Research Paper
The steps of writing a research paper
•Choose topic
•Thesis Statement
•Take notes note cards (optional)
•Rough outline
•Organize notes and make final outline
•Write first draft
• Documentation
•Revise your draft
•Final draft with works cited
–You will need a folder in which to keep ALL of
your information.
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REMEMBER:
If you have any questions,
please see me!
There is a terrific online resource
that I use when teaching the
research paper. Please utilize
this as often as necessary.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/search.php
2
Basics
• Due 2/24/12
• FULL 3-5 written pages
• HAS TO BE TYPED (if you do
not have access to a computer
and printer, see me
immediately)
• Don’t plagiarize
• Don’t throw anything away
• Get a separate folder and
always bring it to English class
• You must use at least 4 sources.
• RELAX! It isn’t that bad!
3
DO NOT
THROW
ANYTHING
AWAY!
4
Things to Remember:
• Follow the schedule for the
research paper.
• If you have ANY questions, see
me. There are no “stupid”
questions!
• You must turn in copies of the
sources you use. Print them out or
photocopy them. Failure to do so
will result in a reduction of points.
5
Choosing a topic
• A subject is a broad area of
interest, such as sports. Choose a
subject and then focus on some
part of it. Make sure you have a
real reason for wanting to explore
the subject. Often the best topics
for research papers are ones that
are related to your own life or to
the lives of people you know.
6
Developing a Thesis
Statement
• A thesis statement changes your
topic or research question into a
claim that you will support with your
research.
• The thesis statement has to go
beyond stating the obvious.
• This statement is too simplistic: Too
much television is harmful to children.
– This will not engage your readers
because they know that too much of
anything is harmful. Instead, you have to
create a thesis that is well focused,
raises and issue, and invites research.
• Better thesis: Violence in television in
cartoons can affect children.
– This raises an issue. The writer must
research violence on television
(particularly in cartoons), report the
findings, and explain the effects of
television violence on children.
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Thesis statement
checklist
• It expresses your position in a full,
declarative sentence, which is not a
question and not merely a topic.
• It limits the subject to a narrow
focus on one issue that has grown
out of research.
• It establishes an investigative,
inventive edge to your research
and thereby gives a reason for all
your work.
• It points forward to the conclusion.
• It prompts you to seek evidence in
the library.
• It contains your topic and three
subpoints.
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Possible Sources
The list of sources that will be helpful to
you while researching.
1. other people
2. institutions and
organizations
3. government
5. bookstore
4. library
7. online
.
9. Radio
6. Bibliographies
11. Others
10. videos
8. T.V
Be creative!
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Works Cited Page
• You must fill out an internet
rubric for all internet cites you
use. These rubrics will be turned
in with your sources.
• When you turn in your final paper,
each source will be printed out
and the information you use will
be highlighted. Also, each source
will have an internet rubric (if it
applies) stapled to the front.
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Example of Blank Internet Rubric (these will be
given to you)
Student’s Name _________________________________________________________________________
Name of Site ______________________________________________________ Date ________________
URL: _____________________________________________________________ Time: ______________
1=poor 5= excellent
Content
1
2
3
4
Has a proper title.
Additional resource links are included.
Information is useful
Rich content and will likely be revisited.
How this website compares to similar websites.
Credibility
Contact person is stated with their e-mail address.
Announces when this page was last updated.
Resource links are kept current.
States the name of the school or institution.
Total _________/45
Must have at least 27/45 to be credible. If it is not credible, you may not use it in your paper.
Author’s Name
_____________________________________________________________________________
Author’s Contact
Information__________________________________________________________________
Miscellaneous Information:
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5
Note Cards
Completely OPTIONAL!
1. Use a separate card for each new
subject or new source and write
on only one side.
2. Write the author’s name and title
of article or book in upper left of
card.
3. Put a subject heading in upper
right corner of card.
4. Put page number in parentheses
after each citation.
5. Put your initials in bottom right
of card.
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The Outline
1. Every line should be either a
complete sentence or else just a topic.
Do not mix the styles.
2. If you choose to divide a topic into
smaller parts, you must make at least
two divisions. In other words, you
can’t have a 1 without a 2 or an A
without a B.
3. Capitalize the first word in each
topic.
4. Place a period after each letter or
number.
5. Be sure to INDENT correctly.
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The Outline Format
Title:
I. Introduction
A. Background
1.
