Writing a Research Paper

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Writing a Research Paper

• Mrs. Jamin
• Lakeland High School

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Choose a Topic

• Make sure you understand your assignment
• - What is the length?
• - Who is the audience?
• - What type of research paper?
• Informational? This type summarizes
  material from a variety of sources.
• Analytical? This goes one step further the
  material is summarized and the writer analyzes
  it and presents his or her conclusions

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Manage your time

• Draw up a project schedule
• Avoid a time trap A research paper is a
  long-term assignment. In order to see it through
  successfully, you will need to plan and keep to a
  schedule.
• Keep plugging away Dont get bogged down in one
  stage of the writing process. If you keep
  plugging away at your assignment, you will be
  able to meet your deadline.

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Choose a topic

• Choose a workable topic that meets all of the
  following requirements
• Can you find enough material on the topic?
• Does the topic interest you and can you make it
  interest your audience?
• Is your topic objective, not subjective? An
  objective topic is factual in a research paper
  you are not writing about your opinions,
  experiences, family, or feelings.
• Is the topic limited enough to be covered in the
  available space?

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Thesis Statement

• A good thesis statement IS NOT
• A statement of fact
• Merely the expression of a personal opinion
• A vague generalization
• A question

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Thesis Statement

• A good thesis statement IS
• A declarative sentence that states clearly and
  concisely the main point that the author wishes
  to make.
• Usually a sentence that embodies a judgment,
  evaluation, or criticism, often apparent in its
  use of value terms, e.g., good, better, best,
  valuable, worthwhile, desirable.
• A statement you consider significant, so that if
  someone says, So what? you can answer that
  question

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Thesis Statement

• A good thesis statement MAY also
• Suggest a comparison or a contrast
• Focus primarily on the causes or effects of a
  particular event, condition, or change
• Propose a solution to a problem of recommend a
  policy

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Thesis Statement

• An excellent thesis statement
• Is a judgment, criticism, or evaluation that
  research can support
• Is NOT a statement of fact, a personal opinion, a
  vague generalization, or a question
• Is a declarative statement that states the main
  point of the essay
• Is something worth saying

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SUPPORTING TOPICS

• To find support for your thesis statement
• Write down the tentative thesis statement
• List as many supporting topics as you can
• Select the ones that seem the most promising
• Do preliminary reading to locate supporting
  information for your major topics
• As you read, add or drop major topics, depending
  on what you find

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Locate Sources

• There are two types of sources primary and
  secondary
• A primary source is an original text, document,
  interview, speech, or letter. It is not
  someones comments on or analysis of a text it
  is the text itself.
• A secondary source is NOT an original text or
  document rather, it is someones comments or an
  analysis of a primary source

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Locate Sources

• Explore library sources
• Use the online catalog to locate books in the
  library
• Use the reference section to find information and
  sources encyclopedias, biographical information,
  atlases, almanacs, dictionaries, quotations,
  specialized books
• Look for relevant newspaper and magazine articles
• Evaluate internet sources

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Internet Sources

• Evaluate internet sources carefully
• Who wrote the Web page? How qualified or
  knowledgeable is the writer? Is the writer an
  expert or a professional working in the area the
  Web site discusses?

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Internet Sources - 2

• How accurate is the information? Does the Web
  page give facts or just the writers opinions?
  Verify the given information.
• How up-to-date is the information?
• Is the information biased (slanted toward one
  point of view), or are both sides of an issue
  presented objectively and fairly?

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Bibliography Cards

• Record complete information for every source you
  think you will use. Make a bibliography card on
  a 3x5 or 4x6 index card for every source you
  consult. On each card, you will record the
  author, title, and publishing information (place
  of publication, publisher, date of publication,
  researchers source number). MAKE SURE YOU
  FOLLOW MLA RULES!

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Note cards

• Use 3x5 or 4x6 cards
• Write the source number in the upper-right-hand
  corner of the card. On each card take notes from
  only one source.
• Write on only one side of each card, and write
  about only one main idea. (You will then be able
  to arrange and rearrange your note cards easily
  according to their main ideas.)

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Note cards - 2

• Write a heading a key word or phrase at the
  top of the note card and underline it. The
  heading indicates the main idea discussed on the
  note card. Usually the heading is one of the
  topics you will use in your working outline.
• Make a conscious effort to use your own words
  when you take notes. Use abbreviations and
  symbols.

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Note cards - 3

• Enclose direct quotations in large quotation
  marks. Make sure you have quoted word for word,
  EXACTLY as the author wrote it. If you wish to
  leave out material, you must do so by inserting
  ellipses () at the appropriate point.
• At the bottom of each note card, write the page
  number where you found the information

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Note cards - 4

• Double check each note card to see that you have
  written the source number and page numbers.
  Without these the material will be useless
  because you may not find the information again.

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Preliminary Outline

• This is a temporary outline
• It is a method of structuring your paper and your
  search for information
• Your outline and structure will be tentative and
  rough in form
• It should include some major areas of research
• You are now ready to evaluate your note cards

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Evaluate Note Cards

• Sort your note cards into stacks having the same
  heading
• Some stacks may be short, some tall. If you
  have a great many cards under one heading,
  perhaps you should divide them into two or three
  more manageable subheadings
• Take time to reread each note card. Make sure
  your headings are right. You may find cards that
  might better be classified under different
  headings.

