Research Paper Informational Guide
*DO NOT LOSE!*
Name ________________________
Cycle ________________________
Period ________________________
1
Research: What it is
A research paper is the culmination and final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking,
source evaluation, organization, and composition. It is, perhaps, helpful to think of the research paper as a
living thing, which grows and changes as the student explores, interprets, and evaluates sources related to a
specific topic. Primary and secondary sources are the heart of a research paper, and provide its nourishment;
without the support of and interaction with these sources, the research paper would morph into a different
genre of writing (e.g., an encyclopedic article). The research paper serves not only to further the field in which
it is written, but also to provide the student with an exceptional opportunity to increase her knowledge in that
field. It is also possible to identify a research paper by what it is not.
Research: What it is not
A research paper is not simply an informed summary of a topic by means of primary and secondary sources. It
is neither a book report nor an opinion piece nor an expository essay consisting solely of one's interpretation of
a text nor an overview of a particular topic. Instead, it is a genre that requires one to spend time investigating
and evaluating sources with the intent to offer interpretations of the texts, and not unconscious regurgitations of
those sources. The goal of a research paper is not to inform the reader what others have to say about a topic,
but to draw on what others have to say about a topic and engage the sources in order to thoughtfully offer a
unique perspective on the issue at hand.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/
What Is a Citation?
A citation is a reference to the source of information used in your research. Any time you directly quote or
paraphrase the essential elements of someone else’s idea in your work, a citation should follow. Direct
quotations should be surrounded by quotations marks and are generally used when the idea you want to
capture is best expressed by the source. Paraphrasing involves rewording an essential idea from someone
else’s work, usually to either condense the point or to make it better fit your writing style.
Common knowledge does not need to be followed by a citation. Common knowledge means something that
most people would already know, such as “George Washington was the first president of the United States.”
http://commons.esc.edu/informationskills/cite/what-is-citation/
2
What is Plagiarism?
Many people think of plagiarism as copying another’s work, or borrowing someone else’s original ideas. But
terms like “copying” and “borrowing” can disguise the seriousness of the offense.
According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, to “plagiarize” means
1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
2. to use (another’s production) without crediting the source
3. to commit literary theft
4. to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it
afterward.
Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism
1. Put in quotations everything that comes directly from a text, especially when taking
notes.
2. Paraphrase, using someone else’s ideas, by putting them in your own words but be
sure you are not just rearranging or replacing a few words.
3. Read over what you want to paraphrase carefully; cover up the text with you hand,
or close the text so you can’t see any of it (and so you aren’t tempted to use the text as
a guide). Write out the idea in your own words without peeking.
4. Check your paraphrase against the original text to be sure you have not accidentally
used the same phrases or words, and that the information is accurate.
Student Signature _________________________________________ Date ______________
Parent Signature __________________________________________ Date ______________
Plagiarism is from a Latin verb that mean “to kidnap.” If you plagiarize you’re kidnapping and stealing others’
hard work and intellectual property. It is academic and public dishonesty.
3
Research Paper Scoring Guide
Criteria
Excellent-5
Good- 4
Fair- 3
Needs Improvement2
Poor- 1
Missing- 0
Contains all required parts
Meets length requirement
(5-8 pages)
Meets source requirements
MLA Format
Follows outline
Outline format
Thesis stated clearly
Introduction is attentiongrabbing
Body paragraphs well
organized
Tone is formal and scholarly
Quotations used
appropriately
Parenthetical citations in
MLA format
Supports thesis
Factual and informative
Conclusion sums up and
offers new insight
Works cited page
Easy to follow (“flows”)
Spelling/grammar/
mechanics/usage
Editing/proofreading
Overall effort
Column total:
Total Points: ____________
4
Research Paper Requirements
● 5-8 pages
● MLA Format: heading, quotes, Works Cited page etc.
● Typed:
○ Double-spaced
○ Left side aligned
○ Black ink
○ Times New Roman
○ Stapled on the top left corner
○ Number pages on the top RIGHT corner (Smith 2, Smith 3 etc.)
○ 12 point font
○ Margins 1.0 on all sides
○ NO illustrations
○ NO cover page
● Scholarly Sources: MANDATORY 5-8
○ 2 books
○ 3 of your choice (magazines, online text, reputable websites etc.)
