Research Paper
Writing
I have to write a
what ?
 Vitoria Guarino 2000
Table of Contents
• Overview (1-5)
• Where to Begin: Necessary Items &
Narrowing Your Topic (6-12)
• Organizing Information: The
Working Outline (13-20)
• Gathering Information: Index
Cards (24-29)
• Where to Look: Finding Credible
Sources (30-32)
• Citation and the “Works Cited”
Page (33-40)
• Closing Remarks (41-43)
First Things First
• The worst thing you can do is panic.
If you panic, you will delay, and the
more you delay, the worse the
quality of your work will be.
• Anyway, if you already know the
basic methods used to write shorter
papers (essays), you already have
most of the skills necessary
to write a research paper.
Remember This . . .
• Every paragraph you write in an
essay has a point – a main idea as
expressed in a topic sentence.
• So too, every paragraph is used in
a slightly different way – some are
intended to describe, and some to
explain, while others are intended to
prove a point by providing
examples.
The same is true of a research paper.
Therefore . . .
If your topic is WWII, and you wish to prove that the
treatment of Germany at the close of the war was
justified, you will probably devote a couple of
paragraphs to the events leading up to the war. In
each case you will emphasize Germany’s actions
and its leaders’ biased perspectives. Then, you may
want to devote a few paragraphs to atrocities
committed by Germany during the war. Of course,
you will also have to focus on the specifications of the
treaties as well as reparations and you will prove, by
way of specific examples, that each
requirement was fair and just.
Where to
begin . . .
You will need
•
•
•
•
•
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A package of large index cards
Pencils and looseleaf
A highlighter
An MLA Handbook for citation formats
A topic
At least six reliable, informative sources that
show you are able to find, select and
understand a variety of formats including
books, periodicals, an interview, and perhaps a
film or documentary.
• Access to a word processor
Your first task
Your first task requires four steps:
1. Find a topic in which you are interested.
2. Find and skim a variety of books and
articles about it.
3. Find an “angle,” a point you want to make
or prove about that topic.
4. Bring the topic (and the titles of your
sources) to your teacher for several chats in
order to narrow your topic and in order to
make certain it meets your teacher’s
standards.
The best way
to select and then narrow a topic is to read about
a few of the topics provided by your teacher.
If none are provided, you can visit the library
(say “Hello!” to the librarian for Ms.
Guarino) and view the Readers’ Guide to
Periodicals (a fancy term for magazines,
journals and newspapers).
Once you have a general topic of interest, you
can try to narrow your topic by asking
yourself a few questions.
Journalists’
Who?
Questions
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?
Huh? (Just kidding)
Some Questions
Let us assume that you are interested in a broad topic
such as child labor. In order to narrow the topic, first
answer the five basic journalist’s questions:
Who is involved in child labor? Who is most likely to be exploited? Who is doing
the exploiting? Get some statistics!
What motivates those who are involved? What industries are more likely to employ
children? What are the authorities doing about it? What are the working
conditions like? What groups are fighting against it?
Where (in which countries) is it most prevalent? Where can people find help in
addressing this problem? Where have the authorities dealt with the problem?
When did child labor become popular? When did governments first address the
issue? When was there a shift in the trend, if any?
Why does child labor still exist? Why do governments ignore the issue? Why does
the U.S. continue to trade with countries where it continues?
How can it be curbed or stopped? How do those who have been child laborers feel
about their experience? How do the parents feel? How well are policies
working? How much time will it take to abolish it worldwide? How much
money is made as a result of this practice?
Once you have
Asked these
questions, and skimmed materials for answers, you
should have a better sense of the aspects on which
you would like to focus.
For instance, perhaps you would like to focus on a
connection between child labor and the United States,
in which case you will need a working thesis or premise
such as “Despite its staunch position against child
labor, the United States continues to trade with
countries in which children are exploited.” Once you
have an “angle” from which to explore the topic,
organizing your materials will be easier.
Organizing
Information
Organization
When you have discussed your ideas with your
teacher, you should create a tentative
(working) outline and then use that outline
to guide your research. After all, you don’t
want to devote too much research time to
issues you don’t intend to include in your
paper.
Your outline will depend upon the topic of your
paper and your writing style. However, there
are a few basic models you can follow.
Working Outline
C
LU
U Remember that you may have to exclude
E
Be prepared to rearrange the sequence of
S
Find a nice balance between working
chronologically and logically.
se your teacher’s expertise to help you
shape your paper as you work.
much of the info you find because it
does not specifically relate to your topic.
your outline as the paper develops.
