Research Getting Started with the Basics By: Carol Ford Wayne Co. H.S. Library Media Specialist

General / Information Specific / Positional Contains a defined thesis that focuses on a narrow topic. (Argumentative, Persuasive, Comparative, Analytical, etc.) Informs the reader with general details about the subject

Specific Research – Formal Style Introduction – Thesis Statement (Main Topic) Body – Supporting Paragraphs with evidence for the thesis – Each paragraph is a sub-topic that helps explain and support the thesis / main topic Conclusion – Summarizes and Reiterates the main idea of the essay – Closes in a clear, final, memorable way

Getting Started Brainstorm topics / Browse Break those topics down further Select a single topic / focus that you feel you can explain, research, and write about with support from resources. DO NOT pick topic that you know will be DIFFICULT to support or explain!!!

Thesis Statement Usually a single sentence Clear, focused, defined topic NOT – “In this paper I am going to explain how women contributed to the civil war.” TOO BROAD TOO GENERIC POORLY WRITTEN

Thesis Statement BETTER – “Women made significant contributions to the civil war that greatly affected the outcome.” (Why?) BEST – “ Women soldiers made significant contributions during the civil war that changed their perceived role in the family, impacted the battle field, and in turn affected the outcome of the civil war.” (Why?)

Supporting Paragraphs - Subtopics Traditionally – 3 or more subtopics to support your thesis Each subtopic should contain a topic sentence supported with facts, details, and examples. – Research should include statistics, quotations, historic facts, and anecdotes. – Quotes alone are not sufficient. You are to use the research you find to help you explain your sub- topics.

Documentation All research should be documented! When you use someone else’s information and work without giving them credit you are guilty of plagiarism. (STEALING someone else’s hard work!) KNOW the documentation style your teacher requires you to use! USE a documentation / research guide!

Plagiarism Webster’s dictionary defines it as “copying what someone else has written or taking somebody else’s idea and trying to pass it off as original.” Webster’s College Dictionary. 2 nd edition. Bloomsbury, NY Includes using info – word for word, summarizing, paraphrasing, taking only the “idea,” putting it in your own words, photos, etc – IF YOU DO ANY of this IT MUST BE DOCUMENTED! If not it is PLAGIARISM!

Kentucky Virtual Library Use this source for more information on – “How to Do Research” Various styles of documentation – MLA – APA – Chicago Manual of Style Examples of citations

Print Resources Primary Sources – Original Documents from the time period or event Speeches, relics, artifacts, new footage, letters, manuscripts, autobiographies, etc. Secondary Sources – May include pictures, quotes, or graphics of primary sources, but these are works compiled by someone else about the topic to provide analysis and interpretation of it. Journal or magazine articles, textbooks, books, reference materials

Using Print Effectively Browse the books Look at the Table of Contents and the Index Sub-topics within larger volumes of Reference books sometimes have information that is useful. Use a variety of search terms to gather information about the broad topic. Use Destiny – on the school page to search our library Use Destiny – on the school page to search our library

Kentucky Virtual Library To Log in from a non-school computer ID wayne00001 Password driver46