Last Name 1
Name ____________________ Period _____
Research Topic _______________________
Source Cards:
For each source that you find, fill out a source card.
Publishing Information (MLA citation):
Source number:
(number should match with note cards from this source)
Last name, first. “Name of Article.” Title of Book. Ed. Editor Name. City of Publication:
Publisher, Year Published. Page Numbers. Print.
Annotation (summarize content of the source):
This book covers all of the world’s history from 1050 to 1690.
Call number/location (Where can you find it later?):
i.e: 11.23 BIN LQHS Library
Publishing Information (MLA citation):
Annotation (summarize content of the source):
Call number/location (Where can you find it later?):
Source number:
Last Name 2
Name ____________________ Period _____
Research Topic _______________________
Note Cards:
For each note card record information for one element of the prompt from a single
source.
Heading or label:
Cell Phone Use
Source number:
(number should match it to a source card)
Element of prompt (i.e. how it impacted society, environment, etc.):
The costs of owning a cell phone
Note (direct quotation, paraphrase, summary):
•
“From 1999 to 2010, the cost has more than doubled…thanks in large part to the addition of texting and data
plans.” (quote)
•
taxes usually account for about 30% of the total bill (summary)
•
When Sprint and AT&T entered the market, many thought competition would drive the cost down, but that
wasn’t the case. (paraphrase)
Page number:
241
(or paragraph # for Internet sources)
Heading or label:
Source number:
Element of prompt (i.e. people/how it got started):
Note (direct quotation, paraphrase, summary):
Page number:
Last Name 3
THESIS STATEMENTS
The thesis statement is the most important sentence in the five-paragraph essay.
Thesis statements are of two basic kinds - the simple thesis statement and the three-part
thesis statement.
•
The simple thesis statement is really just a topic sentence that is applied to an
entire essay of more than one paragraph.
Example: The Waterloo Campaign was a disaster for Napoleon.
•
The three-part thesis statement includes a three-part list of the essay's main
supporting points.
Example: The Waterloo Campaign was a disaster for Napoleon because it destroyed the the
bulk of the French armed forces, exposed Napoleon's personal weaknesses, and
dramatically eroded his support among the French people.
GOOD THESIS STATEMENTS (WHETHER SIMPLE OR THREEPART)
• State or name the subject (or topic) of the essay (The Waterloo Campaign)
• Assert something specific and important about the essay's subject (was a
disaster for Napoleon)
• State or imply the purpose of the essay (the effects of the Waterloo
Campaign)
• Often state the thesis' main supporting ideas in a listing of the supporting
points (destroyed the the bulk of the French armed forces, exposed
Napoleon's personal weaknesses, and dramatically eroded his support among
the French people)
Here are two model thesis statements, with the subjects (topics) bolded and the assertions
underlined:
• Most successful college students have three characteristic abilities that
separate them from those who merely play at being students: they have the
ability to motivate themselves, they have the ability to organize themselves,
and they have the ability to set goals for themselves.
• But two candidates for the office of Moose City mayor, Candidate X, the
Republican nominee, and Candidate Y, the Democratic nominee, differ
dramatically in their approaches to taxation, government spending, and social
issues .
Notice that subjects and assertions in thesis statements usually correspond to the sentences'
complete subjects and complete predicates. Notice the modifier usually in the preceding
sentence. Here is a revised thesis statement:
•
Three characteristic abilities that separate most successful college students
from those who merely play at being students are the ability to motivate
themselves, the ability to organize themselves, and the ability to set goals for
themselves.
The complete subject in this revised sentence is now
Three characteristic abilities that separate most successful college students from those who
merely play at being students
The complete predicate is now
are the ability to motivate themselves, the ability to organize themselves, and the ability to
set goals for themselves.
When you write three-part thesis statements, maintaining parallelism is very important.
Writing good three-part thesis statements requires attention to two different types of
parallelism:
Last Name 4
•
Grammatical parallelism - maintaining balance by using the same part of
speech (for instance, all adjectives) or the same part of the sentence (for
example, all clauses)
• Non-parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and to box."
• Parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and boxing."
• Non-parallel: "He admires people with strong convictions, forceful
characters, and who think for themselves."
• Parallel: "He admires people with strong convictions, forceful characters,
and independent minds."
