Research Paper Writing One Chunk at a time!
Two Types There are two major types of research papers: Argumentative: The argumentative research paper consists of an introduction in which you clearly introduce a topic and inform your audience of exactly which stance you intends to take; this stance is often identified as the thesis statement. An important goal of an argumentative research paper is persuasion, which means the topic must be debatable or controversial. For example, it would be difficult for someone to successfully argue in favor of the following stance. Analytical: The analytical research paper often begins with asking a question (a.k.a. a research question) on which you have taken no stance, therefore your paper is an exercise in exploration and evaluation. For example, perhaps you are interested in the Old English poem Beowulf, have has read the poem intently, and desire to offer a fresh reading of the poem, academically. Although the topic may be debatable and controversial, you are not persuading the audience that your ideas are right while those of others are wrong, but instead, are offering a critical interpretation of primary and secondary sources throughout the paper--sources that should, ultimately, buttress your analysis of the topic.
First Order of Business... #1) Create a new folder on your GHS account named: RESEARCH PAPER and within it create 5 Sub-Folders named: INTRO, BODY1, BODY2, BODY3, and CONCLUSION. #2) Open 3 tabs on the internet and pull up www.scholar.google.com, www.kyvl.org, and www.citationmachine.net or www.easybib.com. --You may ONLY use academic and professional resources from Google Scholar or Kentucky Virtual Library, or *.gov and *.edu sites. NO EXCEPTIONS! --Although you may see cite next to your findings, they are not usually complete and correct, so DO NOT USE THEM. #3) Save ALL information in your folders and ONLY print the actual portion of the articles that you think you WILL use in your paper --Copy, Paste, and Save whole articles on MSWord documents or GoogleDocs in your folders though because you never know if you will be able to find it again.
1st assignment: Remember the lesson we did on NOUNS at the beginning of the year? Nouns are people, places, things, and IDEAS, right? Focus on the IDEAS - come up with a list of them that you find interesting and go Web Surfing to see what you can find about them. Create a list of things that you found when researching your IDEA list and when you hot on one which has a lot of "stuff" and in which you are interested, put it into a mind map: include anything and everything in the roads going off from the center of your map and include details for those roads too FILL the page, then come see me.
Chunk 1 - Due MONDAY Assignment - Find an article you think is really good on Google Scholar or Kentucky Virtual Library with reasons that answer WHY or HOW for your IDEA and turn it in for a grade. You will turn in the ANNOTATED portion of the actual article that you plan to use. ANNOTATED = underline or highlight specific line(s) that pertain to your IDEA and summarize and explain (write on the bottom of your document) the highlighted/underlined portion of the article and explain how you will use it - I want to read your thinking. Then, also turn in the Full MLA Citation(s) for the article, pasted to the bottom of the document.
YOU are NOT an expert Your credibility depends on the strength of the experts you quote and paraphrase Not only must you cite them, but you must also introduce them BEFORE quoting or paraphrasing them so your reader KNOWS why they are an expert Make sure that all your articles are from respectable sources and your authors are credible. DO NOT quote anyone directly unless the quote is short and cannot be paraphrased. DO NOT fill your paper with author after author paraphrases. After doing all this research and reading all the articles YOU should be able to combine information from your authors to make your point in a lot of your paper without direct quotes or paraphrasing. YOU WILL BECOME AN EXPERT!
Chunk 2 & 3: Due MONDAY Assignment 2 Find 3 Buddies for your original Body author: --Find 3 NEW articles, written by 3 NEW authors that discuss the ideas on your map. You will have 4 authors now. Print and turn in the actual articles, underline or highlight the specific line(s) that pertain to Body topics, and include explanations for why each of those 3 will work. You MUST include Full MLA Citations for each article - paste it to the bottom of the document.
Assignment 3 Fill-in THREE BODY sections on PRINTED outline FORMS using information you have gathered so far. Use details that you annotated from your articles. THERE WILL BE GAPS or HOLES. Unique In-text citation MUST be included on EVERY LINE of the outline. Include and annotate ALL new articles and attach those to your outline sections. You will turn this in for a grade. In-Text Citation is ONLY the Author s last name and the page or paragraph number where the information can be found, inside parentheses: (Smith 47) or (Daviees 2) For definitions, Biblical references, or organization references, go to www.owl.english.purdue.edu From here on out you may use *.gov and *.edu. You MUST have MLA citation for each and MUST place In-Text citation AS YOU GO everywhere you used someone else's idea.
