Research Paper Packet
Name:
Planner:
January
Monday
Tuesday
14
21
No School
Wednesday
15
16
Paper Intro/Topic
Paper Intro/Topic
Selection (p.3)
Selection (p.4)
Complete the
Complete the
“Source Citation”
“Source Citation”
practice on pgs. 5-6 practice on pgs. 5-6
22
23
Lab Time
Lab Time
(Complete “3
(Complete “3
sources”
sources”
assignment in
assignment in
Edmodo)
Edmodo)
28
29
30
Outline
work
time/Poetry
Thursday
Friday
17
18
Source Citation
Source Citation
practice due:
practice due:
pgs. 5-6
pgs. 5-6
Lab Time:
Lab Time:
(Complete p.4)
(Complete p.4)
24
25
Lab Time
Lab Time
(Complete
(Complete Thesis
Thesis
Assignment in
Assignment in
Edmodo)
Edmodo)
31
Outline due (p. 6)
(handwritten on
your own paper)
1
Outline due (p. 6)
(handwritten on
your own paper)
February
Monday
Tuesday
4
Intro./Conclusion
(pg. 6-7)
11
Lab Time
Wednesday
5
Writing prompt
12
Lab Time
Thursday
6
13
Lab Time
Friday
7
8
Rough Draft
Due/Peer Edit
Writing prompt
Then poetry
Rough Draft
Due/Peer Edit
14
Final Paper Due:
Typed, Printed
15
Final Paper Due:
Typed, Printed
**Note: We will be using Edmodo for much of the research paper process
and you will be turning in your final paper to Edmodo.
1/7
WHAT SHOULD MY RESEARCH PAPER LOOK LIKE?
Research papers should consist of:
 Paper is at least 2 full pages typed (3 full pages for Honors), but no more than 4 typed pages
 Paper is formatted according to MLA standards (use the MLA template paper from my website)
 Work Cited page (with at least 3 required resources in alphabetical order)
“No-No” WORDS FOR FORMAL WRITING
As you edit your paper, circle any of these words – if you find them in your paper – and make sure
to change and replace them for the final copy. Add a tally mark(s) to the words/phrases you found
– and then be sure to change them!
Me
I
You
In this paragraph I will…
Let’s read on to find out…
My paper is about…
My story is about….
Let me tell you about….
This paper is about…
Here is some information on…
Don’t you want to read about…
I hope you enjoyed my paper…
I tried to tell you…
And that was my paper…
The End
We
Word Processing Guidelines:
 12 point font size
 Font: Times New Roman
 Double Spaced
 No extra spaces between paragraphs (only hit return/enter once)
 Paper does not conclude with “the End” nor does it contain “No-No” words
Again, use the MLA template paper from my website!
2/7
Name: ______________________________
Class Period: _________________________
Write a Research Paper!
In this packet, you will find all of the materials you will need to complete in order to write an effective research
paper. All deadlines are tentative and are subject to change.
You will choose a topic from a list I will give to you in class. Write your top 3 choices in order of preference. I will
try to give you your top choice.
My top 3 choices for the topic of my research paper are:
1.
2.
3.
MY AGREEMENT WITH Ms. Rathmann
I understand that I must meet the deadlines that Ms. Rathmann sets EVEN IF I AM ABSENT!! – EVEN IF WE
HAVE A SNOW DAY!!! I understand that I can email her my assignment. I understand that I can send her my
assignment in Edmodo. I understand that if I have questions, I can email her or see her before school or during
Directed Studies, or during lunch or after school. I understand that I can NOT use “I don’t have internet at home”
as an excuse because we are going to be in the computer lab for several days and because I have Directed Studies
and time before/after school. I understand that time management is critical to this assignment. I will not be a
slacker. I will not make excuses. I know that I am very capable of doing an awesome job on this research paper and
all of the related components. I understand that my parents/guardians have been sent this agreement via email.
_________________________________________
My Signature
__________________
Date
_________________________________________
My name printed
__________________
Date
3/7
My research paper topic:
______________________________________________________________________________
Research Plan
K
W
What I already Know about this topic
What I Want to Know about this topic
NOTES FROM FIRST RESEARCH SESSION:
*
*
*
*
*
Teacher Initials for participation grade from day 1 in lab:_____
4/7
Source Citations
(Due 1/17 and 1/18)
An effective source citation needs to give the reader all of the information he or she would need to find the book, article, or website where
you found the information. These citations will be listed in alphabetical order on the Works Cited page of your paper, which is the
last page.
Here are a few example citations for your reference:
Citation for a Book:
Format:
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication (print).
Example:
McNulty, Anna. A+: How Teaching Made Me Rich and Famous. St. Louis: McMiller Publishing, 2007. Print.
