Research Paper: Establish Your Topic and Statement of
Purpose
1. Choose a topic from the list that genuinely interests you, chances are
you'll enjoy spending time working on it and it won't seem like a
chore.
2. Once you have a topic, you will probably need to narrow it down to
something more manageable. For example, Choose a view point to
support.
3. A Statement of Purpose is a sentence that you write, which
states, in some detail, what you want to learn about in your
research project.
• The statement guides you as you work so that you will read
and take notes only on what's needed for your project.
Don't worry if you're not totally sure, your Statement of Purpose
may change 3 or 4 times before you're done.
Research Paper: Statement of Purpose – Cont.
To write the sentence, first answer these questions for
yourself as best as you can:
1. What is my real personal interest in the topic?
(There will always be something that can interest
you)
2. What do I specifically want to learn about my topic?
(Don't overwhelm yourself with too many things. Two
or three are plenty.)
Start your Statement of Purpose with words like "I
want to learn about..."
A Bit Too General
"I want to learn about the
Dalai Lama."
More Specific
"I want to know what role the
Dalai Lama plays as the
spiritual leader of the Tibetan
people."
Change Statement of Purpose into a
question
Place the following on one note card
Topic: _______Tibetan Culture_____________________________
Narrowed Topic: ______Dahlia Lama_______________________
Statement of Purpose: _______I want to know what role the
Dalai Lama plays as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.___
Statement of Purpose as a Question: __What was the role of
the Dalai Lama and how did he spiritually lead the Tibetan
people.
Research Paper: Source Cards
 Index cards on which you put all of the
information you will need about all the sources you use.
 Identify the sources of quotations and ideas for citing your sources later
(giving credit to your sources).
Find sources again if you need them.
 Make your works cited (a list of the sources from which you used
borrowed material in your project).
Research Paper: Source Cards--Continued
Book Source
Source Number
Author
1
Brown, Samuel
Money is the Name of the Game
Chicago: Bullet Publishers, 1998.
Print
Book Title
Copyright
date
Publishing Company
Place of publication
Medium
Database or Internet Source
Author
Source Number
2
Amber, Jeannine
Article Title
If Hip Hop Ruled the World
Essence June 1997
Name of Magazine and date
InfoTrac
Database or website Name
Medium
Web
3-24-2012
Date Accessed
Use index cards to make your
source cards, use only one
card per source.
Code each source its own
number, starting with the
number 1. You will later link
your notes to these code
numbers.
There are many, many
different types of sources:
books, websites, videos, TV
shows, people, to name a
few.
Do not confuse the URL
address with the Website
Title
Source Cards …… Continued
Things to include…….
Source Number
Author
Editor
Title of Book
Title of Article
Magazine Title
Day, Month, year
Publication Information
Medium of publication (print, web, film, CD-Rom, or DVD)
Page number if applicable
Title of Website
Date you accessed web article
Database title
---- Remember, not everything from the above list will be
required for every source. Document only the information
that the source offers you. ------
Research Paper: Take Notes
After you've gathered your sources, begin reading and taking notes.
Use 3 x 5 index cards, one fact or idea per card. This way related ideas from
different sources can be easily grouped together or rearranged.
On each index card, be sure to note the source card number.
---Summarize -----Quote -----Paraphrase ---
Summarize
Writing a summary involves putting the main
idea(s) into your own words, including only the main
point(s).
Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized
ideas to the original source.
Summaries are significantly shorter than the original
and take a broad overview of the source material.
Direct quotations
----incorporating another person's exact words into your own writing.
1. Quotation marks always come in pairs.
2. Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote only when the quoted material is a
complete sentence.
Mr. Johnson, who was working in his field that morning, said, "The alien
spaceship appeared right before my own two eyes."
Although Mr. Johnson has seen odd happenings on the farm, he stated
that the spaceship "certainly takes the cake" when it comes to
unexplainable activity.
4. If a direct quotation is interrupted mid-sentence, do not capitalize the second
part of the quotation.
"I didn't see an actual alien being," Mr. Johnson said, "but I sure wish I
had."
Direct quotations
5. In all the examples above, note how the period or comma punctuation
always comes before the final quotation mark.
6. When quoting text with a spelling or grammar error, you should
transcribe the error exactly in your own text.