○ NO Wikipedia
5
Topic Brainstorming
Junior Directions:
In the center of wheel, write down a general topic for your research paper. Think of what MOST interests you
about your vocational program. For example, if you are in Culinary Arts, you might feel strongly about baking, but are less
interested in front-of-the-house operations. If you are in Criminal Justice, you might be interested in the technology of
security or surveillance systems versus criminal court and the justice system. Once you have a general topic, brainstorm
possible research topics (i.e. recipe alternatives for gluten free baking or effective security systems for schools). Once you
have brainstormed possible research topics, you will need to discuss your ideas with your vocational teacher to narrow
down your topic. You will need their feedback about what research topics are achievable, and which ones might not be
feasible, and will need to obtain their signature of approval prior to beginning your research.
Senior Directions:
In the center of the wheel, write down the topic you have chosen to research. Then, write down possible research
topics based on the main topic. Consider the elements of the topic that are most interesting or important. Final approval of
your research topic needs to be given before you proceed.
6
Thesis Statement Introduction
●
A thesis statement is a specific CLAIM about your topic.
●
A thesis statement is NOT a question.
●
A thesis statement includes your topic and a specific claim about your topic.
●
Topic-- Claim-- followed by Evidence in the body of your paper.
●
The thesis statement should provide a road map for the rest of the paper. In other words, the thesis’ claims should
be in the same order that they will appear in your paper.
●
You should be able to support your thesis statement with evidence. If you find you can’t, then you will need to
revise/rewrite your thesis.
●
The thesis statement can go anywhere in the introduction paragraph, but is generally the last sentence.
Example Thesis Statement:
●
Barn owls’ nests should not be eliminated from barns because barn owls help farmers by eliminating insects and
rodent pests.
*The reader should expect to be presented with evidence supporting the claim that barn owls help
farmers.
Questions to ask when you’re writing a thesis statement:
●
●
●
What is my claim about why topic?
What is my evidence to support my claim?
In what order should I present my reasons?
7
Name _______________________________________
Senior Project Research Paper Questionnaire (To be completed by Juniors)
Shop _________________________________________________________________________________
Shop Teacher _________________________________________________________________________
What element of your trade do you find most interesting about your shop?
______________________________________________________________________________________
Senior Project Topic ____________________________________________________________________
Thesis Statement ______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Shop Teacher’s Signature________________________________________________________________
8
Name _______________________________________
Senior American Literature Research Paper Questionnaire (To be completed by Seniors)
American Literature Research Topic:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why are you interested in this topic?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thesis Statement ______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Student Signature________________________________________________________________
9
Final Thesis Worksheet
To construct your thesis statement, answer the following questions and then revise the questions into one strong thesis
statement.
1. “I want to tell my reader that ___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________about my
project topic.
2. Why should the reader be interested in this topic?
3. What am I trying to tell my reader?
4. Why do I want to share this message?
Using your answers from above, write a thesis statement about your topic, including supporting evidence. This will be your
thesis:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
10
Name:____________________________________________________________
Peer Editing Log: THESIS STATEMENT
Directions: Each group should rotate your thesis statements clockwise, until everyone has read all the thesis statements. As you read,
consider the questions below and provide your response to each question in the chart.
How do I know if my thesis is strong?
1. Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix
an argument that misses the focus of the question.
2. Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one
would, or even could, disagree with, it's possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an
argument.
3. Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong
argument. If your thesis contains words like "good" or "successful," see if you could be more specific: why is
something "good"; what specifically makes something "successful"?
4. Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a reader's first response is, "So what?" then you need to clarify, to
forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
5. Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your
essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It's o.k. to change your working thesis to reflect
things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your
writing as necessary.
6. Does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test? If a reader's first response is "how?" or "why?" your thesis
may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take
on your position right from the beginning.
Each peer editor must place his/her name next to a row. In the following chart, write “YES” if the thesis statement answers
that specific question and “NO” if the statement does not. If “NO”, write on a separate piece of paper why not and some
helpful hints that could make it stronger.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
11
MLA Works Cited Documentation
Note: These citations serve as examples of how to format entries on Works Cited pages of student research
papers. These examples may or may not be actual published literary works, and you should not be
disappointed if the internet web site URLs are not functional. Again, this page is simply a set of examples to
help you format a paper written in MLA style.
When creating your Works Cited Page, remember to:
●
●
●
●
●
●
Begin the Works Cited on a new page, but number consecutively (i.e., if the last page of your essay is
page 3, the Works Cited is page 4)
Alphabetize each entry by first letter
Underline all titles of books, magazines, films, etc.
