Research Writing Steps By Mr. Jason Smith

Preliminary Thesis You have a general idea about a topic

Research You need to find valid sources that talk about your topic. You need to find out as much as you can about your topic.

Thesis By all of your research, you are now ready to form your thesis.

Outline Develop an outline using your thesis statement as a road map (guide) for the organization of your essay. a. Sample Outline I. Introduction – thesis statement II. Beowulf’s exceptional strength III. Battles with villains IV. Glorified for great deeds V. Conclusion (sum up and restate thesis)

Rough Draft You need to write five well written paragraphs.

Paragraph One Start general and end with your thesis statement. Specific: Thesis

Intro Paragraph Formula Writing the introductory paragraph can be a frustrating and slow process -- but it doesn't have to be.  If you planned your paper out, then most of the introductory paragraph is already written.  Now you just need a beginning and an end. Beginning Sentence(s) Here's your chance to introduce your topic and grab your reader's attention.  NEVER start your paper saying, "In this paper, I will" or "This paper is about." Start strong.  In your research, have you come across an odd factoid or interesting quote? Try starting your paper with that.  How about starting with an anecdotal story or humor? Middle Sentences Usually, the middle sentences cover the points in your paper.  Since you've already planned which order to write the points, you already know which order to place them in your introductory paragraph.  You don't have to include every single point, but make sure the important ones get in there.  Ending Sentence All the previous sentences have been building up to this: your thesis. Your thesis statement expresses the overall idea of your paper and show where you stand on the topic. 

Example of Intro Paragraph

Body Paragraphs Each body paragraph should be a minimum of 4 sentences and should be organized as follows: 1. Insert a Topic Sentence 2. Explain Your Topic Sentence 3. Introduce Your Evidence 4. Insert Your Evidence 5. Unpack Your Evidence 6. Explain Your Evidence 7. Insert a Concluding Sentence

Sample Body Paragraph Sample Body Paragraph: (1) While there is little doubt that extracurricular opportunities at UT are a positive and critical component of students‟ overall development, providing students with time management skills is equally important. (3) One only needs to look at past alumni to see the validity of this claim. As famous alum George W. Bush states, (4) “I sometimes overdid it when I was at UT, missing out on valuable academic opportunities. Fortunately, I buckled down in my senior year and managed to make a „C‟ average and things have worked out fine since” (227). (5) In this example, George W. Bush is arguing that the detrimental effects of extracurricular excesses can be rectified in the senior year of college. (6)While George W. Bush is certainly correct when he implies that it is never too late for a student to try to raise his or her GPA, it is probably better for students to attempt to balance academic and other activities early in their college career. Also, Bush assumes that all students can achieve what they want with a „C‟ average, but many students need higher GPAs in order to apply to professional school, graduate school and for graduate-entry jobs. (7) While extracurricular activities are often a positive and critical component of student life at UT, administrators should consider instigating a time management education and awareness course for all incoming freshmen. After all, not every UT graduate will be as lucky as George W. Bush; if our students are going to succeed in business and higher education, we need to first ensure they understand the importance of time management.

Conclusion This paragraph should include the following: an allusion to the pattern used in the introductory paragraph, a restatement of the thesis statement, using some of the original language or language that "echoes" the original language. (The restatement, however, must not be a duplicate thesis statement.) a summary of the three main points from the body of the paper. a final statement that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come to an end. (This final statement may be a "call to action" in an persuasive paper.) You may also want to end with a prediction about your topic.

Conclusion Tactics There are four main tactics that the writer can employ in writing the concluding paragraph: Restatement and Recommendation: Here the major points of the paper are given in a summary form and a suggestion is made to the reader about the subject (e.g. “Take good care of your car”). Prediction: The writer of a paper may want to predict what will happen with his or her topic in the future (e.g. “The electric car will take over the industry”). Allusion: The writer may choose to write an appropriate story to get his point across to the reader. This will allow the reader to relate better to the subject (e.g. "I know a good friend who had a '57 Chevy..."). Quotation: This can give some more validity to your argument if it is a quotation from an expert in the subject (e.g. "As Lee Iacoca concluded at his retirement speech at Chrysler...").

Sample Conclusion Here is an example of a concluding paragraph with a restatement and a recommendation:      Americans have much more to learn about their automobiles than they think. It takes a good deal of research and advice from other people in order to get acquainted with the basics of a car. It also requires the car owner to confront his or her fears about fixing his or her vehicle and to take a risk in doing so. Finally, the car owner must be wise in choosing the right type of mechanic to work on his or her car when the problems become too large for the owner to handle. All of these steps are absolutely essential to follow if Americans ever want to get beyond their normal naivete about automobiles. 

Sample Conclusion Here is an example of a concluding paragraph with a prediction: The prevailing ignorance of basic auto mechanics on America's part is indeed appalling. However, in spite of the current situation, there is hope on the horizon. The number of people showing interest in car maintenance has been increasing at a steady rate over the past few years. Having grown tired and frustrated by the excessive amount of money they have had to spend on shops and auto mechanics, Americans have come to realize that car maintenance is much more essential than they had thought. If this trend continues in America, we can hopefully predict the coming of an age where dependence upon others for "car smarts" will finally become obsolete.

Research Paper Grading Sheet _____ 25pts Research Paper Grading Sheet _____ 25pts. –CONTENT --thesis is supported throughout paper --research support ideas, not vice versa --analysis of ideas _____ 15pts. –ORGANIZATION --ideas and research are presented in logical order --introduction and conclusion are smooth, valid, and interesting transitions --paragraphs support thesis and pertain to one subject each _____ 10 pts. –VOICE --academic: sincere, individual and honest --written in third person --word choice is original and precise _____ 15 pts. –RESEARCH --quotes are valid and vital to text --credibility of sources --use of sources _____ 15 pts. –MLA/APA FORMAT AND WORKS CITED PAGE --paper follows MLA/APA standards especially in-text citations and Works Cited page _____ 20 pts. –GRAMMAR/MECHANICS --no spelling mistakes or grammar errors -sentences are written correctly and coherently _____/100 pts. –Overall Comments: