HOW TO WRITE A
RESEARCH PAPER
Active vs. Passive Voice
In active voice……
the subject of the sentence performs the action
expressed in the verb.
The dog bit the boy.
In passive voice…….
the subject is acted upon; he or she receives the action
expressed by the verb.
The boy was bitten by the dog.
Passive Voice



The passive voice can create awkward sentences.
It is more readily accepted in scientific writing.
The verb phrase will always include a form of be,
such as am, is, was, were, are, or been, but
presence of a be-verb does not necessarily mean
the sentence is in passive voice.
I

was riding the bicycle.
may include a "by the..." phrase after the verb
 The
milk was bought by the man.
Research Paper Criteria




Topic must be approved by Mrs. Mills.
You must use at least 5 credible sources. You may
choose from the following: books, newspapers,
magazines, articles from data bases, sources from
reliable web sites (no blogs, Wikipedia, etc.).
Final paper must use correct MLA format and
documentation within paper as well as adhere to
MLA format in your Works Cited page.
The thesis statement must be clearly written.
Research Paper Criteria



The content of your paper should be clearly organized,
relevant to the selected topic and thesis statement, and
written in a manner that demonstrates varied language
use and sentence structure(correct spelling, grammar,
verb tenses, etc.).
The paper must be typed and double-spaced using
Times New Roman font size 12.
The final version of your paper must be a minimum of 3
pages in length (not including your Works Cited page).
It should not exceed 5 pages.
Your Name
Mrs. Mills
English 4
Date Due
Title
Research Paper Criteria


1” margins on each side
Create a header in the upper right hand corner
with your last name and consecutive page numbers
(omit on page 1)
Types of Research Papers


Argumentative
Analytical
Argumentative

The writer clearly introduces the topic and informs
his audience exactly which stance he intends to take
in his thesis statement:
 Although
it has been proven that cigarette smoking may
lead to health problems in the smoker, the social
acceptance of smoking in public places demonstrates
that many still do not consider secondhand smoke as
dangerous to one's health as firsthand smoke.
Analytical

Usually begins with the writer asking a question on
which he has taken no stance. For example, perhaps
one is interested in the Old English poem Beowulf
and wants to offer a fresh reading of the poem to
the academic community:
 Though
Beowulf is often read as a poem that recounts
the heroism and supernatural exploits of the
protagonist Beowulf, it may also be read as a poem
that served as an exemplum for tenth- and eleventhcentury communities.
Choosing Your Topic



Select a topic that interests you
Pick something you want to know more about
Choose something you can easily research
Possible Topics








artificial intelligence
cell phone use (dangers of…)
cloning
e-toys replacing human companionship
genetic testing during pregnancy
plastic surgery: creating the perfect person
space exploration: beneficial or an unnecessary
government investment?
stem cell research
Narrowing Your Topic
Literature of
Weapons used
in
World War I
History of
Impact of
America’s role in
Causes of
More to consider…

Consider your audience
 Formal
writing
 Third-person narration

Consider your purpose
 Argumentative
or analytical
Research

When you find a good source you want to use,
make sure you:
 Print
the information directly from the source
 Start reading through and organizing information
 highlighting
Sources


Once you select a source, there is some basic
information that you will want to acquire. This will
include the details that you will need later when you
compile your works cited page.
For an internet source, for example, you will need:
Author’s name: record all if there is more than one
 Title of article or site
 Date of electronic publication (if available)
 Date accessed/printed by you


Consider numbering your sources for ease when writing
later.
Writing Your Thesis Statement

A thesis statement….
 Is
the key point or argument you wish to make about
your topic
 Is a summary of the most important ideas of your
paper
 Should be clear and easy to understand
 Everything in your paper should refer back to the thesis.
Example Thesis Statements

You want to write an analytical paper that explains
the challenge facing admissions counselors:
 One
of the biggest challenges college admissions
counselors face is deciding to accept students with high
test scores or students with strong extracurricular
backgrounds.
Example Thesis Statements

You want to write an argumentative paper that
supports the claim that students should pursue
community projects before entering college:
 High
school graduates should be required to take a
year off to pursue community service projects before
entering college in order to increase their maturity and
global awareness.
Vague Thesis Statements