Mr. Johnson says of the experience, "it's made me reconsider the
existence of extraterestials [sic].“
7. Quotations are most effective if you use them sparingly and keep them
relatively short. Too many quotations in a research paper will get you
accused of not producing original thought or material (they may also
bore a reader who wants to know primarily what YOU have to say on
the subject).
Paraphrase
A paraphrase is...
 your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by
someone else, presented in a new form.
 a more detailed restatement than a summary.
5. Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
3. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject
of your paraphrase.
4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version
accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.
5. Record the source (including the page) on your note card.
1
Star players become national heroes
Many Americans could name every major
league player, his batting average, and
other accomplishments.
Good Note card
•Lists source Number
•Includes heading or
subtopic Is limited to one
fact Has personal
note/question
(What batting records were set?)
Bad Note Card
•Source not indicated
in top right corner
•Heading too vague Too
many facts
•No name after
quotation
Baseball becomes popular
Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers) outfielder one of the
great all-time players. Another star was
Honus Wagner, a bowlegged shortstop.
"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind
of America had better learn baseball."
Research Paper: Organize Your Ideas
Using the information collected on the note cards, develop an outline
to organize your ideas. An outline shows your main ideas and the order
in which you are going to write about them. It's the bare bones of what
will later become a fleshed-out written report.
1. Write down all the main ideas.
2. List the subordinate ideas below the main ideas.
3. Avoid any repetition of ideas.
Below is a partial sample outline for a research paper entitled The
Early Days of Baseball.
Early Days of Baseball
I.
Introduction
A. Interesting Opening
B. Thesis: Baseball has been around for many generations becoming popular
during the 1900s and becoming America’s modern day favorite pastime.
II. Baseball is born
A. Rounders
1. Originated in England in the 1600s.
2. Differences between rounders and baseball.
B. The Abner Doubleday theory
1. Many people think Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839.
2. Historians say theory is bogus.
III. Baseball becomes popular
A. Interest soars after 1900
1. Kids' favorite warm-weather sport.
2. Known as "the national pastime.“
B. Pennant races soared.
IV. The Babe Ruth era
A. Babe Ruth joins NY Yankees, 1920
1. Plays outfield.
2. Hits more and longer home runs than anyone before.
B. Other heroes
1. Lou Gehrig.
2. Rogers Hornsby.
V. Conclusion: Baseball, the American sport has been around for years. The theory that
Abner Doubleday invented baseball in England is debatable; however the sport has
continuously gained popularity through American history. The greats such as Babe Ruth and
Lou Gehrig have made baseball the amazing sport it is today.
No part of
this outline
may be
reproduced
Please.
Thesis
Thesis : A thesis statement is a strong statement that you
can prove with evidence.
It is not a simple statement of fact.
Your thesis statement will be the main idea of your entire
project and it will be present in the introduction.
Statement of Purpose:
"I want to find out some ways to
stop teen gang activity."
There are more helpful hints on
the Quia webpage.
Thesis:
“Teen gang activity in the United States
can be stopped by a combined approach
which consists of supervised youth
programs, more job availability, and
closer family relationships.
Research Paper: Write a First Draft
Every essay or paper is made up of three parts:
1. introduction
2. body
3. conclusion
Research Paper: Write a First Draft-- Continued
•The introduction is the first paragraph of the paper. It often begins with a
general statement about the topic and ends with a Thesis a more specific
statement of the main idea of your paper. The purpose of the introduction is to
- let the reader know what the topic is
- inform the reader about your point of view
-arouse the reader's curiosity so that he or she will want to read about
your topic
•The body of the paper follows the introduction. It consists of a number of
paragraphs in which you develop your ideas in detail.
• Limit each paragraph to one main idea. (Don't try to talk about more than
one idea per paragraph.)
• Prove your points continually by using specific examples and quotations
from your note cards.
• Use transition words to ensure a smooth flow of ideas from paragraph to
paragraph.
• After presenting your supporting points, develop one paragraph to explain
and then refute the most significant opposing view.
•
Research Paper: Write a First Draft-- Continued
•The conclusion is the last paragraph of the paper. Its purpose is to
summarize your points, leaving out specific examples and restates the
main idea of the paper.
• Try to leave your audience even more connected to your topic and
persuaded by your main idea or perspective.
• Do not restate your introduction in the conclusion.
Citing Sources in a Rough Draft
As you write your paragraphs, Every time you use a note card or information
from a source it must be cited. After each use of a note card, place the source
number in parenthesis directly after the paraphrase, quote, or summary.
