Pre AP English II Spring Semester Handy-Dandy Guide to Writing Research Papers: A Resource for Students of English

Transcription

1 Pre AP English II Spring Semester 2018 Handy-Dandy Guide to Writing Research Papers: A Resource for Students of English 1

2 Writing a Statement of Purpose What is it? A sentence that you write which states what you want to learn about in your research project. The statement guides you as you work so that you will read and take notes only on what s needed for your project. Why do I need to do it? Writing a statement of purpose will do 4 things to help you: You will get more interested in your project. It will keep you from getting overwhelmed and panicky at all the information you may find. It will help you develop a thesis statement, which comes later on in the research process. It saves you valuable time and effort. When and How to do it: After some overview reading, write a sentence that says what you want to learn from your research. Don't worry if you're not totally sure, your statement of purpose may change 3 or 4 times before you're done. To write the sentence, first answer these questions for yourself as best as you can: 1. What is my real interest in the topic? 2. What do I specifically want to learn about my topic? (Two or three are plenty.) Start your statement of purpose with words like "I want to learn about..." Example: One person was very concerned about air pollution and wanted to know if the government was doing anything to stop it. Sample statement of purpose: I want to learn about what is being done by our government to stop air pollution. Write your SOP: 2

3 In Conclusion: The statement of purpose will eventually lead to writing the thesis statement in which you will be able to make an assertion, a statement you can defend and support with the evidence you have gathered in your research. Sample thesis statement: "In the United States, government regulation plays an important role in the fight against air pollution." A Bit Too General "I want to learn about the Dalai Lama." Much Better, More Specific "I want to know what role the Dalai Lama plays as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people." "I want to learn about 50 cent." "I want to learn about what has influenced the music of 50 cent." "I want to find out about teen gangs." "I want to find out some ways to stop teen gang activity." "I want to learn about AIDS." "I want to know how close we are to a cure for AIDS." "I want to know about pro basketball." "I want to know what it takes to be a professional basketball player." "I want to find out about the Marshall Plan" "I want to find out about Porsches and Trans Ams." "I want to know if the Marshall Plan still has any effect on the world's economy." "I want to compare the performance of a Porsche 911 and a Pontiac Trans Am and see which I will buy when I have the money." "I want to learn about teen pregnancy." "I want to find out about the juvenile criminal justice system." "I want to know how teenage pregnancy affects young fathers and young mothers differently." "I want to know what juveniles experience when they get put in legal detention for committing a serious crime." "I want to learn about the Crusades." "I want to know why Christians and Muslims fought so hard with each other during the middle ages." Make sure your statement of purpose is specific enough. Adapted from 3

4 Brainstorming Research Questions What is it? It is the process of thinking up and writing down a set of questions that you want to answer about the research topic you have selected. Why should I do it? It will keep you from getting lost or off-track when looking for information. You will try to find the answers to these questions when you do your research. When do I do it? After you have written your statement of purpose, when you will have a focused topic to ask questions about. How do I do it? You will be making two lists of questions. One for "factual" questions and one for "interpretive" questions. The answers to factual questions will give your reader the basic background information they need to understand your topic. The answers to interpretive questions show your creative thinking in your project and can become the basis for your thesis statement. Asking factual questions: Assume your reader knows nothing about your subject. Make an effort to tell them everything they need to know to understand what you will say in your project. Make a list of specific questions that ask : Who? What? When? Where? Example: For a report about President Abraham Lincoln's attitude and policies towards slavery, people will have to know; Who was Abraham Lincoln? Where and when was he born? What political party did he belong to? When was he elected president? What were the attitudes and laws about slavery during his lifetime? How did his actions affect slavery? 4

5 Asking Interpretive Questions: These kinds of questions are the result of your own original thinking. They can be based on the preliminary research you have done on your chosen topic. Select one or two to answer in your presentation. They can be the basis of forming a thesis statement. A. Hypothetical: How would things be different today if something in the past had been different? Example: How would our lives be different today if the Confederate (southern) states had won the United States Civil War? What would have happened to the course of World War Two if the Atomic Bomb hadn't been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? B. Comparison or Analogy: Find the similarities and differences between your main subject and a similar subject, or with another subject in the same time period or place. Example: In what ways is the Civil War in the former Yugoslavia similar to (or different from) the United States Civil War? What is the difference in performance between a Porsche and a Lamborghini? C. Judgment: Based on the information you find, what can you say as your informed opinion about the subject? Example: How does tobacco advertising affect teen cigarette smoking? What are the major causes of eating disorders among young women? How does teen parenthood affect the future lives of young women and men? Adapted from 5

