1. “The Process is as Important as the Product”
Research Unit
“The Process is as Important as the Product”

2. Choosing a Topic Should interest you Must be “researchable”
For our purposes, should not be an issue of controversy/debate
(we are writing an expository paper – giving information)
Should specific enough for the extent of the research being done
(our papers will be from 3-5 pages, typed.)

5. You may have more than 5 questions that need to be answered in order to write a good paper on your topic.
If so, add them here.

6. Reading for Information
Using your ‘Questions that Must Be Answered’ sheet, read your articles for important information.
You should be highlighting for facts that address the questions on your worksheet
Once you have done this for your three articles, we will move on to the next step.
This must be completed by TOMORROW.
In other words, use your time wisely now in order to minimize your homework

7. You may quietly listen to music if you are working nicely. ONLY MUSIC
Additional Sources
You most likely have found that you need more information to answer your questions well.
Today, you may look up additional sources on the laptops.
To print, you must them to yourself and print at home or in the library during an off period or afterschool
You may also them to me and I will print
There are also book for you to use on the cart. Use post-its with your name on them to mark relevant passages.

8. Note cards
We will be creating notecards using the information you highlighted within your articles
But first, we must create our BIBLIOGRAPHY CARDS
You need one for each
source you have
Change the letter for each new source

9. Source Citation Information
Many of your sources already have the information you need in the correct format
You must include:
Author’s name
Article name in quotation marks
Title of the website, magazine, or book in italics (underlined)
Publisher information, including publisher name and date
URL, without the
The date you accessed (printed) the source

10. Note Cards
Take one note (in your own words) or quotation (copied exactly per card.
Write on one side of the card.
Keep your format consistent with the one I am giving you today.
This is the source you took your note from A
This is your ONE note per card
This is the page number of the text where this note can be found

11. Types of Notecards
The majority of your cards will be these

15. Ratio of Types of Notecards
Today will be your last class period to take notes. You must have 20 or more note cards, taken from at least three different sources, completed correctly, on Tuesday!

16. Writing our Thesis Statements
After taking notes, you should have a better idea of the direction your paper has gone.
In a sentence or two, write an overall statement, or claim, that your paper will support. For example:
Binge drinking is a problem, for both the drinker and those around him/her, that must be remedied.
The paper will be about how binge drinking is a problem for everyone involved. It will also suggest ways to prevent/stop it.

17. Thesis Statement
On an index card with your name on it, write your THESIS STATEMENT and hand it in as your exit ticket for a grade.

18. Organizing our Information
Read through your cards
Based on the topic of each, divide your cards into between 6 and 10 piles
Take a new index card for each pile and place it on the top of the pile
Write the topic of the pile on the index card
Binge drinking is a problem, for both the drinker and those around him/her, that must be remedied.
Definition of binge drinking
Start and rise of B.D.
How B.D. harms the body
Phychological effects of B.D.
How B.D. affects those around the drinker
Ways to stop/prevent B.D.

19. Topic Sentence Outline
After making your piles, write the TOPIC SENTENCE for each of your paragraphs/piles on the top index card.
When you are finished, you will fill out this outline, in the order of which you plan to put your paragraphs. Please put thought into how they should be logically arranged.

20. Parenthetical Citations (citing your sources in your paragraphs)

21. Parenthetical Citations (citing your sources in your paragraphs)

23. Start Writing/Typing today!
Rough Draft
Completed rough draft due on May 22!!
Start Writing/Typing today!
If you are handwriting your rough draft, you must write each paragraph on a separate piece of paper
If you are typing your rough draft, you must either bring it to school on a flash drive every day or save it on Google Docs or the Microsoft Cloud. It MUST be accessible both in school and at home.