last update, name of any
  sponsoring organization
• URL (address) in lt---gt.

• http//www.cfw.tufts.edu/home.asp
• ChildFamily Web Guide. Tufts University.
  10/4/2007. http//www.cfw.tufts.edu/home.asp.

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Safe Assignment

• Students will up load a draft to Black Board into
  Safe Assignment. Instructions on the web
  pagehttp//www.mydropbox.com/info/sa2.0_student_ma
  nual.pdf