• Parallel: "He admires people who have strong convictions, who have
morals, and who think for themselves." (wordier but grammatical)
• Conceptual parallelism - maintaining balance by keeping all three parts at the
same level of generality
• Non-parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and breathing."
Parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and boxing."
THESIS STATEMENT PLACEMENT - A REMINDER
In academic essays, thesis statements almost always come at the end of an introductory
paragraph.
Black, Stephen. “Memos for Developmental Writers: Thesis Statements.” Distance
Education and Instructional Technology. Southwest Tennessee Community
College, May 2006. Web. 10 Dec 2008.
Last Name 5
How to Write an Outline
I. Introduction
A. Hook:
B. Transition with appropriate background information:
C. Strong thesis:
Thesis: It is easiest to write a three part thesis (See notes on writing a thesis):
 Part 1= topic for body paragraph #1
 Part 2= topic for body paragraph #2
 Part 3= topic for body paragraph #2
II. Paragraph 1: (Ex: Who was the group/event made up of & how did it start?)
A. Topic Sentence: (Include transition & write it out)
1. Sub topic: (1-3 words)
a. CD: (briefly summarize the fact / statistic/ evidence)
b. CD: (briefly summarize the fact / statistic/ evidence)
c. CM: (What do the CDs mean? how will they prove the TS/ thesis?)
2. Sub topic:
a. CD:
b. CD:
c. CM:
B. Concluding sentence (final comment – similar to TS, but with more analysis)
III. Paragraph 2: (Ex: What were the Victorian Period beliefs/values of people involved in the
group/event?)
A. Topic Sentence:
1. Sub topic:
a. CD:
b. CD:
c. CM:
2. Sub topic:
a. CD:
b. CD:
c. CM:
B. Concluding sentence:
IV. Paragraph 3: (Ex: What was the role this group/event played in Victorian society?)
A. Topic Sentence:
1. Sub topic:
a. CD:
b. CD:
c. CM:
2. Sub topic:
a. CD:
b. CD:
c. CM:
B. Concluding sentence:
V. Conclusion (or additional body paragraph):
A. Restate thesis in different words and in simplified form
B. summarize most important points
C. Final Comment (Ex: How has this group/idea/person affected society today? Need insight.)
Last Name 6
Common Body Paragraph Problems
Vague Sentences: Include specific information in your sentences. Do not write vague, broad
sentences that do not add information to the paragraph.
Example: In contrast, the stock market crashed and caused a great commotion. Everyone was
hopeless and depressed. This event was like nothing that ever happened before.
Better: In contrast, the stock market crashed and wreaked havoc on the American economy.
Most Americans became impoverished, leaving them hopeless and depressed. The Great
Depression was unlike any other disaster in American history.
Cite Concrete Details: Do not write a concrete detail sentence without citing a source unless the
information in the sentence is common knowledge.
Example: These investors invested their money in stocks and were rapidly making money which
made them want to buy more.
Better: Investors bought stocks because “the stock market in the United States underwent rapid
expansion” (“Stock market” 1).
Citing Without an Author: If a source does not have an author, use the title of the article. Use
the first 1-2 words of the article title. Include the page number. If there is not a page number, use
the number 1. If it is an Internet site, cite the paragraph number.
Example: "Stock market crash of 1929." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia
Britannica Online School Edition. Web. 10 May 2007.
Parenthetical citation: (“Stock market” 1).
Use more than one citation: Do not simply use one citation throughout the entire paper.
Combine your sources together. If you put a source in your works cited, you must put it in your
paper.
Use the past tense: keep your paper in the same tense: the past tense. You are talking about
events that have already happened.
Do not overuse words: this, these, were, was, is, are. Do not use: I or you
Explain your quotes or citations:
Although there are two CDs per chunk, be sure you explain your reason for including each of
your CDs (commentary).
Citation: By 1850, 13 states had such laws to limit the sale of alcohol. By 1863, all but the state
of Maine had repealed its’ prohibition laws (“Prohibition” 1).
Good commentary: Limiting alcohol had been tried once in American history and it failed.
History simply repeated itself when prohibition became an amendment.
Last Name 7
Drafting Body Paragraphs:
Don’t use more than 2 concrete detail sentences in a row without a commentary to
interpret them. Use the ratio of either 2 CD: 1 CM or 1 CD: 1 CM (as seen below). Each
body paragraph should have 3-4 concrete details. Don’t forget your parenthetical citations
after each fact! Also, use quotation marks whenever a direct quote is being used.
