Research Paper

What is a research paper? A piece of academic writing based on it’s author’s research on a particular topic, and the analysis and the interpretation of the research findings.

How to start… Choose a topic that interests and challenges you. Your attitude towards your topic may well determine the amount of effort and enthusiasm you put into your research. Your topic could be something you are passionate about or a future career path you may want to pursue in your near future. Focus on a limited aspect and narrow it down.. For Example: “Religion” to “World Religion” to “Buddhism”

Continued… Ask your teacher for approval for your topic before starting full-scale research. Select a topic you can manage. Avoid topics that are too technical, learned or specialized. And also, avoid topics that have a very narrow range of source materials.

Finding Information.. Surf the net. For general background information, check out useful urls, general information online or online encyclopedias such as Britanica. Also, use other search tools as a starting point. When researching, pay attention to domain name extensions such as .edu, .org, and .gov. These sites represent institutions and tend to be more reliable but be watchful of possible political bias in some government sites.

Continued… Be selective of .com sites. Even though .com sites are excellent, however, a large number of them contain advertisements products and nothing else. Also, certain advertisements can support organizations or institutions that can lean that website towards a political bias. Be wary of the millions of personal home pages on the net. The quality of these pages can vary greatly and can be unreliable.

Online resources Use online references such as SIRS, ProQuest, eLibrary etc. Use index periodicals such as MagPortal.com and OnlineNewspapers.com Google Scholar Magazines and Journals As you gather resources, jot down full bibliographical information such as author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, pages numbers.

Thesis statement Like most research papers, they all require a thesis statement. A thesis statement is a main idea or the central point of your research paper. The arguments that you provide in your paper should be based on your main idea, which is why it is so important. When thinking about how to write your thesis, brainstorm. Your thesis is a declaration of your own belief. And the main portion of your essay will consist of arguments to support and defend this belief.

Continued…. Your thesis statement should be provided early in your paper, preferably the first paragraph or your introduction. DON’T create a thesis statement first. Before writing your thesis, you should collect, organize and analyze your materials and your main ideas. Your thesis statement may not be set in stone, it may change throughout writing your paper.

Continued.. Stay away from generic and too fuzzy statements and arguments. Use a particular subject. Your paper should present something new to your audience and educative to read. Avoid using citations in your thesis. Present your own ideas in your own words.

The purpose of the thesis… The thesis statement should do the following: Explain to the readers how you interpret the subject of your research. Tell the readers what to expect while reading your paper. Present your claim with other people who may either agree or dispute with your ideas.

Continued…. Make sure your thesis is strong. Make sure your thesis answers the ultimate question that you want to answer at the end of your paper. Make sure your thesis is precise, you do not want your thesis to be too general or vague. A well-prepared thesis means well shaped ideas. It increases credibility of your paper.

Example 1 The North and south fought the civil war for many reasons, some of which were the same and some were different.

Example 2 While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions.

Example 3 While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

Graphic Organizer Using the main ideas, questions and connections you have made by completing the close reading of your sources, create a graphic organizer or concept map demonstrating informational relationships. Once you’ve organized and synthesized your information, you should conclude with a working thesis and have a solid foundation for your rough draft. This is the last step before you begin writing.

GO continued... Focus: Identify your research question/ main topic (should be placed at the top of your map or the beginning of your presentation). What is it that you are looking to find in your research? Example: Ocean Pollution Question: How much garbage is being dumped into the ocean each month?

GO continued… Select main ideas that you discovered through your research. Example: The NFL and Concussions Main idea 1- The amount of players who receive concussion each year. Main idea 2- The negative impact a concussion has on the brain. Main idea 3- Measures the NFL are taking to reduce risks of concussions. You may have more than 3...

GO continued… Categorize the main ideas, group the categories that are related into larger ideas. Put all related sources together, For Example: Three sources that address the issue of CO2 emissions should be clustered into one main idea. Put all citations under the main idea they belong.

GO continued… Look for patterns that will demonstrate the relationships between your main ideas. This is the most creative and thoughtful phase of your research because you will to draw conclusions based on the patterns you see. For example, does it make the most sense to organize your ideas chronologically? In a cause and effect pattern? Order of importance? In a problem/ solution pattern?

GO continued... Add content and arrange your research findings in a visual display. Connect the clusters with ideas and arrows that convey how each source, citation are connected in your paper. Fill out a map or other presentation method with your supporting ideas and evidence from your sources.

GO continued… Explain your topic/ argument to the class. You will give a presentation to explain or defend your topic to the class. This process tests your ability to talk about your topic and demonstrate your knowledge as well as your findings in your research. This is also an important step because you will receive feedback from your peers and myself.

GO continued… You may organize your ideas to your liking. You may create a concept map using the following websites: Popplet -- Bubbl.us -- Coggle You may also create a powerpoint presentation or create a list of all of the information in a word doc.

GO continued Research Question: 5 points Main Ideas (min. of 4): 20 points Supporting evidence: 35 points Patterns/ Trends: 15 points Working thesis: 15 points Presentation: 10 points