Mr. VANG GHS Name Hour 1

Mr. VANG GHS Name Hour 1

Research Assignment: Each student will choose a topic and write a career research paper. To successfully complete this project, each student will: Explore possible topics and submit a topic proposal by the assigned date. Select three potential topics and prioritize them 1-3 (1 being your first choice). Topics are subject to teacher approval. Students may not duplicate topics. Begin by locating a minimum of 10 CREDIBLE sources using a variety of both electronic (EBSCO, Student Resource Center) and print (books, magazines, etc) materials. Print ALL electronic sources to be handed in with your paper. Photocopy pages of any books or print magazines you plan to use to be handed in with your paper. NOTE: Wikipedia is NOT an appropriate source! No credit will be given for articles from Wikipedia! Create a working bibliography which lists all 10 of your sources. You will whittle this list down as you continue the process, deciding which sources will not provide useful information. As you read your articles and books, highlight information which you plan to use in your paper. Number the paragraphs in any computer-based sources (websites, EBSCO or SIRS articles, etc). Using your working bibliography as a starting point, create an annotated bibliography which lists at least 7 of your sources. An annotated bibliography provides a short summary of the source AND commentary on the information credibility, usefulness to your paper, etc. Create a clear, focused thesis statement (Remember, a good thesis takes a position on an issue and is arguable / defensible.). Create a topic outline consisting of at least four Roman numerals (introduction & conclusion DO NOT count). More specific information will be given in class. Write a documented paper minimum 6 paragraphs, 12-point font, double-spaced throughout. You must use information from AT LEAST five (5) of your sources. All information must be appropriately cited in the text of the paper. Class time will be provided to write the rough draft. Students who do not complete the rough draft in the allotted class time will need to come in during seminar or after school to finish writing. Students will peer-edit and revise papers in class. Time will also be provided for students to type papers in class. MLA Format Create a Works Cited page listing all sources cited in the paper. All you need to do is you re your working bibliography and remove any sources which you did not cite in your paper. Focus Correction Areas These are the goals for writers and will count for the most points in the total grade. Using evidence to support your position (ideas and content). This includes locating information, evaluating the reliability of sources, explain/analyzing evidence, and citing sources appropriately. Using an outline as a plan for writing (organization). Smoothly inserting quotations and other evidence into a writer s own sentences (sentence fluency). 2

Your paper will follow this basic pattern: Introduction Paragraph #1 (5+ sentences) Begin with an interesting opening; provide a broad overview of the career, narrow your focus to your thesis statement. Body (avg. 11 sentences per paragraph) Paragraph #2 the career reason 1 Explain the career in more detail; what makes it interesting? Paragraph #3 the career, reason 2 Paragraph #4 the career, reason 3 Conclusion Paragraph #5 (5+ sentences) Review / summarize; end with a strong closing thought that will linger in your readers minds. Grading / Points 15 3+ topics submitted on time 45 10 potential sources, appropriate (no Wikipedia!), on time 100 annotated bibliography, correct format, complete (7+ sources), on time 15 thesis statement submitted on time 50 topic outline, compete, correct format, on time 100 Present Career 200 final draft with works cited page 525 TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE for the research project 3

When doing research, it is not possible to read everything about a particular subject. It is important to evaluate the information carefully to find the most credible, reliable information. Carefully selecting and evaluating your sources will save time and enhance the quality of your project. Things to Consider Objectivity Who is the author? Most reliable sources should list the author s name. What is the author s personal perspective or attitude on the issue? Is the author showing bias on the topic? Authority Is the author recognized as an expert in the field? Is the information published by a reputable organization? Does the author provide his/her background or credentials? Most reliable sources will list the author s credentials, such as education and job titles. Accuracy Does the information seem reliable? Can this information be verified through other sources? Does the author provide a bibliography of sources? Is the information free of grammatical and spelling errors? Currency How current is the information? When was the work produced? Have there been any major changes in the field since the information was published? If the information is from a website, when was the last time the site was updated? Miscellaneous Thoughts Is the information easily accessible? Does the information relate to your topic? Are there any graphics that could enhance your project? Is the information well organized? Is the material age-appropriate? 4

Listed below are the needed pieces of information, in MLA09 citation order, for the most common citations along with a sample of each. If you have questions, ask Mrs. Ast. Book 1. Author(s). 2. Title of Book. 3. City of Publication: 4. Publisher, 5. Year published. 6. Medium of Publication. Cussler, Clive. Raise the Titanic. New York: Viking Press, 1976. Print. Or Garcia, Kami and Margaret Stohl. Beautiful Creatures. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2009. Print. 1. Editor(s) names, Ed(s). 2. Title of Book. 3. City of Publication: Book with an Editor 4. Publisher, 5. Year published. 6. Medium of Publication. Hill, Charles A. and Marguerite Helmers, Eds. Defining Visual Rhetorics. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. Print. 1. Author(s). 2. "Title of Article." 3. Title of Book. 4. Ed. Editor's Name(s). 5. Place of Publication: Article in a Reference Work 6. Publisher, 7. Year of Publication. 8. Page range of entry. 9. Medium of Publication. Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to One. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34. Print. 1. Author(s). 2. "Title of Article." 3. Title of Periodical Article in a Periodical 4. Day Month Year published: 5. Pages. 6. Medium of publication. Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print. An Article in a Scholarly Journal 1. Author(s). 2. "Title of Article." 3. Title of Journal 4. Volume.Issue 5. (Date of Publication): 6. Pages. 7. Medium of publication. Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise." Arizona Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127-53. Print. 5