2.
B. The problem
1.
2.
C. Thesis statement
II. The Body
A. Major issue one
1.
2.
B. Major issue two
1.
2.
C. Major issue three
1.
2.
III. The Conclusion
A. Review of the major issues
1.
2.
3.
B. The answer, the solution, the final opinion
1.
2.
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Outline
Visiting Chicago
I.
Introduction
II.
Geography
A.
Population
B.
Lake Michigan
C.
Thesis statement: Visitors to Chicago should
learn about the geography, history, and
attractions of the Windy City.
III.
A.
B.
C.
IV.
A.
B.
C.
V.
History
Fort Dearborn
Chicago Fire
Politics
1.
Alderman
2.
Mayors
Attractions
Sears Tower
Navy Pier
Professional sports
1.
Baseball
a. Cubs
b. White Sox
2.
Basketball
3.
Football
Conclusion
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Plagiarism
Plagiarism means copying from another’s
work and passing it off as your own.
Turning in a term paper that has been
plagiarizes can have serious
consequences.
A paper may be plagiarized in the
following ways:
•
partially or fully copying another
student’s research paper
• Buying or copying a term paper
available on the internet
• Copying any source, including web
pages, without giving proper credit
through citations
• Presenting any other author’s work as
your own
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Plagiarism may be purposeful or accidental. To
avoid accidents, be sure that you create a
works cited card for every source and use that
information in your “Works Cited.” Do not try
to take shortcuts by copying and pasting
information from the internet into your word
processor. It is too easy to forget where that
information came from. Also, when taking
notes, be sure that you put quotations marks
around every section that you copy word-forword. Unless you wish to use a specific
quotation for its notable language, try to
summarize and paraphrase information on
your notecards rather than copying
information word-for-word.
By this point, I am familiar with both your
writing style and speaking style. Portions of
your research paper that are written with a
vastly different style will alert me to the
possibility of plagiarism. Proving that a paper
has been plagiarized is not as difficult as you
may think. The technology that brought you
to a source in a matter of seconds will also
lead me to that same source in a matter of
seconds.
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Example of Plagiarized Work
Works Cited
Psychology. [Online] Available http://www.bls.gov/oco.htm, October 10,
2001.
Original Source
Psychologists study the human mind and human behavior.
Research psychologists investigate the physical, cognitive,
emotional, or social aspects of human behavior. Psychologists in
applied fields provide mental health care in hospitals, clinics,
schools, or private settings.
Like other social scientists, psychologists formulate hypotheses
and collect data to test their validity. Research methods vary
depending on the topic under study. Psychologists sometimes
gather information through controlled laboratory experiments or
by administering personality, performance, aptitude, and
intelligence tests. Other methods include observation, interviews,
questionnaires, clinical studies, and surveys.
Psychologists apply their knowledge to a wide range of
endeavors, including health and human services, management,
education, law, and sports. In addition to a variety of work
settings, psychologists usually specialize in one of a number of
different areas.
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Plagiarized version
Like other social scientists, psychologists formulate
hypotheses and collect data to test their validity.
Research methods vary depending on the topic under
study. Psychologists sometimes gather information
through controlled laboratory experiments or by
administering personality, performance, aptitude, and
intelligence tests. Other methods include observation,
interviews, questionnaires, clinical studies, and
surveys.
Correctly paraphrased
The job of a research psychologist is create a theory and
then to tests that theory. They may use many different
methods to test theories. One method is to use a
controlled laboratory experiment. Also, research
psychologists may conduct tests on performance,
aptitude, or intelligence. Lastly, they may also use
surveys and interviews (Psychology).
For more information, and to test whether or not you
should document particular information, go to the
Purdue University Online Writing Lab at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plag
iar.html
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In-Text Citations
(Parenthetical Citations)
The following are guidelines to help you cite your sources
properly.
1.
Basic citation. Place the citation at the end of the
sentence that contains the material being
documented. The citation should appear after the
text of the sentence but before the end mark.
The Oklahoma migrants found “not a Promised Land but a
man-blighted Eden” (Crockett 196).
