Writing a Research Paper Mrs. Dunn St. Anastasia School

Choose a Topic Make sure you understand your assignment - What is the length? - Who is the audience? - What type of research paper? *Informational? This type summarizes material from a variety of sources.

Choose a topic Choose a workable topic that meets all of the following requirements  Can you find enough material on the topic?  Does the topic relate to your project?  Is your topic objective, not subjective? An objective topic is factual – in a research paper you are not writing about your opinions, experiences, family, or feelings.  Is the topic limited enough to be covered in the available space?

Thesis Statements A thesis sums up what the paper will tell the reader. It is not the topic. The topic is the subject of the paper, the thesis tells the reader something about the topic. The thesis should be at least one complete sentence, it must be logical, and the writer must make a claim that he or she can prove with the content of the paper.

Thesis Statement A good thesis statement IS NOT AA statement of fact MMerely the expression of a personal opinion AA vague generalization AA question

Rules for Writing a Thesis Statement It must be a complete sentence. It can not be a question. It should be provable with facts, anecdotes, stories, etc. It needs to represent you and your ideas. Do not generalize. Do not use first or second person pronouns. Do not use clichés.

Sample Thesis Statements Topic: The Battle of Gettysburg Thesis: The Battle of Gettysburg changed the momentum of the Civil War. Topic: Mike Piazza Thesis: With his leadership skills, offensive output, and work ethic, Mike Piazza excels as the best Major League catcher in the history of baseball. Topic: Basketball Thesis: Winning basketball games requires a solid team of skilled athletes, not just one superstar.

Sample Thesis Statements (continued) Topic: Middle East Conflict Thesis: Different Moslem ideologies make Israeli-Palestinian peace difficult. Topic: Cuban Missile Crisis Thesis: Kennedy’s handling of the Cuban missile crisis was good foreign policy. Topic: Iran Thesis: Three major issues are related to the crisis in Iran.

Thesis Statement A good thesis statement IS  A declarative sentence that states clearly and concisely the main point that the author wishes to make.

Thesis Statement An excellent thesis statement  Is NOT a statement of fact, a personal opinion, a vague generalization, or a question  Is a declarative statement that states the main point of the essay  Is something worth saying

SUPPORTING TOPICS To find support for your thesis statement: WWrite down the tentative thesis statement LList as many supporting topics as you can SSelect the ones that seem the most promising DDo preliminary reading to locate supporting information for your topic AAs you read, add or delete information, depending on what you find

Locate Sources There are two types of sources – primary and secondary A primary source is an original text, document, interview, speech, or letter. It is not someone’s comments on or analysis of a text; it is the text itself. A secondary source is NOT an original text or document; rather, it is someone’s comments or an analysis of a primary source

Locate Sources Explore library sources  Use the online catalog to locate books in the library  Use the reference section to find information and sources: encyclopedias, biographical information, atlases, almanacs, dictionaries, quotations, specialized books  Look for relevant newspaper and magazine articles  Evaluate internet sources

Internet Sources Evaluate internet sources carefully  Who wrote the Web page? How qualified or knowledgeable is the writer? Is the writer an expert or a professional working in the area the Web site discusses?

Internet Sources - #2  How accurate is the information? Does the Web page give facts or just the writer’s opinions? Verify the given information.  How up-to-date is the information?  Is the information biased (slanted toward one point of view), or are both sides of an issue presented objectively and fairly?

Note cards Write a heading – a key word or phrase – at the top of the note card and underline it. The heading indicates the main idea discussed on the note card. Usually the heading is one of the topics you will use in your working outline. Make a conscious effort to use your own words when you take notes. Use abbreviations and symbols.

Note cards - #2 Enclose direct quotations in large quotation marks. Make sure you have quoted word for word, EXACTLY as the author wrote it. If you wish to leave out material, you must do so by inserting ellipses (…) at the appropriate point. At the bottom of each note card, write the page number where you found the information Double check each note card to see that you have written the source number and page numbers. Without these the material will be useless because you may not find the information again.

Evaluate Note Cards Sort your note cards into stacks having the same heading  Some stacks may be short, some tall. If you have a great many cards under one heading, perhaps you should divide them into two or three more manageable subheadings  Take time to reread each note card. Make sure your headings are right. You may find cards that might better be classified under different headings.

Evaluate Note Cards - #2 Evaluate your note cards  Be selective: Do you have too much information on one subject? Use only the best – the most interesting, the most pertinent, the most persuasive.  Fill in the gaps: If there is not enough information in some stacks go back and find more sources and take more notes.

Topic/ Outline The key points about an outline are:  It provides the structure for your paper  It allows you to see relationships among main ideas and supporting facts  It changes – you should keep revising your outline as your research and writing progress so that it reflects new insights, deletions, modifications, connections, and improvements  It is finished only when the paper is finished

Write a First Draft: The Introduction Write an introduction that attracts your reader’s attention and clearly indicates what your paper will be about. Include your thesis statement in your introduction.

Write a First Draft: The Body Write the body of you paper.  Keep very careful track of your sources. Insert your bibliography source card number after ideas or quotations that need to be acknowledged.  Write in the present tense. Use the past tense only to refer to historical events.  Each paragraph in the body should include a topic sentence that states a main idea. The rest of the sentences should provide supporting details.

Write a First Draft: The Conclusion Write a conclusion that brings your paper to a satisfying conclusion and says something worthwhile.

Works Cited List Your Works Cited list should be an alphabetical list of all the sources you have referred to in your paper. The Works Cited list should be at the end of your research paper.

Bibliography Cards Record complete information for every source you think you will use. Make a bibliography card on a 3”x5” or 4”x6” index card for every source you consult. On each card, you will record the author, title, and publishing information (place of publication, publisher, date of publication, researcher’s source number). MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW MLA RULES!

How do I give credit and avoid plagiarizing? Keep track of every source for every note. Use quotation marks for word for word quotes. Change most of the original into your own words when you paraphrase, and list the source immediately after. Cite every source you use, every time you use it. Put citations in the paper, in parentheses or in the text itself. List all publishing information at the end on a Works Cited page.

Check list: Have I observed  the rules of grammar and usage  avoided run-ons or fragments  misplaced modifiers  passive voice  lack of agreement between subjects and verbs, pronouns and antecedents?  capitalization and punctuation  spelling carefully  Does my introductory paragraph include a clear, concise thesis statement and a method of development?  Do my topic sentences connect to my thesis statement?  Do my body paragraphs support my thesis statement?  Does my conclusion remind the reader of my thesis statement?  Have I used transitions – words like however, then, on the other hand – to improve the coherence and flow of my writing?

Final Manuscript Use 8 ½” x 11” white paper Print on only one side of each piece of paper Double-space Use 1 inch margins a the top, bottom, and sides of you paper Indent each paragraph ½ inch (5 spaces) from the left margin Number each page in the center at the bottom Place your Works Cited/ Bibliography page at the end