Research Questions & MLA Documentation Tutorial English 9Jan. 2015

Research Questions & MLA Documentation Tutorial

English 9Jan. 2015

DO NOW:

Using your page and a half of notes, select 2 or 3 of the most interesting facts that you came across in your research on your topic and write them down in your notebook.

Next, write a sentence for each fact explaining why it interested you.

This will help you formulate the question/problem you will need to answer/solve when writing your research paper. It will also give you ideas for how to hook your readers.

Good research questions focus on a specific aspect of a broad topic area (art, history, medicine, political science, etc.)

How has agriculture shaped civilization? (History)

What is the history of antibiotics? (Medicine)

Why did MLK Jr. deserve the Nobel Peace Prize? (Political Science)

Does the British Museum have the right to keep the Parthenon Marbles taken by Lord Elgin during Greece’s war for independence? (Art)

Good research questions lead to more questions!

What is wrong with the research questions listed below?

Why do people’s moods change?

Too broad

Why do doctors traditionally wear white?

Too narrow

You don’t want your question to be so broad it cannot be answered in 2-4 pages or so narrow that it can be answered in a matter of a few sentences

In addition to being not too broad and not too narrow, good research questions are open-ended—meaning they can have more than one answer or solution

A good, open-ended research question: How does color affect mood?

• Look at the most interesting facts/notes about your topic that you picked out: what drew you to those facts? What question could you research and answer in your paper, based on these facts?

• Look at the other notes you made and see if there are any trends in the information you’ve gathered … what seems to be the most interesting to you about this topic? Turn that into a question.

You may discover that additional

research is needed.

An example:

A broad research topic: TV

A more specific research topic: reality TV

You start researching reality TV …

During the research process, you write more notes about the Kardashians than you do on competition shows The Amazing Race and The Voice, or even other women-centered shows like The Real Housewives franchise

Your research question could then be, “How has the reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians influenced contemporary culture?”

When Should I Cite?

Many students plagiarize unintentionally. Remember, whenever you summarize, paraphrase or quote another author's material you must properly credit your source.

If you are using another person’s idea, you must also cite your source!

My mother always said, “Make your bed” (Mom 12).

When in doubt, give credit to your source!

Paraphrasing & Quoting

• A paraphrase is a restatement of the text of your source in your own words

• Quotations can be direct (using quotation marks) or indirect (no quotation marks and often introduced by ‘that’)

A noted scientist states, “A hundred years ago, the average temperature of the earth was about 13.7°C (56.5°F); today, it is closer to 14.4°C (57.9°F)” (Silver 11).

A noted scientist observes that the earth’s current average temperature is 57.9°F compared to 56.5°F a hundred years ago (Silver 11).

In any of these cases, you must credit your source

How Do I Cite?

There are two parts to citing according to MLA style:

1. Brief In-text citations (in parentheses) within the body of your essay or paper

2. List of full citations in the Works Cited page at the end of your paper

Note: References cited in the text MUST appear in the Works Cited.

Conversely, each entry in the Works Cited MUST be cited in the text.

Sample Works Cited Page*Sources are listed alphabetically

Indent all lines after the first line ½ inch (i.e., 1 “tab”) foreach work listed

*The entire Works Cited page is double-spaced

Title “Works Cited” is centered at the top of the page

Be sure that each citation has a format descriptor (properly placed within the citation); e.g., Web, Print, Film

All citations end in a period (.)

This should be on a new page at the end of your paper

General Tips:Print Resources

Book titles are italicized: An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming

Article titles and titles of chapters, essays and short stories appear in quotes:

"The Scientific Case for Modern Anthropogenic Global Warming."

If more than one author is given, list first author’s “Last Name, First.” The second or third authors should be listed “First Name Last Name” with “and” connecting the last name:

Singer, Fred S., Christioher Hogwood, and Dennis T. Avery.

Books What Should Be Included?

Author(s) or Editor(s). Complete title. Edition (if indicated).Place of publication: Publisher,Date of publication.Format descriptor.

Gore, Albert. An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of

Global Warming.

New YorkViking 2007.Print.

If several cities are listed, giveonly the first

Book Examples

With one author:

Gore, Albert. An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming. New York:

Viking, 2007. Print.

With two to three authors:

Singer, S. Fred and Dennis T. Avery. Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500

Years. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Print.

List the first author Last Name, First, but the second First Name then Last.

