RESEARCH WRITING GUIDE Mr. Barikmo --- World History USE THIS PACKET THROUGHOUT YOUR RESEARCH AND WRITING PROCESS! THIS WILL BE TURNED IN WITH YOUR PAPER AND WILL BE A PORTION OF YOUR FINAL PAPER GRADE.
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Contents Page 4.. Question / Thesis / Positions and Support Chart Page 5.. Connections Chart Page 6.. Graphic Outline Page 7.. Research Notebook Page 18.. Sentence outline Page 20.. Working Bibliography Page 21.. Introductory Paragraph Page 22. Conclusion Paragraph Page 23.. Checklist for paper DUE: DUE: DUE: DUE: DUE: DUE: DUE: DUE: DUE: 3
Question / Thesis / Positions and Support The first step of the paper writing process is to identify the TOPIC and QUESTION you are going to explore. In many cases the assignment from the teacher will outline the key question for the assignment. Topic: Question: After you have identified the topic you want to cover and the key question, you need to identify a possible answer to that question. This is called a THESIS. This is a general statement that announces the major conclusions you reached through thoughtful analysis of all your sources. In many ways it is an attempt at an answer to your QUESTION. This appears at the beginning of your paper and the rest of your paper will essentially prove your thesis. Thesis: The bulk of your work will be in identifying the supporting evidence for your THESIS you find and incorporating it into the main part of your paper. Here is where you identify POSITIONS and SUPPORT them with research and evidence. Positions (identify at least 3): Supporting Evidence: 4
Connections Chart Many of the papers you write in history classes will ask you to do more than just describe something. They will most often ask you to connect it to other areas of society and history. For this assignment you will need to connect the religion to the politics, society/social structure, cultural and historic aspects. Using this organizer take your choice of religion and map out the connection to (or importance to) the various areas. Identify at least 4 next steps that take it to the modern day. Political Connections Social Connection Cultural Connection Historical Connection 5
Graphic Outline Once you start to gather your information you will find that your paper begins to write itself (if you have followed all the steps in the process. Before you outline your paper for the first time it is nice to gather the evidence and put it into a usable form that will help you in the long run Draft # 2 of your thesis What are you going to argue in this paper? Supporting Evidence #1 Supporting Evidence #2 Supporting Evidence #3 How does this connect to your position? How does this connect to your position? How does this connect to your position? Final Summary of your position and (the beginnings of what you might include in your paper) 6
Research Notebook Throughout the research process you will be asked to look at various types of material and ask yourself if you will include that material in paper. There will be some material that you will find to be IMMEDIATELY useful in your paper, and some you may never even use. No matter which one it is, you should get in the habit of taking down as much information as you can about the source, not just notes on what you might include in the paper. You may use a direct quote from the source, paraphrase some piece of information, or just summarize the source in your paper. Either way, you will have to credit the source in your paper and in your Works Cited page. When you organize your information as outlined here the writing process becomes easier and the citation process becomes a breeze! This area of the notebook will serve as the bulk of your work on this research process. You will be required to document all of your research on these pages. This format is taken from the Cherry Creek High School Library Research Guides that you have access to in the library and online. I will ask you to include the information on the blank pages here so that everything is organized. If you need more pages, go to my website (http://barikmo.weebly.com) and print more out to be included in your final packet. Things that MUST be included on this form: Author or Editor This will be the name that you principally cite in your paper and is often how your works cited paged is organized. Name of Original Source Where did this information first appear? If it is from an online database, was it from book, encyclopedia, magazine, etc.? Title of Article / Chapter / Entry Is this from a specfici section or entry? Name of Database Only applies to online database articles Volume # / Issue # / Page # / Copyright Date include these only if you know them and they apply, but most important is the copyright date. Publication City This helps us identify where it was written/published and serves as info in your Works Cited page. Publisher This will be important on the Works cited page. Date Accessed Again, important for works cited page. URL This is the web address that will be important for accessing the article if we ever need to. It is also included on the Works Cited page. Call #...This is helpful if you ever need to go back to the book during your research. 7
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Sentence Outline Once you have your research it is time to begin outlining your paper based on your thesis, positions, supporting information, and research. Here you are required to compose an outline for your paper. This type of outline, a sentence outline, asks you to express each category as a complete sentence. It takes more time than a phrase outline, but gives you an important advantage. The sentences that make up the outline can often be used almost word for word when you start to write your full paper. For example: A. Diego Rivera suffered from a number of childhood problems. 1. Rivera contracted typhus at nine and nearly died from scarlet fever at eleven. 2. Rivera faced dangers resulting from his father s radical politics. Your sentence outline (must include your thesis, at least 4 supporting sections with your evidence, and a conclusion section.) 18
Sentence Outline (continued) 19
Working Works Cited Page Your paper must have a works cited page at the end that shows ALL evidence you used in your paper. This follows a particular format called the MLA Citation format. Write here a citation for EACH source you have found and included on your research guide pages. While you may not use each of these in your paper, it gets you in the habit of documenting where you get your information from. Use the Library web page to help you find information about how to cite the material you are using. For this assignment you should have at least 4 sources (print or electronic) 20
Introductory Paragraph The introduction is often the first thing to be written in a paper, but will often be the last thing edited or polished. This is the first impression a reader will get of your writing, topic, and thesis. There are many ways of approaching this first paragraph. You can 1)start with an opposing viewpoint; 2)describe the topic, issue, and the controversy; 3) outline your position and thesis; 4) describe the significance of your topic in history; 5) give the background of the topic; or 6) attract your reader with interesting information about the topic. Your assignment here is to write out two introductions you might use for your paper that follow two of the above mentioned examples. Introduction # 1 Introduction # 2 21
Conclusion paragraph This is your final impression on the reader. After writing about the information your outlined in your thesis you have an opportunity to finish with strong conclusion. Like the introductions there are different ways to approach the conclusion. You can 1) return to something in the introduction and make the paper come full circle; 2) describe the impact of your position on history, modern times, or the potential effect it might have; 3) Illustrate your position with an anecdoete that connects the reader back to your topic and humanizes your position; 5) or simply summarize. Whatever you do, NEVER start the paragraph with In conclusion or Finally, Using one of the models above, write 2 possible conclusions for your paper. Conclusion # 1 Conclusion # 2 22
Final Paper Checklist To be completed before turning your paper in. That means CHECK OFF each one as you review your paper! Title and Page 1 The following information appears in the upper left corner of the document (student name, teacher, course and hour, date ( DD Month YYYY) There is a title centered on the page after the Name section There a page number in the upper right header that follows the format Student Last name page number Format Typed in 12 point, Times New Roman font The entire paper is double spaced Printed in black ink One inch margins around NO EXTRA SPACES BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS! Introduction Includes interesting information to hook the reader Contains a strong thesis statement Provides a road map for the reader Body Paper includes sources that are credible (no Wikipedia, no ask.com, no google sources) Uses the required number of sources Credit/ Citation is given EVERY time I use research, even if it is paraphrased or summarized Each source used in my paper is on my Works Cited page Conclusion Paper comes to a logical closing that brings together the main points of my paper No phrases resembling, In this paper you have learned or Now that you ve read my or In conclusion Works Cited Page Entries are in alphabetical order Entries are not numbered Entries are double spaced Entries are formatted with a hanging indent That s this kind of indentation when the line continues form the previous line. 23