2. Citation of an anonymous work. When citing an
anonymous work (one for which no author is given),
give an abbreviated, or shortened, version of the
title, followed by the page number. Make sure that
the first word in your abbreviated version of the title
is the word by which the work is alphabetized in the
list of Works Cited. Here is a citation for an
anonymous work called “Some Factual Errors in
Steinbeck's Portrayal of Oklahoma and
Oklahomans”:
One contributor wrote that the novel contained a “number
of factual errors” (“Some Errors” 647).
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3. Citation of an encyclopedia or a similar reference work. When
citing an article in a reference work that is arranged
alphabetically- an article in an encyclopedia or in a
biographical dictionary, for example- give only the title or a
shortened version of the title.
One cause of the Dust Bowl was misuse of the land (“Dust
Bowl”).
4. Citation of a work by two or three authors. When citing a
work by two or three authors, give the authors’ last names
and the page number.
Very little is now known about how dolphins and whales
communicate (Jain, Lars, and Stein 34).
5. Citation of a nonpaginated source. If the source is something
that does not have page numbers, like an interview or a
recording, for example, give the name of the author or
interviewee. If there is no name, give a title or a shortened
version of the title.
The migrants did not have the necessary money to live decently
(Gurthie).
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Works Cited
-Basic Version
Use this order:
1. Author(s)
2. Title in italics
3. A specific volume number
4. Editor(s)
5. Edition other than the first
6. Number of volumes if more than
one
7. Place of publication
8. Date
9. Page numbers
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Use the following examples as models:
Author
Chopra. Deepak. Peace Is the
Way. New York: Crown, 2005.
Authors, two and edition
Laudon, Kenneth C., and Carol
Guercio Traver. E-Commerce.
2nd ed. Boston: Addison,2004.
Authors, more than three
*Use et al., which means “and others,”
or list all the authors.
Henson, Loiuse, et al. Culture and
Science in the Nineteenth Century
Media. Burlington, VT:
Ashgate,2004.
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The Rough Draft
What is a rough draft?
A rough draft is your chance to get all your ideas
on paper. It must contain all the required parts
of a term paper and it must be legible.
What goes in the rough draft?
Everything!
Your rough draft will have a final outline, an
introduction, the body of the paper,
conclusion, and works cited page.
Get Ready…
Find a place where you can spread out with lots
of room and where you won’t be disturbed.
An empty floor or kitchen table would be a
good choice. You’ll need your rough outline,
works cited cards, and note cards. Take all of
your notecards and spread them out, face up,
so you can read them. As you lay them out,
glance at each one to familiarize yourself with
what you have.
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Organize…
Using your rough outline as a guide, group your
notecards into the three main topics of your
paper. You may have some that do not fin in
any category. Set these aside in their own
group as you may use them later.
Order…
Now, go through each set of notecards and group
them within smaller groups of similar topics.
Once you have all the topics established, put
the cards in the exact order in which you will
write about them. If you wish, you may
number the cards in the lower left-hand
corner in case they fall out of order.
Now you are ready to write the body of your
paper.
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Writing…
Begin by writing the body of our paper first. The
introduction and conclusion will be easier once this is
finished. Write on only one side of the paper and
leave a one inch margin all the way around. Use your
rough outline as a guide. Each Roman numeral
represents a section. Begin using only your notecards
from Roman numeral “I” in a stack next to you.
Write the information from the first card into your
paper, then turn the card over, face down, in another
pile. Keep the cards in order and it will make citing
your sources so much easier.
Common Pitfalls
1. Try not to copy your notes word for word. You
probably wrote them in a hurry and were
overwhelmed with too much information at once. Try
to clean up the language and make it more formal.
2. Do not use too many quotations. You should probably
have no more than two quotations per paragraph.
Otherwise, you are not really writing your own paper,
just copying someone else’s work.
3. Do not forget TRANSITIONS! Begin every
paragraph with some type of transition.
4. Do not forget to document your sources.
5. Remember, this is a practice for your final draft.
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Revising…
Do not forget to go back and revise your
paper once it is written. Read it all the
way through once you finish writing to
be sure it makes sense. It helps to read
it aloud. Then, have at least two other
people read it. Be sure they will be
honest with you and point out any
mistakes. Be sure they can understand
your paper. Try to allow yourself time
so that you can set the paper aside and
ignore it at least overnight. Then, read
it straight through again to be sure it
still makes sense when it is not fresh in
your mind. Last, start at the end of
your paper and read each individual
sentence to yourself, checking for
spelling and grammar mistakes and any
missing words.
