All projects are due on __________________! No Exceptions!
Revolution and Rebellions - English II Research Project 2012
Important dates
A or B day
1/18 and 19
________
1/20 and 23
1/24 and 25
________
1/26 and 27
________
1/30 and 31
________
2/1 and 2
________
2/3 and 6
________
2/7 and 8
2/9 and 10
________
2/ 13 and 14
2/15 and 16
________
2/17 and 20
Research Schedule
Topics, research packets
Research packet test and top three topic choices due
Cornell notes review and bonus rounds
In library taking notes – 1 note sheet due
In library taking notes - 1 note sheet due
In library taking notes – 1 note sheet due and conferences
In library taking notes – 1 note sheet due
In class – working outlines and thesis reviewed
In class – working outlines and thesis due; final copies and work cited reviewed
Rough drafts due – in class editing
Projects due!
* Dates may change if necessary. Be certain to mark any changes!
Failure to follow instructions or rules will result in the loss of library and computer privileges and
require you to complete your project on your own time without teacher assistance.
Step One - Choosing a Topic
This is the beginning of a great journey. You will choose your top three topic choices, and through a random
drawing process, a final topic will be assigned.
Step Two - Gathering and Documenting Sources and Note Taking
1. Begin by using the school library information system to locate reference materials about your subject. You
may use: books, encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, or online databases. It is very important to only
use approved sources.
2. You will use a minimum of four sources. You may use only one encyclopedia article, whether book or
online. The Bible is not a valid research source. YOU MAY NOT USE THE INTERNET!
3. When you find an information source you wish to use, begin a Cornell note sheet. Each source must have
its own note sheet. Use the steps reviewed by the librarian and teacher to complete each sheet.
4. When using the online databases, you may save work to your H: drive or put it in the digital locker in your
school account. Do not try to email it to yourself as these are usually blocked.
5. To access the online databases, log in to DentonISD.org, go to the GHS site, then library, and library links
6. You may use the “ÉasyBib” reference sheet (end of packet) to make sure you have all of the required
citation information on your note sheet. For other sources, see your teacher for assistance.
1
7. Taking notes is very important to your research. Without notes, you cannot write your research paper.
a. Remember to paraphrase or summarize almost everything.
b. Write direct quotes with quotation marks on the card and write DIRECT QUOTE under it.
c. Printed sources must have a page number.
8.
You must have a minimum of four sources and a minimum of four Cornell note sheets. More is always
better!
Step Three - Formulate a Thesis
The writer’s task is to collect evidence that proves and supports the thesis statement. Study the main
headings you have chosen and use them to create a final thesis statement. Look for the overall idea to
present, not details. The thesis statement should be a sentence which states the main idea of the
research.
A thesis statement enables the writer to remain on a productive path in planning and writing the paper.
 It is the controlling idea of the paper.
 It is one declarative sentence expressing a position on a limited topic.
 It is developed through each body paragraph.
 It answers the paper’s question.
 It will address some limited and specific issue pertaining to the text or topic.
 In this paper, it should be the last sentence in the introductory paragraph.
 It is restated in the conclusion.
The wording of the thesis statement can evolve over the course of your writing process. Do not be
discouraged if you do not have a “perfect” thesis right away. As you write your paper, and think more
about your topic, you will come up with an eloquent final thesis.
There are two types of thesis statements: open and closed.
Closed thesis statement: a closed thesis statement has distinct subtopics that correspond directly to body
paragraphs.
 Paper’s question: Should students be required to identification cards? Support or refute.
 Closed thesis statement: Schools should not require students to wear IDs because IDs are
ineffective, inconvenient, and expensive.
 Because it is a closed thesis statement with apparent subtopics, the reader knows that you will
discuss how IDs are ineffective in body paragraph one, inconvenient in body paragraph two, and
expensive in body paragraph three.
Open thesis statement: an open thesis statement does not have distinct subtopics but rather an open-ended
statement still answering the question.
 Paper’s question: Should students be required to identification cards? Support or refute.
 Open thesis statement: Schools should require students to wear IDs.
 The writer does not indicate what each body paragraph will specifically explain, but the reader
knows the writer will discuss the reasons for wearing identification cards.