Example of a blank research paper outline. Note that there are 3 detail sections for EACH of the 3 body sections. You MUST mix up your experts you MAY NOT use the same one for all 3 details. RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINE Name: TIPS: Smooth transitions are the key to convincing people you are a good writer. PARAPHRASE the expert s info in your words Details from experts that prove your topic go on the lines below each topic, and you MUST include in-text citation for EVERY ONE. RESEARCH WRITING is ALWAYS written in 3 RD PERSON. DO NOT DO transitions or intros right now those will be done later. First Body Section Your most convincing argument & easiest to understand get them nodding with you HERE! In the 3 Body sections is where citation is most prominent CITE EVERYTHING!!! It makes you look smarter. At least 2 college length paragraphs per Body section. 2. 1 st Body Topic in your own words 2a. (topic intro in your own words) 2ai. ( ) 2aii. ( ) 2aiii. ( ) 2b. (topic intro in your own words) 2bi. ( ) 2bii. ( ) 2biii. ( ) 2c. (topic intro in your own words) 2ci. ( ) 2cii. ( ) 2ciii. ( ) 2civ. (Transition to 2 nd Body)
Second Body Section Also convincing and easy to understand can be more technical but not too foreign to readers. At least 2 college length paragraphs. 3. 2 nd Body topic in your own words 3a. (topic intro in your own words) 3ai. ( ) 3aii. ( ) 3aiii. ( ) 3b. (topic intro in your own words) 3bi. ( ) 3bii. ( ) 3biii. ( ) 3c. (topic intro in your own words) 3ci. ( ) 3cii. ( ) 3ciii. ( ) 3civ. Transition to 3 rd Body
Forth Body Section Your most technical or hardest point about which to convince them goes here. At least 2 college length paragraphs. 4. 3 rd Body Topic in your own words 4a. (topic intro in your own words) 4ai. ( ) 4aii. ( ) 4aiii. ( ) 4b. (topic intro in your own words) 4bi. ( ) 4bii. ( ) 4biii. ( ) 4c. (topic intro in your own words) 4ci. ( ) 4cii. ( ) 4ciii. ( ) 4civ. Transition to Conclusion GOOD FLOW MAKES PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE A GOOD WRITER. Go back through your three body sections and jot down ideas on these pages to help you transition from one thing to another.
Chunk 4 & 5: Due MONDAY Assignment 4: Fill-in everything that is missing on your outline. You will have at least 6 authors by the time you finish this. Unique In-text citation MUST be included on EVERY LINE. Include and annotate ALL new articles and attach those to your outline sections. You will turn this in for a grade. In-Text Citation is ONLY the Author s last name and the page or paragraph number where the information can be found, inside parentheses: (Smith 47) or (Daviees 2) For definitions, Biblical references, or organization references, go to www.owl.english.purdue.edu You may now use other well known and reliable Dot Com sources (like Time Magazine, the Holocaust Museum, or Dictionary.com). You MUST have MLA citation for each and MUST place In-Text citation AS YOU GO everywhere you used someone else's idea.
Chunk 5: Due MONDAY Assignment 5: 1) Gather information on all authors 2) Create your official Works Cited page with every single source Find the following about every author: Full name, Sex, Title, Employer or University/areas of expertise; i.e., WHY they are an expert. You will turn this in for a grade. Works Cited Page: alpha order by Author s last name, NO extra spaces between citations, double space whole page, hanging indent. You will turn this in for a grade. ASK IF YOU DON T KNOW!!!
Chunk 6 & 7: Due MONDAY Assignment 6: 1) Write your Conclusion and Intro sentences as per instructions on following slides - but don't worry about putting them into paragraph form yet. Just get the sentences written - complex sentence structure, correct tense, strong verbs, correct comma usage, and complete thoughts. 2) Separately, turn in ALL author introductions. REMEMBER THE WRITING RULES: Do not ever begin a sentence with a conjunction A sentence must be a complete thought within itself Correct punctuation is a requirement Use complex sentence structures for explanatory sentences Use the 4 to 1 - long to short rule about sentence length Go back and change your verbs to make them stronger Go back and take out all superfluous words No contractions in formal writing except within direct quotes Go back and look for he word THAT - see if you can take it out or change it to WHICH (for things) or WHO (for people)
PRINT THESE SLIDES AND COMPLETE FOR A GRADE WRITE AUTHOR INTRODUCTIONS ON THE BACK NAME: Conclusion Tips * do NOT use ANY NEW info * unless there is a direct quote NOTHING should need citing here * Rephrase the Body topics, and shorten * Use common but professional language * keep it short but don t skimp * 1 college length paragraph is most common * DO NOT TELL THE READER TO DO SOMETHING IN THE CONCLUSION IT S TACKY AND JUVINILE. CONCLUSION SENTENCES: 5. In Conclusion... (transition sentence) Thesis Statement Restate proofs going backwards from 3 to 2 to 1 in your own words (3) (2) (1) Concluding Punch Point Sentence
Introduction Tips * do the conclusion first, then the introduction * do NOT use lengthy explanations * use common but professional language * use very little cited info, if any an exception might be using an interesting quote or the definition of a term specific to your field of study * NO lengthy, technical explanations in Intro or conclusion * Intro is 2 college length paragraphs, going from the broad concept to a specific topic that leads into Body #1. 1. Snappy intro to snag reader Thesis Statement sentence - Here s what I am going to prove... Intro topic 3 n your own words Intro topic 2 n your own words Intro topic 1 n your own words Technical term definitions
Sentences construction for topic introduction and thesis statement GO BACK TO YOUR OUTLINE Topic 1 intro sentence is a combination of the information you wrote down on the lines for 2a, 2b, and 2c. Topic 2 intro sentence is a combination of 3a, 3b, and 3c. Topic intro 3 sentence is a combination of 4a, 4b, and 4c. Make sure you are using the Oxford Comma rule Thesis statement sentence is a combination of 1st Body Topic in your own words, 2nd Body Topic in your own words, and 3rd Body Topic in your own words. (Remember that the order in which you place them in the thesis statement should be the reverse of how they will be presented in the paper.)
