NAME: ____________________________________
Research: Rough Draft
A rough draft is an essential step in the writing process. Without writing a rough draft how will you
know if you have enough pages? information? sources? proper citations? proof of thesis?
Citing Sources:
To begin writing and building good paragraphs as described below, arrange and group your note cards by
common title/topic. Then, when you use a note card while writing, use the associated source card
(bibliographic info) to create an in-text citation. For example, the note card below was used to write the
example paragraph. By using the note card, you know the information came from page 105 of source B.
So in this example, you would look back to source card B to get the author’s last name: Smith. Finally,
combine the author’s last name with the page# to insert a citation, (Smith 105), at the end of the sentence.
Number of Casualties
B
In WWII, Germany suffered:
-3,500,000 military deaths
-780,000 civilian deaths
Pre-WWII population
-5,000,000 men (18-40yrs)
105
As you write your paragraphs, Every time you use a note card or information from a source it must be
cited in this way (and on your Works Cited page). Remember, in-text citations usually take the form of -(author’s last name pg#). **Note: if your source does not have an author, use a shortened version of the
source’s title.** If you find that you have identical in-text citations in consecutive sentences, you may
eliminate the first and simply keep the last in-text citation. Find the (Smith 105) citation in the example
paragraph. The in-text citation allows a reader to assume that the first three sentences of this paragraph
either came from the author’s original ideas or from page 105 of Smith’s book.
Example:
1 AUTHOR
NO AUTHOR
2 AUTHORS
The devastating impact of the two world wars on Europe can be seen by
examining the extraordinary number of casualties. The devastation Europe
experienced is exemplified by the number of men who died in battle, an effect so
extreme it could be termed a “lost generation.” For example, Germany numbered
five million military-eligible men prior to World War II but suffered 3.5 million
military deaths during the war (Smith 105). The devastating impact of this
problem only mounts when one adds the casualties of other European nations like
England. Nearly every family personally felt the impact of the war and the “lost
generation” casualties. Fewer than twenty-five percent of English school-children
grew up with a father after World War II (“Toll of War” 35). As if the number of
casualties and their impact on families were not devastating enough, economies
around Europe were ravaged. So many European men were struck down in their
prime that families were left without their leaders and primary “bread winners.”
This was never more than in Germany, where one in three families lived in poverty
following the wars as mothers struggled to provide income and care for children
(Jones and Johnson 206). Because the numbers of casualties suffered during
World War I & II were mostly men, the wars altered basic life in Europe as women
became more important leaders of families and business.
You must cite every piece of information you have borrowed from another author whether quoting
directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing. Without an in-text citation for every piece of borrowed
information, your essay is plagiarized.
Parenthetical In-Text Citation Formats:
You must have at least one parenthetical citation per body paragraph, because documentation does not
cite information in previous paragraphs. Make sure you have a citation at the end of each paragraph.
If the source has 1 AUTHOR:
 (author’s last name
page #).
If the source has 2 AUTHORS:
 (author1 last name and author2 last name
page #).
If the source has 3 or more AUTHORS:
 (author1 last name, et al
page #).
If the source has NO AUTHOR:
 (“shortened title of source”
page #).
Works Cited:
When you have finished writing your rough draft, create the works cited page. To make a works cited
page, use only the source cards from your working bibliography that you actually used to write your
essay. To determine this, go back to the beginning of your essay and keep track of all the different
sources you used (they appear in in-text citations). For every source with an in-text citation in your
essay, there must be a complete entry in your works cited page, or your essay is plagiarized. The
name of this document literally comes from the works cited in the text of your essay.
Start the Works Cited on a new page at the end of your essay (does not count toward your pg req).
 Center the title, Works Cited, one inch from the top of the page and do not underline.
 Alphabetize entries by the author's last name or, if the author is unknown, by the first word in
the title other than A, An, or The. (Use the first piece of info from your MLA source cards)
 Begin the entry flush with the left margin. If the entry is more than one line, indent all
subsequent lines five spaces from the left margin.
 Include as much of the bibliographic (source card) information as is available.
Example: (in alphabetical order)
Works Cited
PERIODICAL
Bender, William H. "How Much Food Will We Need in the Twenty-First
Century?" Environment Mar. 1997: 6-11.
BOOK with 3 or more
AUTHORS
Daconta, Michael et al. Java 1.2 and JavaScript for C and C++ Programmers.
