1. The Exciting World of Research
…Ms. Kramer Style

2. What is Research????????
Research is the diligent investigation and studious inquiry.
In other words…it’s learning about stuff by going somewhere to find out about stuff!

3. When will we use research skills?
It helps us learn more about all sorts of things.
It is an SOL.
We will use it later in life!

4. When will we use research skills?
In English and other classes in high school.
In college for just about ANY major!
In life when we need to find out something we don’t know.

5. What is this MLA thing that English teachers always talk about?
MLA stands for Modern Language Association. It is the organization which gives us the guidelines for how to write and present a research report properly. We will always use MLA guidelines.

6. What is Plagiarism, and why do teachers freak out when you mention it?
Plagiarism is using another writer’s words or ideas without acknowledgment.
Teachers freak out about it because plagiarism is a form of stealing, and people who plagiarize the words of others have no defense in a court of law.

7. What happens if I plagiarize?
You get a zero on your paper/project
You get referred to the office.
You could be taken to court by the author from whom you stole.
In college, you could be expelled for plagiarism.

8. Is copying from the internet or the encyclopedia plagiarism?
Yes, most definitely. Copying directly or even paraphrasing from ANY source WITHOUT giving the author credit for the writing is plagiarism, and it’s punishable by the above options.

9. Research Process Introduction and Practice
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School
Virginia Beach City Public Schools