Name ________________
Mrs. Depoy and Mrs. Vallor
English 9 Research Paper
(First Quarter for Honors, Second Quarter for Academic)
*You must choose a topic from the preapproved list (also available under “writing” on website).
Research Paper Directions:
Directions for Academic classes:
This research paper must be typed in Times New Roman, size 12, double-spaced and have between
400-1,000 words. You may not go over the word limit without a grade penalty. The paper must
include parenthetical citations within the paper from at least three resources including one book, one
encyclopedia (can be an actual encyclopedia or on-line encyclopedia) and one internet article. There
must also be a separate “works cited” page following the paper.
Directions for Honors classes:
This research paper must be typed in Times New Roman, size 12, double-spaced and have between
600-1,000 words. You may not go over the word limit without a grade penalty. The paper must
include parenthetical documentation within the paper from at least four resources including one book,
one encyclopedia (can be an actual encyclopedia or on-line encyclopedia) and one internet article.
(The fourth source can be any of these.) There must also be a separate “works cited” page following
the paper.
Directions for both Academic and Honors classes:
This paper will be submitted to turnitin.com. After Mrs. Depoy and Mrs. Vallor grade it, don't forget
to print the graded essay with the teachers’ comments and put it in your writing portfolio!
* This paper should include objective research only. Personal reflections or opinions are not
appropriate. Do not use the personal pronouns such as “I” or "in my opinion." This also includes
comments such as “my paper is about…” or “my conclusion is…” One percent will be deducted for
each subjective comment or use of first person.
*You may not use second person (“you”) in your writing. (Example: “In Booker T. Washington’s
time, you had no human rights.”) One percent will be deducted for each use of second person.
*You may not use Wikipedia as a source because it is not always reliable.
*When writing your paper, keep events in chronological order. Begin with the person’s childhood
and family background and then progress to the person’s adolescence, adulthood, accomplishments,
death and legacy (what the person left behind/ how he or she is remembered).
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Paraphrasing vs. plagiarism (which is illegal!)
Visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/1/
Paraphrasing Practice:
Visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/02/
Directions: In a small group, write a paraphrase of two of the passages on the above website.
Remember that your goal is to keep the original meaning while carefully rephrasing the content in
your own words.
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Thesis Statement:
Include a thesis (a broad statement summarizing the person’s life and/or legacy) at the end of your
introduction to lead into your essay and make your reader want to continue. See “Mrs. Depoy and
Mrs. Vallor’s 20 Tips for Writing a Good Essay” for more on writing a thesis and for student
examples.
Examples of appropriate thesis statements:
Despite his humble beginnings as a poor orphan, Andrew Jackson would become the seventh President
of the United States of America.
George Washington Carver’s tenacity would eventually enable him to overcome a life of slavery and
become a renowned scientist and inventor.
Peter the Great would be remembered for his leadership but also for his cruelty.
Christopher Columbus’ biggest miscalculation would lead to his greatest discovery.
Socrates would eventually change the face of teaching.
During his lifetime, Joseph Stalin would be responsible, directly and indirectly, for the deaths of
millions of his own people, and yet he would still be revered by some in his own country as a great
leader.
Napoleon’s arrogance would lead to what may have been one of the worst military decisions of all
time.
Bill Gates would forever change the meaning of the phrase “computer geek.”
Alexander Graham Bell would grow up to facilitate communication across the globe.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning would later be remembered not only for her poetry but also for her secret
marriage.
TIPS:
Your thesis must be the last sentence of your introduction.
Your thesis should be broad rather than too narrowly focused.
Give the reader a hint of what he/she will read without giving away too much information.
Make your reader interested enough to want to continue reading.
Do not mention the person’s death until your conclusion.
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Works Cited:
Create a “Works Cited” page in MLA format. List all of your sources in alphabetical order. Doublespace and align all sources on the left, yet indent when a source extends to a second or third line.
The following websites will create your “Works Cited” page for you if you type in the necessary
information:
http://easybib.com/
http://citationmachine.net/
It's very easy! Just choose MLA format, type in your source info, copy and paste onto a word
document, alphabetize the list, and type "Works Cited:" on the top, left-hand side of the page.
*Detailed directions for parenthetical documentation and creating a "Works Cited" page are also on
the following website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Click on “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.”
