Research Paper Made for Cyr’s Juniors

What is a Research Paper? A research paper is a written document created after a period of exploration on a subject.

Still have questions? A research paper is An expanded essay written in formal language Is created after research is done to add to your background knowledge Includes quotes from sources Usually has several sources which are listed on a Works Cited page A lengthy process

A Research Paper is Not Capable of being done in 1 night A collection of snippets cut and pasted from the Internet Solved by visiting Wikipedia

The First Step Choose a subject. Choosing something you are interested in will help you enjoy the process. Choosing something you know a little about will help you feel confident in your writing.

Options? Do not choose too broadly Do not choose too narrowly Choose a topic that will fit the page parameters given. Think about this… – What could you write about if given Benjamin Franklin as a topic?

Franklin’s Possibilities Ben the Scientist Ben the Politician Ben the Inventor Ben the Writer

Potentials? Ben’s view of hail in the summertime Ben, America’s first diplomat to France The Franklin Stove The invention of swim fins Ben as Silence Dogood

How about these? Invention Benjamin Experimental Ben Ben’s Political contributions Ben’s Pen Names Self Improvement Guru

So Now What? Research

Internet Research Look for Reliable sites Schools (edu) Organizations (org) Government (gov) Try These There are links from my website

Avoid These Wikipedia Essay Sites Fan Pages

Ask Yourself… Is it absolutely clear which company or organization is responsible for the information on the site? Is there a link to a page describing what the company or organization does and the people who are involved (an “About Us” page)? Is there a valid way of making sure the company or organization is legit – meaning, is this a real place that has real contact information ( only is not enough)?

Keep Asking Can I easily figure out who wrote the information? Are all factual claims clearly substantiated, that is, are there cited (linked) sources? Are there any glaring grammatical and spelling errors? This could indicate that the content is not credible. How long ago was the page updated? Is there a date stamp on the article somewhere? You’ll need this especially if you’re using MLA-style citation. Can you verify the expertise of the author? Are the writer’s qualifications clearly stated somewhere on the site?

So I found my site… Fill in the “Internet Citation Organizer” worksheet I gave you Print the pages on your author – It saves ink and paper if you copy and paste it into Word first Make sure you have the URL/Address on the worksheet! You will need it! You may want to make a good site a favorite incase you lose your print outs

So I found my site… DO NOT CUT AND PASTE THE INFORMATION INTO YOUR REPORT. THAT IS NOT RESEARCH IT IS PLAGIARISM

Book Research Try these… Our text book Encyclopedias Other reference material

Book Research Do This Fill out the citation worksheet If it is just a page or two, try to photocopy the material If you cannot photocopy the material, take clear, detailed notes