The Research Paper
“Hamlet”
Definition
• A research paper is a piece of academic writing
that requires a more abstract, critical, and
thoughtful level of inquiry than you might be
used to.
• Writing a research paper involves (1) first
familiarizing yourself with the works of "experts"-for example, on the page, on the internet, or in
the flesh through personal interviews--to build
upon what you know about a subject and then
(2) comparing their thoughts on the topic with
your own.
You'll end up using relevant information--facts
and/or opinions--from these expert sources, these
"others," to support the topic you have been given
or chosen to explore. Then the final product will be
a unique and appropriate integration of evidence
you have located outside yourself and personal
insights generated from your own internal think
tank--your mind.
For this essay, you will use 1) the play (I expect
several direct references and direct quotes); 2) the
two articles I provide and 3) 2-3 sources that you,
yourself, find.
The Final Product
• The final product will be a unique and
appropriate integration of evidence you have
located outside yourself and personal insights.
• It is a research paper. You MUST rely on the
research.
• I do want to see your thoughts and analysis, but
this is not a reflective paper; it is based in
research.
How to Use Sources
• The inclusion of sources isn't just some
arbitrary “can-you-use-the-library?” test in
disguise, but complements your own ideas
by providing academic context and
credibility to what you are asserting. No
teacher or professor will be marking what
the published experts have to say, only
how well you use what the experts have to
say to advance your paper's purpose.
Be Careful…
• Note: A mere review of the academic
"literature" in a field--i.e. a summary of the
existing body of knowledge on your
subject--does not make a research paper.
The two main types: To Analyze
or to Argue? That is the
question.
• Whether your paper is ANALYTICAL (uses
evidence to analyze facets of an issue) or
ARGUMENTATIVE (uses evidence to
attempt to convince the reader of your
particular stance on a debatable topic), is
definitely going to have a bearing on your
strategy from here on in. In fact, it will
determine your paper's purpose.
Analytical Papers
• As the staff at the SUNY Empire State College
Writer's Complex explains it: "To analyze means
to break a topic or concept down into its parts in
order to inspect and understand it, and to
restructure those parts in a way that makes
sense to you. In an analytical research paper,
you do research to become an expert on a topic
so that you can restructure and present the parts
of the topic from your own perspective.”
Purpose
• Go into the researching stage with a specific
topic about which you have not made any kind of
conclusions.
• Your task is to survey the information and views
already out there--both before and once you
become familiar with the topic. That will require
critical thinking and reading, plus evaluation
of the resources you handle.
• By the end of the paper you will be able to
contribute your own thoughts to the academic
discussion by drawing some conclusions about
the topic you have just analyzed.
Critical Thinking
• In a research or reading context it means
not considering any view as "truth" simply
because a source has been published or
seems to be an expert.
• It requires you to maintain some objectivity
and ask questions to yourself as you read
(or watch or listen).
• Use what you find to draw your own
conclusions and to show your insight.
Argumentative (or Persuasive)
Papers
• In addition to the concept of critical
thinking (which any paper at the university
level will demand of you), another widelyused term at the college level which you
may or may not be familiar with in its
academic context, is the term argument.
This is the basis of the persuasive kind of
research paper.
Purpose?
• In direct contrast to the analytical paper,
your approach here is to take a stand on
an issue and use evidence to back-up
your stance.
• You are not just exploring a topic.
An Example
• For an ANALYTICAL research paper, let's
say you have decided to explore "the
purpose of madness in Renaissance
tragedies." You don't have an answer in
mind to turn that into a sentence (that
wouldn't be following the purpose of your
paper!) so you do some research to locate
instances of insanity in various plays.
• The body of the paper would analyze or break down the
topic into three or four "parts" which will later become the
main paragraphs of your draft.
• Perhaps your research helps you discover several
purposes to madness in these tragedies, with your paper
devoting a paragraph to considering each. Or perhaps
there's debate among scholars as to the main purpose of
madness, so you decide to present some of these
varying opinions.
• However you choose to explore the topic, in the body of
your paper you'd be using evidence from the plays
themselves (a.k.a. primary sources) and expert
opinions on the plays (a.k.a. secondary sources).
Critical Interpretations at the End
• Your concluding paragraphs would finally
incorporate some of your critical
interpretations of both the plays and the
experts' essays. Here, you'd include a
critical evaluation and discussion of your
overall findings as well as some
conclusions based on the patterns you've
researched or detected yourself to make
some final comments about the purpose of
madness in Renaissance tragedies.
Same Topic, Different Approach
• Now, an ARGUMENTATIVE paper would
lay out exactly what you consider to be the
purpose of madness in Renaissance
tragedies in a declarative sentence right in
the introduction--the thesis statement.
Thus, the template would change
accordingly to "the purpose of madness in
Renaissance tragedies is ______ (for
comic relief? to provide a reflection of
moral chaos? and so on and so forth)."
See, it ceases to be just a topic (notice above that our topic
for the analytical paper is not a sentence!) and has become
instead an interpretation. The course of the paper will
develop why you believe--and importantly, why the reader
should believe--what you do.
This time, you'll select only that evidence (still examples from plays and
opinions from experts) which directly supports your thesis. The body of
your paper turns into a site for laying out the proof you've collected
rather than a canvas for examining a topic.
And considering that scholars still debate the psychological state of
Prince Hamlet (close to 400 years after the play was written!), there is
no right or wrong answer. You will not get a bad mark if your teacher or
professor happens to completely disagree with your thesis. That's not
the point. Solid back-up and convincing arguments, not safe thesis
statements, are what make for happy teachers.