6 Research Sources You will be referencing the school s Destiny Card Catalog as well as the school s online databases to complete your research. You are not allowed to use any other outside search engine, documents, etc. (excluding any family primary source documents.) You can access all of these resources from home. DHS Library Catalog DESTINY Use your DHS student ID logon and password. Online Databases EBSCO Username: gdawson Password: eagles Facts on File Username: dawsonhstx Password: eagles WorldBook Online Username: gdawson Password: eagles Testing & Educ. Reference Center Password: lonestar Gale Password: pearland *You can also use an external site that ends with.edu or.gov ONLY. No news sites are permitted. Source Notes example follows. You may find the page to either print or type your answers on Mrs. Tucker s homepage under the Research tab. 6

7 Name: Sally Student Source Number: 1 Source Notes Source: X Website (Databases) Other (Book) If Website, complete the following: Author(s): Aimee Boutin Title of Article: Shakespeare, Women, and French Romanticism Title of Website: Project Muse Name of Organization: Duke University Press Copyright Date: December 2004 Date Accessed: 11/17/2017 URL: Page # 506 Notes(Direct Quotations) x3 Since then, however, women writers' contributions to this discourse have been all but overlooked Moreover, the few women whose use of Shakespeare's heroines does receive critical attention, mainly the novelists Germaine de Staël and George Sand, have tended to be discussed at the expense of women poets, who for most of the last two centuries have been relegated to the category of poésie féminine or domestic, "womanly" poetry. Shakespeare helped construct the gendered aesthetics of French Romanticism. 7

8 How to Create a Works Cited Page 1. Open a Word document/word online document. Select Times New Roman 12 pt. font. Center your text by selecting the Center button on the tools bar. Type the words Works Cited. Hit Enter then the Align Left button. 2. Save your document to your personal student folder by selecting File, then Save As, from the tool bar. Save the document as Lastname_ResearchPaper. Be sure you have saved the document to your student folder on the H drive. If using Word Online, the document saves automatically online. 3. You can either type your entries directly from your source pockets in your research folder OR you can use the OWL website to help you (Purdue Online Writing Lab: 4. This site will help you create the citations on your Works Cited page. On the right side of the web page, under Most Popular Resources, is a link for MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide. Click on that link. On the left side of the MLA guide are tabs for each type of work you will need to cite on your Works Cited page. For example: Books, Periodicals, Electronic Sources, etc. 5. The basic format of each citation is in alphabetical order by the author s last name. If you don t have an author, then use the title of the book, article or website. Decide which citation should go first, then click on the appropriate tab of the MLA guide. For example, I have an article from a book by Marvin Spevack and an article written by Debbie Nevins. My first entry should be the article written by Debbie Nevins because Nevins comes before Spevack alphabetically. Because my article came from a database, I will select the MLA WORKS CITED: ELECTRONIC SOURCES tab, and I will look under the An Article from an Online Database heading for the correct format. 6. Once you have selected a tab, a new page will show you how to create the citation. See example below: EX: Works Cited Nevins, Debbie. Thanks Will! Read (2010): 14. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 21 Mar Using MLA Style, type the citation for each source. Note: You should have the citations from the article databases to help you as well. You will need to set the format for doublespacing and follow all of the punctuation rules. I have given you an example of a Works Cited page below so you can see how it is formatted. Be sure to follow the punctuation EXACTLY as it appears in the MLA guide. 8