New York: Wiley, 1998.
BOOK with 1 AUTHOR
Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Essays. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1957.
WEBSITE
“The Legend of Picasso.” The Artchive. American Art Foundation. 6 Nov.
2000 <http://www.artchive.com/artchive/P/picasso_postww2.html>.
BOOK with 2 AUTHORS
Londre, Rick and Dee Porter. Gangs: A Handbook for Community
Awareness. New York: Facts on File, 1997.
Tips to Improve Your Writing:
Besides documenting your sources of information (citation, works cited), you should focus your rough
draft efforts on using sounds writing techniques. Be familiar with the tips below, and pay particular
attention to “writing a good paragraph.”
1. Interpret the factual research and comment on
how it proves your original thesis.
2. Develop your argument by using specific
examples and clear support.
3. Do not tell what you will say/prove…simply
say/prove it
4. Be selective. You don't have to include
all the info you gathered! Pick the ideas that
best relate to and prove your topic.
5. Make sure you know what a word means before
you use it.
6. Vary your sentence structures and vocabulary.
7. Avoid the use of “I” and personal commentary
(“I think,” “I like,” etc) in formal papers.
8. Avoid using clichés, redundant phrases, and
casual language
9. Limit use of contractions.
10. Do not space between paragraphs.
11. Use standard margins (1 in), spacing (2 spaces
at the end of each sentence), and fonts (12 pt
Times New Roman).
Writing a Good Paragraph:
The first concern of a research paper should be proving your thesis statement. Think about proving your
thesis statement one subtopic at a time, and proving each subtopic, one paragraph at a time. If each
paragraph is directly related to the thesis statement, then proving the main idea of each paragraph should
in turn lead to proving the thesis. “A” papers are earned by using a strong paragraph structure.
Following this logic and organization, writing solid paragraphs is essential. Good research paragraphs
have five types of sentences:
1.
Topic Sentence: General statement that clearly connects the main idea of the paragraph to the thesis.
2.
Statement of Analysis: Discussion of evidence that proves the paragraph’s topic sentence. Probably of
statement of the author’s own analysis.
3.
Factual Example: Statement that gives a specific example illustrating the support statement (probably a
fact from research/note card).
4.
Connector: Statement or phrase that connects support statement ideas.
5.
Clincher: A conclusion sentence that ends the idea of the paragraph with a deeper understanding.
Example:
Thesis Statement = Between 1914 and 1945, two world wars had a devastating impact on Europe,
helped end European domination of the world, and solidified the U.S. as a
world power.
The devastating impact of the two world wars on Europe can be seen
by examining the extraordinary number of casualties.
The devastation Europe experienced is exemplified by the
number of men who died in battle, an effect so extreme it
could be termed a “lost generation.” For example, Germany
numbered five million military-eligible men prior to World War II
but suffered 3.5 million military deaths during the war (Smith
Topic
Sentence
Statement
of
Analysis
&
Factual
Example
105).
Connectors
The devastating impact of this problem only mounts when one adds the
casualties of other European nations like England.
Nearly every family personally felt the impact of the war and
the “lost generation” casualties. Fewer than twenty-five
percent of English school-children grew up with a father after
Statement
of
Analysis
&
Factual
Example
World War II (“Toll of War” 35).
Connectors
As if the number of casualties and their impact on families were not
devastating enough, economies around Europe were ravaged.
So many European men were struck down in their prime
Statement
of
Analysis
that families were left without their leaders and primary
&
“bread winners.” This was never more than in Germany,
Factual
Example
where one in three families lived in poverty following the wars as
mothers struggled to provide income and care for children
(Jones and Johnson 206).
Because the numbers of casualties suffered during World War I & II were
mostly men, the wars altered basic life in Europe as women became more
important leaders of families and business.
Clincher
In the example, notice how every sentence works toward explaining how the number of casualties proves
the world wars’ devastating impact on Europe. It is important to notice that what separates good essays
from average ones is not the research itself, but rather the statements of analysis. The ideal researchbased paragraph would be organized with a topic sentence at the beginning, three sets of analysis and
examples, a connector between each piece of evidence, and a clincher sentence to conclude the paragraph.
Your ability to analyze and comment on the facts by explaining how they prove your thesis is key. Do
not simply present lists of facts and hope the reader arrives at the same conclusion as you. Explain how
each factual detail strengthens your argument.