Which to Do?
• Because your insights, which are what your
teachers and professors are most interested in,
argumentative papers are probably the most
popular type of research paper.
• If you choose the analytical route, be sure to
have 2-3 paragraphs (or at least a page), at the
end, where you share your conclusions, insight,
understanding of the topic.
Use Citation Machine
& Owl Purdue
• The website is very user-friendly and
makes citing your sources simple.
• I insist that you use it and expect no
problems.
• http://citationmachine.net/
• Also use Owl Purdue (+ MLA) for
formatting. I strongly suggest that you reread the sample paper and the notes that
accompany it.
How and When to Cite
• If the information you are including is not
COMMON KNOWLEDGE (which means
that most people, not just you, possess
this knowledge), you MUST give your
source.
Paraphrase and Cite
• It is expected that most times, you don’t
quote directly, but, rather, paraphrase and
then cite your source.
• Because it was not an original idea, and
was not common knowledge, even when
you have gone to the trouble to re-word,
you MUST cite.
Personal Insight & Observation
• If you are sharing a personal reflection,
observation, experience or idea that
comes from your analysis of the topic, you
DO NOT have to cite a source.
• Usually, in a paragraph, you have used
(and cited) one or more external sources,
and have also made your own assertions.
Try to organize in such a way that it’s
obvious what YOUR ideas are.
The Process
• Find a source you like.
• If it’s a book, sit with a piece of paper. If it’s an electronic source, sit
with a Word document open.
• Use Citation Machine to put the bibliographical information at the top
of your page.
• For books, write down either in bulleted form or in paraphrased form,
the key points you think you will use. Put direct quotes around the
bits you think you will use as direct quotes.
• For e-sources, cut and paste pieces from the original into the word
document and read it – make point form notes or paraphrased notes
from the original. Delete the original and you are left with your
bulleted notes or paraphrased version (in your own words as often
as possible).
• Do this for each of your sources.
• When you have page numbers, use them throughout.
And / Or
• If you want to, you can print off, or
photocopy, the sources you are using.
• As you read, highlight, underline, make
notes in the margins. Show me that you
are using the source, that you are
indicating which bits you will use, that your
own words are mixed on the side, that you
are indicating which parts you will use
word-for-word, as direct quotes.
No Notes, No Mark, No Kidding!
Locate the Information
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Use the New Brunswick Public Library site. If you do not have a library card, make
every effort to get one or to borrow a parent’s card and bring the number with you.
I would start with the electronic sources and do a search, but you can look around in
their site and see if there are other suggestions.
Use books from the MHS library.
Talk to your librarian.
Go to the public library (ask for help); go to U de M (that’s where I got the sources I
am sharing with you).
If you can get access, tap into university websites. You will see “.edu” as the
extension; “.gov” is also generally reliable.
Do not use Wikipedia.
Use Google Scholar.
If you must google, be critical of the sources you find.
If you reference our class notes, cite me as a source (MLA + more + lecture).
Finding sources does not mean use dictionary.com or other such sources. You can
use them, but they don’t “count” towards the type of academic sources / articles I
expect you to find and use.
Your paper is only as good as your sources.
Sample Fact Sheet
•
Cruxton, J.Bradley and W.Douglas Wilson. Spotlight Canada, Fourth
Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000.
•
Topic: CANADIAN AUTHORS: Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood (page
388).
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Alice Munro:
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One of the best known short story writers in the world
Stories set in town like one she lived in in SW Ontario.
Went to UWO for two years.
Moved to Victoria, B.C with her husband.
Opened a bookstore, Munro’s Books.
“Munro quickly became known for her insight into small-town life. She herself
lived in such a town.” page 23
Personal Commentary: I think we will use this info in the first few slides to
set up the presentation and to give background. Can we find another site to
support what we have here?
How Would Hamlet Answer This
Question: Who Am I?
• Research the psychology behind identity and self
perception.
• Write about Hamlet’s self perception in relation to this
research.
• Begin by reading Brooks’ article, “How Might Hamlet
help to Educate Psychotherapists?”
• Also read Levy’s article, “The Problematics of Personal
Identity in Hamlet.”
• Find and use two more sources.
• Also, be sure to also use specific references from the
play (direct quotes that you, yourself take from the play,
using it as a primary source).
What statement about “Woman”
does the play, Hamlet, make?
• Read James Stone’s article, “Androgynous
union and the woman in Hamlet.”
• Read Elaine Showalter’s article, “Representing
Ophelia: women, madness, and the
responsibilities of feminist criticism.”
• Read, “The Woman is Out: A New Look at the
law in Hamlet.”
• Find 1 - 2 more sources.
• Also, be sure to also use specific references
from the play (direct quotes that you, yourself
take from the play, using it as a primary source).
Does the Play Place a Higher Value
on Reason or Passion?
• Read Levy’s, “The Problematic Relation
Between Reason and Emotions in Hamlet.”
• Read “The Discourse of Reason: Justice and the
Erroneous Conscience in Hamlet.”
• Find and use 2-3 more sources.
• Also, be sure to also use specific references
from the play (direct quotes that you, yourself
take from the play, using it as a primary source).
Rubric
• The rubric is saved on the Wiki page. It
would be really wise to read it carefully,
and to check your competence in each
area (CAREFULLY), before you submit
your paper.
Evaluation
• Research for Beginners:
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/h
ypertext/ResearchW/types