Research Paper Process and Deadlines
Process:
1. Choose several topics from the list provided. Bring a list of your top 3 choices to class on ____________.
2. Get supplies: paper clips, highlighters, and 1 large envelope or folder with a closure.
3. Be prepared with supplies and a topic, so your time in the library will be productive.
Our library days are ____________________.
4. In the library, find 6 sources on your topic. School textbooks, general encyclopedias (World Book, Grolier, etc.)
online encyclopedias (Wikipedia, Ask, etc.), or websites that are not approved by me cannot be used as a
source. If you are using an Internet source, I must sign a copy of the HOMEPAGE or it will not count.
5. Make copies of your sources that you will use in your paper. I will deduct 20 points on your final grade if copies
are not turned in AND highlighted.
6. Choose 6 sources; you only have to use 5 in the paper itself. Researching 6 different sources helps you
determine which sources are most reliable.
7. Write the rough draft of your paper. Be careful to document sources as you write, using parenthetical citations.
The paper should be double spaced about 4 -5 pages typed in MLA format. No more than 5 pages will be read!
8. Make a works cited page for the sources used; this is the last page and is not part of the page count.
9. Proofread your rough draft carefully, checking for formatting and grammatical errors.
10. Submit a copy of your rough draft to www.turnitin.com and bring a copy to class for me to grade. (This is the
only time you will turn in your paper to this website. If you do not turn it in to turnitin.com, I will deduct 35
points from your rough draft. I WILL NOT ACCEPT YOUR FINAL PAPER IF YOU FAIL TO SUBMIT TO THIS
WEBSITE.)
11. After I return your rough draft, Revise your paper, then turn in your final draft in class and celebrate!
Deadlines:
Work is due at the beginning of the block on deadline days. You must be in class, on-time on all deadline days. NO
exceptions. If you know in advance that you will be absent, hand in the work early or make arrangements for someone
else to bring your work to school. Deadlines for work are as follows:
1. 6 source cards (test): ____________
2. 60 note cards and copied, highlighted articles (test): ____________
3. Rough outline and thesis statement (test):_______________
4. Hard Copy of the Rough draft AND a submission to www.turnitin.com (test): ____________**(35 points deducted if
not submitted online.
5. Final draft, in the clasp folder (3 test grades): ____________ (include graded rough draft, graded works cited page,
and highlighted copies—20 points deducted for each if not with final)
*I WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deadline #1—Daily Grade
Writing the Rough Outline and Thesis
DUE___________________
Thesis Statement: Once you have gathered your information, you need to re-read your research notes and draw some
conclusions about what they mean. Do you see a connection? What larger point do they support? Construct a working
thesis. The thesis statement is a sentence expressing both your topic and the conclusion you have drawn about it. Tip:
topic + your idea or opinion about the topic= the thesis statement. You should be using words such as influenced,
impacted, or changed. Ask yourself…Why is this topic remembered? Be clear and concise.
Outline: Your outline is the skeleton of the paper. You will include only topic headings on your outline; you will not
write complete sentences. Use the main points or similar wording. The order of the outline will be up to you. Here are
some examples that may help:
Chronological Order- gives events in the order they happen
Logical Order- groups related ideas together (etc. Pros/Cons)
Order of Importance- begins with the most important details and moves to the least important (or in reverse)
*** You must have 3 Roman Numerals. You need an A and B under each Roman numeral. A good outline will use
subheadings 1 and 2 if needed under the A, B, or C.
***All points must be kept parallel.
Sample Outline:
Alternative Power Sources
Thesis: Madison Central is the most successful school in the state of Mississippi.
I.
Athletic Programs
A.
B.
II.
All Superior Band
A.
B.
III.
High Test Scores
A.
B.
*Notice: 1) The title is relevant. 2) The outline has a thesis that is clear and concise and argues a point. 3) Make note
of the three Roman Numerals: Atheletic Programs, All Superior Band, and High Test Scores. These argue how the
Madison Central is superior to every other school. Every paper will have three points to argue/support/explain your
thesis. 4) The A and B will give statistics, facts, information you have researched that PROVES why Madison Central is
the most successful school in the state.
Deadline #2-3 Quiz Grades
DUE___________________
Annotated Bibliography and 6 Copied Sources with the title pages!
The annotated bibliography is similar to a works cited page except that you comment on each source. The purpose of
annotation is to summarize the cited material. It should provide enough information about the book or article so that
you can determine the major concept of the piece. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the
relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources quoted. Double space between each entry and single space within the
entries and commentary. Each annotation should be about 150 words in length and address the following:
1. Bibliographical information (MLA style – hanging indention – placed separately from the summary)
2. Commentary on the source
 Anything significant about author (writer? Well-known critic?)
 Summary of concept discussed with your comments included
 Describe how this information applies to your research project
 Evaluate (Do you think this source will help you write your paper?)
3.
Style of Annotated Bibliography
 The heading with your name and class information appears on the first page only. Subsequent pages
contain a header with your surname and the page number. -----ie. Smith 2
 Give the annotated bibliography a title that identifies the common topic that all the sources share. Note
that you do not need to label this “Annotated Bibliography” since it is obvious from looking at the page
that it is, in fact, an annotated bibliography.
 Sources appear in alphabetical order by author surname or title. The citation itself follows the normal
MLA style.
 Double space between the citation and the summary.
 Annotations can vary in length depending on the complexity of the source. However, even annotations
of the longest sources should be brief—about 150 words.
 The hanging indentation format is used. The first line of each entry is flush left while subsequent lines
are indented. The spacing should be single spaced within the information and also within the
commentary and double spaced between each entry.
 Use Times New Roman font 12 point.
4. TURN IN YOUR COPIED AND HIGHLIGHTED SOURCES!!! I will not accept pages that are not stapled/clipped
together. If you do not turn in your sources and TITLE PAGES, it is a 50 point deduction. (5 points per title page
and 10 points per one you are missing.)
DO NOT USE 1st or 2nd person or contractions—10 points EACH
*See following page for Deadline #2 example.
First Name Last Name
Last Name 1
Mrs. Johnson
English III
1 March 2014
Nineteen Eighty-Four and its Relation to Society
Asimov, Isaac. “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” Asimov on Science Fiction. Doubleday & Company, Inc.,
1981. 275-89. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Dennis Poupard and James E.
Person, Jr. Vol. 15. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1985. Print.
Isaac Asimov, most known for his extremely successful science fiction, has done quite
well in nearly every genre of writing. In this article, he strongly criticizes Nineteen
Eighty-Four as a failure as a prophecy and as science fiction. He asserts that—whatever
Orwell’s attentions may have been—the outcome focuses solely on Stalinism. He
discusses in detail Orwell’s failure in composing a science fiction novel, if that is what
he set out to do. If it is not, he must have meant for it to be prophetic; Asimov concludes
that Orwell fails as this also. His main point is that Orwell does not successfully predict
certain natural changes in society—such as the dancing role or women, the use of more
advanced drugs and high tech robots, or the alteration of acts like drinking and smoking
based on enhanced knowledge of their harm. However, some of his criticism is quite
unreasonable. Writing in 1980, he knows infinitely more about life to come in 1984 that
Orwell did in the 1940’s. In addition, Orwell’s purpose was not to actually predict the
future as much as it was to alert the public to the corruption of government with absolute
power. While he raises valid points, he misinterprets Orwell’s intentions leading him to
find the novel a complete failure.
Howe, Irving. George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Bloom’s Notes. Ed. Harold Bloom. Broomall:
Chelsea House Publishers, 1996. 34-36. Print.
In this article, Howe discusses Orwell’s ability to illustrate vividly a truly terrifying
society, unlike any in the world before the advent of totalitarian rule. Every society in the
past has had “an oasis of freedom” to escape the overbearing control of the rulers; but
with the advancement of technology, this may not be possible any longer. Orwell
accurately depicts this possibility and capitalizes on people’s fear of it. He does so by
portraying a world of perfect domination, like one without friction. Though this cannot
possibly happen, assuming the absence of friction does not detract from the purpose of
the experiment. This analogy quite accurately represents Orwell’s illustration of a society
under total control. People feared such a situation because technology was advancing
so rapidly that no one could possibly know what would come and how soon. Their fear
of constant surveillance and mind reading is completely rational. Overall, this article
clearly explains how Orwell makes his novel terrifying to impact the public.
Deadline #3-Test Grade
DUE___________________
Rough Draft, Parenthetical Citations, Works Cited Page, and Submission to turnitin.com
Rough Draft: You will need an introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction you must draw the readers into
your research, give a brief overview of your research, and include your thesis statement. In the body of your paper,
develop the ideas that support your thesis. In the conclusion, restate your thesis and provide final conclusions. Close
with a memorable “clincher.” Your final paper will be 4 FULL pages long, using the correct format. Anything less than 4
FULL pages will receive a 20 point deduction per page. It will be double spaced. Do not forget you need to turn it in at
turnitin.com! (50 points will be deducted if you fail to do this!)
Parenthetical Citations: Every time you use information in your paper that came from one of your sources, you MUST
give credit to the source. The credit occurs in the text in the form of parenthetical citations ( ) and at the end of the
paper on the works cited page. Both should match up not only with each other, but also with the note cards the
information came from and the source card.