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Evaluate Note Cards - 2

• Evaluate your note cards
• Be selective Do you have too much information
  on one subject? Use only the best the most
  interesting, the most pertinent, the most
  persuasive.
• Fill in the gaps If there is not enough
  information in some stacks go back to the library
  and find more sources and take more notes.

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Topic/Formal Outline

• The key points about an outline are
• It provides the structure for your paper
• It allows you to see relationships among main
  ideas and supporting facts
• It changes you should keep revising your
  outline as your research and writing progress so
  that it reflects new insights, deletions,
  modifications, connections, and improvements
• It is finished only when the paper is finished

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Topic/Formal Outline - 2

• Follow the correct outline form
• A number or letter precedes each heading. Each
  number or letter is followed by a period or is
  enclosed in parentheses.
• The first word in every heading begins with a
  capital letter. Sentence outlines (but not topic
  outlines) have a period at the end of each
  heading.

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Topic/Formal Outline - 3

• When outlining remember
• Indentations show a headings level of
  importance. An indented heading is a
  subdivision of the preceding heading.

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Topic/Formal Outline - 4

• Identify the major sections of your paper. These
  will be your main (Roman numeral) headings.
• If you did a working outline to help guide your
  note-taking, you have already made a stab at
  identifying the main headings and subheadings.
• When you are figuring out your main headings and
  subheadings, you are using the critical-thinking
  skill of analysis (breaking your topic into its
  smaller, separate parts)

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Topic/Formal Outline - 5

• Divide the main headings into subheadings and
  then into sub-subheadings, as needed. You can
  never have only one subheading, you must have at
  least two.
• Within any level, word the headings so that they
  are parallel in structure. (Parallel means
  having the same grammatical structure.)

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Write a First Draft The Introduction

• Write an introduction that attracts your readers
  attention and clearly indicates what your paper
  will be about. Include your thesis statement in
  your introduction.

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Write a First Draft The Body

• Write the body of you paper.
• Keep very careful track of your sources. Insert
  your bibliography source card number after ideas
  or quotations that need to be acknowledged.
• Write in the present tense. Use the past tense
  only to refer to historical events.
• Each paragraph in the body should include a topic
  sentence that states a main idea. The rest of
  the sentences should provide supporting details.

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Write a First Draft The Conclusion

• Write a conclusion that brings your paper to a
  satisfying conclusion and says something
  worthwhile.

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Checking Citations

• Make sure in your paper that you have followed
  the conventions for using direct quotations.
  Make sure that you clearly have identified the
  source of the quotation.
• Check to make sure the parenthetical citations
  are correctly formatted and placed.

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Works Cited List

• Your Works Cited list should be an alphabetical
  list of all the sources you have referred to in
  your paper.
• The Works Cited list should be at the end of your
  research paper.

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Revise Draft

• You should ask yourself the following questions
  when you revise your paper
• How can I improve my word choice? Have I used
  dull, trite, childish, and overworked words?
  Have I used empty adverbs like obviously,
  certainly, and simply? Have I avoided clichés,
  e.g., last but not least?

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Revise Draft - 2

• Have I chosen the best verbs for the job? Have I
  used strong action verbs instead of verbs of
  being, e.g., crashed instead of is down,
  participates instead of is in? Have I used active
  rather than passive verbs, e.g., I made a
  mistake rather than Mistakes were made.

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Revise Draft - 3

• Do my sentences show variety in length and
  structure?
• Do any of my sentences sound awkward when I read
  them aloud?
• Do I show instead of tell, by providing vivid
  descriptive details, figurative language,
  examples, or anecdotes?

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Revise Draft - 4

• Have I used transitions words like however,
  then, on the other hand to improve the
  coherence and flow of my writing?

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Revise Draft - 5

• Have I paid attention to the basic rules of
  expository writing? Does my introductory
  paragraph include a clear, concise thesis
  statement and a method of development? Do my
  topic sentences connect to my thesis statement?
  Do my body paragraphs support my thesis
  statement? Does my conclusion remind the reader
  of my thesis statement?

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Revise Draft - 6

• When using borrowed material, have I provided
• A lead-in, identifying the speaker or situation?
• An accurate quotation?
• Follow-up, a comment or analysis of the
  quotation?

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Revise Draft - 7

• Have I observed the rules of grammar and usage
  avoiding run-ons, fragments, misplaced modifiers,
  passive voice, and lack of agreement between
  subjects and verbs, pronouns and antecedents?
• Have I paid attention to mechanics, making sure
  that my capitalization and punctuation are
  correct?
• Have I checked my spelling carefully?

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Final Manuscript

• Use 8 ½ x 11 white paper
• Print on only one side of each piece of paper
• Double-space
• Use 1 inch margins a the top, bottom, and sides
  of you paper
• Indent each paragraph ½ inch (5 spaces) from the
  left margin
• Number each page in the center at the bottom
• Place your Works Cited page at the end

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GOOD LUCK!!!