Writing a Paper Using Research

C. Scott

7th Grade English

What is a “research” paper?

A Research Paper is a paper that you write based on information that not everyone knows. It is a paper written after you have RESEARCHED the information that you are discussing.

The information that you include in your paper will come from many different sources (websites, books, magazines, encyclopedias, etc.).

The information in a research paper is based on facts. It is not a paper about your personal experiences or feelings.

Sample Research Paper Look in your book Writing Research

Reports on page 5. Sample research paper “The Second War

for American Independence” Thesis statement Citations Quotations – short quotes vs. long quotes Works Cited list

Selecting and Focusing Topic Whether you are assigned a topic or are

able to choose your own topic, you must NARROW your topic sufficiently so that you are not overwhelmed with information.

Brainstorm your topic and research your topic so that you are familiar enough with the topic to understand HOW to narrow the topic.

Follow your prompt EXACTLY.

For Example… The topic “World War II” is much too broad.

I could write an entire novel about this topic in order to cover the topic thoroughly.

However, once I read about World War II enough, I can narrow my topic to “Warfare Strategies and Practices of WWII,” or “The Role of Women in WWII.” Either of these topics are coverable in a research paper.

Beginning Your Research

Locate and use scholarly journals and articles or magazines/novels written by credible sources.

Read books, academic magazines, Internet websites, conduct interviews of professional people who know what they are talking about.

Beware of most Internet websites – many are junk spaces posted online. Use credible websites (i.e. thehistorychannel.com).

Gathering Information Make sure you get PLENTY of information on

your topic. Too much is always better than too little.

Don’t forget about your introduction and conclusion – you will need information there too!

Make sure you are keeping track of the publishing information as you go. Keep up with what information comes from what source – you will need this information both in your paper as well as in your Works Cited page.

Gathering Information As you read, highlight information that you

find important to your subject. Make copies of pages from books or print out relevant articles. Keep this information handy. You will be turning in copies of ALL sources used in your paper.

Gathering Information: Creating Notecards

Source Cards Source cards are the cards we create for each source that

provides the publishing information for that source. Your source cards will help you cite your sources in your paper as well as on your Works Cited page.

Information Cards Information cards are the cards where you will write only

one idea per card. You will use these cards to actually write your paper. Make as many of these as possible! You can never have too much information. You can always throw cards out, if you choose not to use them, but you can’t add more in unless you do more research.

Source Cards

The format of your source cards will vary depending on what type of source you have. You must create different kinds of citations for each type of source: books, magazine articles, encylopedia articles, Internet articles, or interviews.

How to Cite Books

Source #1

Marrin, Albert. 1812, The War Nobody Won. New York: Atheneum Press, 1985. 83-88.

AuthorTitle of book

City where thebook was published

Company thatpublished it

Year it waspublished

Page numberswhere you found your information

How to Cite Magazine Articles

Source #2

Svitil, Kathy A. “A Deadly Wave.” Discover. Jan. 1999. 76-79.

Author Name of the article

Name of magazinewhere articlewas found

Month the MagazineWas published

Year the magazineWas published

Page numbers Where you found Your information

How to Cite an Encyclopedia Article

Source #3

“Tsunami.” The World Book Encyclopedia: S-T. 1999 ed. 84-85.

Title of the article

Title of the encyclopedia

Year of this edition

Page numbersWhere you Found the info

How to Cite an Online Encyclopedia Article

Source #8

“Wildlife Conservation.” Britannica.com. 1999-2000. Encyclopedia Britannic. Accessed 23 June 2000. <http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/printable/9/0.5722.79039.00.html.>

Name of article

Name of project or website

Date last updated

Name of organization responsible for projectDate you accessed it

URL

How to Cite an Internet Article

Source #4

“Physics of Tsunmais.” West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center Homepage. 6 Sept. 1999. Accessed 7 March 2010. <http://wcatwegov/physics.htm>.

Name of article Name of project or website

URLDate you foundThe information

Date they last updated info

How to Cite a Personal Web Site

Source #7

Rusli, Elisha. Jungle Juice. Accessed 23 June 2000. <http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/65351/.