Italicize title of book Use a colon between the main title and the subtitle

Remember to indent the second line ½ inch

Postal codes for states of lesser-known cities

Books, Continued

Editors as authors:

Schmandt, Jurgen and Judith Clarkson, eds. The Regions and Global Warming:

Impacts and Response Strategies. New York: Oxford University Press,

1992. Print.

Book by a corporate author:

National Research Council. China and Global Change: Opportunities for

Collaboration. Washington: Natl. Acad., 1992. Print.

For books with editors, list the editor’(s) name(s) followed by “eds.”

Two or More Sources by the Same Author:

Firor, John. The Changing Atmosphere: A Global Challenge. New

Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009. Print.

---. The Crowded Greenhouse: Population, Climate change, and

Creating a Sustainable World. New Haven, CT: Yale University

Press, 2002. Print.

For the second listing by the same author, typethree hyphens and a period in place of the name.

Periodical ArticlesWhat Should Be Included?

Author(s).

Article title in quotes.

Periodical title (journal, magazine, etc.) italicized

Volume #.Issue #

Publication date (abbreviate months, if used):

Page numbers of the article.

Format descriptor.

Journal ArticlesWhat Should Be Included?

Author(s).

Article Title in Quotes

Periodical Title (journal, magazine, etc.) Italicized.

Volume #.Issue #

Publication Date (abbreviate months, if use; put in parentheses if after volume/issue #):

Page Numbers of the Article.

Format.

Farley, John W.

"The Scientific Case for Modern Anthropogenic Global Warming."

Monthly Review

60.3

(2008):

68-90.

Print.

Articles

Journal:

Farley, John W. "The Scientific Case for Modern Anthropogenic Global Warming." Monthly Review

60.3 (2008): 68-90. Print.

Magazine:

Manthorpe, Catherine. "Feminists Look at Science." New Scientist 7 Mar. 1985: 29-31. Print.

Newspaper:

Tilgham, Shirley M. "Science vs. Women--A Radical Solution." New York Times 26 Jan. 1993, late ed.:

F1+. Print.

Article title in quotes

Italicize the name of the journal, magazine or newspaperVolume 60 Issue 3

If available give complete date: day, month and year

If a newspaper article continues on another page, write only the first page number and a plus sign

Internet Sources What Should Be Included?

Author(s), if available.

Title of the document (in quotes).

Title of scholarly project, database, periodical, or website.

Name of the institution/organization (sponsor or publisher) associated with the site,

Date internet resource was created/last updated.

Format descriptor.

Date when you accessed the source.

<Link to website>

“Global Warming.”

Stanford Solar Center.

Stanford University,

2008.

Web.

4 Apr. 2010

URL

Websites

Climate Change. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 24 Jul 2008.

Web. 4 Apr. 2010. <URL>

“Global Warming.” Stanford Solar Center. Stanford University, 2008.

Web. 4 Apr. 2010. <URL>

Date accessedAbbreviate the month

Date source was last updated

The title of the websiteand the sponsor/publisherare the same entity and socan be combined.

Electronic Articles

Journal:

Laurance, William F. "Can Carbon Trading Save Vanishing

Forests?" Bioscience 58.4 (2008): 286-87. Web. 4 Apr.

2010. <URL>

Access date

Volume #.Issue# (Year of publication)

Page range

Publication date

Electronic Articles, ContinuedNewspaper:

Ball, Jeffrey N. “Warming Program Draws Fire; Fund Designed to Spur

Renewable Energy Subsidizes Gas Plants." Wall Street Journal [New

York, N.Y.], 11 Jul 2008. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. <URL>

Date of access

Format descriptorDate article was published

Place of publication is in brackets when it is not explicitly indicated in the publication itself

Electronic Articles, ContinuedMagazine:

Jones, Dan. “New Light on Stonehenge." Smithsonian Magazine. The

Smithsonian Institute, Oct. 2008. Web. 7 May 2014.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/

new-light-on-stonehenge-11706891/?page=4&no-ist

Only divide URL links based on the backslashes

HOW TO CITE AN ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRY

Author's Last Name, First Name Middle Name or Initial. "Title of Entry or Article." Name of Reference Source. Edition. Sponsor or publisher, Year of publication. Publication medium. Date of Access.

Example:

An entry on concrete called “Concrete” from Funk & Wagnall’s New World Encyclopedia that was published in 2009 by EBSCO and visited on Jan. 17, 2004.

“Concrete." Funk & Wagnall's New World Encyclopedia. EBSCO, 2009. Web. 17 Jan. 2004. <URL>

PRACTICE: PRINT PERIODICAL (MAGAZINE) ARTICLE

An article on pages 49-51 in the Entertainment Weekly from January 16, 2015 called “The Fighter” and written by Joe McGovern.