DO NOT begin thesis statements with phrases such as “The purpose of this paper is…” or “My paper is going
to be about…” or “I believe…”!
2
Step Four - Organizing Your Notes
A. Create topics
 Look for patterns based on your Key Words / Main Ideas, and begin grouping your main ideas.
 These will become your main topics such as "history," "effects”, “political influences”, “cultural
influences”, “supports”, “controversies”, etc.
B. Sort notes into topics and organize within topics
 After you have sorted your notes for each topic, read through your notes for each group. After reading
the information for each note, decide with which topic this note would best fit.
 Using either a color code, number system, or symbol system, sort your notes by topics and code them.
 For your history/background section, decide which note would best be presented first. For history,
using chronological order is easiest. Once you decide on a first note, next to your color, number, or
symbol for that topic, mark it “1”. On the next note, put a “2” and so forth until all the notes have been
numbered.
 For the other sections of the papers, it is best to organize your notes based on good, better, and best
reasons to support your argument.
 Not all notes may be used. If a note is redundant, mark it with an “X”, but do not scribble it out where
you cannot read it. You may need to refer to it later.
Step Five – Writing the Outline
The purpose of outlining a paper is to indicate the paper’s structure and to organize the writer’s ideas and the
accumulated research into a logical, fluent, effective paper. This is the road map to your paper. Use the map!
Don’t be the idiot who wanders aimlessly refusing to ask for directions! See the example outline for extra help
(page 5).
Helpful Hints for Working Outlines
A. Center the title at the top. Do NOT use a larger font, bold, underline, or quote the title.
B. Use Roman numerals and letters as needed and modeled on sample outline.
C. Always line up the margins. Indent subtopics so that all letters or numbers of the same kind will come
directly under one another in a vertical line.
D. Use the buddy system. All A’s must have B’s, all 1’s must have 2’s, etc.
E. Capitalize only the first word in a main topic or subtopic (with the exception of proper nouns and proper
adjectives).
F.
Do not use periods at the end of phrases or topics, only after complete sentences. Your outline will NOT
have complete sentences.
G. Double space.
H. To create the body of the working outline, take the notes you sorted and use the topics as the headings for
your outline. The organized notes for each section will be your subtopics, details, and sub-details. Use at
3
least two sources per paragraph. DOCUMENT ALL INFORMATION FROM NOTE SHEETS ON
THE OUTLINE.
I.
Convert these notes into your own phrases. This will determine that the majority of the ideas in the paper
are in your voice and not accidentally someone else’s. Use at least two sources per paragraph. Any
information from a note, not matter how you paraphrase it, must be documented.
J.
Include all correctly incorporated direct quotations to be used in the final outline and paper, and document
them in MLA format.
K. Use at least two sources per paragraph.
L. Read your notes carefully and rearrange ideas as needed.
M. Most importantly, edit, edit, edit, and edit some more!
4
Outline Example
Last name, First name
English II, period
Date
Title
I.
II.
Introduction
A.
Lead
B.
Transition sentence
C.
Thesis statement
Background
A.
B.
C.
D.
Concrete detail 1 (good proof from research to prove point in topic sentence. You must have at least three facts and
use at least two sources per paragraph.)
1.
Supporting sentence
2.
Supporting sentence
Concrete detail 2 (better proof)
1.
Supporting sentence
2.
Supporting sentence
Concrete detail 3 (best proof)
1.
Supporting sentence
2.
Supporting sentence
Conclusion sentence to paragraph
III.
Turning Point (Use previous structure)
IV.
Outcome (Use previous structure)
V.
Significance (Use previous structure)
VI.
Conclusion
A.
Rephrase thesis statement
B.
Transition sentence
C.
Conclusion
5
Step Six – Write Your Essay
A. Use your outline. Using paragraph form, indent the first line and follow your outline. When using
information from a note, be sure to include documentation.
B. Remember, you will need to add some of your own words and sentences to notes to create a smoothly
flowing essay.
 You will also need to make sure supporting sentences come from your head, not notes.
 Topic sentences must come from your head, not notes.
 Concluding sentences must come from your head, not notes.
