Research Paper

Mrs. WeisAcademic English 10

Background Information

• A research paper is an extended writing piece that requires the gathering of pertinent facts, data and information to support that author’s assertions.

• You will choose a topic from a given list to write about.

• No two people in the same class can choose the same topic

The Steps of Research Writing

• Choose a topic• Write a thesis Statement• Gather sources• Develop note cards using

Noodletools.com• Generate an outline• Write a rough draft• Revise your draft• Publish your paper

Remember

• Each step in the writing/research process builds on the previous step.

• Attempting to skip steps will only hurt your paper (plus you’ll lose points).

• If you work diligently in class and meet the deadlines, this will be a stress-free writing experience.

MLA

• MLA style is the most commonly accepted form of research writing. The form shows that the writer has considered many sources of information before writing on a specific subject, and permits the reader to review the sources if he or she wishes.

• This is the style you will use for your paper.

Breaking it down…

1. Topic– You will receive a list of 101 topics to choose

from.– No one in the same class can research the

same topic.– Topics will be assigned numerically. Students

will draw numbers. The student who gets #1 will choose first, #2 second and so on.

– Once you begin researching your chosen topic, you are not permitted to change it. So choose wisely.

Breaking it down…

2. Sources– For this research paper, you will need to use a

minimum of Three sources.– You may use:

• Reliable internet sources –Wikipedia is not a reliable source• Interviews• Books• Movies• Magazines• Television shows

– All of these are available through the library. If you need help finding these sources, please ask. I am here to help you…

Example Citations

Book Source• Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science.

New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.• Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New

Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition.

Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2004. Print.

Notice that the citation is written using REVERSE INDENDTATION.

Example Citations

A Page on a Web Site• For an individual page on a Web site, list

the author or alias if known, followed by the information covered above for entire Web sites. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.

• "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

Example Citations• Article in a Magazine• Cite by listing the article's author, putting the title of the article in

quotations marks, and italicizing the periodical title. Follow with the date of publication. Remember to abbreviate the month. The basic format is as follows:

• Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.

• Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.

Example Citations

An Article in a Web Magazine• Provide the author name, article name in

quotation marks, title of the Web magazine in italics, publisher name, publication date, medium of publication, and the date of access. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if not publishing date is given.

• Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.

Example CitationsAn Article from an Online Database (or Other Electronic

Subscription Service)• Cite articles from online databases (e.g. LexisNexis, ProQuest,

JSTOR, ScienceDirect) and other subscription services just as you would print sources. Since these articles usually come from periodicals, be sure to consult the appropriate sections of the Works Cited: Periodicals page, which you can access via its link at the bottom of this page. In addition to this information, provide the title of the database italicized, the medium of publication, and the date of access.

• Junge, Wolfgang, and Nathan Nelson. “Nature's Rotary Electromotors.” Science 29 Apr. 2005: 642-44. Science Online. Web. 5 Mar. 2009.

Example Citations

E-mail (including E-mail Interviews)• Give the author of the message, followed by the

subject line in quotation marks. State to whom to message was sent, the date the message was sent, and the medium of publication.

• Kunka, Andrew. "Re: Modernist Literature." Message to the author. 15 Nov. 2000. E-mail.

Example CitationsA Listserve, Discussion Group, or Blog Posting• Cite Web postings as you would a standard Web entry. Provide the author

of the work, the title of the posting in quotation marks, the Web site name in italics, the publisher, and the posting date. Follow with the medium of publication and the date of access. Include screen names as author names when author name is not known. If both names are known, place the author’s name in brackets. Remember if the publisher of the site is unknown, use the abbreviation n.p.

• Editor, screen name, author, or compiler name (if available). “Posting Title.” Name of Site. Version number (if available). Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher). Medium of publication. Date of access.

• Salmar1515 [Sal Hernandez]. “Re: Best Strategy: Fenced Pastures vs. Max Number of Rooms?” BoardGameGeek. BoardGameGeek, 29 Sept. 2008. Web. 5 Apr. 2009.

Example CitationsMovies• List films (in theaters or not yet on DVD or video) by their title.

Include the name of the director, the film studio or distributor, and the release year. If relevant, list performer names after the director’s name. Use the abbreviation perf. to head the list. List film as the medium of publication. To cite a DVD or other video recording, see “Recorded Films and Movies” below.

• The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. Film.

Example Citations

Personal Interviews• Personal interviews refer to those

interviews that you conduct yourself. List the interview by the name of the interviewee. Include the descriptor Personal interview and the date of the interview.

• Purdue, Pete. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000.

Example Citations• Broadcast Television or Radio Program• Begin with the title of the episode in quotation marks. Provide the

name of the series or program in italics. Also include the network name, call letters of the station followed by the city, and the date of broadcast. End with the publication medium (e.g. Television, Radio). For television episodes on Videocassette or DVD refer to the “Recorded Television Episodes” section below.

• "The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998. Television.

REMEMBER!!!

• ***PRINT, PRINT, PRINT! Make sure you print copies of ALL internet sources for your documentation at the time of your researching. Never assume that you can “go back and get it!”

Note Cards

• You will use Noodletools.com to make your note cards.

• Remember, you cannot make your note cards until you have created the citation.

• Refer to the noodletools.com PowerPoint you were given, if you have questions

“Using quotations in text”• You are only permitted to use two direct

quotes in your paper. All other quotes must be indirect.