When you use an author’s exact words, put them in quotation marks and put a parenthetical citation at the end of the
sentence. If you have paraphrased from the source, you do not need to use quotation marks, but you still must use a
parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence. If you are not giving credit to your sources, you are plagiarizing! Not
only is that illegal, but it will also cost you 100 points on the paper.
Most all of your citations will look like this:
His unusual chord combinations seemed to “skim along the tops” of the original ones (Fordham 28).
More than one page: (Fordham 28-29, 31)
More than one author: (Smith and Williams 70) or with 3 or more (Smith et al. 313) *Note- et al. means and others.
Titles (no author available): (World Almanac 809) or (World Almanac 809)
Indirect Sources: Abbreviation qtd. in (quoted in) before the source. (qtd. in Hentoff 175)
(This is when the author of the article you are reading quotes from another source.)
If an author is named in the sentence, you need only to give the page number in parentheses.
Novelist Ralph Ellison reflected that Parker struggles harder than any other jazzman “to escape the entertainer’s role”
(888).
For an author who has more than one work in the Works Cited List:
(Harrison, “Jazz” 571)
(Harrison, “Rare Bird” 208)
If you are using a longer quote (four lines or more) in your paper, use block format. Indent ten spaces from the left on
a new line and continue this until you have your quote. (It should look like a block in the middle of your page.) Do not
use quotation marks. Make sure you cite the author after the period.
**** Information that appears in several sources does not need to be documented. For example, George Washington
was the first American President. This is common knowledge.
Works Cited Page: This should be a piece of cake, if you wrote all of bibliographies properly. The Works Cited page is
simply all of your sources, arranged in ABC order, and typed at the end of the paper.
Important Notes: 1. Center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.
2. Reverse indent entries and double space in between each new entry.
3. ABC order by author’s last name or if no author by the title (exclude A, An, The)
4. If you use two or more sources by the same author, include the author’s name only in the first
entry.
For all other entries, add three hyphens where the author’s name would normally appear,
followed by a period (---.).
Submission: Directions for using www.turnitin.com (This is only done for your ROUGH DRAFT!)
Creating an account:
1. Go to www.turnitin.com
2. Click on the link for “create account” at the top right hand corner
3. From the menu near the bottom, choose “student” account
4. Enter our class ID and Password to join our class (this is the ONLY time you will ever use this; from here on out,
you will use your e-mail address and the password you use to create the account to log in to the system, so keep
track of them!) OUR CLASS ID is __________________________ OUR PASSWORD is ______________________
5. Enter your e-mail address and other information the site requests
6. Click on “I agree” to create your account
7. Write down the e-mail address and password you used to create this account. I do not have this information,
nor can I get it for you if you forget it!
*If you have used Turnitin before, you must log in to your account on the home page, using the same e-mail
address and password you created your account with. Then, delete the old class you joined with, and add the
new one using our class ID and Password.
Turning in your rough draft:
1. Type your rough draft and save it on your computer or to a flash drive
2. Go to www.turnitin.com
3. Log in to your account by entering your e-mail address and password
4. Click on the name of our class
5. Click on the name of the assignment that you are submitting work for
6. Click on the icon that looks like a piece of paper labeled “Submit”
7. You have two options: to upload a file by cutting and pasting it into a window, or to browse your computer’s hard
drive and attaching the file that contains the saved paper. (ONLY SUBMIT THE PAPER. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE
WORKS CITED PAGE)
8. Turnitin will only accept documents in the following formats: Word, Word Perfect, PostScript, PDF, HTML, RTF, or
plain text
9. Click on the “Submit” button to submit your work
10. You should receive an e-mail with a receipt showing the time you submitted your work; save or print this receipt
in case there are technical problems. If you don’t think it went through, do it again!
CITING SOURCES
(Works Cited Page and Annotated Bibliography)
Titles of Books should be underlined on your source cards and italicized in typed paper.
Books
The basic form for a book citation is:
Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Book with One Author
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.
Book with More Than One Author
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn,
2000. Print.
If there are more than three authors, you may choose to list only the first author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for
"and others") in place of the subsequent authors' names, or you may list all the authors in the order in which their
names appear on the title page. (Note that there is a period after “al” in “et al.” Also note that there is never a period
after the “et” in “et al.”).
Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the
Teaching of Composition. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2004. Print.
Two or More Books by the Same Author
List works alphabetically by title. (Remember to ignore articles like A, An, and The.) Provide the author’s name in last
name, first name format for the first entry only. For each subsequent entry by the same author, use three hyphens and a
period.
Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's, 1997. Print.
---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993. Print.