1. Author(s). 2. "Title of Article." 3. Title of Periodical Article in Newspaper 4. Day Month Year published: 5. Section letter and number. 6. Medium of publication. Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's Uninsured Patients." Washington Post 24 May 2007: A1. Print. 1. Interviewee s name. 2. Personal Interview statement. Personal Interview 3. Day Month and Year interview took place. Reagan, Ronald. Personal Interview. 14 Dec.1985. Entire Website 1. Editor(s), author(s), or compiler(s) name (if available). 2. Name of Site. 3. Publisher (use n.p. if no publisher name is available), 4. Date of creation (if available) (use n.d. if no publishing date is given). 5. Medium of Publication. 6. Date of access. The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2010. 1. Author(s) or alias (if available). 2. Title of the Page/Article. 3. Name of Site. 4. Publisher (use n.p. if no publisher name is available), Article on a Website 5. Date of creation (if available) (use n.d. if no publishing date is given). 6. Medium of Publication. 7. Date of access. Russell, Tony. MLA Formatting and Style Guide. The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2010. Article from an Online Database 1. Author(s) or alias (if available). 2. Title of Article. 3. Name of original source 4. Volume. Issue (if available) 5. (Publishing date of original source) 6. : pages (if available). 7. Name of Database used. 8. Medium of Publication. 9. Date of access. Langhamer, Claire. Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England. Historical Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009. 6

A bibliography lists ALL of the sources you used while you were working on your paper in MLA format. You ll start by creating a working bibliography which lists all 15 of the sources you located in the library, even though you probably won t end up using them all in the paper. Bibliography Susie Smartypants English 12, 1 st hour 10 Oct. 2007 Langhamer, Claire. Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England. Historical Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009. An annotation provides a brief summary of the source, as well as analysis and commentary. After you ve located your sources, read through them more closely. At this point, you can begin eliminating the sources that you believe are less useful. You may eliminate up to five (5) of your initial sources. To create your annotated bibliography, open your saved bibliography. Begin by deleting any sources you ve eliminated. Then, under each source you ve saved, write a single-spaced paragraph of 5-8 sentences. In each paragraph, provide the following information: a brief summary of the source in your own words, commentary on the writer s intended audience, explanation of how or why the source will (or will not) provide information useful to your paper, and comparison / contrast of this source with another source you ve consulted. Susie Smartypants Annotated Bibliography English 12, 1 st hour 10 Oct. 2007 Langhamer, Claire. Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England. Historical Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009. In this article, Gary Ruskin explains the connections between the media and the increasing numbers of obese children in the United States. He argues that the media takes control of kids food choices away from the parents. Like other sources, this article explains some of the consequences of childhood obesity. However, Ruskin goes into more detail about how the media influences food choices and has even reached into the schools. This information is particularly useful in this research project because it provides not only detailed information about the problems of obesity, but also potential solutions to the problem that parents can use themselves to take individual action. 7

A way to organize and plan your composition 2 types of outlines: sentence outline all points in complete sentences topic outline uses key words and phrases only Write out thesis statement at the top of the outline If you have an A you must have a B ; if you have a 1 you must have a 2 Thesis statement: write out complete sentence I. Main point (overview of problem) A. First Subpoint General support for I 1. Specific detail to support A 2. Specific detail to support A B. Second Subpoint General support for I 1. Specific detail to support B 2. Specific detail to support B II. Main point (overview of solutions) A. First Subpoint General support for II 1. Specific detail to support A a. Subdetail to support 1 b. Subdetail to support 1 2. Specific support for II 3. Specific support for II B. Second Subpoint General support for I 1. Specific detail to support B 2. Specific detail to support B III. Main point (reason #1 why your solution is best) A. First Subpoint General support for III 1. Specific detail to support A 2. Specific detail to support A B. Second Subpoint General support for III 1. Specific detail to support B 2. Specific detail to support B C. Third Subpoint General support for III 1. Specific detail to support C 2. Specific detail to support C IV. Main point (reason #2 why your solution is best) A. First Subpoint General support for IV 1. Specific detail to support A 2. Specific detail to support A B. Second Subpoint General support for IV 1. Specific detail to support B 2. Specific detail to support B If you have many specific facts, you may want to break down into further detail. Use lower case letters and indent again NOTE: just because detail 1 has a little a & b does not mean that detail 2 must have them! You may also want to include more than 2 subpoints if you have more information on a specific main point. 8