For example, Germany numbered five million military-eligible men prior
to World War II but suffered 3.5 million military deaths during the war (3).
MLA
----Parenthetical Documentation ---MLA
Whenever you use material that you
got from another source in your
research project, you must let your
audience know immediately where
it came from, right after you use it.
If you do not cite your sources,
you are committing plagiarism
(Plagiarism is an unlawful act
in which you use someone else's
work as if it is your own. It can
get you in big trouble. Avoid
it.).
Direct quotations whether in written or oral formats (includes stories,
speeches, fiction and nonfiction)
Paraphrased quotations (these are quotes whose words you have changed
somewhat)
Statistical Data (numbers about things)
Images that are attributed to someone (includes cartoons, photos, maps,
artwork, computer graphics-but not free "clip art")
Song lyrics
Original ideas that are attributed to someone else, even if you put them in
your own words
Parenthetical Documentation Cont…………
The word "parenthetical" is a clue to the meaning. It means "within
parentheses".
At the end of the borrowed material, put in parentheses the author's last
name and the page(s) where the material is found within the source.
Example
“No nation in the world has so many drastic problems squeezed into so
small a place, under such urgent pressure of time and heavy burden of
history, as Israel" (Tuchman 123).
Research Paper: Revise the Rough Draft
1. Try to set aside your draft for a day or two before revising.
This makes it easier to view your work objectively and see
any gaps or problems.
2. Revising involves rethinking your ideas, refining your
arguments, reorganizing paragraphs, and rewording
sentences. You may need to develop your ideas in more
detail, give more evidence to support your claims, or
delete material that is unnecessary.
3. Read your paper out loud. This sometimes makes it
easier to identify writing that is awkward or unclear.
4. Have somebody else read the paper and tell you if there's
anything that's unclear or confusing.
Research Paper: Proofread the Rough Draft
Look for careless errors such as misspelled words and
incorrect punctuation and capitalization.
Errors are harder to spot on a computer screen than
on paper. If you type your paper on a computer, print
out a copy to proofread. Remember, spell checkers
and grammar checkers don't always catch errors, so it
is best not to rely on them too much.
Research Paper: Final Draft
Correct and Revise the Rough Draft – This creates a final
Draft.
Errors to Avoid in a formal paper………
 Do not use I, me, my, mine, you, your, or you’re in any formal paper
that is not specifically about you or your opinion.
 NEVER start sentences with like, plus, and so.
 Who(m) is for people. That is for animals and things.
 Whom can be replaced by him or them. Who can be replaced by he,
she, or they.
 NEVER make reference to your own paper or your own writing. Your
paper is NOT a speech, so don’t directly announce your plans. In other
words, DO NOT write things such as “I’m going to tell you about…” or
“This paper is about…” or “As I mentioned earlier…” or “As you can see
from the example I’ve listed…”, etc.
Research Paper: Works Cited
A Works Cited is an alphabetical list of the sources (also called "works") you
used in the body of your project. It should be the last page in your project.
If you do not cite your sources, you are committing plagiarism by calling
someone else's work your own.
Citation Machine
Follow the steps
• HHS Media Center Webpage
• Useful links
• Helpful links
•Citation Machine
•MLA
• Choose the correct source type
• Fill in the blanks
If you used the
databases,
copy and paste
Research Paper: Works Cited…Continued
Works Cited
Make sure
your Works
Cited page
looks like the
example!!
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund.
Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. “Clinton on Climate Change.” New
York Times. New York Times, May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.
"Global Warming Economics." Science 9 Nov. 2001: 1283-84. Science Online.
Web. 24 May 2009.
GlobalWarming.org. Cooler Heads Coalition, 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of
Climatology. New York: Springer, 2005. Print.
Uzawa, Hirofumi. Economic Theory and Global Warming. Cambridge: Cambridge
UP, 2003. Print.
Standard Title Page
Include
title, your name,
teacher’s name, class,
and date.
Gangs
Megan Fix
Mrs. Perry
LA 11, Period 4
May 9, 2011
Center –
Horizontally and
vertically
What to hand in?
Include the following in
your Manila Envelope…….
All Rough Drafts
Rough Outline
Narrowed Topic
Statement of Purpose
Source Cards
Note Cards
Thesis Statement
Staple top Left
Corner:
•Title Page
•Final Outline
•Final Paper
•Works Cited.
Sources
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/12/
https://www.crlsresearchguide.org/
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/researchpapers/writing/2123.html