C. With all direct quotes, include documentation and incorporate in MLA format.
D. Make sure you use at least two sources per paragraph.
Step Seven - Internal Documentation and Quotations
What to document? EVERYTHING! Okay, not really everything but almost because you must document
anything that is not common knowledge or your own original idea. Everything else must be documented. This
includes direct quotes, paraphrasings, generalizations, and anything else that did not burst forth in brilliance
from your brain. To put it simply, if the information comes from a note card, DOCUMENT IT!
How do I document?
MLA’s in-text citations are written with a mixture of signal phrases and parenthetical references. Signal
phrases are words which indicate that something comes from a specific source such as quotations, summary, or
paraphrasing. This usually includes the author’s name. The parenthetical reference follows the sentence and
includes at least the page number of the work cited or the author and work cited. Citations should be as clear as
possible so that the reader can find the source on your works cited page. By using a signal phrase, it is possible
to keep the citation brief.
Good writers use paraphrasing and quoting to incorporate source materials in with their own words to make
sure their own voice is heard. No matter how you choose to write it though, it MUST BE DOCUMENTED IF
IT COMES FROM A NOTE CARD!
Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly from the source word for word and must be cited!
To correctly document quoted materials:
Enclose all quotations in quotation marks. Always copy the quotation exactly as it appears in the original
source. Copy spelling, internal punctuation, and capitalization, exactly as written, even if the original contains
errors.
Use quotations when:
• You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument.
• You want to disagree with an author’s argument.
• You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages.
• You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view.
6
Examples
Quote with author’s name incorporated in signal phrase
Flora Davis reports that a chimp at the Yerkes Primate Research Center “has combined words into new
sentences that she was never taught” (67).
If the signal phrase does not include the author’s name, the last name needs to be included in the citation.
A chimp at the Yerkes Primate Research Center “has combined words into sentences she was never
taught” (Davis 67).
All quotations must be incorporated. Avoid the following mistakes.
Never drop a quotation into a sentence or paragraph without a proper lead-in. You do NOT want to use the
following poorly written example:
There has been a de-emphasis in the importance of grammar instruction in the modern classroom.
“Many teachers seem to believe rules stifle spontaneity” (D’Angelo 54).
The “somebody said” lead-in is very common, boring, and just bad writing. Don’t do this either.
Jane M. Agee comments, “Many students who would not have attempted college seven years ago are
now coming into state university through junior colleges.” (10).
Instead, do one of the following well-written examples:
The incorporated lead-in provides more flexibility. To incorporate some of the quoted material is left out and
what is retained blends right in with the sentence
Because “many teachers seem to believe rules stifle spontaneity,” there has been a de-emphasis in the
importance of grammar instruction in the modern classroom (D’Angelo 54).
The “sentence followed by a colon” lead-in is another effective technique
Agee insists English instruction on the college level will not be improved until educators examine
realistically the situation: “Public school teachers, professors of English and English… Education,
students, and state leaders need to sit down together and evaluate the current realities before any
real progress can be made” (10).
Omitting material from quotations
o
You can omit words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs from your quotation; be sure it still reads
grammatically correctly and that you have not changed the meaning of the original work.
o
Indicate that material has been omitted within a sentence or paragraph, by using an ellipsis. An ellipsis
is three periods with a space before each and after the last, as shown below:
In surveying various responses to plagues in the Middle Ages, Barbara W. Tuchman explains, “Medical
thinking . . . stressed air as the communicator of disease, ignoring sanitation or visible carriers” (101-02).
7
REMEMBER: YOU MUST INCORPORATE ALL DIRECT QUOTES IN YOUR FINAL ESSAY.
Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting his/her thoughts in your own words. When you
paraphrase, you rework the source’s ideas, words, phrases, and sentence structures with your own. Like
quotations, paraphrased material must be followed with in-text documentation and cited on the Works-Cited
page. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PARAPHRASE, YOU MUST DOCUMENT INFORMATION IF IT
COMES FROM A NOTE CARD.
Paraphrase when:
• You want to avoid overusing quotations.
• You want to use your own voice to present information.
• You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic.
• You want to determine the main ideas of a single source.