Citation for a Magazine Article:
Format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.
Example:
Miller, Rudolph. “Jazz isn’t Just for Dirty Hippies.” Newsweek May 3, 1975: 4-18. Print.
Format:
Example:
Citation for a Website:
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated
with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of
access. <Web address>.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.
<www.purdue.edu/GLCT>.
Practice
Instructions: The parts of the following source citations are mixed up, out of order, and have been put together incorrectly. Rewrite them
correctly.
1. Book: Haunted. Doubleday Publishers. 2006. Chuck Palahniuk. New York.
Correction:____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Magazine: 26-29. “How to Go to College – Free!” October 6, 2002. Hannah Arendt. US News and World Report.
Correction:____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. Website: http://www.wikipedia.com/calico.htm. April 29, 2006. Author Unknown. “Calico Cats.”
Online.Correction:____________________________________________________________________
More Practice
Instructions: Below, a messy student who wasn’t very well organized took down information from a bunch of sources she wants to use in her
paper. Your mission is to make sense of the information and to put together a properly formatted MLA source citation for each of these
sources.
1.
I found this really great website with tons of information on the subject of my research paper, Michael
Jordan. The site was called “His Airness” and I really liked the “Michael Jordan: A Biography” page. The
author was Phil Jackson… he said something about being Jordan’s coach…? Anyway. I found it yesterday
– March 15th, 2007 – and if I want to go back that page was at http://www.mj.com/jordan/biograhy.html .
Source Citation:
2.
My teacher handed me this book that’ll really help with my research project. The book was titled, The
Human Condition and it was written by Hannah Arendt. The book was published by Schocken Books in
1999… that publishing company is located in New York City.
Source Citation:
3.
I was reading Newsweek magazine at the gym the other day and there was this really interesting
article about Barak Obama called “America’s New Hope?” I think it was on pages 20-23. It was
written by Anna Quindlen and it was in the March 5th edition of the magazine.
Source Citation:
5/7
The Outline: BUILDING YOUR PAPER
Based on your research, you should now be able to start building an outline of your paper. Keep in mind that your paper is a minimum of 2
pages (Standard) or 3 pages (Honors). Three body paragraphs is a good place to start, but do not limit yourself to only 3 if your thesis
requires more support.
Paper Title:
Thesis:
I. Complete sentence expressing a main idea to support the thesis. (This will be the topic sentence for each body paragraph.)
A. Put a phrase representing what you will offer as proof from your research to support the main idea.
B. If you have additional evidence for this point, list it here.
II. Another main idea to support the thesis. Each body paragraph must have a main idea. (You will have as many roman numerals as you
have body paragraphs.)
A.
B.
III. Remember to continue on in this same format for as many body paragraphs as you think you need.
A.
B.
**Remember: Each body paragraph should relate back to/support the thesis statement.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction Paragraphs
Instructions: Your introduction paragraph is where you grab your reader’s attention and tell them what your paper will be about. Get them
interested in what you have to say! Without a good introduction, it is likely that your read will just set your paper down without reading the
whole thing.
An introduction paragraph contains the following two parts:
Hook
Grab your reader’s attention and get them interested in what you’re writing about. Also provide any necessary
background information.
Thesis
Write the thesis of the paper. Tell the reader what this paper will make them believe.
Here’s an example of an effective introduction paragraph:
Hook
Over 11 million innocent people taken to camps and systematically murdered. 5% of the entire world’s population
killed. Sound like science fiction? It actually happened in the not so distant past,
Thesis
World War II was one of the most devastating conflicts in the history of humanity. World War II wreaked havoc on
the world with the Holocaust, countless deaths in the war, and diseases spread during wartime.
Write Your Introduction!
Hook
Thesis
6/7
Conclusion Paragraphs
Instructions: The purpose of a conclusion paragraph is exactly that – to tie up all of your loose ends and bring your paper to a solid ending.
A conclusion paragraph contains the two following parts:
Go Back!
Closing
Hook
Use a transition word/phrase, then revisit your thesis statement and reasons (topic sentences).
End your persuasive essay with a hook (something interesting!). Tell your reader exactly what you want
them to feel, think, or do!
Here’s an example of an effective conclusion paragraph:
In the end, this paper has shown that World War II was one of the most devastating conflicts in the history
Go Back! of humanity by explaining the Holocaust, showing how the war started, and exploring the impact the war had
on the rest of the world.
Closing Though 62 million deaths seems unthinkable, it is important to remember that this really happened and that
Hook
we need to keep it from happening again in the future.
Write Your Conclusion!
Go Back!
Closing
Hook
Teacher’s initials for today’s assignment _________
7/7