Author Introductions are all in the order of Title, Full Name, position, Company or educational institution: Dr. Herbert Terrace, aeronautical engineer at NASA,... Flora Davis, senior Vice President in charge of Operations at NASA and a Harvard graduate... Samuel Hoover, personal trainer at Gold's Gym and former Mr. World,... Dr. George Smith, Professor of Chemistry at East Los Angeles Community College,... Reverend John Brown, minister of the Tabernacle Church in Dallas, Texas,... Dr. James T. Baker, who earned a PhD in Humanities from Florida State University in 1967... Noam Chomsky, politician and defendant in the trial...
Assignment 7: ALL EXPERTS MUST BE INTRODUCED Every single borrowed idea MUST be accompanied by a signal phrase and in-text citation. SIGNAL PHRASE: names the author AND alerts the reader that the information is from a credible source The signal phrases MUST connect to the point you are trying to make / argue Do not EVER say SAY or SAID unless you have an audio recording of the expert actually voicing the word(s)/idea(s) Examples are in following slides:
USE THE LONG SIGNAL PHRASE THE FIRST TIME AN AUTHOR IS INTRODUCED AFTER THE FIRST LONG ONE, YOU USE SHORT ONES, WITHIN THAT TRAIN OF THOUGHT BUT NEVER JUST USE THE AUTHOR'S FIRST NAME. AFTER THE SHORT ONE, YOU MAY ALTERNATE BETWEEN THE SHORT SIGNAL PHRASE AND JUST A PRONOUN FOR THE AUTHOR'S SEX, AS LONG AS YOU ARE USING THAT AUTHOR UNINTERRUPTEDLY. Example: Dr. George Smith, Professor of Chemistry at East Los Angeles Community College, another supporter of cloning, and the President of the Human Cloning Foundation, believes that science fiction works have created hysteria in the popular media. (Smith 19) Smith argues, From Frankenstein to The Sixth Day, our popular media has done nothing but stir up the public s anxiety about monsters (Smith 25). His views on the popular media tell us... A view that contradicts Smith s is articulated by Rev. John Brown, minister of the Tabernacle Church in Dallas, Texas, who contends that, God never intended for man to participate in his acts of creation. He will never condone our interference in his plan for us (Brown 5). Brown makes it clear that... The National Review, a publication well known for its conservative stance, includes Brown s opinions on a regular basis.
ONCE YOU HAVE FINISHED THE OUTLINE OF YOUR PAPER, GO BACK AND DOUBLE CHECK YOURSELF: #1) Thesis statement (clearly stated and circled, highlighted, or in bold) within the printed copy of your introduction #2) Choose the order in which your arguments will be listed from best to weakest but do not write them. DO WRITE all Four transitional sentences so that your paper will flow smoothly: 1) from Intro to Body 1 2) from Body 1 to Body 2 3) from Body 2 to Body 3 4) from Body 3 to Conclusion Transitions must flow from one idea to the next, so use some from the topic you have already written and then some of what is to come.