The space program of the 1960’s helped to unite
Americans.
The childhood of Queen Elizabeth I of England had
a great impact on decisions she made as a ruler.
Thesis Statement Errors to Avoid


A thesis must not be in the form of a question.
NOT: Should mothers have the right to genetically test
their babies?
A thesis must not contain phrases such as “I think”
because they weaken the statement.
NOT: In my opinion, plastic surgery is ridiculous.
More Thesis Information



A thesis must not contain elements that are not
clearly related.
NOT: All computers are not helpful; therefore internet
use should be banned in elementary schools.
A thesis must not be expressed in vague language.
NOT: Bad things have resulted from humans using text
messages to communicate.
More Thesis Information



A thesis must not be expressed in muddled or
incoherent language.
NOT: Stem cell research is a status offense because
the participants are not willing so that the relationship
is on volunteer basis and the donors are more like
victims.
A thesis should not be written in figurative
language.
NOT: Bio-Engineered food is the phoenix bird of
civilization.
S + D + FA = Thesis




S = Subject
D = Direction (of your stand)
FA = Focus Areas
Americans of Japanese ancestry have been
discriminated against through the use of internment
camps, educational tracking, and educational quotas.
Note Taking


Keep all information stored together (manila folder,
pocket folder, or notebook)
Be sure to print and/or photocopy all the
information
 Do

not just copy and paste
Organize your research by color coding, using
sticky notes/note cards, highlighting, stapling, etc.
Techniques for Notetaking

Summarize: reduce what you have read to a few
important points using your own words


Paraphrase: restate what you have read using your
own words


Condense a chapter into a short paragraph or a paragraph
into a single sentence
Different from a summary because it does not condense the
author’s own ideas but retells the information (using own
language) in the same amount of words
Quote directly: record the statement or idea word for
word and put quotation marks around this information
Parenthetical Citations

Any material taken from an outside source must be
given proper credit in your paper.
 This
does not include common knowledge, which does
not need to be cited.

The information in reference citations in the text
must match the corresponding information in the
reference list (works cited page).
Parenthetical Citations


The reference citation is inserted at the end of the
sentence, as close as possible to the material it
documents.
If the author’s name appears in a sentence in your
paper, do not repeat it in the citation.
 Orwell
made this point earlier in “Shooting an Elephant”
(65-66).

The reference citation at the end of the sentence
precedes the punctuation mark that concludes the
sentence.
More Citations

To cite an entire work, you need only include the
author’s name in the text.
 Justus
Buchler expounds this view in The Man of Light.
If you cite the same author twice in succession, then omit
the author’s name in a second citation, using the page
number only.
He accepts a sad truth: “History is made by
warfare…” (Gould 280). But he wishes to argue that
aggressiveness and selfishness by no means define the
human being (282).
More Citations…

If you cite a different author in between, however,
you must include the author’s name again in the
second citation.
 “History
is made by warfare…” (Gould 280). On the
contrary, concern for others appeared early in history
(Diamond 38). One must factor….(Gould 282).
Revising

Content
Improving flow
 Readability


Clarity
Logical order
 Transitions are clear
 Every paragraph is relevant to your argument (thesis
statement)


Tone
Audience appropriate
 Limit use of passive voice

Editing

Grammatical errors





Mechanical Mistakes




Verb tenses
Subject/verb agreement
Pronoun references
Missing words
Misspelled words
Incorrect or missing punctuation
Incorrect capitalization
Sentence Structure



Comma splices
Run-on sentences
Fragments
Revising

ARMS
 Add
sentences/words
 Remove unnecessary sentences/words
 Move sentences/words
 Substitute sentences/words
Editing

CUPS
 Capitalize
 names,
proper nouns
places, months, titles, the word I
 Usage
– match nouns/verbs correctly
 Punctuation Marks
 periods,
commas, colons, semicolons, quotes, question marks,
exclamation points, hyphens, brackets
 Spelling
Active or Passive?





