Wendy Chang 490200579
Using Your Library to Write a Research Paper
Summary
Part 1: Four important characteristic of a good research paper:
1. is based on reading and study
2. cites sources in a scholarly fashion
3. organized around a central thesis
4. offers a unique and original approach to the topic
Part 2: From subject to topic to thesis
1. The subject is the general area of knowledge that you are expected to write
about
2. The topic is a narrower, more specific area of knowledge suitable for a
paper of the right length
3. The thesis is what you want to say about the topic
Ex 1:
Subject: The Articles of Confederation
Topic: Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
Thesis: The Articles of Confederation failed because under the Articles and
Federal government didn’t have sufficient control of the nation’s
finances.
Ex 2:
Subject: Picasso
Topic: “Guornica”
Thesis: The way in which the critics responded to the painting “Guornica”
shows how politics can influence art.
Part 3 The first step: Background Reading
1. Sources: a textbook, Encyclopedia articles, a general introductory book on
the subject
2. Look for: a topic that interests you, a question that you can try to answer,
topics about which research materials are probably available
Ex 1:
Subject: Evolution
Background Reading: biology textbook, jot down ideas, encyclopedia
articles, note additional reading resources, good introductory books on the
subject, and tale of contents, preface, introduction, first chapter or two...
Topic: Darwin and Wallace
Topic: What was Darwin’s unique contribution?
Ex 2:
Subject: Moby Dick
Topic: What did Melville’s experiences actually become part of the book
Moby Dick?
Topic: The style of Moby Dick?
Part 4: Evaluating topic ideas
1. A good topic: fits the assignment and the course, is not too broad, is not too
narrow, has research sources but has not been overdone, is interesting to
you.
Ex 1:
Subject: Evolution
Topic: The Life of Alfred Russel Wallace (not appropriate)
Topic: Wallace’s Role in Developing to Theory of Evolution
Ex 2:
Subject: Moby Dick
Topic: Symbolism in Moby Dick (too broad)
Topic: The symbol of the white whale in Moby Dick
Ex 3:
Subject: Moby Dick
Topic: The Biblical Meaning of Captain Ahab’s Name (too narrow)
Topic: The character of Captain Ahab
Ex 4:
Subject: Evolution
Topic: What is natural selection? (overdone)
Topic: How Malthus influenced Darwin’s Idea of Natural Selection
Part 5: Devising A Tentative Thesis
1. It’s best to state a thesis in a single sentence
2. A good thesis statement should be a positive statement of some fact which
is not obvious
3. A good thesis statement should be testable and researchable
Ex 1:
Subject: Malcolm X
Topic: Malcolm X’s political attitudes at the end of his life
Bad Thesis Statement: Malcolm X’s changing attitudes toward racial
segregation
Good Thesis Statement: Malcolm X’s attitudes toward racial segregation
became more negative during the last 6 months of his life
Bad Thesis Statement: As a leading African American, Malcolm X’s attitudes
have importance for all Americans (not researchable or testable)
Good Thesis Statement: Malcolm X and Martin Luther King came to hold
similar attitudes toward the war in Vietnam
Bad Thesis Statement: Had Malcolm X lived, his attitudes toward racial
segregation would have changed dramatically (not researchable or testable)
Good Thesis Statement: Some of Malcom X’s followers have seriously
distorted his racial attitudes.
Part 6: Devising A Preliminary Bibliography
1. Bibliography: A bibliography is a written list of sources of information
about your topic
2. Preliminary Bibliography: a) A few current and complete background books
b) A few of the most important primary sources of information c) 2or 3 of
the most important secondary sources
What does this information add to your research writing skill?
Frankly, this video does not add any new information to my knowledge of
research writing. The instructions offered by the video are very basic, and they were
covered in many courses that I’ve taken in our department, such as Sophomore C&C,
Junior C&C, Computer-Assisted Bibliography and Research, and other courses that
required research writing. And in my junior year, I did outside readings on English
writing and research skills as extra materials for my C&C and this tape also overlaps
with those books I read. However, after writing academic research papers for more
than two years, I feel that even though teachers and books can teach us how to write
good papers, the “knowledge” we acquire does not necessarily equal to the “skills” we
have. New problems occur every time when I write a paper. So I believe it takes a lot
practice before we can become good writers.