TRANSITION WORDS To indicate more information: To indicate an example: To indicate a cause or reason: Besides For example As Furthermore For instance Because In addition For instance Because of Indeed In particular / Particularly Due to In fact Specifically For Moreover To demonstrate For the reason that Second...Third..., etc. To illustrate Since To indicate a result or an effect: To indicate a purpose or reason why: To compare or contrast: Accordingly For fear that Although / On the other hand Finally In the hope that However Consequently In order to In comparison / Similarly Hence So In contrast / Whereas So So that Likewise Therefore With this in mind Nevertheless / Yet Thus To indicate a time frame or time shift: To summarize: To conclude: After / Lastly Briefly Given these facts Before / Initially In brief Hence Currently / Soon Overall In conclusion During / Later Summing up So Eventually / Immediately To put it briefly Therefore Finally / Formerly To sum up Thus First,... Second,..., etc. To summarize To conclude Meanwhile / Next Previously / Simultaneously Subsequently
Chunk 8 & 9: Due MONDAY Assignment 8: Write out your 3 body sections and Self-Edit afterwards. Write each separately and turn in separately for a grade. All Body sections WILL be 2 paragraphs long and fill 1 ¼ - 1 ½ pages: * all of topic 1 and half of 2 in the first paragraph * the 2 nd half of 2 and all of 3 in the second paragraph Check to make sure you have included correct author intros and ALL intext citations. If you don t, you are plagiarizing. For ALL expert introductions, you MUST include SIGNAL PHRASES, IN- TEXT CITATION, AND A FULL, MLA CITATION ON THE WORKS CITED PAGE, but you also need to vary the structure of your author introductions. BE AWARE: Author Intros make for long sentences and more space taken up by the paragraph. BE AWARE: An AUTHOR/Expert states or writes, he or she does not SAY.
Author Introductions and their in-text citations: In the words of researcher Dr. Herbert Terrace, an aeronautical engineer at NASA,... (Terrace #.) Terrance answers these objections with the following analysis:... (Terrace #.) As physicist, Flora Davis, senior VP in charge of Operations at NASA, has noted,... (Davis #.) Samuel Hoover, personal trainer, points out that... (Hoover # ),..., claims Noam Chomsky, politician (Chomsky # ) and to the rest ======================================================= BE AWARE: Do NOT write In Smith s essay, he says or In Smith s essay, it says..., or Smith s essay states... DO write In his essay, Smith states...
Using your sources correctly and write well: Do NOT allow your sources words to dominate YOUR writing. YOUR ANALYSIS in YOUR WORDS is most important. ONLY use actual quotes: When the author s exact words are the only, or by far the best, way to say something When the author s own words are particularly forceful or crucial to interpretation When referencing a passage from a poem, short story, novel, or play. Do NOT use contractions in formal writing: Contractions are INFORMAL, therefore are not to be used in FORMAL writing, UNLESS within a direct quote. Contractions lead to grammatical ERRORS When you speak, you have fractions of a second to put the words, meanings, and sounds in order to make a coherent sentence. When you are writing, you have time, so DO NOT take shortcuts like contractions.
SELF-EDITING: YOU MUST DO ALL OF THESE THINGS... Editing it is 90% of writing! 1a) Click Control + F, FSearch, and search for all instances of the word THAT. Change almost every single one to WHICH or WHO. 1b) FSearch for all PERSONAL PRONOUNS (i.e., I, me, you, we, us...) and remove them if they are not in a direct quote. 1c) FSearch for an apostrophe ( ) and replace all CONTRACTIONS
2) Inconsistent verb tense: Advocates of thorough hand washing believe this practice will help prevent illness; there have been those who challenged this view. Consistent verb tense: Advocates of thorough hand washing believe this practice helps prevent illness; there are those who challenge this view. While Lee was answering the doorbell, the intruder had entered through the bedroom window. While Lee was answering the doorbell, the intruder was entering through the bedroom window.
3) Check these: Margins = 1 all the way around Font = Times New Roman size 12, regular Whole paper, including Works Cited page, double spaced 4) NO LONG QUOTES - just paraphrases - reduce the number of superfluous words. 5) All Body arguments are the same length with at least a 4 to 1 ratio and should be approximately ¾ page each, double spaced. 6) Check Works Cited page: left justified, hanging indented citations, NO extra spaces between citations, alpha order by author s last name
PRINT and do ALL of these throughout the paper 1- Cross out every unnecessary word Vermont is a state that attracts visitors because of its winter sports. 2- Check ALL pronouns: NEVER USE PERSONAL PRONOUNS (I, you, me, us, me...) unless in a direct quote. Use WHO For people all people, only people Use WHICH For things not for people Use THAT almost never! Pronouns MUST answer specific questions: THIS must answer, this what? THEY must answer, who are they? SUCH must answer, such as what? ONLY use a pronoun in reference to your expert in EVERY OTHER instance you MUST alternate with the noun/proper. 3- Underline ALL author intros and HIGHLIGHT ALL in-text citations in your body sections.
Assignment 9: Read 3 peer papers aloud to their authors while the author takes notes the writer should make note of all stumbling issues you have when you are reading it to them, and correct them later. You will earn credit for every time you make notes ON YOUR OWN PAPER from someone reading it to you. MAKE LOTS OF NOTES!!! The author should note any questions the reader has so the writer can address those issues during the final rewrite. Self-Edit and make corrections suggested or found Final Editing/Rewrite Due NO LATE PAPERS! If your paper is incomplete, you MAY NOT read other students papers for credit for this week s work.