If you are paraphrasing material from a specific page of a book or magazine article and you do not wish to state
the author’s name in the sentence, cite the source of the information as shown in the following example:
As society continues to undergo rapid technological change, people will be unable to adapt (Toffler 24).
If you are paraphrasing material from a specific page of a book or magazine article and you use the author’s
name in your sentences, cite the source of the information as shown in the following example:
Toffler believes that as society continues to undergo rapid technological change, people will be unable to
adapt (24).
NOTE: When the numbers are more than two digits, only the first number in range contains the total number of
digit(s). For example:
According to Jones, the two authors oppose on another’s viewpoints about capital punishment (146-58).

Citing other types of publications
Passage with two or three authors:
(Angell, Smith and Jones 48).
Passage with more than three authors:
(Williams et al. 97). “Et al” means "and others"
Passage with no author listed: Use the first word of the citation when no author is listed.
Titles of magazines articles are enclosed in quotations, and titles of books are underlined.
(College 15) - book title is College Bound Seniors
("Study" 96) - magazine article title is "Study Finds Teen Smoking on the Rise"
Passage with author writing more than one source: Add the first main word of the title to
the author's name to differentiate which source is used. (Larson, "Wing" 23). (Larson,
"Goofy" 3).
8
Passage in a volume of a multi-volume work: indicate the volume number first, followed
by the page number. (Danielson 4: 113-15)
Remember documentation is vital! Without documentation in your working outline and essay, the project
will receive a zero. If it comes from a note card, DOCUMENT! Don’t PLAGIARIZE!
Step Eight - Plagiarism: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls
Plagiarism is the act of stealing ideas, language, and information and passing them off as one’s own. All
research requires us to refer to another person’s ideas, but we must reference these ideas and give credit to the
sources where we found this information.
How do I avoid plagiarism?
 If you read sources to help you understand a topic give credit to every source.
 If you find someone else has used the perfect words to express your idea, use quotation marks around
that person’s words, and give credit to the source.
 If you take someone’s ideas and put them into our own words, give credit to the source.
 If you read someone else’s paper as an example, give credit to the source.
 Never submit someone else’s work as your own and ALWAYS GIVE CREDIT TO THE SOURCE.
Examples of plagiarism: Original document
Original document:
Through television, our children’s lives are inundated with death and disaster one
moment, trivia and banality the next, cemented together with the sixty-second mortar of
manipulation and materialism. In the matter of violence alone, their formative years
are bathed in blood. Writers have amply documented the depressing statistics: The TV
stations of one city carried in one week 7,887 acts of violence. One episode of a
western series garnished Christmas night with 3 homicides. Between the ages of 5 and
14, your children and mine may, if they are average viewers, witness the annihilation of
12,000 human beings.
Example
of plagiarism
Cooke, Jonas.
TV and1:Children. San Diego: New Haven Press, 1973. Print.
Explanation of plagiarism 1:
By watching television, our children’s lives are filled with disaster and death one minute, trivia
and banality the next, put together with one minute of materialism and manipulation.
The writer merely changes a few words and rearranges the order of others. He gives no credit to
the original source, giving the impression that the thoughts and words are his own.
Example of plagiarism 2:
Children are witnessing too much violence on television. The TV stations of one city carried 7,887
acts of violence in one week. One western program shown Christmas night produced three homicides.
Children between the ages of 5 and 14 may witness the deaths of 12,000 human beings.
9
Explanation of plagiarism 2:
The writer uses the exact figures from the original source but gives no credit to the writer who
first researched and published the information. Obviously, the average person would not know
exact statistics such as these; therefore, the writer must cite his source for the reader.
Correct Usage:
Children are witnessing too much violence on television. The TV stations of one city carried
7,887 acts of violence in one week with one western program shown Christmas night including
three homicides. In TV and Children, Jonas further explains that children between the ages of 5
and 14 may witness the deaths of 12,000 human beings during TV shows (77).
Explanation:
This is correct because the writer blends the text with his own words and credits the author and
the page number of the source.
Step Nine - Works Cited
Works Cited Page – This is the last page of your work, listing of all the sources used in this paper.
1.