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Thesis Statement
• Thesis Statement
Your thesis statement is the main
focus of your paper boiled down to one
concise statement. All three of your
major topics should be mentioned in
your thesis statement. The thesis
statement should be the last sentence in
your introduction.
Example: The following is an example of
a quality introduction written by a
student. The thesis statement is
underlined so you can find it. Do not
underline it in your paper.
Every year, thousands of people travel from all over the world to
Paris, to see the many attractions that can be found there. The city of
romance has an irresistible draw to visitors. It is famous for its
elegant dining in both the old community and the new, more
contemporary part of the city. However, there are a few places in
Paris that no wise visitor leaves without seeing. Notre-Dame, the
Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre are three of the tourist attractions that
are exciting to the world.
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Introduction
• Introduction
Write your introduction and your conclusion
after you have written the body of your
paper. It will be much easier. They will
essentially say the same thing, but in
different words.
Your introduction is the first thing a person
will read in your paper. Therefore, it
should be interesting, keep the reader’s
attention, and encourage the reader to
continue. The introduction should begin
discussing your topic in a very general
way, and then narrow down to your thesis
statement.
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Conclusion
• Conclusion
The conclusion contains
basically the same information as
the introduction. You begin with
the thesis statement restated in
different words. Then, you
expand to the more general topic
at the end of the paragraph.
Example:
Three of the world’s most exciting attractions, Notre-Dame, the
Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre are located in Paris. In order to
view each site, visitors see both the old and new sections of
the city, where they may sample the famous French cuisine.
Therefore, it is not surprise that the city of romance continues
to attract visitors from around the world.
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Works Cited Page
•
1.
The works cited page is the last item in
your term paper. It should include all the
sources you used in your writing.
In the center of the top line of your paper,
write the following words:
Works Cited
2.
3.
4.
5.
Take all your works cited cards and arrange
them in alphabetical order by the first word
listed in the entry. Ignore the words “A,”
“An,” and “The.”
Neatly copy the information from the cards
onto your paper. Use hanging indentation.
In other words, the first line of an entry
begins at the left margin. The second line,
and all other lines of the same entry, begin
five spaces in from the left.
Do not skip extra lines between your
entries.
Do not number your entries.
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The Revising Process
1. This paper must be typed in a Times
New Roman 12 point font.
2. Leave a one-inch margin all the way
around the page.
3. Use standard paragraphs of at least
three sentences. Do not skip lines
between paragraphs.
4. DO NOT use words or phrases such
as “you,” “I think,” “I believe,”
“my,” or “In my opinion.”
5. DO NOT use contractions!!
6. Do not write sentence fragments or
run-ons.
7. Use correct spelling and grammar.
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Term Paper Revising Checklist
Contents: The paper has the following sections:
– Outline
– Body of paper
– Works cited
– Parenthetical documentations
Appearance
– The paper is typed in TNR 12 font.
– The pages have typing on only one side.
– The paper is double-spaced.
– The paper is not missing any pages.
– The pages are stapled in the correct order.
– The paper is stapled in the top left corner.
– Each page has 1-inch margins all the way
around.
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Outline
–
–
–
–
–
The outline has a thesis statement on top.
The outline is indented correctly.
For every letter “A” there is a “B.”
For every number “1” there is a “2.”
The outline is written in all phrases or all
sentences.
Works Cited
– The words “Works Cited” are centered on the top
line.
– All entries are alphabetized by the first word.
– All entries are indented correctly.
– All web addresses appear in the same color as the
rest of the page.
Parenthetical Documentation
– All sources cited in the paper appear on the Works
Cited list.
– The first word inside the parentheses is the word
used to alphabetize that source in the Works Cited
list.
– Every direct quotation is followed by a citation.
– Every fact that is not common knowledge has a
citation.
– At the minimum, every paragraph has a citation at
the end (except the introduction and conclusion).
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– All citations are inside the sentence’s end
punctuation.
Body of Paper
– The thesis statement is the last sentence in
the introduction.
– The introduction is so general that it does
not require any citations.
– All words are spelled correctly.
– Every sentence is complete, with a subject
and a verb.
– There are no run-ons.
– Each new paragraph has a transition.
– Each paragraph has a minimum of three
sentences.
– “YOU,” “I think,” “I believe,” “In my
opinion,” or any variation of these are
NOT used.