A Basic Model
Keep your premise on hand and obvious at all times so you won’t forget it. Use
roman numerals to indicate paragraphs, letters to indicate related topics, and
numbers to indicate specific examples or subtopics.
I. Introduction
Premise (thesis or controlling idea): Despite its staunch position
against child labor, the United States continues to trade with
countries in which children are exploited.
II. Current U.S. stand against child labor
A. Current opinions of leaders
1. Clinton’s opinion (radio show)
2.
Gore’s view (article)
B. Current policies and the American tradition
1.
Indictments /Court decisions
2.
Laws
3.
Bill of Rights??
III. Source of that view (brief historical perspective)
A. Agricultural Society
1. Long hours, hard work, typical day
2.
However, family’s best interest in mind, parental control
and protection, etc.
B. Influence of Industrial Revolution
1.
Harsh conditions, long hours, mechanistic tasks
2.
Children viewed as chattel
3.
An issue of survival and greed
C. Recognition of need for laws
Have I missed
Something here?
1.
Statistics (injuries/deaths)
2.
Quote which emphasizes need for laws/restrictions to protect
the young
IV. U.S. methods of dealing with the problem (laws)
UH OH! Haven’t I written this already??
O.K. – I’ll revise my outline later!
Decisions
During outlining you will be
asking yourself questions!
This will require you to make
careful decisions!
V. Transitional paragraph
A. Despite these policies, the U.S. continues to trade = hypocritical??
VI. U.S. dealings with countries where child labor exists
A.
Identify worst culprit and establish it as such
1.
Statistics
2.
Interview/1st person accounts
B. Proof that U.S. still trades with worst culprit
1.
1998 Study
2.
Times article/statistics
I need to find more
details/specific
quotes and examples
that will apply here!
VII. Theories regarding reasons U.S. continues to trade
A. Political
1.
Power
2.
Leverage
3.
Business leaders and the polls
I think I should ask my
teacher for help figuring
out the sequence of the
first 4 paragraphs.
Doubts
During outlining you will be
confused and doubtful.
This will require you to ask your
teacher for advice!
A. Economic
1. Power
2.
Leverage
3. Business leaders and the polls
VIII. Arguments against U.S. continued trade
A. Views of Politicians
Will this need to be
divided into two
paragraphs because it
is so important??
B. Views of child laborer (interview/documentary)
C. My view
I Will need to identify examples
IX. Global and ethical implications
as I complete index cards.
A. World view
B. Exploitation and Power (Psychology Today article)
C. Recommendations for change
X. Conclusion
A. Sum it up
B Close with quote from poem about
child labor OR with Buddhist quote
about humankind
Should I combine
these two paragraphs
and create a powerful
conclusion??
Please remember
That a good writer begins writing promptly.
She writes and then rewrites,
reorganizes and edits her outline as she
discovers new, relevant material. She is
willing to change the sequence of her
points in order to assist her reader. She
confers with her teacher often so that she
remains focused. She even reads what
she has read aloud to herself and others
in order to identify problem areas!
Zzzzzzz...
Now that you have
Your working outline, you can devote
even more time to focused research.
You will need to make certain that
your premise is correct and can be
proven.
You will need to gather a variety of
evidence (quotes, examples,
statistics) from a variety of sources.
Gathering
Info. . .
Taking Notes
You can take notes in any number of ways.
However,
certain methods seem to work better than others.
Read the Table of Contents and the index of a text to find sections that may
help you. Don’t attempt to read each book in its entirety.
Make copies of articles and news clippings. Then, use that highlighter to
identify important sections, facts, statistics, or quotes.
Take notes every time you read an article. Keep that pen handy whenever you
pick up an article or book. After all, you don’t want to read an article, find
something useful, and then have to search for it again because you didn’t
take notes.
Always include bibliographical info. (Source data) with each bit of
information You intend to quote OR paraphrase.
The index card method is used most frequently.
The index card
Your index cards (note cards) should be set up as follows:
(Perkins, 12)
Statistics - China
“In 1997, over six thousand children under the age of
fourteen were employed in sweatshops throughout
China. While manufacturers made millions of
dollars, children were suffering.”
Once you have your
index cards
You can rearrange your examples, statistics and quotes
with ease. In fact, if you have provided accurate “key
words” on each card, you can use the pile method. This
involves placing the index cards in piles that correspond
to your working outline topics. For instance, the sample
card (Statistics – China) would most likely be included
in which of the following sections?