Example of a Works Cited page:
Works Cited:
Baldwin, Louis. Women of Strength. Jefferson: McFarland & Co., Inc. 1996. Print.
“Harriet Tubman.” Encyclopedia Of World Biography. 1998 ed. Print.
Johnson, Greg. “Harriet Tubman.” (2007): Web. 07 December 2004.
<www.lkwdpl.org.wihohio/tubm-har.htm>.
Nunez, Ronald. “Harriet Tubman Timeline.” The Biography of Harriet Tubman. (2007): Web.
07 December 2004 <www.harriettubmanbio.com>.
Scuggs. Otey. “Harriet Tubman.” World Book Online Reference Center. (2007): Web.
20 December 2004 <http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com>.
Taylor, M.W. Harriet Tubman. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1991. Print.
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Directions for how to create a Works Cited page:
Visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/15/MLA 2009 Sample Entries
Index card directions:
Start with one primary source that is neither too short nor too long. Take notes from the source by
writing ONE sentence per index card.
As you take notes, write your source and page number on the right hand side of each index card. For
example, if your book was written by John Smith and you took notes from page 98, write “Smith 98.”
This will make it very simple for you to complete your parenthetical citations later. (If you don’t do
this as you go, it will be difficult for you to go back and track down page numbers later.) If your
source is an internet article, just write the author’s last name. If you can’t find the author’s last name,
use the title. Just make sure that you are not using the same title for another source.
As you take notes, write a topic at the middle of the top of each index card. For example, if you are
taking notes about William Shakespeare, topics could be “birth,” “family background,” “childhood,”
“education,” “marriage,” “acting career,” “famous works,” “children,” “death,” etc.
Another easy way to tell your sources apart is to use different colored index cards for each source.
Example:
Smith 98
Birth
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon.
After you finish taking all your notes from your primary source, then you take notes from your next
source. This time you are only looking for new information. Don’t write down facts you already
have. Again, you must follow the basic rules:
1. Only one sentence per card
2. Write a topic at the middle of the top of each index card.
3. Write your source and page number on the right hand side of each index card.
When possible, try to use the same category names as you did when taking notes from your primary
source. (This will make it easy for you to organize your cards later.)
Follow these steps for any more sources you use, always looking only for new information.
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When you have all your notes, spread all your cards out someplace that you have a lot of room such as
a dining room table. Organize them by category and put them in a logical order. Now all you have to
do is type them up (including parenthetical citations whenever your source changes). Add connections
and transitions to make sure your paper flows well. Be sure to PARAPHRASE (put everything in
your own words) carefully. Even though you are citing your sources, you may not copy the original
author’s work. Copying someone else’s work verbatim (word for word) is plagiarism, which is illegal.
FOLLOW MLA FORMAT:
1) *Label your paper with your last name and a page number on the upper right side of every page,
as follows:
Brown 1
2) On the first page only, also include the following information in this format:
First and last name
teacher’s name
day, month, year
Title
Example:
Smith 1
Bob Smith
Mrs. Depoy and Mrs.Vallor
17 October 2008
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The Life of Sojourner Truth
Directions for Creating an Outline:
Plan the order of how you will include information from the person’s life. Writing a biography
is easy because the logical format is chronological order. In other words, keep the events in the
same order that they actually happened (although it is okay to allude to later events in your
thesis). Your outline must be at least 200 words.
Sample Outline:
*You do not have to follow this outline exactly. For example, scholars may not have much
information about your person’s childhood, so you may write more about that person’s
adulthood and accomplishments.
I. Introduction
A. Birth
1. date, significant events around that time (if applicable)
2. birthplace, significant events surrounding that place (if applicable)
B. Parents
1. names, education, background
2. interesting/important details
C. Siblings
1. names, ages
2. interesting or important details
D. Thesis (broad sentence foreshadowing future events and leading into the essay)
II. Childhood
A. education (or lack of)
B. significant or interesting events, especially those that influenced the person’s
future
C. significant relationships
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III. Adolescence
A. education (or lack of)
B. significant or interesting events, especially those that influenced the person’s
future
C. significant relationships
D. work/career experiences
IV. Adulthood
A. education (or lack of)
B. significant or interesting events, especially those that influenced the person’s
future
C. significant relationships (marriage, children, friends, enemies, etc.)
D. work/career experiences
V. Accomplishments
A. reasons why the person is famous
B. how the person affected others during his/her time and beyond
VI. Conclusion
A. events during old age (if applicable/interesting)
B. death (date, place, details)
C. End with a final sentence about the person’s legacy (how the person is remembered/ why
the person was important)
Ex. William Shakespeare will always be remembered as one of the most brilliant
writers of all time.