9 Citation for website Citation for database article Citation for a book with an editor SAMPLE: Works Cited Hylton, Jeremy. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Web. 22 Mar Nevins, Debbie. Thanks Will! Read (2010): 14. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. Web. 21 Mar Spevack, Marvin. Shakespeare s Language. William Shakespeare: His World, His Work, His Influence. Vol. II. Ed. John F. Andrews. New York: Charles Scribner s Sons, Print. Williams, Malcolm. Personal interview. 1 Jan Print. Notice: entries are doublespaced and in alphabetical order by author s last name 2 nd and 3 rd lines are indented. This is called a hanging indentation Don t forget to include your interview! Each source should say Web or Print in the citation. If you found the source online, you MUST include a date of Access as the last date. Web sources can change, so this is a necessary step. Note how all of this research was done in If the source is print, like a book or newspaper, it will not change, so you do not need an access date. Note the way that the months are all abbreviated to three letters. This type of indentation is called a hanging indent. This format makes it easy to count and then find each specific source that is cited in the essay. The author s last name (the first thing written on each line will line up with the in-text citations. An example of a citation from this essay might be (Williams 2). 9

10 Writing A Thesis Statement What is it? A thesis statement is a strong statement that you can prove with evidence. It is not a simple statement of fact. A thesis statement should be the product of your own critical thinking after you have done some research. Your thesis statement will be the main idea of your entire project. It can also be thought of as the angle or point of view from which you present your material. When do I write it? You will develop a thesis statement about your research topic after you have written a Statement of Purpose and done some actual research into the topic. You will then present your thesis statement in your introduction, prove it with evidence in the body of your paper, project, or presentation, and finally restate it along with a summary of your evidence in your conclusion. How do I write it? Look again at your Statement of Purpose Look at the kinds of information you have been finding while taking notes. Decide what kind of statement you have enough evidence to prove. (Be sure that you have done enough research to make a strong argument. You may be challenged.) Write that as your thesis statement. There are many ways to approach writing a thesis statement. Just make sure that it is not simple a fact and that you can support it with good evidence from reliable sources. Here are some ways to approach it: Define a problem and state your opinion about it Discuss the current state of an issue or problem and predict how it might resolve Put forth a possible solution to a problem Look at an issue/topic from a new, interesting perspective Theorize how the world might be different today if something had/had not happened in the past Compare two or more of something similar and give your rating about them (cars, authors, computers, colleges, books) Put out your ideas about how something was influenced to be the way it is or was (music, art, political leadership, genocide) 10

11 What does it look like? Statement of Purpose "I want to learn about what has influenced the music of 50 cent." "I want to find out some ways to stop teen gang activity." "I want to know how close we are to a cure for AIDS." Possible thesis statement The music of 50 cent has been heavily influenced by (you fill in the blank). Teen gang activity in the United States can be stopped by a combined approach which consists of supervised youth programs, more job availability, and closer family relationships. or Teenage gang activity can only be stopped with early education in the public school systems. Although much research has gone into finding a cure for the AIDS virus, we are no closer to a real cure than we were when the disease first became known. or "I want to know why Christians and Muslims fought so hard with each other during the middle ages." After years of research, scientists are on the verge of discovering a cure for the AIDS virus. Even though Christians and Muslims were supposedly fighting for religious dominance in the medieval world, their motives were strongly affected by the desire for land and economic power. or Medieval Christians and Muslims were fighting exclusively for deeply held religious beliefs. You can see that there is more than one way to write a thesis statement, depending on what you find out in your research and what your opinion is. Adapted from THESIS: 11

12 Methods of Organization There are several ways to organize your research: chronological, spatial, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, or by order of importance. A description of each of these methods is below: Chronological: this method organizes information by order of time. This method is good for biographical research papers or for papers about a particular event. Spatial: this method organizes information by order of how things relate to each other in a region or in a particular space. This method would be good for research about an event such as the Renaissance or the Black Plague. Cause/Effect: this method organizes information by addressing a cause, then showing the effects. This method would be good for research about an event such as the Black Plague or the reign of a particular king or queen. Comparison/Contrast: this method organizes information by comparing and contrasting two people, things, or events. You can compare/contrast point-by-point or subject-by-subject. This method would be good for research such as fashion or lifestyles. Ex: Point-by-Point Organization Subject-by-Subject Point A subject A subject B Point B subject A subject B Subject A Subject B point A point B point A point B Order of Importance: this method organizes information by the order of importance of subtopics. For example, if you were writing about the causes of the Black Plague, you might choose three causes. You would place those causes in order of importance by placing the most important cause in the third body paragraph. Think of a fireworks show If the most exciting part was at the beginning, everyone would leave before the end. See below: I. Introduction II. Third most-important cause III. Second most-important cause IV. Most important cause V. Conclusion 12

