Ways to improve your research paper May 2015 Dudek

General Observations

Book titles Book titles in italics: In the novel Catch-22, the main protagonist is conflicted by his need for… Note: it’s a novel, not a book. Your reading for this assignment was a novel.

Research style Never first person! No “I,” “we,” or “us.” Do not speak to your reader: No “you.”

MLA Style

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Run-on sentences Review run-on sentences activities Use FANBOYS to connect two similar or dependent ideas. When in doubt, split your sentence into two with a period. If your sentence is entering its third line, you may have gone too far. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/qu izzes/runons_quiz.htm

Follow your outline Each roman numeral had two letters and each letter had two numbers. Does your paper have all that? One piece of research is not enough to support a paragraph/topic sentence.

Support assertions with research! You cannot state something as fact without research citation, unless it is commonly known. Even if known, research strengthens your credibility. This is particularly true of statistics and figures. Let’s test you…

Do you need research to support the following information: Michigan is in the United States Michigan leads the country in violent crimes 30% of Americans do not attend church Church attendance has declined in the U.S.A. Many people find church a good place to reflect on their guilt. NO YES PERHAPS (anecdotal evidence)

How to incorporate quotes/summaries from your novel The novel takes place in present time. “Smith has big dreams,” not “Smith had big dreams.” Please be careful. It’s not necessarily the author’s beliefs or the author’s words. It is fiction. They wrote it, but it is usually a character or narrator that is speaking. “In the novel, the author states…” is not always the best way to do this.

The Bad, the Worse and the Ugly Quote Dumps The Bad, the Worse and the Ugly

Quote Dumps are bad A quote dump is when you simply drop a quote into your paper as a stand-alone sentence. You should orient your reader so they know where the quote is coming from or why it is important.

Quote Dumps are bad Gatsby is not to be regarded as a personal failure. "Gatsby turned out all right at the end.” Wrong! Instead… Gatsby is not to be regarded as a personal failure. His friends know he has made up for his earlier mistakes. "Gatsby turned out all right at the end" (176), according to Nick.

An introducing phrase or orienter plus the quotation: In this poem it is creation, not a hypothetical creator, that is supremely awesome. [argument sentence]. The speaker asks, "What immortal hand or eye / Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?“ [data sentence; orienter before quote]

An assertion of your own and a colon plus the quotation: Vivian hates the knights for scorning her, and she dreams of achieving glory by destroying Merlin's: "I have made his glory mine" (390).

An assertion of your own with quoted material worked in: For Nick, who remarks that Gatsby "turned out all right" (176), the hero deserves respect but perhaps does not inspire great admiration.

Other variations: According to Jane Doe, "..." As Jane Doe goes on to explain, "..." Characterized by John Doe, the society is "..." As one critic points out, "..." John Doe believes that "..." Jane Doe claims that "..." In the words of John Doe, "..."

Support your thesis/topic sentence Your quote must have a purpose You must explain that purpose So, after you put (not dump) a quote, you should tie it back to the purpose of your essay, or the purpose of the paragraph.

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Finishing your paper in a powerful way Conclusions Finishing your paper in a powerful way

Conclusions handout http://mrdudek.pbworks.com/w/file/79511279/ Revising%20the%20Conclusion.doc

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Works Cited

Rules for Works Cited at https://owl. english. purdue Sample Works Cited: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/7 47/12/

Final Draft

Turn it in! You must submit a copy online at turnitin.com Due date: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 – 11:59 p.m.

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