Most of the class is reading the book.
Results will be published in the next issue of the
journal.
The recommendation was vetoed by the president.
The leaders are reaching a fair resolution.
Scientists have discovered traces of ice on Mars.
Errors to Avoid in Formal Writing

Do not use personal pronouns.
 I,


me, my, we, us, you
Do not use contractions.
Spell out numbers less than 100.
Parallel Structures

Mary likes to hike, to swim, and riding a bicycle.
 Mary
likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.
 Mary likes to hike, swim, or ride a bicycle.
 Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.
More Parallel Structure



The production manager was asked to write his
report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed
manner.
The production manager was asked to write his
report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.
The production manager was asked to write his
report in a quick, accurate, and detailed manner.
More Parallel Structure


The teacher said that he was a poor student
because he waited until the last minute to study for
the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless
manner, and his motivation was low.
The teacher said that he was a poor student
because he waited until the last minute to study for
the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless
manner, and lacked motivation.
Heading
Your Name
Mrs. Mills
English IV
13 February 2014
Title
MLA Formatting Guide

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/
01/
For an Internet Source








Author and/or editor names (if available)
Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)
Title of the Website, project, or book in italics
Any version numbers available, including revisions,
posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers
Publisher information, including the publisher name and
publishing date
Page numbers (if available)
Medium of publication (always “Web” for anything
online)
Date you accessed the material
Introduction




First paragraph of paper
Often begins with a general statement about the
topic and ends with a more specific statement of the
main idea of your paper (thesis statement)
Purpose of introduction is to let the reader know
what the topic is and inform the reader about your
point of view
Stimulates the reader's curiosity so that he or she
will want to read about your topic
Body




Follows introduction
Makes up a majority of your paper
Consists of a number of paragraphs in which you
develop your ideas in detail
Limit each paragraph to one main idea



Don't try to talk about more than one idea per paragraph
Proves your points continually by using specific
examples and quotations from your research
Use transition words to ensure a smooth flow of ideas
from paragraph to paragraph
Conclusion



Last paragraph of the paper
Purpose is to summarize your points, leaving out
specific examples
Restates the main idea (thesis statement) of the
paper
State Library
library.sd.gov
Criteria


Your research paper must be argumentative.
The writer clearly introduces the topic and informs
his audience exactly which stance he intends to take
in his thesis statement.
 Although
it has been proven that cigarette smoking may
lead to health problems in the smoker, the social
acceptance of smoking in public places demonstrates
that many still do not consider secondhand smoke as
dangerous to one's health as firsthand smoke.
Choosing Your Topic



Select a topic that interests you
Pick something you want to know more about
Choose something you can easily research
Thesis Statement

A thesis statement….
 Is
the key point or argument you wish to make about
your topic
 Is a summary of the most important ideas of your
paper
 Should be clear and easy to understand
Example

You want to write an argumentative paper that
supports the claim that students should pursue
community projects before entering college:
 High
school graduates should be required to take a
year off to pursue community service projects before
entering college in order to increase their maturity and
global awareness.
Name
Sally Student
English IV
13 February 2014
Title
I. Introduction
a. Thesis Sentence: A technologically advanced society will eventually destroy itself due
to fear, increased use of weapons of mass destruction, and advances in military
intelligence.
II. Background Information (if needed)
III. Thesis Topic #1 - Fear
a. Paranoia of Machine vs. Humans
b. Relying on Machines more than Humans
IV. Thesis Topic #2 – Increased Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction
a. More Violence
b. No Need for these Weapons
V. Thesis Topic #3 – Advances in Military Intelligence
a. More Power Over the People
b. Increased Chance of Power Getting in the Wrong Hands
VI. Conclusion
(Refer to your thesis sentence here and restate the idea in similar but not identical words.)
For a Book







Author’s name: record all if there is more than one
Names of any editors or translators
Title and subtitle
Edition (if other than the first)
Publishing information: city, publishing company,
date
Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New
York: St. Martin's, 1997. Print.
(Palmer 263)
For a Periodical