• After you’ve typed the quote…– If it’s 5 lines or less put it in quotes. “ “(cite

your source)– If it’s 6 lines of more use block quotation.Text text text text text text text text text text text

Quote is indented for all the lines. (cite your source)

Text text text text text text text text text text text

Direct vs. Indirect Quotations

• A "quotation" is the exact word or words that a person speaks. It's good to understand the difference between a direct quotation, the words you hear from someone speaking, and an indirect quotation, which are the words that someone else uses to describe another speaker.

• A direct quote is quoted immediately after the quote.

• An indirect quote (most of the time) can be quoted at the end of the paragraph.

Examples of Quotations

Direct

• “I am a bee keeper.”• “I was afraid of

spiders as a little girl.”• “He can eat an entire

watermelon,” his wife said.

Indirect

• He said that he was a bee keeper.

• She said she had been afraid of spiders when she was a little girl.

• His wife said he can eat and entire watermelon.

Creating an Outline

• This is why you create note cards. Now you need to organize your note cards in a logically manner.

• Think about how you want to grab your readers attention.

• Thing about how you want to defend your side of the issue.

• Use the example outline to help you.• Do not write in paragraph form. You will lose points if

you do this.• You can use noodletools.com to create your outline or

you can type your outline in word.• Even if you use noodletools.com you will need to type

more information than just your note cards.

Writing your Rough Draft

• Once you have your note cards organized and in an order that you like, you can build your outline. Use the cards to construct your outline. From the outline, you are ready to write a rough draft.

Rough DraftsWhen writing a paper, you should:

1. Establish your thesis in the opening paragraph (This should be the last line in your first paragraph. ***If you do not have a thesis statement here you automatically lose points!!!)

2. Use notes gathered to support your ideas3. Give credit to authors of the information you have gathered

(Site your sources; avoid plagiarism!) (Plagiarism will earn you a ZERO!!!)

4. Use transitions to move from one topic to the next5. Never end a paragraph with a citation (After each direct or

indirect quote, you need to explain it.)6. Avoid the use BE verbs (was, were, are, is, am, be,

being ,been,)7. You are not permitted to use first person pronouns (I, Me, My)8. You are not permitted to use the word YOU9. The only excepting to 6, 7, & 8 – if these words are in the

direct quotes you are going to use, you cannot change them. However, for indirect quotes you must change these words.

Using information in text

When you write your rough draft, you will include the information you have collected through the research process. All information collected must be cited at the point of insertion into your paper. Here’s an example:

An example of in-text documentation

• The first two lines of this stanza, "My little horse must think it queer / To stop without a farmhouse near," remind us of a nursery rhyme (Frost 11).•Notice—Frost’s quote is highlighted to show that the material is taken from a source and not the paper writer’s own words.

An example of in-text documentation

• Another example of this is:

According to Mrs. Weis, “Two hour delays are better than school cancellations,” (11).

REMEMBER --

• If you are including any information that you did not know before you began researching, then you must cite the source of the information. When in doubt – cite, cite, cite. Give credit where credit is due.

Works Cited Page

Once you have found the sources you intend to use, you will need to identify them for your reader. For each SOURCE you use, write a separate listing in noodletools.com.

REMEMBER!

• Do not list sources on your Works Cited if you did not use it in your paper.

How is the Works Cited page organized?

Double spacing is important. Also, remember to reverse indent your sources. If you properly documented your source cards, you can simply organize them alphabetically. That’s it! If you type everything into noodletools.com correctly, then this should be the easiest part of your paper.

Here’s an example:

Typing the rough draft -- What should my heading look like?

The heading should be as follows:Your NameTeacher NameCourse, PeriodDay Month Year

Do not forget the header. The header, with your last name and the page number, should appear at the top right-hand corner of every page of your paper.

Headings for all papers

More on paper formatting…

1. Double space your paper.2. Your title should fall right below the heading, but centered on the page. No underlining or bolding or italicizing or quoting is needed. 3. Margins are 1”.

*Font type should be Times New Roman, size 12. No other fonts or font sizes are acceptable. Black ink for typed—blue or black ink for handwritten components.

The Home Stretch

Now that you have a rough draft written:

1. Proofread or Peer Edit work.2. Revise, revise, revise…3. Save all work, and make extra

copies.4. Make any corrections before moving

to revising outline.

The Home Stretch

5. Print revised outline and final draft for the due date. Your packet should include:

• Final Draft• Works Cited• Rough Draft• Revised outline – typed• Note and Source Cards typed using

Noodle

The Final Product

• Your final paper must be a minimum of three full pages. Anything less than three full pages will lose points.

• You must have the heading, header, page numbers, and title on the first page of your paper. The header and page numbers must be on every page, including the works cited.

• You will put a copy of your final paper in your packet and you will also submit it to turnitin.com

Due Dates

• Each piece of the process has a specific due date. Each piece must be turned in on that day for credit. YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR TURNING ANYTHING IN LATE. If you are absent when something is due, it is due the day you come back. You have a calendar so you know when everything is due.

• You cannot move on to the next step in the process without finishing the previous step. Even if you did not turn it in on time, you cannot move on until I sign off on your check sheet that you have completed it.

Due Dates

• If there is a snow day on one of the due dates, the work is due the very next day we are in session. Example: Snow day 4/14 – note cards due 4/15

The End

• You did it. Way to go!!!