RESEARCH WRITING
SCHEDULING STEPS IN RESEARCH WRITING 1. Setting a schedule and beginning a research journal (See p. 607.) 2. Finding a researchable subject and question (See p. 609.) 3. Developing a research strategy (See p. 612.) 4. Finding sources, both print and electronic (See p. 621.), and making a working bibliography (See p. 615.) 5. Evaluating and synthesizing sources (See pp. 651, 660.) 6. Mining and interacting with sources (See p. 663.), often using summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation and avoiding plagiarism (See p. 667.) 7. Taking steps to avoid plagiarism (See p. 680.) 8. Developing a thesis statement (See p. 690.) 9. Creating a structure (See p. 691.) 10. Drafting the paper, integrating summaries, paraphrases, and direct quotations into your ideas (See p. 674.) 11. Revising and editing the paper (See p. 696.) 12. Citing sources in your text (See p. 688.) 13. Preparing the list of works cited (See p. 688.) 14. Preparing and proofreading the final manuscript (See p. 698.) Final paper due 44.1
CHECKLIST FOR A GOOD RESEARCH SUBJECT Published sources are ample: the subject is not so recent that other researchers will still be discovering it. Sources are diverse: the subject is neither wholly personal nor wholly factual. Sources can be assessed objectively: the subject is not solely a matter of belief, dogma, or prejudice Sources can be examined thoroughly in the assigned time and length: the subject is not too broad. 44.2
INFORMATION FOR A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY (for books) Library call number Name(s) or author(s), editor(s), translator(s), or others listed Title and subtitle Publication data: Place of publication Publisher s name Date of publication Other important data, such as edition or volume number 44.3a
INFORMATION FOR A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY (for periodical articles) Name(s) of author(s) Title and subtitle of article Title of periodical Publication data: Volume number and issue number (if any) in which article appears Date of issue Page numbers on which article appears 44.3b
INFORMATION FOR A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY (for electronic sources) Name(s) of author(s) Title and subtitle Publication data for books and articles Date of release, online posting, or latest revision Medium (online, CD-ROM, etc.) Format of online source (Web site, Web page, e-mail, etc. Date you consulted the source Complete electronic address For source obtained through a subscription service Name of database, service and address 44.3c
INFORMATION FOR A WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY (for other sources) Name(s) of author(s)or others listed, such as a government department or a recording artist Titles of the work Format, such as unpublished letter or live performance Publication or production data: Publisher s or producer s name Date of publication, release, or production Identifying numbers (if any) 44.3d
WAYS TO REFINE KEYWORDS Use and or + to narrow the search. Includes only sources that use all given words Use not or to narrow the search. Excludes irrelevant words Use or to broaden the search. Giving alternative keywords Use parentheses or quotation marks to form search phrases. Use near to narrow the search. Requires the keywords to be close to each other Use wild cards to permit difference versions of the same word. Spell keywords correctly. 45.1
INDEX TO RESEARCH SOURCES Reference works General encyclopedias Specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies Unabridged dictionaries and special dictionaries on language Biographical reference works Atlases and gazetteers Almanacs and yearbooks General books Periodicals The World Wide Web Other online sources Electronic mail Discussion lists Web forums and newsgroups Synchronous communication 45.2a
RESEARCH SOURCES (continued) Pamphlets and government publications Your own sources Interviews Surveys 45.2b
WEB SEARCH ENGINES Directories that review sites BUBL link: http://bubl.ac.uk.link Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org/div/subject Internet Scout Project: http://scout.wisc.edu./archives Librarians Index to the Internet: http://lii.org Most advanced and efficient engines AlltheWeb: http://alltheweb.com Google: http://www.google.com Other engines AltaVista: http://www.altavista.com Ask Jeeves: http://www.ask.com Dogpile: http://www.dogpile.com 45.3
QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATING SOURCES Relevance Does the source devote some attention to your subject? Is the source appropriately specialized for your needs? Is the source up to date enough for your subject? Reliability Where does the source come from? Is the author an expert in the field? What is the author s bias? Is the source fair and reasonable? Is the source well written? 46.1
QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATING WEB SITES What does the URL lead you to expect from about the site? Who is the author or sponsor? What is the purpose of the site? What does context tell you? What does presentation tell you? How worthwhile is the content? 46.2
QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATING ONLINE DISCUSSIONS Who is the author? What is the context of the message? How worthwhile is the content? How does the message compare with other sources? 46.3
TESTS FOR DIRECT QUOTATIONS FROM SECONDARY SOURCES The author s original satisfies one of these requirements: The language is unusually bold or inventive. The quotation cannot be paraphrased without distortion or loss of meaning. The author s words are at issue in your interpretation The quotation represents a body of opinion or the view of an important expert. The quotation emphatically reinforces your own idea. The quotation is a graph, diagram, or table. The quotation is as short as possible: It includes only material relevant to your point. It is edited to eliminate examples and other unneeded material. 46.4
VERBS FOR SIGNAL PHRASES Use verbs that convey information about source authors attitudes or approaches. Author is neutral Author infers or suggests Author argues Author is uneasy or disparaging describes comments explains illustrates notes observes points out records relates reports says sees thinks writes analyzes asks assesses concludes finds predicts proposes reveals shows speculates suggests supposes claims contends defends disagrees holds insists maintains author agrees admits agrees concedes concurs grants belittles bemoans complains condemns deplores deprecates derides laments warns 46.5
CHECKLIST FOR AVOIDING PLAGIARISM Type of source Are you using your own independent material, common knowledg, or someone elseís independent material? You must acknowledge someone elseís material. Quotations Do all quotations exactly match their sources? Have you inserted quotation marks around quotations that are run into your text? Have you shown omissions with ellipsis marks and additions with brackets? Does every quotation have a source citation? Paraphrases and summaries Have you used your own words and sentence structure for every paraphrase and summary? If not, use quotation marks around the original authorís words. Does every paraphrase and summary have a source citation? 47.1a
CHECKLIST FOR AVOIDING PLAGIARISM (continued) The Web Have you obtained any necessary permission to use someone else s material on your Web site? Source citations Have you acknowledged every use of someone else s material in the place where you use it? Does your list of works cited include all the sources you have used? 47.1b
TIPS FOR DRAFTING A RESEARCH PAPER Write a quick two- or three-paragraph summary of what the paper will be about. Start with the section of the paper you feel most confident about. Work in chunks, one unit or principal idea at a time. Center each section on an idea of your own. Take great care in working with source material. (See pp. 674, 680.) Insert source citations into the draft as you quote, paraphrase, or summarize. 48.1
CHECKLIST FOR REVISING A RESEARCH PAPER Thesis statement Does it describe your subject and your perspective? Structure Does borrowed material illuminate and support your own idea? Will the arrangement of ideas be clear to readers? Evidence Where might supporting evidence seem weak or irrelevant to readers? Reasonableness and clarity How reasonable will readers find your arguments? 48.2