Put quotation marks around the titles of poems, short stories, and articles
Indent the 2nd line, the 3rd line, and all subsequent lines of each citation
Double-space all entries...the examples which follow are single-spaced only to save space on this
handout
Correct citation
Type of
citation
Gorman, Elizabeth. Prairie Women. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1986.
Book (One
author)
Caper, Charles and Lawrence T. Teamos. How to Camp.
Philadelphia: Doubleday, 1986.
Book (Two
authors)
Ellis, Doris et.al. History of Japan. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Book (Three or
World, Inc., 1989.
more authors)
Vanderkirk, Pamela, ed. Ten Short Plays. Los Angeles: Nowell
Book
Co., 1982.
Book (One
editor)
Lockhard, David J. and Charles Heimler, eds. The Oregon Trail.
New
York: Bonanza Books, 1992.
Book (Two
editors)
Carlson, David et.al., eds. Encyclopedia of Animal Life. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Co., 1985.
Book (Three or
more editors)
Allende, Isabel. "Toad's Mouth." Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden. A
Hammock beneath the Mangoes: Stories from Latin
America.
Ed. Thomas Colchie. New York: Plume, 1992. 83-88.
Book (Single
work from an
anthology)
American Medical Association. The American Medical Association
Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Charles B. Clayman. New
York:
Random, 1989.
Book by
Corporate
Author
12
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Twice-Told Tales. Ed. George Parsons
Lathrop. Boston: Houghton, 1883. 1 Mar. 2002.
<http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/ttt.html>.
Keats, John. Poetical Works. 1884. Bartleby.com: Great Books
Online. Ed. Steven van Leeuwen. May 1998. 5 May 2003
<http://www.columbia.edu/126/>.
Book Online
Book Online
(Part of
Scholarly
Project)
Roberts, Sheila. "A Confined World: A Rereading of Pauline Smith." Gale Literary
World Literature Written in English. 24(1984): 232-38. Rpt. Criticism
in Twentieth Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Dennis
(previously
Poupard.
published
Vol. 25. Detroit: Gale, 1988. 399-402.
scholarly article
in a collection)
Doctorow, E.L. Introduction. Sister Carrie. By Theodore Dreiser.
New York: Bantam, 1985. v-xi.
Introduction,
Preface,
Foreword, or
Afterword
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. "Sojourner Truth, the Libyan Sibyl." 1863. One volume of
The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter multivolume
et al. Vol. 1. Lexington, Heath, 1994. 2425-33.
work
Maps ‘n’ Facts. Computer Software. Broderbund Software, 1995.
Computer
Software
Frost, James. "Strawberries in a Field." Perrine's Literature:
Structure, Sound,_and Sense. Ed. Thomas R. Arp and Greg
Johnson. New York: Heinle and Heinle, 2002.
Poem
Frost, James. "Strawberries in a Field." Literature Resource
Center. Alabama Virtual Library. 15 March 2004.
<http://www.avl.lib.al.us>.
Poem Online
Crane, Stephen. "The Open Boat." Literature Resource Center.
Alabama Virtual Library. 12 March 2004.
<http://www.avl.lib.al.us>.
Short Story
Online
Cather, Willa. "Paul's Case." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, Short Story in
and Sense.Ed. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson.New
an Anthology
York:
Heinle and Heinle, 2002.
Dunn, Samuel. "Re: Any Ideas for My Country Project." E-mail to
Tom Jones. 26 Feb. 2003.
E-mail **
Barnridge, Thomas H. "Baseball." World Book Encyclopedia. 2001. Encyclopedia
(Signed article)*
"Egypt." The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 2002.
Encyclopedia
(Unsigned
article) *
Ito, Philip J. "Papaya," World Book Encyclopedia, 1998 ed. The
Encyclopedia
World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia, CD-ROM version of The
13
World Book Encyclopedia.
(CD-ROM) *
"Egypt." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Vers. 97.1.1. Mar. 1997.
Encyclopedia Britannica. 29 Feb. 2000
<http://www.search.eb.com/>.
Encyclopedia
(Internet) *
The Empire Strikes Back. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Mark Hamill,
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. Twentieth Century Fox, 1980.
