The ALMIGHTY RESEARCH Paper

Research Writing An Introduction

What is a Research Paper? A research paper is like a report. Before you write it, you use books, articles, the internet, and other sources to gather information about your topic. You GATHER information from these sources and use that information in your paper to tell your readers about your topic.

WAIT……WHAT??? A research paper is actually a WRITTEN piece of work IN YOUR OWN WORDS that fully discusses a topic that you have spent time learning about. It is to be in depth and intelligent, with support from credible sources. This paper will be YOUR work, but you have based your knowledge on the credible work of others. Sounds difficult? It’s not really so bad. If you take each step one at a time, it actually gets pretty easy.

There’s NO NEED to become like this kid… we will work on lots of these steps TOGETHER.

Magazine or Newspaper Articles Books Internet Web Journals

How to Begin Choose a topic. Do some overview reading on your topic. Write a statement of purpose to identify what you want to learn through your research. Write three specific questions you want to answer through your research.

Choosing a Topic The first step in writing a research paper is choosing a topic. At Lawton High School, research paper topics are always tied to some piece of literature that has been read for class. For the purpose of this research paper, your topic must connect in some way to the content of the novel Of Mice and Men. Possible topics: Migrant workers during the Great Depression Mental health during the Great Depression African-Americans during the Great Depression Mercy killing

Overview Reading Before you can truly develop and write your statement of purpose, you need to have a general sense of what type of information is going to be available about your general topic. To see what information is available, conduct a few web searches and skim the articles and websites that you find. Remember to only give consideration to website and articles coming from reputable sources.

Overview Reading Continued This general reading helps you become familiar with various aspects of your topic. Establish the purpose of your paper. Be sure your topic is appropriate to the assigned length. Focus on a particular aspect of your topic that will lend itself to the sources available.

Develop a Statement of Purpose A statement of purpose is a sentence that you write which states, in some detail, what you want to learn about in your research project. The statement of purpose guides you as you work so that you will read and take notes only over information that is needed for your research paper.

Narrow Your Topic for the Statement of Purpose General Topic Air pollution 2. Scientists/Mathematicians 3. Elizabethan England Narrowed Topic Government actions to stop air pollution 2. Albert Einstein's impact on the 20th century 3. Health concerns in Shakespeare's England

Write Three Questions Next, write three specific questions you want answered. Think of these as category headings or sub-topics of your statement of purpose. Later, these three questions will help to shape the body paragraphs of your research paper.

EXAMPLE Topic: Air pollution Narrow Topic: Government actions to stop air pollution Statement of Purpose: I want to learn what is being done by our government to stop air pollution. Three Questions: 1. What specific laws and/or programs has the government put in place to stop air pollution? 2. What has been the effectiveness of the government's laws and/or programs? 3. What other laws and/or programs could be created to improve air quality?

ASSIGNMENT This assignment is due on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Choose a research topic connected to Of Mice and Men. Conduct your own independent overview reading of available information. Write a statement of purpose. Write three questions that you would like answered during your research. This assignment is due on Tuesday, January 12, 2016.