RESEARCH PAPER
EXAMPLE . . .
Student 1
Steven Student
English IV P
Mrs. Tammy Teacher
30 January 2014
INTRODUCTION
provocative
“hook”
These sample pages are based on an actual research paper submitted by a senior at Bonita.
Some of its content and source information have been altered from the original to show you
how the following 2 standards for writing research papers actually look when done correctly:
(1) M.L.A. (for effective formatting, with header/heading/margins/spacing/citation/etc.)
(2) JANE SCHAFFER (for effective paragraphing, with concrete detail/commentary/leads/etc.)
Please model your own paper after this example . . . if yours doesn’t look like this one, FIX IT!!!
Global Warming: The Problem with Growing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
thesis-specific title
The world is going through a dangerous, albeit subtle, global change. Global warming is
the slow heating of Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases that has been occurring for over two
section
two
preview
section
one
preview
hundred years. Its current and future effects range from minor alterations to the way humans live
to being mostly responsible for weather-related natural disasters. Avoiding these effects will be
section
three
preview
difficult, but with regulation, education, and new technologies, it is possible. Global warming
and its destructive effects on Earth's climate can and should be avoided at all costs through the
use of diligent action.
concise thesis statement, providing clear direction for all body paragraphs to follow
Global warming, at its core, is the gradual heat increase of Earth's atmosphere.
Jane S.
pattern:
Environmentally conscious landfill designer Brenda Robertson says “either man, or natural
TS
cyclical changes, or a combination of both, are believed to cause global warming,” with the
CD
former seen more as the prevalent cause. Natural cyclical changes alone do not account for the
CM
CD
use lead-in to
introduce
interviewee
majority of global warming. “Without any change in . . . habits, Earth may warm by about five
degrees [C] . . . by 2100” (Leroux), causing the stable climate which all known life thrives upon
CM
CD
CM
CS
(add
leads?)
to corrode. This seemingly small change in global temperature could have far-reaching negative
use an
ellipsis
to
shorten
a C.D.
consequences. “Already, the Arctic has warmed faster than anywhere else, by about two degrees
C compared with 0.8 degree C globally” (“Putting a Price on Pollution”), and temperatures will
rise even more, given time. This planet has heated up and will continue to heat up based on
insert
(citation)
between
C.D. and
lead-out
current trends. The cause of global warming—greenhouse gases (GHGs)—must be addressed.
Carbon dioxide, usually formed from fossil-fuel combustion, and other GHGs are the
last sentence transitions to the topic of the next paragraph…
please
highlight
all
citations
Student 2
direct cause of global warming and climate change. "[GHGs] alter Earth’s climate by absorbing
energy in the lower atmosphere and re-emitting it" (Milken et al. 63) causing some heat to be
trapped inside the planet increasing global temperature. This effect is best known as global
if more
than 3
authors,
list first and
add “et al.”
warming. The “most prominent [GHG] is carbon dioxide (CO2) [and is] mostly [formed] by the
burning of fossil fuels” (Coalition for Awareness). CO2 is rightfully blamed as the main cause of
global warming; however; it is not the only cause. There are "other gases, such as methane
(CH4) [and] nitrous oxide (N2O)” (“Blueprint Lays Out . . .”) that contribute to global warming
as well. All GHGs cause global warming, and so reducing the emissions of every greenhouse gas
is key to fighting the problem. The potential effects of global warming are compelling reasons to
curb GHG emissions.
only include the first three words of a lengthy “web page title,” followed by an ellipsis
The predicted adverse effects of a warming planet are why global warming should be
avoided. It is predicted that “the interior regions of continents will become drier as temperature
rises. This change could make the [farmland] less suitable for [crops]” (Nordhaus, “Global
Warming . . .” 1284), leading to less affordable food and more hungry people. Global warming
could lead to the starvation of people living in poor, underdeveloped countries with rising
populations. “Under the effects of global warming, U.S. corn crop yields could drop by as much
2 or
more
works
by
same
author
as 42 percent, according to figures from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)”
(Nordhaus, “After Kyoto . . .” 33). The effect global warming has on the food supply of the
try
leading
in with a
citation
(authors
only)
world will almost certainly not be insignificant. According to Uzawa, Mendelsen and Heidelberg,
“[It has been] suggested that feedback effects such as melting permafrost could cause a runaway
greenhouse scenario where the oceans become so hot they evaporate,” turning the planet into a
waterless dead-zone. While this scenario is unlikely, it is possible, and should be viewed as a
threat. The repercussions of global warming must not be doubted, even though they may be hard
to recognize.
use [brackets] when inserting your own words to make concrete details flow more effectively
Student 3
Despite global warming being a very real issue, its effects can be hard to identify, prove,
and predict. The exact effects of global warming are unknown because
greenhouse gas emissions are hitting [Earth's] complex [climate] with a hammer, and it is
“block” quote
when more than
4 lines of C.D.
(tab left margin
only, eliminate
quotation marks
in
and (cite) after
last punctuation)
nothing like anything we geophysicists have studied before. Obviously, a fundamental
element of any scientific study is the existence of prior data to provide a “baseline.” But
in this case, no prior evidence exists. This is one of our most significant hurdles—one
firstperson
pronouns
allowed if
found in a
C.D.
which unfortunately fails to make headlines. (Cooler Heads Coalition)
It is hard to predict effects in general with little to no prior experience. Also, “climate related
disaster losses reported . . . are unequally distributed” (Clinton, in Revkin), meaning that known
lead-ins /
lead-outs
serve to
(1)
blend
C.D.+CM
(2)
provide
extra
CM
data is not as precise or accurate as it could be. Data that is not precise and accurate is essentially
primary
source
quoted by
secondary
source
useless for making predictions. Another issue is that “risks cannot be eliminated fully” (An
Inconvenient Truth), leading to more difficulty making accurate predictions. Additionally, many
predictions about global warming are more likely to not coincide with each other, giving them
less validity. Despite the lack of absolute certainty of global warming's adverse effects, some of
those effects, thus far, are fairly well understood.
key ideas from
thesis
statement
(SKIP TO CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH SAMPLE…NO EXTRA SPACEBETWEEN PARAGRAPHS)
Global warming is not to be taken lightly; it has the potential to cause not only extreme
heat, but extreme weather in general, including hurricanes and blizzards the likes of which
humanity has never experienced. Greenhouse gas emissions are climbing more than ever. Fossil
brief
fuels are burned dangerously casually. Beautiful ecosystems are on the brink of collapse. It is not summary
overstatement to say that, left unchecked, global warming’s residual drought, famine, disease,
of each
section
and ultimate human extinction are not only scientifically plausible, but probable. However, that
same science suggests that it is not too late; by making fundamental changes in the way it uses
the planet to provide for its human needs, the human race can indeed come to its own rescue.
one last thought-provoking statement which captures the essence of
what your research has demonstrated and the kind of paper it was
(persuasive? exploratory? compare/contrast? problem/solution?)