Top Ten Things to Remember When Writing Research Papers

1) Every Paper Needs a Proper Heading! You should always use Times New Roman font, size 12.

2) A Research Paper is FORMAL and Informative 2) A Research Paper is FORMAL and Informative. Thus, there should be no First or Second Person writing.

3) You need to know the difference between a Works Cited and a Works Consulted. You will be turning in a Works Cited. WORKS CITED: A list of sources that you actually referenced during research and cite in your paper. WORKS CONSULTED: A list of sources that you actually used/consulted in preparing to write your paper; however, you might not cite all of the sources in your paper. OH YEAH! OH NO!

4) Plagiarism is unacceptable 4) Plagiarism is unacceptable. Be aware of what constitutes as plagiarism.

This is the original! 1) Needs citations. 2) Needs independent thought! This is the original!

6) A quote cannot stand alone as its own sentence 6) A quote cannot stand alone as its own sentence. Every quote needs what is called an attribution. Incorrect: “Mozart described the piece as ‘one of his favorites’” (Smith). Correct: According to Dr. Smith, “Mozart described the piece as ‘one of his favorites’” (Smith). “According to Dr. Smith,” is the attribution to the quote.

5) Quotes too close together from the same author, or any author, is considered plagiarism. For example- Some students think that paraphrasing makes it okay to cite the same author multiple times (Belardo). However, even though paraphrasing means a student is summarizing a direct quote, he or she is still not using their own individual ideas to get a point across (Belardo). “My students are not lazy. They are very bright and intellectual” (Belardo). Ms. Belardo explains that although her students are bright, they may accidently plagiarize (Belardo).

6) Know the difference between a Direct Quote and a Paraphrase (Indirect Quote) Direct Quote- Ms. Belardo states that “all students are capable of learning excellent skills while writing their research paper. It will take hard work and focus, but I know my students are up for the challenge” (Belardo). Paraphrase- In the eyes of Ms. Belardo, so long as students are willing to work hard during the research project, students will gain necessary writing skills (Belardo).

7 & 8) When writing an essay, the first sentence of each body paragraph should be the TOPIC sentence. A topic sentence is specific and sets up the paragraph for the reader. The last sentence of a body paragraph should TRANSITION to the next body paragraph rather than summarize.

9) Your thesis statement should answer your essential question 9) Your thesis statement should answer your essential question. It SHOULD be argumentative. Your thesis statement should be the last sentence in your introduction. EQ: How do high school courses negatively affect the success of an Engineering major in college?

10) IN-TEXT CITATIONS! Whether the quote is in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence, the citation will ALWAYS go at the end of the sentence. Example- Ms. Belardo stated that “every student is capable of achieving greatness,” at graduation this Saturday (“Council Rock Graduation” 7).

For the following print source with an author: Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. U of California P, 1966. If the essay provides a signal word or phrase—usually the author’s last name—the citation does not need to also include that information.

How to cite a work with no known author: We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has “more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change…” (“Impact of Global Warming” 6). Corresponding Entry in the List of Works Cited: “The Impact of Global Warming in North America.” Global Warming: Early Signs. 1999.

Work by Multiple Authors In-text Examples: Smith et al. argues that tougher gun control is not needed in the United States (76). The authors state: “Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second Amendment rights” (Smith et al. 76). A 2016 study suggests that stricter gun control in the United States will significantly prevent accidental shootings (Strong and Ellis 23).