McGovern, Joe. “The Fighter.” Entertainment Weekly 16 Jan. 2015: 49-51. Print.

PRACTICE: ONLINE MAGAZINE ARTICLE

On May 7, 2014, I clicked a link (http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/ archaeology/stonehenge/) to James Owens’ undated National Geographic article called “Scientists Try to Crack Stonehenge’s Prehistoric Puzzles” published by the magazine’s sponsor, The National Geographic Society.

Owens, James. “Scientists Try to Crack Stonehenge’s Prehistoric Puzzles.” National Geographic. The National Geographic Society, n.d. Web.

7 May 2014. http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/ archaeology/stonehenge/

PRACTICE: ONLINE PAGE ON WEBSITE

An anonymous webpage (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/ ) called “Kilauea—Perhaps Hawaii’s Most Active Volcano” from May 7 2009 found on the U.S. Geological Survey’s website for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory visited on May 7 2014.

“Kilauea—Perhaps Hawaii’s Most Active Volcano.” Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. U.S. Geological Survey, 7 May 2009.

Web. 7 May 2014. http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/

PRACTICE: ONLINE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

On May 7, 2014, I clicked a link (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/ history/secret-history-of-stonehenge-revealed- 6268237.html ) to David Keys’ Nov. 26, 2011 article in The Independent called “Secret History of Stonehenge Revealed” published by the newspaper.

Keys, David. “Secret History of Stonehenge Revealed.” The Independent. The Independent, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 7 May 2014.http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/secret-history-of-stonehenge-revealed-6268237.html

WRITING THE THESIS OF YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

SAMPLE TOPIC:STONEHENGE

SAMPLE RESEARCH QUESTION: Why did ancient inhabitants of

the British Isles erect standing stone

circles like Stonehenge?SAMPLE THESIS:

Based on the archaeological evidence, Stonehenge and the other standing stone circles spread out across the British Isles may have served as centers for healing, religious worship, and the marking of time.

• Provides an answer the research question: we know what direction the research paper will take.

• Tells you (in general) what led to the answer: archaeological evidence• Is neither too general nor too specific—it focuses on only 3 of the many

theories out there AND it only mentions these theories (it saves the specific facts for later)

WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW SECTION OF YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

Ask yourself the following questions:1. What questions do I need to answer in order to answer my larger research

question?• Ex. Do different colors have different effects?• Ex. If one color causes one effect, how do changes in tone/shade affect

that color’s effect?2. Are there any categories that my research falls into?

• Ex. The physiological effects of color on mood• Ex. The psychological effects of color on mood• Ex. The cultural effects of color on mood

3. What trends/patterns are present?• Ex. Lighter colors’ effects vs. darker colors’ effects• Ex. Colors’ effects on men vs. women, young people vs. older people,

etc.

SAMPLE POINTS/DISCOVERIES/IDEAS TO STRUCTURE THE LIT. REVIEW SECTION OF YOUR COLOR PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH PAPER AROUND:

1. Colors can produce chemicals that stimulate certain feelings (hunger, irritation, calm)• Fact 1: red makes you hungry• Fact 2: yellow increases irritation• Fact 3: blue releases calming chemicals

2. How color’s effect on mood can depend on culture• Fact 1: pink is used in jail cells because it reduces aggression• Fact 2: people who like the color brown will associate brown with

feelings of happiness• Fact 3: white is the color of death in Japan

3. Colors have both physiological and psychological effects• Fact 1: Blue lowers blood pressure, resulting in a calmer mood• Fact 2: Green serves as a muscle relaxant• Fact 3: Red produces appetite stimulants in the body

Now that you've outlined Part 2 of your research paper (the literature review section), how do you combine pieces of this research (the "facts" on the outline that you used to support your paragraphs' main ideas) with your own original thinking?

Sample Main Idea for a Paragraph:

Stonehenge may have been a center of religious worship.

Use the research you've uncovered to make this sentence more specific: What is this theory based on? What kind of worship are we talking about?

Topic Sentence for this Paragraph, Incorporating Main Idea:

New evidence strongly suggests that Stonehenge played a part in prehistoric peoples' worship of the sun on the summer solstice.

Use the facts/research on the following slides to compose a paragraph supporting/proving this main idea.

• Use at least ONE transition word. • Use both direct quotes AND indirect quotes (i.e.,

paraphrases).

When deciding what facts to use where, consider what each fact is saying (what it means) and why/how it supports your main idea (what is significant about it).