Film
United States Office of Management and Budget. Budget of the
United States Government, Fiscal Year 1999. Washington:
GPO, 1999.
Government
Publication
Whitehurst, Daniel, former mayor of Fresno. Personal interview. 5 Interview
Mar. 2003.
(Personal)
Smith, John. "Beowulf: Archetypal Hero." English 102 Class.
Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, AL. 28 March
2003.
Lecture
Lin, Michael. "Compressing Online Graphics." Online posting. 27
April 1999. MacWeb. 28 Feb. 2003
<http://www.graphica.com/digitizing/intor.html>.
Listserv Posting
Cannon, Angie. "Just Saying No to Tests." U.S. News & World
Report. Oct. 1999: 34.
Magazine
Cannon, Angie. "Just Saying No to Tests." U.S. News & World
Report 18 Oct. 1999: 3. Alabama Virtual Library. Vestavia
Hills
High School Library, Vestavia Hills, AL. 28 Feb. 2003.
<http://www.avl.lib.al.us>.
Magazine, Online
News
Subscription
Service
(Alabama Virtual
Library)
Elliott, Michael. "The Biggest Fish of Them All." Time. 8 March
2003. 11 March 2003. <http://www.time.com/time>.
Online Magazine
Barrow, Matthew. "Skipping School? Plan On Walking."
Sacramento
Bee. 13 Oct. 1999, California final ed.: A1+.
Newspaper
Article, (Signed)
"Gorilla attacks Martian." National Enquirer 16 Mar. 1999: A-14.
Newspaper
Article,
(Unsigned)
(Magazine web
site)
Newspaper
Article, Online
Bradley, Donald. "Is There a Right Way?" Kansas City Star 23 May
News
1999: 2-4. SIRS Researcher. Alabama Virtual Library.. 28
Subscription
Feb. 2003. <http://www.avl.lib.al.us/>.
Service (SIRS)
14
"Charles Frazier." Contemporary Authors Online. 2001.
Galegroup.com. Alabama Virtural Library. 28 February 2003 Gale Literary
Criticism Online
<http://www.avl.lib.al.us/>.
(Unsigned)
McCarron, Bill. "Images of War and Peace: Parallelism and
Antithesis in the Beginning and Ending of Cold Mountain."
The Mississippi Quarterly. 52.2 (1999): 273.
Galegroup.com.
Alabama Virtual Library. 25 February 2003.
<http://www.avl.lib.al.us>..
Gale Literary
Criticism Online
(Signed)
Achenbach, Joel. "America's river." Washington Post. 5 May
2002.
20 July 2003
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A134252202May1.html>.
Newspaper
Article
(Newspaper
Website)
Your Health. New York: Modern Woman, 1996.
Pamphlet
"Karma Chameleon." Northern Exposure. CBS. KCRA, Sacramento. Television or
29 Feb. 2000.
Radio (Live)
Smith, Greg. "Rhesus Monkeys in the Zoo." No date. Online image. Published
Monkey Picture Gallery. 3 May 2003.
Photograph
<http://monkeys.online.org/rhesus.jpg>.
"Candy Cotton at the Fair." Birmingham, AL. Personal photograph Personal
taken by Quincy Adams. 5 March 2004.
Photograph
Adams, Cindy. "Critical Eye for the Fantasy Guy." 4 January 2004. Power Point
Online PowerPoint. Studyguide.org. 7 March 2004.
Online
<www.studyguide.org/fantasy.htm>.
Civil War Diary. Videotape. New World Entertainment, 1990.
Videotape
Springsteen, Bruce. "Dancing in the Dark." Born in the USA.
Columbia, 1984. Music video. Dr. Brian De Palma. VH1. 10
May 2002.
Music Video
"Cabinet Nominations," Chapter 20. Powers of the President. Laser Video Laserdisc
videodisc. Pioneer Communications of America, Inc.
American
Broadcasting Companies, Inc., 1995.
"Castles in Medieval Times." yourchildlearns.com. 2000. Owl and
Mouse Educational Software. 9 March 2003.
<http://www.yourchildlearns.com/castle_history.htm>.
Web Page that is
part of a larger
web site
Schrock, Kathleen. "Digital Gadgets." Kathy Schrock’s Guide for
Web page
Educators. 20 February 2002. Discovery Channel. 11 March (Personal or
2003.
Professional)
<http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/gadgets.html>.
"Great Gatsby Study Guide." studyguide.org. 5 January 2002. 11
15
March 2003.