Author’s name: record all if there is more than one
Names of any editors or translators
Title and subtitle
Title of magazine, journal, or newspaper
Date of issue
Volume, section, and issue numbers (if available)
Page Numbers
Peacock, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20
Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.
(Peacock 71)
For Macbeth
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Literature: The British
Tradition. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2007. 306-394.
Print.
 (Shakespeare 2.2.34-35).
 One can clearly see Macbeth’s guilt after killing
Duncan when he states “Methought I heard a voice
cry ‘Sleep no more / Macbeth does murder
sleep…’” (2.2.34-35).
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Literature: The British
Tradition. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2007. 306-394.
Print.
Comma Usage

Compound Sentences


Series



A tall, majestic building rose above the skyline.
NOT: The long ticket line is moving faster than the shorter line.
Introductory Material


The crowds, the aromas from the hot dog carts, and the talkative taxi drivers
made the trip memorable.
Adjectives of Equal Rank


His birthday party was last week, and it was fun.
When the United States entered World War I, he left Congress and enlisted in
the Army Air Service.
Nonessential Information


The Dawson’s Boat House, where seagulls circle overhead, burned yesterday.
ESSENTIAL: The race was won by the champion runner Jackie Joyner Kersee.
Semicolons

Independent Clauses Not Connected Using Conjunctions


Independent Clauses Using Conjunctive Adverbs


The man was wet; he was standing in the rain without an
umbrella.
The capital moved to Philadelphia; therefore, the First
Family moved as well.
Avoid Confusion With Items in a Series Contain Commas

He asked her to work for him on Monday, March 18;
Tuesday, March 19; and Wednesday, March 20.
Colons

Before a List
 We
need the following items at the grocery store: milk,
bread, cheese, and eggs.

To Introduce the Effect of an Action
 There

was only one way he could win: to cheat.
Before Some Quotations
 This
is what he had to say about mathematicians: “I
have hardly ever known a mathematician who was
capable of reasoning” (Plato 71).
Direct Quotations


Represent Person’s Exact Words
Use Single Quotation Marks When You Have a
Quote Inside of Another Quote
 Dylan
Thomas mentions this in his book when he states:
“My psychologist felt that one Christmas ‘was so much
like another’ for the boy” (Thomas 63).
Block Quote



More Than Four Typed Lines
Do Not Use Quotation Marks
Indent 2 inches

Gatsby experiences a moment of clarity while standing with
Daisy on his dock. Fitzgerald writes:
Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal
significance of that light had now to him vanished
forever. Compared to the great distance that had
separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to
her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a
star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a
dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by
one (Fitzgerald 98).
Italics/Underlining vs. Quotation Marks


Long Works Are Italicized OR Underlined

Books

Plays

Long Poems

Movies

TV Series

Newspapers/Magazines
Short Works Are Surrounded By Quotation Marks

Songs

Chapters in a Book

Episodes in a TV Series

One-Act Plays

Short Poems

Articles
Brackets & Ellipses

Use Brackets To Enclose Words You Insert When
Quoting Someone Else
 These
words are written on a monument in Japan: “Rest
in peace. The mistake [nuclear war] shall not be made
again.”

Use Ellipses When Words Have Been Omitted From
a Direct Quote
 Charles
Dickens writes in Our Mutual Friend: “I cannot
help it…I love her against reason” (Dickens 45).
Apostrophes

Add ‘s To Show the Possessive Case For MOST
Singular Nouns
 The

Add ‘ To Show the Possessive Case For Plural Nouns
Ending In s
 The

girl’s book
boys’ papers
Add ‘s To Show the Possessive Case For Plural Nouns
Not Ending In s
 The
children’s toys
Apostrophes

Make the Final Noun Possessive With Joint
Ownership
 Will

and Mary’s dog has won many prizes.
Make Each Noun Possessive With Individual
Ownership
 Susan’s,
Marie’s, and Alice’s papers were graded by
the teacher.

Watch Out For Contractions
 Whose,
Its, and Their show Possession
 Who’s, It’s, and They’re Are Contractions
Farther vs. Further

Farther
 Physical
Distance
 “How much farther until we get to Grandma’s house?”
the child whined.

Further
 Metaphysical
or Figurative Distance
 “If you complain further,” the mother responded, “I’m
not letting you have dessert!”