An Edition of a Book
There are two types of editions in book publishing: a book that has been published more than once and a book that is
prepared by someone other than the author (typically an editor).
A Work Prepared by an Editor
Cite the book as you normally would, but add the editor after the title.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Margaret Smith. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.
A Work Included in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection
Works may include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is for this sort of
citation is as follows:
Lastname, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s). Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page
range of entry. Medium of Publication.
Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the
University and The 'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer. Ed. Steven Heller.
New York: Allworth Press, 1998. 13-24. Print.
Article in a Reference Book (e.g. Specific Encyclopedias)
For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the piece as you would any other work in a
collection but do not include the publisher information. Also, if the reference book is organized alphabetically, as most
are, do not list the volume or the page number of the article or item.
"Ideology." The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. 1997. Print.
A Multivolume Work
When citing only one volume of a multivolume work, include the volume number after the work's title, or after the
work's editor or translator.
Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Trans. H. E. Butler. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980. Print.
When citing more than one volume of a multivolume work, cite the total number of volumes in the work. Also, be sure
in your in-text citation to provide both the volume number and page number(s).
An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword
When citing an introduction, a preface, a forward, or an afterword, write the name of the author(s) of the piece you are
citing. Then give the name of the part being cited, which should not be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks.
Farrell, Thomas B. Introduction. Norms of Rhetorical Culture. By Farrell. New Haven: Yale UP,
1993. 1-13. Print.
Electronic Sources
Always maintain personal copies of electronic information. It is good practice to print or save Web pages or, better,
using a program like Adobe Acrobat, to keep your own copies for future reference.
Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases)
Here are some common features you should try and find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every Web
page will provide all of the following information.
 Author and/or editor names (if available)
 Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)
 Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that some Print publications have Web publications
with slightly different names. They may, for example, include the additional information or otherwise modified
information, like domain names [e.g. .com or .net].)
 Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers.
 Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.
 Date you accessed the material.
Citing an Entire Web Site (Check for all of the above first!)
It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available on one date
may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site.
Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if not publishing date is given.
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.
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 23 April 2008.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.
A Page on a Web Site
For an individual page on a Web site, list the author if known, followed by the information covered above for entire Web
sites. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if not publishing date is given.
"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.
An Article in a Web Magazine
Provide the author name, article name in quotation marks, title of the Web magazine in italics, publisher name,
publication date, medium of publication, and the date of access. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available
and n.d. if not publishing date is given.
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make
Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.
An Article in an Online Scholarly Journal
For all online scholarly journals, provide the author(s) name(s), the name of the article in quotation marks, the title of
the publication in italics, all volume and issue numbers, and the year of publication.
Article in an Online-only Scholarly Journal
MLA requires a page range for articles that appear in Scholarly Journals. If the journal you are citing appears exclusively
in an online format (i.e. there is no corresponding print publication) that does not make use of page numbers, use the
abbreviation n. p. to denote that there is no pagination for the publication.
Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future
Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal 6.2 (2008): n.p. Web. 20 May 2009.
Article in an Online Scholarly Journal That Also Appears in Print
Cite articles in online scholarly journals that also appear in print as you would a scholarly journal in print, including the
page range of the article. Provide the medium of publication that you used (in this case, Web) and the date of access.
Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases 6.6 (2000): 595-600. Web. 8 Feb. 2009.
An Article from an Online Database (JSTOR/MAGNOLIA)
Cite articles from online databases (e.g. Magnolia, JSTOR) and other subscription services just as you would print
sources. Since these articles usually come from periodicals, be sure to consult the appropriate sections of the Works
Cited. In addition to this information, provide the title of the database italicized, the medium of publication, and the
date of access.
Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical
ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.
Rubric for Final Draft
Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96.
Name: _________________________________
MLA Formatting (in proper MLA format, follows all guidelines)
______ of 10
Thesis (well worded, establishes purpose in text, in correct place)
______ of 10
Works Cited Page (all information included, arranged properly,
matches parenthetical citations)
______ of 20
Parenthetical Citations (all information included, arranged
properly, matches works cited page)
______ of 20
Grammar and Mechanics (punctuation, spelling, sentence structure,
no use of 2nd person POV)
______ of 20
Writing Skill (compelling introduction and conclusion, text flows
well, use of topic sentences and transitions)
______ of 20
Checklist (20 point deduction for each item not completed):
Library clearance (even if you NEVER checked out books), in envelope
Graded rough draft, in envelope
Graded Annotated Bibliography, in envelope
Photocopies of works cited sources, highlighted, in envelope (4 sets)
Submission of paper to Turnitin.com (I will not take you paper)
____
____
____
____
____
Final grade:
______ (recorded 3x)