<http://www.studyguide.org/gatsby_study_guide.htm>.
Note: If no title for the page is provided, write Home page (do not
underline and do not use quotation marks).
The Cinderella Project. Ed. Michael N. Salda. Vers. 1.1.Dec. 1997.
De Grummond Children's Lit. Research Collection, University
of Southern Mississippi. 9 March 2003.
<http://wwwdept.usm.edu/~engdept/cinderella/cinderella.html>.
Web page from a
university
(scholarly online
project)
"Langston Hughes Poetry Circles." February 2003. National
Council
of Teachers of English. 10 March 2003.
<http://www.ncte.org/special/LangstonHughes/>.
Web page
(Professional
Organization)
16
MLA Works Cited Example Page
Works Cited
"Business Coalition for Climate Action Doubles." Environmental Defense. 8 May 2007. Environmental Defense
Organization. 24 May 2007
<http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?ContentID=5828>.
Clinton, Bill. Interview. New York Times on the Web. May 2007. 25 May 2007
<http://video.on.nytimes.com/>. Keyword: Climate.
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times on the Web 22 May 2007. 25 May 2007
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/science/earth/22ander.html>.
Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis Guggenheim. rogerebert.com. 2 June
2006. 24 May 2007
<http://rogerebert.suntimes.com>.
Global Warming. 2007. Cooler Heads Coalition. 24 May 2007
<http://www.globalwarming.org/>.
Gowdy, John. "Avoiding Self-organized Extinction: Toward a Co-evolutionary Economics of Sustainability."
International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 14.1 (2007): 27-36.
An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore. Lawrence Bender, 2006.
Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology. New York: Springer, 2005.
Milken, Michael, Gary Becker, Myron Scholes, and Daniel Kahneman. "On Global Warming and Financial
Imbalances." New Perspectives Quarterly 23.4 (2006): 63.
Nordhaus, William D. "After Kyoto: Alternative Mechanisms to Control Global Warming." American Economic Review
96.2 (2006): 31-34.
---. "Global Warming Economics." Science 9 Nov. 2001: 1283-84. 24 May 2007.
Shulte, Bret. "Putting a Price on Pollution; Climate change laws seem inevitable, but their economic impact is
unknown." US News & World Report 14 May 2007. 24 May 2007.
Uzawa, Hirofumi. Economic Theory and Global Warming. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003.
17
How to Format In-Text Citations
General Guidelines
● The source information required in a parenthetical citation depends (1.) upon the source medium (e.g.
Print, Web, DVD) and (2.) upon the source’s entry on the Works Cited (bibliography) page.
● Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works
Cited page. More specifically, whatever signal word or phrase you provide to your readers in the text,
must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry in the Works
Cited List.
● Your citations should be integrated seamlessly into your paper-- never include a quote without some
sort of introduction, such as referencing the author or using the quotation to complete a sentence. In
addition, continue to tie the quotation into your paper afterwards by explaining how it helps prove your
point, or by using the quotation as a “jumping off point” for analysis.
Quotes Shorter than 4 typed lines:
The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or
paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.
For example:
●
●
●
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings"
(263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
Quotes Longer than 4 typed lines:
For quotations that are more than four lines of prose, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit
quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin;
maintain double-spacing. Only indent the first line of the quotation by an additional quarter inch if you are citing
multiple paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation (author’s last name and page number) should come after the
closing punctuation mark. You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.
For example, when citing more than four lines of prose, use the following example:
Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I
put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted
by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber.
Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my
cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)
18
Special Circumstances
If you have a source with more than one author, sources whose authors have the same last name, more than
one source written by the same author etc. then please do some research on how to properly cite those types
of sources in-text.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl
19
From Mrs. Meade: Using the Library to Obtain Sources
In order to get to our library resources, go to www.sersd.org, click on students, student links and library media
center links. You can use these resources from home or at school.
●
●
For most of the databases the login is as follows: Username: sersd Password: search.
Student login – (the letter) S plus their 5 digit student id; Password 9999.
A few of the resources/databases that you may find helpful:
●
Easybib – register for an easybib account while you are on the premises of the school and you will have
free access to this online citation maker which includes APA and Chicago Turabian. Once registered
you can use this at school or at home.