Alphabetize all source cards by the first word on the card. Sometimes it’s the author or editor, and
sometimes it’s the title. If the piece has no author or editor, alphabetize by the first word of the title
other than a, an, or the.
2.
Center the title of the page Works Cited. Do NOT use larger font, bold, underline, or quote this title.
3.
Skip a line after the title and begin at the margin. Copy the information from the source card just as you
wrote it, including all punctuation.
4.
Do not indent the first line of each entry in the list of works, but indent any additional lines five spaces.
This technique highlights the names by which the list has been alphabetized and is called reverse
indentation.
5.
Proofread the works cited page carefully. Each small detail is very important and should not be
overlooked. Be certain that you follow the correct punctuation rules for each entry. If you are uncertain
on this section, be sure to check with me before the final deadline.
6.
Double space all information on the Works Cited page.
10
Sample Works Cited Page
Anderson, Sammae. Immunizations in America. New York: Health Central Publications, 1989. Print.
Brown, Cecelia M., and Lina Ortega. "Information-seeking Behavior of Physical Science Librarians: Research
and Practice." College & Research Libraries 66 (2005): 231-247. Academic Search Sources. Web. 27
January 2009.
Clark, Zsuzsanna. "From Saturday-Night Poetry to Big Brother." New Statesman 132 (21 July 2003):
32. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Aug. 2007.
“Immunizations.” World Book Encyclopedia. 16th ed. 1989. Print.
Jones, Jameson, et al. Disease Control in the U.S. Boston, Massachusetts: Million Publishing, 1997. Print.
Smith, Levi, ed. Surviving the Industrial Revolution. San Diego, California: Sun Press, 2001. Print.
Step Ten - Editing
Editing – This is very important to your final grade. An outline and final copy with excellent content, but poor
grammar and mechanics will not pass. You do not want your important information lost in a turbulent sea of
incomplete thoughts and poor punctuation. Edit carefully!
Editing Suggestions
1.
After writing your final essay, put it down for a bit. You’ll come back to it re-energized and can read
what you actually wrote and not what you think you wrote.
2.
Carefully check for grammatical and mechanical errors. Don’t trust spell check or grammar check to
catch everything.
3.
Read your work out loud. I know it may seem silly to read out loud to yourself, but by hearing it, you
can catch errors that you may silently read over and note areas with awkward phrasings.
4.
Bug your friends and family. Read your research paper to them and have them read your hard copy.
Ask someone who will help you, not just tell you how smart you are. They will see and hear errors you
won’t, providing you the opportunity to make corrections before turning your work in for a grade.
5.
You must have at least two people mark and sign off as editors on your paper. Choose wisely!
6.
Edit, edit, edit! Then edit some more! Just do it!
11
Step Eleven - Final Projects
All sections must be turned in WITH A HARD COPY AND ON TURNITIN.COM. Write your heading on
the grading rubric. To receive credit for your written work, all of the following must be included and stapled
together in this order:




Grading rubric
Formal outline
Research paper
Works Cited page
Some Final Helpful Hints for Final Projects
1.
Write in a formal objective style. Do not use first or second person pronouns (I, me, my, mine, we, our,
ours, you, your, or yours) or banned words (Sullivan’s students) except in direct quotes.
2.
Any information taken from a note card must be documented. Notice that the period is after the
parenthesis and there is not a comma between the author and the page number.
3.
When typing your work, use Times New Roman, 12, double spaced with one inch margins. Remember
to reverse indent and double space works cited entries.
4.
Save your work (formal outline, paper, and works cited) as one document and upload entire document to
turnitin.com.
5.
PLAN for computer malfunction, just in case. Save a copy of your draft on someone else’s computer,
flash drive, or on a network drive, or burn a disk or email a copy of the paper to yourself.
6.
PLAN for printer malfunctions. Print paper out at least a day early to avoid last minute glitches like:
running out of ink, paper jams, printer breakdowns, network problems, and possible long lines at school
computer printing stations.
COMPUTER PROBLEMS ARE NOT AN EXCUSE FOR LATE WORK.
LATE PAPERS WILL BE PENALIZED AT TEN POINTS PER DAY!
Do not forget all projects are due on ________________!
12