13 Title (Creative title) Last Name Page Number I. Introduction A. Hook 1. Background info 2. Thesis (The order that the CD from the interview and external sources may vary, but you must include one quote from either one in each paragraph. You are NOT recommended to use more than 2 CDs in each body paragraph) II. III. IV. Body Paragraph 1 Subtopic TS A. CD from interview B. CM C. CM D. CD from Source A E. CM F. CM G. CS Body Paragraph 2 Subtopic TS A. CD from interview B. CM C. CM D. CD from Source B E. CM F. CM G. CS Body Paragraph 3 Subtopic TS A. CD from interview B. CM C. CM D. CD from Source C E. CM F. CM G. CS V. Conclusion A. Restate main ideas; wrap-up discussion of importance of topic **It is a good idea to put this outline into your paper and slowly replace and add to it as you write. By the time you have finished, you will only have the essay and the outline will be gone. 13

14 How to Write an Introduction Step 1. Start with an interesting lead sentence. Your first sentence should hook your reader. Three Possible Ways to Lead: 1. Begin with a broad, general statement such as the one that follows: Ex: William Shakespeare is considered by many historians and critics to be one of the most important playwrights of the Elizabethan era. 2. Begin with a famous quotation or a direct quote from one of your sources. Ex: What s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet (Shakespeare 80). Ex: According to author Debbie Nevins, to say that William Shakespeare influenced our language is like saying the computer influenced modern life (Nevins 14). 3. Begin with an amusing or interesting anecdote or an illustration Ex: Even though scholars have many questions about Shakespeare s life, they do know he went to a public school as a boy in England. There he was educated in Latin and the works of ancient Greek and Roman writers. Many of these stories became the basis of the plays he wrote (Packer 6). Step 2. Connect your lead to your thesis statement (You can combine two or three of these methods.) A. Extend your lead by giving facts about or general background information of your topic. B. Explain how your quotation or anecdote relates to your topic. Step 3. Conclude the introductory paragraph with a clear concise thesis statement. The thesis statement is a strong statement you can prove from your research about a topic. Below are some possible ways to approach writing the thesis statement. You can also consult the How to Write a Thesis Statement handout. Look at an issue/topic from a new, interesting -perspective Theorize how the world might be different today if something had/had not happened in the past Compare two or more of something similar and state your judgment Discuss your ideas about how something was influenced to be the way it is or was (music, art, political leadership, genocide) 14

15 Remember: The structure of your introductory paragraph should be as follows: Interesting lead: general statement, quote, or anecdote. Connect lead to thesis by extending or explaining how lead relates to topic Thesis statement The introductory paragraph should be 5-7 sentences in length. EXAMPLE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: William Shakespeare is considered by many historians and critics to be one of the most important playwrights of the Elizabethan era. Not only a prolific writer he wrote more than thirty-seven plays he also created more than 1,000 words in the English language that are still used today ( Coined by Shakespeare 9). Even though scholars have many questions about Shakespeare s life, they do know he was educated in languages in school as a boy. His education prepared him for becoming a great playwright whose works were heard on stage by hundreds of ears. The words he created in his plays were repeated and used by the audience, then added to the English language. William Shakespeare influenced the English language by creating words in three ways: adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words, combining words, and creating new words out of sounds. Thesis Statement: Last sentence in introductory paragraph. Note how you can tell the following body paragraphs will address three different ways that Shakespeare contributed to the English language, in this specific order. 15

