Name ______________________________________________ Period ___________
9th Grade Research Paper Guidelines
Goal: You will be writing an argumentative paper, which makes a claim about a topic and
justifies this claim with specific evidence. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince
the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.
You will first need to create a thesis statement. Your thesis statement will examine an area of our
curriculum (Chapters 18-27). A thesis statement is a sentence that identifies the purpose of
the paper. The thesis statement should be debatable. Your job is to back up your thesis
with three points or reasons. These points/reasons must be supported with facts and
evidence.
You may need to change/modify your thesis during the course of the research process. You will
be given a list of example research questions that you will then answer to be your thesis
statement.
Paper Requirements:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Double spaced throughout
Times New Roman (12-point font)
2-3 typed pages (NOT including Title Page or Works Cited page)
Use of in-text citations; a minimum of 2
A Works Cited page (see guidelines)
**Your paper will be submitted to “TURNITIN.COM”. I will provide directions for this at a later date.
Example of a non-debatable thesis statement:
Pollution is bad for the environment
Reason: All studies agree that pollution is a problem; they simply disagree on the impact
it will have. No one could reasonably argue that pollution is good.
Example of a debatable thesis statement:
At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution.
Reason: People could disagree with it. Some people might think that this is how we
should spend the nation's money. Others might feel that we should be spending more
money on education. Still others could argue that corporations, not the government,
should be paying to limit pollution.
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Requirements:
PART 1 – Research
Source (Bibliography) Cards – ONLINE!



All sources will be kept on Noodle Tools (online)
Each time you research a new source, you should write a bibliography card.
You should have at least five to seven sources.
Source Card Example
1
Author’s last name, Author’s first name. Title. Place published: Publishing
company, Year published.
Information (Note) Cards




All notes will be kept on Noodle Tools (online) OR notecards
When taking notes, you may either copy the quote exactly or you may paraphrase (put into your
own words) the contents of the quote.
You should have at least 30-40 note cards
Each note card should have:
1) Slug/Tag (topic corresponding to your thesis statement and later used to organize your
outline)
2) Notes
a. 1 direct quote from the source
b. Restated direct quote
Information Card Example (Noodle tools does this for you!)
(Slug/Tag)
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army
Notes – Direct Quote: “George Washington’s natural strength and years on the frontier as
a surveyor and a Virginia militia officer served him well in his role
as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army
Restated: George Washington’s years as a surveyor and militia officer in Virginia
provided him with the skills he would later need when
commanding the Continental Army.
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PART 2 – Outline
All outlines will be kept on Noodle Tools (online) and then formatted into a Microsoft word
document.
Your outline should contain a proper heading (see below) a Title.
Sample Outline
Student Name
Teacher, p.__
American History 9
George Washington
I.
Introduction
A. Opening sentence
B.
1.
2.
C. Thesis statement (should be the last sentence of the 1st paragraph in your paper)
(underline your thesis)
II. Reason 1 – type the slug/point from your thesis statement
A.
1.
2.
B.
1.
2.
III. Reason 2 – type the slug/point from your thesis statement
A.
1.
2.
B.
1.
2.
IV. Reason 3 – type the slug/point from your thesis statement
A.
1.
2.
B.
1.
2.
V. Conclusion
A. Restate thesis statement (from the introduction)
B. Summarize paper
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PART 3 – Research Paper
Write your thesis paper using your outline and notecards.
Research Paper Example
Student Name
Teacher, p.__
George Washington
Title
Centered
12 point font
George Washington was the most influential figure
during the American Revolution because he
_______________, _______________, and
In the
introductory
paragraph tell
your readers why
your topic is
important. The
thesis statement is
usually the last
sentence in the
Your
thesis will
first paragraph.
guide you
throughout the
paper.
_________________.
George Washington’s natural strength and years on the
frontier as a surveyor and a Virginia militia officer served
In-text citations
occur after the
quote, but before
the period. The
author’s name
goes before the
page # with no
comma in
between
him well in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the
Continental Army (Author 7). Washington’s determination,
which made him strong in battle, helped him in other areas
as well.
His tenacity in battle was matched by his persistence
with those who controlled the purse strings in the army.
The
conclusion
wraps up what
you’ve been
discussing in
the paper.
Restate the
thesis.
George Washington…
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Sentence
transitions
Connect
paragraphs
and unify
writing.
Works Cited Guidelines
As long as you have written accurate bibliography cards (source cards), this step should be very easy. You just need to
print this out from noodletools. Make sure the works cited is only the sources used in your paper. Include the
following:
1) Center your title (Works Cited)
2) Arrange your entries alphabetically (by the author’s last name)
3) Double space throughout the page
Works Cited Example
Works Cited
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund.
Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Nordhaus, William D. "After Kyoto: Alternative Mechanisms to Control Global
Warming." American Economic Review 96.2 (2006): 31-34. Print.
Shulte, Bret. "Putting a Price on Pollution." Usnews.com. US News & World Rept., 6
May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Uzawa, Hirofumi. Economic Theory and Global Warming. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003.
Print.
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