Quiz Show
II. Current U.S. stand against child labor
Statistics - China
III. Source of that view (brief historical perspective)
IV. U.S. methods of dealing with the problem (laws)
VI. U.S. dealings with countries where child labor exists
V. Transitional paragraph
VII. Theories regarding reasons U.S. continues to trade
VI. U.S. dealings with countries where child labor exists
Statistics - China
Where to
Look
The search is on
Your first stop should be the library, where you
can feel free to chat with the librarian. He or she
will be more than happy to help, especially once
you have a specific focus.
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The main catalog in the library is a great place to start. If
the catalog is computerized, the task may be even simpler.
Look here for books and texts.
The Reader’s Guide to Periodicals will help you find
newspaper, magazine and journal articles that may be more
current than the books you find.
General encyclopedias can help during the first stage of the
search (for general info.), but should be avoided as a
research source. It is a good place to introduce yourself to a
topic with which you are unfamiliar. Look for an
encyclopedia that focuses on a particular subject such
as the Encyclopedia of World Art.
The search continues
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The library also has newspaper indexes, the most useful of
which is the New York Times Index.
There are indexes that can help you find articles that deal
specifically with different fields of interest. For instance, if
you are writing about a particular law, you may want to
look at the Legal Periodicals Index. So too, there is a General
Science Index for those researching scientific subjects.
Almost every subject has its own index!
Like encyclopedias that are subject specific, many
dictionaries focus on particular fields of interest. For
instance, there is a Dictionary of American History.
Again, these dictionaries may provide some useful
background information you can use to improve your
introduction or your conclusion.
Citation and
The “Works
Cited” Page
Parenthetical
Citation
Every time you include a quote OR paraphrase
information that is NOT common knowledge, you
MUST identify your source. Your note/index
cards will make this process a breeze!
The most common citation you will use
will be for works or articles with one
author. In this case, the author’s name
and the page number are placed at the end
of the sentence before the closing
punctuation.
An example
In 1997, the issue of child labor in China could
no longer be ignored because “over six
thousand children under the age of fourteen
were employed in sweatshops” where young
men and women were required to work long
hours for little pay (Perkins 12).
Note that the author’s name and the page
number appear at the end of the sentence,
not after the quoted material.
Variations
However, if the author is mentioned within
the sentence, the format changes slightly:
According to Perkins, as of 1997, the issue of
child labor in China could no longer be ignored
because “over six thousand children under the
age of fourteen were employed in sweatshops”
where young men and women were required to
work long hours for little pay (12).
Also, if you include two or more books by
the same author, you will include one
important word from the title as well:
work long hours for little pay (Perkins, Suffer 12).
For more variations (books with two authors,
poetry, etc.) ask your librarian for a copy of the
MLA Handbook
The Modern Language Association publishes
an updated version of this handbook each year.
The book provides detailed guidelines regarding
every citation format including those used for
internet sources.
Ask the librarian!
Works Cited Page
Instead of a bibliography, you will include
a “Works Cited” page at the end of your
research paper. These works appear in
alphabetical order according to the author’s
last name. Once again, the MLA
Handbook will list examples of formats
necessary for a wide variety of sources.
However, the most basic formats appear as
follows:
Perkins, Thomas. Suffer the Children:
Child Labor Then and Now. New
York: Norton Press, 1998.
Cooke, Maya. “The Child Labor Dilemma.”
Newsweek 6 Dec. 1997: 23-24.
Cottlefisht, Myrtle. “Nike Ignores Child
Labor Laws.” New York Times
14 March 1998, sec. 1: 4-5.
More Citation Variations
For journals, translations, works with more
than one author,personal interviews,
television shows, websites and reference
works, consult the newest edition of the
MLA Handbook.
Remember that your “Works Cited” page
should have the words “Works Cited” (without
quotation marks) at the top of the page. It
should be centered. The list itself should be
double-spaced and the works should be in
alphabetical order according to the last name of
the author.
Research Paper Writing
Is not as difficult or overwhelming as
it seems at first. However, the research
process is a time consuming one, and
you should never underestimate the
amount of time the research, planning
and organizing phases will take.
So, our best advice is that you begin
your work as soon as the paper is
assigned, rely on your librarian for
assistance, and meet with your teacher
frequently to discuss your outline as
well as your topic.
Good Luck!
Visit your
librarian!
Visit your
Teacher!
Work Hard!
 Vitoria Guarino 2000
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