16 How to Create Parenthetical Citations What is it? Parenthetical citations are references to a source in the body of your essay. The citation is in parentheses following the reference. The parenthetical citation should match the citation of the source on your Works Cited page. This way, your reader knows exactly where to look on the Works Cited page for the full information about a source. EXAMPLES: 1. Around 1900, the optimistic dream for industrial growth turned into an optimistic dream for material possessions (Wade 6). 2. Not only a prolific writer he wrote more than thirty-seven plays he also created more than 1,000 words in the English language that are still used today ( Coined by Shakespeare 9). How do I do it? Always use quotation marks when you have used an author s exact words. Parenthetical citations MUST follow any and all information you have used from a source whether direct quotation, summary or paraphrase. Parenthetical citation appears at end of sentence BEFORE the period. Period AFTER the parentheses (Wade 6). Author s last name followed by page number OR if author unknown, title of article in quotations followed by page number. No page number is necessary if unknown. For your interview, use the page number on the original paper you submitted; the author is the interviewed person. If you have more than one source by the same author, then you will use the article title in the parenthetical citation. Change your Works Cited page accordingly (Whatever is in the parenthesis should match the first word of the Works Cited page). On websites with no pages, you do not need to include page numbers. However, most peer-reviewed journals and articles include pages. 16

17 Writing a Conclusion What is it? A conclusion is the final paragraph in an essay. It should restate your thesis, or main idea, and summarize the main points of evidence used your essay. The conclusion is like the outro of a song: it makes the listener feel the song is complete. In the same way, an effective conclusion makes the reader feel the essay is complete because you supported what you stated in your thesis. How to do it: Step 1: The first sentence in your conclusion can be the restatement of your thesis. When you restate your thesis, you use different words. If you want, you can split your thesis into two sentences. See example below: Thesis Statement: William Shakespeare influenced the English language by creating words in three ways: adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words, combining words, and creating new words out of sounds. Restatement: William Shakespeare s influence on the English language has endured for more than 400 years. Modern English has more than 1,700 words that can be attributed to Shakespeare through his use of combined words and onomatopoeia. Step 2: Summarize your main points of evidence used in your essay. You also might discuss why your topic is important. See example below: Sample Conclusion: William Shakespeare s influence on the English language has endured for more than 400 years. Modern English has more than 1,700 words that can be attributed to Shakespeare through his use of combined words and onomatopoeia. Even if a person is not familiar with Shakespeare s works, he most likely uses Shakespeare s language because Shakespeare s created words are common, everyday words like advertising, fashionable, or gossip. Thanks to William Shakespeare, the English language is rich and vibrant. Shakespeare showed that new words could be created with a little imagination. 17

18 1. 2. Acknowledgment Page Criteria Final draft must be typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font Must acknowledge any and all persons who assisted you with this project (with the exception of your English teacher!) Can have some flexibility in format: for example, can use a list format if you choose or complete sentences (minimum of three sentences) Make sure you have all names spelled correctly; this is courteous and respectful You can look at other books for ideas or suggestions, but here are a couple of possibilities: I am grateful for the following: Acknowledgments My mother, Brenda Talley Ferguson, who first told me the story of my great-aunt Mary. Wayne Fulton, for his expertise and help in researching my genealogy. Carson Nehls, who provided photographs and documents from our family website. Mary Ferguson for living such a colorful, delightful life. Acknowledgments I am profoundly grateful for my mother, Brenda Talley Ferguson, who first told me the story of my great-aunt Mary. I would not have known about Mary without my mother s help and input. I would also like to thank Wayne Fulton for his kindness in sharing his expertise and research of our genealogical records. Carson Nehls also provided photographs and documents from our family s website, for which I am deeply indebted. Finally, I would like to thank Mary Ferguson for living such a colorful, inspiring, and delightful life, without whom this story could never be told. 18

19 Self-Evaluation/Reflection Criteria 1. The reflection should be two paragraphs of at least seven sentences each, typed, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt. font. 2. The reflection should answer the following: Paragraph 1 The Process A. Describe your experience with this project. How did you get started? With whom did you talk? Where did you find your story? How did the project evolve? B. What most surprised or intrigued you? What did you find difficult or challenging? What did you enjoy most? What did you enjoy least? Paragraph 2 The Project A. Evaluate the project itself. What did you do well? Were you happy with the end result? If not, what and why? What did you not do well? B. How well did you incorporate your family story and your researched topic into each body paragraph? How well does the narrative engage the reader? Where were you the most successful? The least? 3. The reflection should be the last page of your research project, attached BEHIND the works cited page. 19