Fact 1 supporting main idea:(Source: David Keys, online journalist for The Independent, a British newspaper)

"As the archaeological team from Birmingham and Vienna were using these high-tech systems to map the interior of a major prehistoric enclosure (the so-called ‘Cursus’) near Stonehenge, they discovered two great pits, one towards the enclosure’s eastern end, the other nearer its western end."

What does this reveal?• Archaeological teams from 2 universities found 2 previously

unknown pits at either end of a major feature near Stonehenge.

What is significant about this?• These newly discovered pits in an area near Stonehenge may shed

new light on what went on at Stonehenge.

Fact 2 supporting main idea:(Source: University of Birmingham website)

Dr Henry Chapman, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Visualisation observes:

“If you measure the walking distance between the two pits [newly discovered at the east and west ends of the Cursus], the procession would reach exactly half-way at midday, when the sun would be directly on top of Stonehenge. This is more than just a coincidence, indicating that the exact length of the Cursus [a large enclosure near Stonehenge] and the positioning of the pits are of significance.”

What does this quote from Dr. Chapman reveal?• Stonehenge is located at the midpoint between these 2 pits• People would reach the midpoint in their procession from pit to pit at exactly

midday

What does this quote from Dr. Chapman signify?• This cannot be a coincidence (in his expert opinion as a professor of

archaeology)

Fact 3 supporting main idea:(Source: Lori Henshey, online Religious & Spiritual Mysteries writer for The Examiner)

"The scientists have discovered evidence of two huge pits positioned on a celestial alignment at Stonehenge measuring more than 16-feet-across and at least three-feet-deep. The pits lie within the Cursus pathway, a large enclosure north of Stonehenge which pre-dates the prehistoric monument by up to 500 years, and are aligned towards midsummer sunrise and sunset when viewed from the Heel Stone, the enigmatic stone standing just outside the entrance to Stonehenge."

What does this reveal?• The positions of the Cursus and Stonehenge are connected, when viewed from the

heelstone: the eastern Cursus pit aligns with sunrise, Stonehenge aligns with midday, and the western Cursus pit aligns with sunset

• This happens on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year

What is significant about this?• If the Cursus pre-dates Stonehenge by up to 500 years and Stonehenge is smack in the

middle of it when viewed from the heelstone, then Stonehenge's significance as a site pre-dates the arrival of the stones

• The summer solstice would be sacred to sun worshippers, given the increase in the amount of sunlight on the this day.

IN-TEXT CITATIONS (PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS)

• PRINT SOURCESo Include the last name of the author and the page

numbers (ex. Shimizu 12)• INTERNET SOURCES

o Include in the text the first item that appears in the Work Cited entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name).

o You do not need to give paragraph numbers or page numbers based on your Web browser’s print preview function.

New evidence strongly suggests that Stonehenge played a part in prehistoric peoples' worship of the sun on the summer solstice. This new evidence links Stonehenge to a large, nearby enclosure known as the Cursus. In 2011, archaeologists from the Universities of Birmingham and Vienna who were mapping the Cursus during a routine survey uncovered two vast pits on the enclosure's easternmost and westernmost ends (Keys). With this discovery, archaeologists now know the exact length of the Cursus, and Stonehenge's proximity to the Cursus, are extremely important. Stonehenge is situated between the two pits when viewed from the "heelstone" outside the circle's entrance, with the eastern pit aligned towards sunrise on the summer solstice and western pit aligned towards sunset (Henshey). According to Dr. Henry Chapman, a senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Birmingham, a procession walking between the two pits "would reach exactly half-way at midday, when the sun would be directly on top of Stonehenge. This is more than just a coincidence" (Birmingham). Indeed, it is hard to believe that ancient engineers would have been clueless about Stonehenge's alignment with the midday midsummer sun. What is more, scientists now suspect the Cursus to be up to 500 years older than Stonehenge, suggesting that sun worship pre-dates the arrival of the stones (Henshey). Sun worship may well be one of the earliest (if not the earliest) reason for Stonehenge's importance to the prehistoric peoples of the area.


Don’t just launch into your research/evidence after the topic sentence. Set it up!


Don’t just vomit each piece of evidence one after the other! Explain what the information/research you’re using means.


If quoting your research would take too long or end up sounding awkward, consider using a paraphrase/indirect quote to communicate the information.


Use direct quotes for info that is particularly well said/written. Only quote the most important info. Add the citation after the quotation mark but before the period.


Use transition words to suggest connections, emphasize points, draw conclusions, etc.Try this link for suggestions: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/574/02/


The concluding sentence should sum up what the research you’ve presented means & how it supports your main idea. It should be your own words, NOT research.

Documents

Research Questions & MLA Documentation Tutorial English 9Jan. 2015