– With the exception of dates and
measurements, all numbers that are less
than four words long are written in words.
– There are no more than two direct
quotations in each paragraph.
– The paper is easy to understand and makes
sense.
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Term Paper Typing Rules
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Everything in your entire paper should be double-spaced,
including the outline, body of the paper, and Works Cited
page. Set the spacing at the beginning of your paper.
Use Times New Roman 12 point font.
Your entire paper should be left-justified, like this page.
Leave a 1 inch margin all the way around the page.
Print everything in black, including web addresses.
Number your pages. Begin with your outline as page 1.
(You have to have 5-7 pages of written paper, your outline
and works cited do NOT count toward your 5-7 pages.
You must have a title. It can be interesting, but please
remember to have it relate to your paper in some way.
Remember standard typing conventions, especially the
following rules:
–
Two spaces after a period or colon.
–
Put one space before the opening parenthesis.
–
End punctuation goes after the closing parenthesis.
–
End punctuation goes inside quotations.
Take advantage of your software. Remember to run the
spell check. Don’t forget to save your work often! If the
paper is not handed in on March 12th, it is considered lateNO EXCEPTIONS! So, in order to avoid a problem, make
sure your paper is written and typed prior to the due date.
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Paper Format
Outline will be page 1.
You are to have your last name with
a space, then the page number on
all pages. The easiest way to do
this is to view header and include
page numbers.
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Your paper should be
compiled in the
following manner:
•
•
•
•
•
Stapled together:
Outline (complete with thesis statement)
Paper (5-7 pages of text)
Works Cited
(There should be at least 8 pages in your complete
packet.)
• Included after the stapled paper:
• Each source will have its own packet!
–
–
–
–
On top= works cited card
Internet rubric
Printed or photocopied information (highlighted)
Stapled together
• All sources that have been used in the paper in the
order they appear on the works cited page.
• (You are to copy all sources you use. This means that
you need to make a photocopy of all pages used in
books and print off internet sites that you use in your
paper. Failure to do so will result in a lowering of your
grade.)
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Grammar Guide
By the numbers.
Always use digits when writing:
The name of a year
1945
The day of the month
November 11, 2008
A measurement or percent 20 lbs. 72%
A number that has a decimal 26.5 million bananas
An address, zip code, phone number
A number that would take more than three words to
say 7,586.
Always write numbers as words when writing:
A number that takes less than four words to say
seven games or thirty-nine people
Spacing
After end punctuation, use one space.
After a comma, use 1 space
Before a parenthetical citation, use 1 space; do not
leave a space between parenthesis and end
punctuation. The Bulls won six games (Brown
23).
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Double space
Point of View
Avoid the first person point of view: I found
information on Australia.
Avoid second person: You should read this book.
DO use third person point of view: Australia has
kangaroos.
The pronoun “one” can be used for “you” and still
remain third person. Instead of, “You should
eat broccoli.” use “One should eat broccoli.”
Agreement
Subjects and verbs in each sentence must agree with
each other in number.
The verb tense must remain consistent throughout the
paper.
Sources
You must use at least five
sources- only three can be from
the internet (two have to be
outside sources like a book or
encyclopedia).
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• Tentative Timeline for English III Research Paper
• January
• 1/11/11. FINAL Topic due
• 1/21/11. thesis statement due
• 1/28/11. 5 sources due (printed or photocopied)
• 1/28/11 5 works cited cards due (for the sources that
were turned in)
• February
• 2/4/11. Outline due
• 2/5/11. begin rough draft (If you have writer’s block, try
starting with body paragraphs, then move to your
introduction and conclusion.)
• 2/5/11-2/15/110. continue working on rough draft
• 2/11/11. Works Cited Page Due
• 2/17/11. Rough draft due (will be returned Monday the
21st)
• 2/17/11-3/11/11 Start writing your final draft.
• Questions? Make an appointment for after school.
• March
• 3/1/11. Turn in completed final copy for 25 bonus points.
• 3/2/11. Turn in completed final copy for 20 bonus points.
• 3/3/11- Turn in completed final copy for 15 bonus points.
• 3/4/11. Turn in completed final copy for 10 bonus points.
• 3/8/11. RESEARCH PAPER DUE.
• 3/9/11. Research paper party (only for those who turned in
paper by today.)
• 3/10/11. Breathe.
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