Ok, you ve found sources, taken notes, and organized them into an outline. Now it s time to write the paper itself. This is the hard part, right? If you ve done all of your prep work thoroughly, this is actually pretty easy. Introduction Just like any other paper, the introduction of a research paper has several functions. A good introduction: a) hooks the reader s attention. Try using a shocking or interesting fact, a powerful quote, a stimulating question, or a short anecdote (story) related to your topic. b) introduces the broad topic. c) narrows your focus. d) ends with a clear, specific thesis statement what you plan to say or prove ABOUT the topic. Body You ve done most of the work while writing your outline. The following format should help you transform your outline into your paper. T topic sentencethis is point A or B on your outline. It should be a statement in your own words of the main point of your paragraph. Remember, all paragraphs must clarify, explain or support the thesis statement. I informationthis is a fact, statistic, quote, or other piece of evidencepoint 1 on your outline. Be sure to put it in a complete sentence and CITE YOUR SOURCE at the end of that sentence. See pp. in this booklet for examples. A analysisexplain what the information shows or proves about the main point of the paragraph. A good rule of thumb is that for every one fact, you should include two sentences explaining and connecting it. I A more informationthis is point 2 on your outline. See the first I above. more analysissee the A above. C concluding sentenceadd a final sentence to your paragraph. Sum up/restate your main point, clinch an argument, or set up the next paragraph. Conclusion Reverse the introductionstart by restating your thesis, summarize the body points, and provide the reader with a sense of closure. One very effective way to do this is to refer back to your introduction paragraph. If you started with a quote, fact, or anecdote refer back to it; if you asked a question, provide a possible answer. END WITH A BANG! POINTS TO REMEMBER Double space your rough draft CITE EVERY PIECE OF INFORMATION that is not your own opinion or idea NO pronouns that start with y. Keep 1 st person pronouns (I, me, we, our, etc) to a minimum try to stick to 3 rd person. NEVER start or end a BODY PARAGRAPH with a quotation. Set it up, give the quote, explain what it means. 9

So you re ready to start the rough draft. You ve found sources, taken notes, and organized them into an outline. Remember that you must CITE each and every piece of information which is not your own analysis, opinion, or idea. You do this by placing just two pieces of information in PARENTHESES at the end of the sentence in which you included the information thus the term parenthetical citation. It s really pretty simple. If you paraphrase the information put it in your own words all you need is the author s last name and the page number (for print sources such as books) or paragraph number (for electronic sources such as EBSCO, GaleNet, or internet web sites). Note that in every case, the END PUNCTUATION is placed AFTER the parentheses. Example: Imagine that Mrs. Nollette wrote a wonderful book and you used a piece of information from that book in this sentence (Nollette 19). If Mrs. Nollette also created a website to further spread her vast knowledge and you cited the web site, you would cite it with her last name and the paragraph number (Nollette par. 14). If you quote information, it s nearly the same; just make sure you use quotation marks to enclose what you ve borrowed word-forword. Example: According to Mrs. Nollette, learning to cite information properly is one of the most critical skills students need for college (Nollette 219). If you include the author s name IN THE SENTENCE, you only need the page or paragraph number in the parentheses. According to Nollette, students who complete assignments on time are more likely to be successful in college and the workforce (par. 24). But what if no author was listed? Include the title or enough of the title to be clear which source you are using in the parentheses instead of the author. 10

Here is an example sentence ( Parenthetical Citation par. 7). What If I have a source with two authors? That s easy; you just list both last names in the citation (Pote and Nollette 97). I have a source with more than two authors? Use the same abbreviation as on the source card (Nollette et al 65). I used information from two separate pages in one sentence? You can list two page numbers in your citation (Nollette 19, 72). I have two articles or books written by the same author? In this case, you must include enough of the title as well as the author s name so your reader can clearly tell from which source the information came (Nollette, Getting Started 5). no page number was available for my print source? Sometimes, especially in vertical files, the page number inadvertently gets cut off of a magazine or newspaper article (Nollette n. p.). I use a quote-within-a-quote? In this instance, you include both names in your citation the original author or speaker of the words, AND the author of the source (Pote qtd. in Nollette par. 4). In this case, it might be preferable to include the original author in the sentence intsef: According to Pote, students today don t do enough work to be ready for college (qtd. in Nollette 79). I have two different authors with the same last name? If this occurs, include the proper author s first initial in your citation (A. Nollette 49). What if I have a situation this handout doesn t address? That s easy! Ask Mr. Vang 11

Alphabetize all entries by the author s last name (or editor if no author is given). If more than one author is listed, follow the same format that you used on the source cards. If no author or editor is given, alphabetize by the first important word of the title (a, an, and the are not important words). Don t forget to indent all additional lines of an entry (hanging indent). Double space all information do not leave an EXTRA space between the entries the spacing should be the same throughout the page. DO NOT number your entries. Capitalize and center the title Works Cited. DO NOT underline it or put quotation marks around it. Word art is not appropriate. If you use more than one source by the same author, DO NOT list the author s name again. Instead, use three hyphens followed by a period [---.] in place of the author s name. See sample below Works Cited Garcia, Kami and Margaret Stohl. Beautiful Creatures. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2009. Print. Langhamer, Claire. Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England. Historical Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009. Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print. Russell, Tony. MLA Formatting and Style Guide. The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2010. 12