1. The introduction let’s the reader know what your paper will be about
It should capture their attention
Notice the difference between “Tarsiers are particularly adept climbers that reside in Southeast Asia” and “Tarsiers leap from tree to tree and stealthily climb limbs as the move through tropical forests in Southeast Asia.”
Introduction

2. Thesis The thesis is your argument!
In your thesis you take a stance on your topic
It should be clear and concise
The thesis needs to be specific! “Tarsiers are the coolest monkeys.”
Typically the thesis is the last sentence of the introduction paragraph
The thesis must be contentious!!!!!!!!!
Thesis

3. Arguments and Counterarguments
Must be concise and build to a point
The arguments should link together and be inter-related
Should come from a variety of sources
These sources should be cited!
Counterarguments
These are possible flaws or objections in your arguments
You should anticipate all counter arguments and address them in your paper
Addressing all sides of an issue makes a research paper stand out
Arguments and Counterarguments

4. This should first sum up your entire paper (arguments and counterarguments)
Then you should answer your own research question, turn the question over to the reader, or deepen the reader’s understanding of an issue
The reader should be left with some room for further inquiry or at the very least a stronger opinion of the issue
Conclusion

5. Sources-Step 3 Material falls into three categories General Primary
References books (dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedias, etc.)
Primary
Original works (documentaries, autobiographies, artwork, essays, letters, etc.)
Secondary
Work about primary sources (biographies, articles, essays, editorials, reviews)
Sources-Step 3

6. To steal and pass off (the ideas and words of another) as one’s own; use (another’s production) without crediting the source (Merriam-Webster)
You must cite the source of everything! Even paraphrasing an idea!!!
Plagiarism

7. Creating a Thesis-Step 4
After you have done some research your hypothesis should be taking on a more definite shape
Your thesis is your concise assertion/opinion on your topic
The thesis presents your point of view on the topic as supported by your research
It should be succinct and presented early in the paper
Creating a Thesis-Step 4

8. Thesis You should really brainstorm three or four theses
The “right” thesis will just click and you will begin imagining your arguments and counter-arguments
You don’t even have to agree with your thesis, sometimes it’s better if you don’t!
But make sure your thesis is opinionated!!!!
A good thesis can be completely undermined if it doesn’t take a stance on the issue/topic
A good thesis should cause disagreement among readers
It also must be backed by research!
Thesis

9. Your works cited page should only include sources you actually cited within your paper
For the works cited page the citation should contain:
The author’s name
The title of the work
Place of publication
Publisher
Publication year
Page numbers (if necessary)
Citing

10. Citing for a website Author’s name Material’s title Website’s title
Name of the editor(s)
Publication date or last update
Name of the sponsoring organization
Date you accessed the site
The URL in angle brackets
Citing for a website

11. Sometimes all of that information is not available, so you just put in everything that is available to you
Whether the source is a book or article will determine if the title should be underline or italicized
If a work has multiple authors (3 or more) it is only necessary to put the first author’s name then use “et al.”
Using the MLA website is extremely helpful in checking your citations
There are a ton of free plug-in online cites for creating sources. Just double check them after for correctness.
I don’t expect you to memorize the rules for MLA citations
Works Cited

12. In text citations should include the author’s name and the page number -> (Foley 27).
If you don’t know the author, then put the title of the work (“Tarsiers” 27).
If there are two authors, then put both of their last names
If there are more than two authors use “et al” -> (Foley et al. 27).
In Text citations

13. Formatting Use standard computer paper
Paper clip your pages don’t staple them
There shouldn’t be a title page
On the first page your heading should include the following information on the left hand upper corner
Your name
My name
The title of the course
The date of the submission of your paper
Your paper should be double spaced with 1” margins
Formatting

14. Revise the body paragraphs first because they are the meat of your paper
How you revise your body paragraphs will guide the revisions that are necessary for your introduction and conclusion
Improve your topic sentences
Strengthen your evidence and remove unnecessary sentences
Keep a consistent tone!
Try to always use an active voice!
Print out your paper to revise grammatical mistakes
Revision