Ex. Susan B. Anthony helped pave the way for equal rights for women.
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GRADING:
Preparation:
At least 50 index cards with sources noted in upper, right-hand corner
Detailed web/outline of at least 200 words (include a word count)
Draft #1 (must be typed in MLA format)
Peer editing sheet 1
/20 points
/10 points
/10 points
/5 points
Draft #2 (must be typed in MLA format)
Peer editing sheet 2
/10 points
/5 points
Final revision:
Strong, effective introduction
Strong, effective body paragraphs with topic sentences
and clear transitions
Strong, effective conclusion
Grammar/mechanics
Overall content/ stayed on topic
Followed directions
/20 points
/50 points
/20 points
/40 points
/10 points
/10 points
Works cited:
***For Honors:
Correct format of parenthetical citations
Works Cited Page:
Citing of book
Citing of encyclopedia
Citing of internet article
Citing of fourth resource
***For Academic:
Correct format of parenthetical citations
/50 points
/10 points
/10 points
/10 points
/10 points
/60 points
Works Cited Page:
Citing of book
Citing of encyclopedia
Citing of internet article
/10 points
/10 points
/10 points
TOTAL:
/300 points
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*Parenthetical Citations:
1) Use parenthetical citations each time the source changes within your paper. It could be as often as
after each sentence or as infrequent as after a few paragraphs. What matters is that you identify the
source before you move on to the information from another source. Here's an excerpt from a student
research paper from a previous year. Notice that the first paragraph and a half come from one source;
however, the two following sentences come from two different sources.
...Since the ancient Greeks created magnificent paintings, sculptures
and architecture, it's no surprise that their everyday appearance was equally
elegant. To adorn their basic clothing styles Greeks often added
extraordinary hairstyles and attractive cosmetics. Ancient Greece thrived
nearly 4,000 years ago and yet their culture still has an impact on us today.
Men and women's dress in ancient Greece was extremely similar and
often interchangeable. Styles of clothing, unlike today, did not change
drastically or rapidly (Adkins 414). Greek attire was very simple and most
everyone wore wool in the winter and linen in the summer (Kluth).
Occasionally highly bedecked garments with decorative borders were made, but
ancient Greek clothing was generally plain (Adkins 414). The women dyed the
fabric bright colors by using bark, plants, berries, beets, saffron, or
indigo. Sometimes they just bleached garments white instead of using a
natural dye (Donn).
The women of ancient Greece had a variety of clothing styles. A
chiton was a garment consisting of two rectangles of material sewn together
on the short ends with a neck opening in the middle. This article of
clothing was sometimes tied along the arms to make sleeves. Another garment
similar to a chiton, was a peplos, but it was usually worn with a belt at the
waist and was made out of only one piece of cloth (Kluth). Both pieces of
attire fell to their ankles and could be worn with another garment called a
himation. The himation was a woolen cloak that could also be used as a
blanket (Legon). The peplos could be worn alone or over a chiton without
undergarments, or the chiton was worn over a tunic or a girdle, which were
used for undergarments. Greek women wore many different cloaks
for when it was cold out such as, the khlaris: a wrap made of very fine wool,
the ephestris: a wrap made of thicker wool, and the xystis: a long robe made
of fine material for special occasions. Greek ladies wore flowing and
flounced skirts (Adkins 416-18).
2) Put the period AFTER the parenthetical documentation.
3) Make sure every source on your works cited page is documented at least once in your paper.
4) Do not put the same source twice or more in a row because the page number changes.
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Instead, you may indicate that you used more than one page. Example: (Adkins 416-18).