●
Gale Resources – this group of subscription databases are provided to our school from the state of
Massachusetts. College libraries also have these databases available. To use this subscription
database, click on Gale databases from the list located under the library media center links tab. You will
find icons of the individual databases available through GALE - hover over these icons to find out what
topics these databases cover. You can also use the power search tab at the top of the page to search
most of these databases at once. Useful tips: click on “full text” option so that you only get articles that
contain the full text as opposed to just abstracts of articles. Click on the journal tab to get scholarly
articles.
●
SAILS – if you want to get books as part of your research, click on the SAILS link, use the drop down
menu to choose library search to search all libraries in our network. Books can be placed on hold and
will be sent here on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
●
Ebooks from Proquest. In addition to being able to get actual copies of books, we have a subscription
to Ebooks which allows us access to 1000s of electronic books. Click on this link and enter your search
term in the search bar. If username and password are required – username: sersd and password:
search.
*Please see Mrs. Meade in the media center if you need assistance!*
20
Outline for Research Paper
Writing your research paper requires careful forethought. Use the outline below to provide a framework for
your paper. This outline may not reflect all of the research you will be including in your final paper, but it
should show that you have done enough research that you know the main topics and subtopics that you will be
using. The outline does not need to be in complete sentences.
I. Introduction- thesis statement
a.
First point used to support thesis statement
b.
Second point used to support thesis statement
c.
Third point used to support thesis statement
II. 1st Body paragraph- restate first point to help support thesis statement (I. a.)
a.
1st fact to reinforce I. a.
b.
2nd fact to reinforce I. a.
c.
3rd fact to reinforce I.a.
III. 2nd Body paragraph- restate second point to help support thesis statement (I.b.)
a.
1st fact to reinforce I. b.
b.
2nd fact to reinforce I. b.
c.
3rd fact to reinforce I. b.
IV. 3rd Body paragraph- restate third point to help support thesis statement (I. c.)
a.
1st fact to reinforce I. c.
b.
2nd fact to reinforce I. c.
c.
3rd fact to reinforce I. c.
V. Conclusion- closing statement
a.
Review I.a.
b.
Review I.b.
c.
Review I.c.
21
Name:____________________________________________________________
Peer Editing Log: Rough Outline
How do I know if my outline is strong?
1. Do I clearly state my thesis statement in ONE sentence?
2. Do I clearly state the points I am trying to make to support my thesis? Are these points relevant?
3. Do I restate the points I am trying to make in each of my body paragraphs?
4. Do my facts fully support the points I am trying to make in my body paragraphs?
5. Does my conclusion clearly summarize my thesis and facts to support it?
Each peer editor must place his/her name next to a row. In the following chart, write “YES” if the outline answers that specific
question and “NO” if the outline does not. If “NO”, write on a separate piece of paper why not and some helpful hints that
could make it stronger.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
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PEER EDITING WORKSHEET
Editor’s Name:_________________________ Author’s Name_______________________
The Introductory Paragraph(s):
What's memorable to me? What phrases catch my attention?
Is the purpose of the paper made clear? What is the paper's thesis?
Is there a brief summary of the topic which makes sense to you and which provides enough context for the
argument which follows?
The Body of the Paper:
What words, phrases, and passages seem important, generative, resonant? (These passages need not be the
paper's intended focus. They are simply moments which grab your attention.)
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What do you want to hear more about?
What is the strongest use of textual evidence to support the argument? What is the weakest evidence? Where
does the writer need to provide evidence where there is none?
Grammar and Mechanics: Review the paper for mistakes in grammar and spelling. Mark any mistakes
directly on the paper, and offer specific suggestions below for rewriting any passages that are vague or
confusing.
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Research Paper Due Dates
Assignment
A Cycle-
B Cycle-
Plagiarism Worksheet
(page 3)
10/16
10/8
Topic Choice/ Teacher
Signature (page 8 or 9)
10/26
(juniors- page 8)
(seniors- page 9)
10/19
(juniors- page 8)
(seniors- page 9)
Topic Wheel (page 6)
10/26
10/19
Thesis Worksheet/
Final Thesis
(page 9)
10/30
10/23
Works Cited Page- at least
4 sources (see pages 1217)
11/6
11/2
Completed Works Cited
Page with at least 5
sources(see pages 11-16)
11/13
11/16
12/7
11/30
12/21
12/18
2/8
2/1
Outline
(sample page 21)
First 3 pages of Paper
Final Paper
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