Name of author Name of site Date you accessed the info.

URL

Let’s Practice! An Internet search done on June 23, 2000

located “Endangered Species,” an article in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000, owned by Microsoft Corporation. The URL was http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761557586.

Let’s Practice! An Internet search done on July 10, 2000

located a home page called Going Green created by Tim Ponce. The address is http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/4990?.

Creating Information Cards Information cards are the note cards you

create when you actually record the information you would like to use in your research paper.

You should write only ONE idea per card and follow the other rules associated with creating information cards…

Information Cards

Source #1 Problems with Native Americans

Southerners and frontierspeople felt threatened by the Native Americans because they knew that Great Britain was the ally of the Native Americans and was giving them aid.

Page 15

Source from which this information came

Guideline: This Represents one topic that you wish cover in your paper

Note: One Idea perCard. This note shouldBe a quote, paraphraseOr summary of info.

Page number from whichInfo came

Problematic Information Cards

Source #3 British trade restrictions against U.S./ Impressment

The British passed laws forbidding neutral nations like the United States from trading with any European nation except by using British ports, which outraged Americans. Great Britain also seized American sailors and forced them to serve on British ships.

Pages 16-17What’s wrong with this card?

How to Record Information: Paraphrase – writing ideas in your OWN

WORDS. Keep the same idea, and approximately the same length, but it’s written in your own words!!! Most of your information cards should be

paraphrased information, written in your own words!

You still have to CITE where the ideas came from! (Smith 14) or (“Battle”).

How to Record Information Summarizing – take several paragraphs,

sentences, or even pages, and condense the material into just a few sentences, written IN YOUR OWN WORDS (shorten and condense the information). Almost the rest of your information cards should

be summarized information. You still have to CITE where the ideas came

from!

How to Record Information Quoting – writing word-for-word, exactly

what the author has said. Use quotation marks when you quote so that you know that it’s a quote! If you don’t use quotation marks around this information in your research paper, it is called stealing (plagiarizing)! Quotes should be used SPARINGLY!! Of course, you have to CITE where the quote

came from, in addition to using quotation marks!

Information Cards with QuotesSource #8 Impressment

Impressment was one of the most important causes of America’s anger with Great Britain: “The impressment of American sailors into the service of the Royal Navy was a much larger causal factor of the war than often interpreted and it was an incredible blow to American national honor and pride. United States sovereignty was being challenged, and the American people felt that they needed to stand up to the challenge presented to them.”

Page 18This card begins with a summary that helps to better

understand the quote.

Creating Guidelines (categories): Each of your information cards should have

a “category” listed at the top. Your “categories” will be the topics that you wish to discuss in your research paper.

Most often, the “categories” will also be the topics you list in your outline (see Jenny’s outline for an example).

Creating Guidelines (categories) An example of a list of categories for your paper

may include: Facts about my animal

Eating habits Living conditions What the animal looks like

Why the species is endangered Global warming causing the species to die off People killing the animal for its fur

What people are doing to save the animal Formed volunteer organizations Created farms to breed the animal in a safe environment

Each of these are the “categories” for your info cards – look for info that has to do with these “categories.”

Information Cards On your information cards, make sure

you… Record the source number from which the info

came (see source cards for source numbers). Have a category for each card. These will be all

of the main ideas you want to discuss in your paper.

Write only ONE note per card. NO MORE THAN ONE!!!

Quote (use quotation marks), summarize, or paraphrase.

Record the page number(s) from which the information came.

Writing A Thesis Statement Once you feel that you have read enough

about your topic to have a good idea of what you want your paper to be about, write your thesis statement. Remember, your thesis statement reflects what your ENTIRE paper is about.

The rest of the information that you gather should be gathered ONLY because it supports your thesis statement.

Sample Thesis Statement

In Jenny’s paper “The Second War for American Independence,” the first thing she did after finding and READING through her information was to write her thesis statement:

Understanding the causes and effects of the War of 1812 is necessary to appreciate

how the United States finally gained its true independence as a nation.

