Research Paper
Where do I begin?
Your outline is your
guide.
• If you can’t follow your outline, then
change it. It is not set in stone.
• Remember each Roman Numeral is not
just one (1) paragraph.
• Each subpoint should create at least one (1)
paragraph by itself.
Adjusting your outline
• If you add something that your first outline
does not include, add it to your final
outline.
• Do the same for information that you
delete. Remove it from your outline.
When writing…
• Write in third person.
• Give credit to someone else’s work. This
even applies to paraphrasing!
• Save everything periodically.
Introduction
• Catch the reader’s attention.
• Clearly indicate what your paper is about.
Do not merely tell facts about your author
unless those facts contribute to your main
idea.
• Your thesis should be in your introduction
somewhere. (If you change your thesis
wording, please change it on your outline.)
Introduction continued…
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Don’t by funny
Don’t repeat the title
Don’t directly state your purpose
The purpose of this paper is…
OR
Hi. I am a senior at Barren County High
School.
Body
• To mark your source information, mark
your bibliography card’s number in
parenthesis after the information.
• Write in present tense
• Each paragraph should include a topic
sentence and supporting details for that
topic sentence.
Conclusion Ideas
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Offer a judgment
Make a final comment or observation
End with a quote that pulls it all together
Summarize your main idea(s)
Refer to your introduction (bring it full
circle)
Do NOT forget parenthetical documentation…
A parenthetical citation contains JUST ENOUGH
information to help the reader locate the source in
the Works Cited list. Works Cited, References, and
Bibliography The basic citation includes author’s last name and page
number.
The Oklahoma migrants found “not a Promised Land but a manblighted Eden” (Crockett 195).
Basic citation with author’s name in
text.
As H. Kelly Crockett has pointed out, the Oklahoma
migrants found “not a Promised Land but a man-blighted
Eden” (195).
Citation of an anonymous work
One contributor wrote that the novel contained “ a number
of factual errors” (“Some Factual Errors” 647).
Citation of an encyclopedia or a
similar reference
One cause of the Dust Bowl was misuse of the land
(“Dust Bowl”).
Citation of a work by two or three
authors
Very little is now known about how dolphins and
whales communicate (Akmajian, Demers, and Harnish
36).
Citation of a work by more than
three authors
Scientists are still debating whether the higher apes
can be taught to create “sentences” in sign language
(Kim et al. 427).
Citation of an internet source
Treat internet sources as unpaginated sources, unless the
source is a PDF document, which should have page
numbers.
The California Highway Patrol opposes restrictions on
the use of phones while driving, claiming that
distracted drivers can already be prosecuted (Jacobs).
Long literary quotations
• If a direct quote is five or more lines long,
indent the quote one inch or ten spaces.
• The parenthetical citation will go after the
final mark of punctuation for the quote.
• Do not type quotation marks for a long
quote. The special indention signifies that
it is, in fact, a direct quote
Long prose quotations
• Long prose is more than four typed lines
A Pocket Style Manual
• Refer closely to page 116
• This is chapter 31 and it deals with
integrating literary quotations into a
research paper.
Using ellipsis mark
• Ellipsis marks are used to condense a
quoted passage.
• When you omit a full sentence or more
within a quote, place a period before the
three ellipsis marks.
• Do not use ellipsis marks at the beginning
or end of a quoted passage.
Using brackets
• Brackets allow you to insert words of your
own into quoted material in order to clarify
matters or to keep a sentence grammatical
in your context.