(continued on next page)
5) Parenthetical documentation should be in one of the following formats:
a. for a book:
author and page number
*example (Adkins 416)
b. for an internet article
author or title (if you can't find the author)
*example (Jones) or (Ancient Greece)
c. for an encyclopedia
author and page number or title and page number (if you can't find the author)
*example (Smith 105) or (Ancient Greece 105)
*If you can't access the encyclopedia you used, just put the author or title.
example: (Smith) or (Ancient Greece)
d. If you have two sources with the same title, include the name of the book or web address.
example: (Ancient Greece www.ancientgreece.com)
(Ancient Greece World Book 2003)
e. If you have two sources with the same author, include the name of the book or web address.
examples: (Jones, Ancient Greece 100)
(Jones, Ancient Greek Life 210)
f. If you have two sources with the same author's last name, use the authors' first initials.
examples: (A. Smith 345)
(T. Smith 56)
Please feel free to bring me your paper to check your parenthetical documentation IN ADVANCE!
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Name of student who WROTE the paper ____________________
Name of student EDITING the paper ____________________
Date__________________
English 9
Period ________
Research Paper Peer Editing Sheet #1
1. Does the paper seem to be typed in Times New Roman, double spaced, size 12?
2. Is the paper an appropriate length?
3. Does the paper have parenthetical citations? Ex. (Smith 90)
4. Can you find four (three for academic) different sources in the parenthetical citations?
List them: 1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Is there a "Works Cited" page at the end of the paper? Is it labeled "Works Cited"?
6. Are the sources on the “Works Cited” page in alphabetical order?
7. Is there a reference to an encyclopedia on the "Works Cited" page?
8. Is there a reference to a book on the "Works Cited" page?
9. Is there a reference to an internet article on the "Works Cited" page?
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10. Is there a fourth reference on the "Works Cited" page?
11. Does the "Works Cited" page seem to be done correctly? If not, what needs to be corrected?
12. Does the paper stay on topic?
13. Does the paper have a strong, effective introduction? What could make it better?
14. Does the paper have effective body paragraphs with topic sentences?
15. Are there clear transitions between paragraphs?
16. Does the paper have a strong, effective conclusion?
17. Are there any errors in grammar and mechanics? If so, circle them on the paper.
18. Are there any sentence fragments, run-ons or comma splices? If so, circle them on the paper.
19. Are there any confusing, wordy or poorly written sentences/ passages? If so, circle them on the
paper.
20. Does the paper have a nice flow or is it choppy? How could it be better? (smoother transitions,
etc.)
21. Does the paper sufficiently cover the chosen topic? What else could be included to make it more
thorough?
22. Does the paper read like all of the sentences in the paper have been effectively paraphrased, or do
they seem to be plagiarized (copied straight from the source)?
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Name of student who WROTE the paper ____________________
Name of student EDITING the paper ____________________
Date__________________
English 9
Period ________
Research Paper Peer Editing Sheet #2
1. Does the paper seem to be typed in Times New Roman, double spaced, size 12?
2. Is the paper an appropriate length?
3. Does the paper have parenthetical citations? Ex. (Smith 90)
4. Can you find four (three for academic) different sources in the parenthetical citations?
List them: 1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Is there a "Works Cited" page at the end of the paper? Is it labeled "Works Cited"?
6. Are the sources on the “Works Cited” page in alphabetical order?
7. Is there a reference to an encyclopedia on the "Works Cited" page?
8. Is there a reference to a book on the "Works Cited" page?
9. Is there a reference to an internet article on the "Works Cited" page?
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10. Is there a fourth reference on the "Works Cited" page?
11. Does the "Works Cited" page seem to be done correctly? If not, what needs to be corrected?
12. Does the paper stay on topic?
13. Does the paper have a strong, effective introduction? What could make it better?
14. Does the paper have effective body paragraphs with topic sentences?
15. Are there clear transitions between paragraphs?
16. Does the paper have a strong, effective conclusion?
17. Are there any errors in grammar and mechanics? If so, circle them on the paper.
18. Are there any sentence fragments, run-ons or comma splices? If so, circle them on the paper.
19. Are there any confusing, wordy or poorly written sentences/ passages? If so, circle them on the
paper.
20. Does the paper have a nice flow or is it choppy? How could it be better? (smoother transitions,
etc.)
21. Does the paper sufficiently cover the chosen topic? What else could be included to make it more
thorough?
22. Does the paper read like all of the sentences in the paper have been effectively paraphrased, or do
they seem to be plagiarized (copied straight from the source)?
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