Organizing Information Once you have gathered your information,

review the highlighted sections within each source and decide upon the different areas (categories) you will discuss in your research paper.

Create an outline of these areas – decide which topic will be discussed at what time. How will the paper flow as smoothly as possible?

Sample Outline

Before Jenny actually wrote her paper “The Second War for American Independence,” she had to decide what was going to be in her paper and where it was going to be placed in her paper.

Therefore, she created a couple of different outlines as she went through her research and became more familiar with her topic.

Outline of Research Paper

I. Causes of the warA. Trade conflicts with EuropeB. ImpressmentC. Problems with Native Americans

II. Battles and events of the warA. British victoriesB. U.S. victoriesC. Peace treaty

III. Results of the WarA. National pride and independenceB. Positive trade relationships with Britian

In Jenny’s paper, she wanted to make sure that she discussed these three topics. These three items will make up the BODY of her paper. Now, she just has to add an introductory paragraph and a conclusion!

More Detailed Outline: Outline 2

Review the “More Detailed Outline” handout that I have given you so that you will better understand how Jenny created her outline.

You will need to save this example and use it to create your own outline.

Your outline may change over and over again as you read new material and then add to your outline.

Organizing Information Keep your outline handy as you continue to

review your research – make notes throughout, reminding yourself of the information you need to include in each section of your outline. You may even choose to make notes on your copies of the sources, or highlight each outline topic with a different color.

Organizing Information If you are lacking information in any area of

your outline, conduct more research on that particular area and then add to your outline. Remember, keep up with your source information!

Your outline should become more and more detailed as you go.

Drafting Your Research Paper At this point, you should have an adequate

amount of information and an outline of your information.

Organize your info cards into CATEGORIES. Put your categories in order according to your OUTLINE.

Take the information from your cards and begin typing it into paper form, following your outline and making sure that behind each sentence or paragraph, you CITE the source from which it came.

Rule: Each time you switch sources, cite.

Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Paraphrasing – puts the information in the researcher’s own words, but it follows the order of the original text, and it includes the important details given.

Summarizing – much shorter than the original; the researcher picks out the key ideas, but often omits supporting details.

Quoting – re-writing the original statement WORD for WORD. Quotes MUST be used with quotation marks!

ALL MUST be cited! (MOST of your paper will contain citations!)

Using Quotations All research papers should have quotations;

however, you don’t want to overdo these. Quotes should be used sparingly (only a

handful throughout), and they should be used only if they are really good!

All quotes must be set off with quotation marks with a citation at the end. Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.

Varying Sentence Structure When using quotes, mix it up!

In her introduction to her article, Professor Wilma Smith points out that Fitzgerald “wrote about himself and produced a narcissistic masterpiece” (5).

“Only the President controls the black box,” the White House Press Secretary Wilma Smith acknowledges (144).

Perhaps the well-known poet Wilma Smith expressed the idea best when she wrote, “Love is a spider waiting to entangle its victims” (14).

Citing Sources Almost everything in your research paper will need

to be cited. Even if you already know some things about your topic, find a source that contains that same information, and cite the information anyway.

In-text citations go within parentheses OR... Sentences/paragraphs may begin with, “According

to Dr. Sarah Hawkins, author of …” If you acknowledge the source in your writing, you only put the page numbers in parentheses at the end.

Mix it up!

Citing Sources: In-Text CitingIf your source has an author, use the author’s last name and page number inside parentheses.

(Smith 144)

If your source has an author, but no page numbers, use only the author’s last name.

(Smith)

If your source has no author, use the first word of the article title.

(“Cruelty”)

If you have sources that have no author and the titles begin with the same words, use the entire article name when citing.

(“Cruelty to Animals”)

(“Cruelty Consequences”)

If you mention the author or the article name in your paper, cite only the page number at the end.

According to Smith, animal cruelty may take many forms (144).

Avoiding Plagiarism This is a serious offense and is not taken

lightly. It is imperative that you understand how NOT to plagiarize and what is considered plagiarism.

You will view another power-point presentation concerning plagiarism. Refer to this presentation should you have any questions.