Research Paper
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
What is the relevance of Shakespeare’s themes in today’s society?
Our research paper this last grading period will cover the important ideas in the play Romeo and
Juliet. The research will explore one of the thematic topics associated with Shakespeare’s play and how
that thematic topic is still relevant today.
Once you have chosen a topic, the next step is to present an argument that discusses the ways in
which the one you chose applies to life today. Yes, these means you have to narrow the topic. You will
need a total of eight sources from which to gather information and use as support, with TWO being nonelectronic (meaning a book, magazine, or newspaper), TWO from the school databases, and FOUR others
are personal choice but are not limited to websites. The ONLY true exclusion is Wikipedia – this is a nono. You will receive a handout on how to cite (document) sources for your Working Bibliography AND
Works Cited Page. We will spend several days researching information, and you may go to the library
before or after school if you need additional research time as well as the public library if needed.
Choices:
Friendship/ loyalty
Teen marriage
Teen suicide
Gang violence
Substance abuse
Adult role models
Young love
General Information:
1. Your thesis is the main point you are going to argue or prove in your paper. Your thesis for this
paper must be a closed thesis that contains the subject of your paper, your opinion about the
subject, and three points you want to prove/discuss (3 points means 3 body paragraphs). This is a
MINIMUM for the research. Keep in mind that a minimum earns a minimum grade (minimum
grade means average = 75%) provided all the elements are correctly utilized.
2. The first paragraph is your introductory paragraph and it should introduce your chosen topic and
must contain your thesis statement. This statement must be the last sentence in your introductory
paragraph because it will establish the remainder of the paper’s argument. Introductory paragraphs
are generally a minimum of 3-4 sentences in length and the beginning should grab your reader’s
attention in some way.
3. The second paragraph will explain the first point mentioned in your thesis statement.
4. The third paragraph will explain the second point mentioned in your thesis statement.
5. The fourth paragraph will explain you last point mentioned in your thesis statement. (Hope you are
getting the point by now.)
6. The fifth paragraph is your conclusion. This paragraph will summarize the paper and restate your
argument without using the exact same language. This paragraph is generally a minimum of 3-4
sentences and does not bring any new information into the paper.
Since this is a formal writing assignment, the use of “I” is not acceptable. There are stronger ways
to express your own critical and analytical thinking in third person. For example, instead of writing
“I think portraying the economically disadvantaged as having great potential is necessary” present
your thesis as a strong truth.
- “Portraying the economically disadvantaged as having a great potential is necessary.”
Or use the third person pronoun “one”. –“One understands that portraying the economically
disadvantaged as having great potential is necessary.”
You will receive structural guidelines for this research paper. Keep all of your guidelines in a folder
on your desktop entitled “RESEARCH” so that you can more easily access the information. You will not
only be graded on your first draft and final draft, but also on your productivity in the library and
classroom, note taking skills, and your editing skills. Please type all drafts and the final copy of your
paper. Remember to save your work and save it numerically (e.g. Draft 1 versus Draft 2)!!!!! It will save
valuable time during the rewrites!
Important dates/checkpoints:
Grade Distribution:
1. Research – daily grades
2. Main point evidence pages – quiz grade
3. First Draft – test grade
4. Peer Editing – daily grade
5. Final draft – project grade
There will be additional emails sent throughout the process and we will TOGETHER organize many of
the pages you will need to coordinate with MLA format.
Now, start thinking about which topic you want to research and narrow down exactly what you want to
know!!
Once we get much farther into the process I will let you know about the PSA (Public Service
Announcement) you will create using this information.