Remember the “3 I’s” for your concrete details: introduce, incorporate, and interpret.
Topic Sentence (one of the three elements
of the prompt)
Concrete detail (quote, paraphrase, fact,
statistic) parenthetical CITATION
Commentary (interpretation – what does
the concrete detail tell you about this group
or event/relate back to topic sentence and
thesis)
Concrete detail (quote, paraphrase, fact,
statistic) parenthetical CITATION
Commentary (interpretation – what does
the concrete detail tell you about this group
or event/relate back to topic sentence and
thesis)
Concrete detail (quote, paraphrase, fact,
statistic) parenthetical CITATION
Commentary (interpretation – what does
the concrete detail tell you about this group
or event/relate back to topic sentence and
thesis)
Concluding Sentence (sums up your
information and relates back to your topic
sentence and thesis)
Last Name 8
Drafting a Concluding Paragraph
Directions: Fill in the following graphic organizer to write a rough draft of a concluding
paragraph for your research essay.
Restate your thesis (rewrite your thesis in different words and in a simplified form;
include a transition):
Summarize the most important points of your essay:
Final Comment (How has this group/idea/person affected society today? Need insight.):
Last Name 9
First then Last Name
Mrs. LaPera
English 1H, Period #
Day Month Year
Proper MLA Formatting
This page uses MLA format. The margins are set to 1” top, bottom, and sides. Use
“Times New Roman” or “Times” font, 12 point for the entire paper (Note: with MS Word
2007 or newer, the wrong font, margins, and spacing are preset.). Double-space
everything, except the outline. (Note: newer MS Word software has different menus and
shortcuts, but the same instructions)
To fix your spacing:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Select “Ctrl” and “A” at the same time. This highlights everything.
On the older versions of MS Word, go up to the “Format” menu and select “Paragraph”
Go to “Line Spacing” and select “Double.”
Also make sure to select “0” for “before” and “after” spacing options. Click “OK.”
Everything will now be spaced properly.
To create a header, do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Click on “Insert” from the top menu and select “Page numbers.”
For position, select “Top of page (header).”
For alignment, select “right.” Click “OK.”
Once the page numbers appear, with your mouse click on the page number on any page.
Move the cursor to the left of the number and type in your last name (single space
between name & page number, but no comma or anything else). Close the Header.
6. Now the software will automatically insert page numbers and your last name.
Do not use a cover page. On the first page, use a full heading, and choose a title
which you will center. Hit “enter” and start writing. When you are doing a Works Cited
page, center the title, but do not bold it, underline it, or use a larger font. Hit “enter” and
begin your citations. Do not number them. Put them in alphabetical order. Use hanging
indents (see the sample source card to see what this means). You can find more
information by doing an Internet search for “Owl Purdue MLA.”
Last Name 10
Works Cited (Sample)
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund.
Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009. (website name same as org.)
Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. “Clinton on Climate Change.” New York
Times. New York Times, May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009. (online interview in news)
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times. New York
Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009. (article on news website)
GlobalWarming.org. Cooler Heads Coalition, 2007. Web. 24 May 2009. (website; no author)
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. Print. (article in a journal; print source)
Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology. New
York: Springer, 2005. Print. (book)
Milken, Michael, Gary Becker, Myron Scholes, and Daniel Kahneman. "On Global Warming
and Financial Imbalances." New Perspectives Quarterly 23.4 (2006): 63. Print. (2+ authors)
---. "Global Warming Economics." Science 9 Nov. 2001: 1283-84. Science Online. Web. 24
May 2009. (follows an entry with the same author)
Shulte, Bret. "Putting a Price on Pollution." Usnews.com. US News & World Rept., 6 May
2007. Web. 24 May 2009. (article on a website; website’s name different than org.)
Uzawa, Hirofumi. Economic Theory and Global Warming. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003.
Print. (book)
 Notice the hanging indents, punctuation, spacing, alphabetical order, and order of information in the above Works Cited.
Source of the information on this page only courtesy of:
Russell, Tony, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth Angeli, Russell Keck. “MLA Sample Works Cited Page.” Owl Purdue Online
Writing Lab. Purdue University. 5 May 2010. Web. 1 Dec. 2011.