10th Grade Research Paper
2008-2009
Overview
Academic
Integrity
Topic
Selection &
Thesis
Sources
(Bibliography
Cards)
Note-Taking
(Note Cards)
2-3 Pages
Citations
Academic Integrity
What is
Academic
Integrity?
When you are honest in
your writing.
What constitutes Academic
Dishonesty?
 Fabrication
– Changing grades
– Falsifying research
– Inventing sources
– Ruining someone
else’s work
 Plagiarism
– Using another’s work
as your own
– Incorrect sourcing
 Cheating
– Buying term papers
– Copying
– Asking neighbors for help
or answers
 Facilitation
– Sharing test questions with
students from another class
– Letting students copy off of
you
– Taking an exam for
someone else
www.wpi.edu
How can you make sure you are
honest in your writing?
 Write your own paper
 USE YOUR OWN WORDS!!!
 Paraphrase
 Cite your sources
– Citations
– Works Cited page
– Quotations
– Do not make up sources
Quick Quiz!
Paraphrase
 The act or process of restating or rewording.
(Webster’s Dictionary)
 Practice: Rewrite the following passage in your
own words.
In what has been dubbed “culinary racism,” the city
council of Lucca, in Italy’s Tuscany region, has
passed rules denying licenses to new non-Italian
restaurants in the town center. Food items such as
kebabs, Peking duck and even McDonald’s meals
are out. City leaders say the change is meant only
to safeguard Lucca’s traditional cultural identity.
TIME
Paraphrase, cont.
 Example:
In the small town of Lucca, Italy, the city council
is doing all it can to preserve their Italian
culture. They have made a recent decision that
some people claim is, “culinary racism.” The
council has decided to deny licenses to anyone
applying for a restaurant that does not serve
Italian cuisine. Good-bye McDonald’s and
Chinese food!
Topic Selection
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pick a SUBJECT you find interesting. Ex.
Health
Choose three CATEGORIES for your subject.
Ex. Medicine, Cancer, Disorders
Research the three CATEGORIES and see on
which topic you find the most information. Ex.
Antibiotics, Bone Cancer, Autism
After reading the research, which topic can you
best take a stand? Ex. The use of infant and
toddler vaccinations cause Autism in children.
Worksheet
Topic Selection, cont.
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/process.html
Creating a Thesis
 Needs to answer a question you are about to
explore.
 Take on a subject upon which reasonable
people could disagree.
 Deal with a subject that can be adequately
treated given the nature of the assignment.
 Express one main idea.
 Assert your conclusions about a subject.
Thesis, cont.
 Previous example:
The use of infant and toddler vaccinations
cause Autism in children.
How can we make this better?
Examples of a Good Thesis
 “Because half of all American elementary school children consume
nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar, schools should
be required to replace the beverages in soda machines with healthy
alternatives.”
 “Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss
that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a
potential danger to customers.”
 “Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential,
companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer
both advertising and customer support.”
 “Hunger persists in Gandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in
the infertile soil is rarely profitable.”
(http://www.Indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtm1#unassigned)
Good or Bad Thesis?
 The North and South fought the Civil War for many




reasons, some of which were the same and some different.
Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.
Although both chefs and cooks can prepare fine meals,
chefs differ from cooks in education, professional
commitment, and artistry.
Though many people dismiss hip hop as offensive, hip hop
music offers urban youth an important opportunity for
artistic expression, and allows them to articulate the poetry
of the street.
Many people object to today’s violent horror movies.
Thesis, cont.
 Check your thesis by asking these questions:
– Can your reader ask, “How” or “Why”?
– Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with “Duh!”
or “So what?” or “Gee, no kidding!” or “Who cares?”
– Does the thesis avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping
words such as “all” or “none” or “every”?
– Does the thesis lead the reader toward the topic
sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis)?
– Can the thesis be adequately developed in the required
length of the paper or project?
(http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/thesis.html)
Worksheet
What is a “Source”?
 Any type of information or complete work
you use to build your research paper.
 Sources can be found in the library or online.
 They must be accredited! Especially
websites, if you MUST use one.
 No Wikipedia!!!
Research Paper Sources
Newspaper
Book
Government
Publication
Magazine
Journal
Documentary Encyclopedia
Email
Dictionary
Interview
Anthology
Lecture
Note Cards
 A system to organize the information from
your sources.
 Two different types:
– Source Cards
– Information Cards
See Handout
Creating an Outline
 Another, more formal, way to organize your
information
 Must use Roman numerals, letters, and
numbers in a precise order
Steps for Creating an Outline
1. Organize your cards into piles by topics,
which are written on the top of your
information cards.
2. Place the topics in order by the way they
would flow the best in your paper.
3. Each topic will become a roman numeral,
sub-topics and information will become
letters and numbers.
Writing a First Draft
 See Handout
Writing a Final Draft
 See Handout