Let’s Write a Research Paper

Getting started: Step 1, make sure you understand what the topic is. (more coming)

What to ask your teacher.

1. What format should this be done in? It could be MLA, APA, Turabian, known as Chicago Manual.

2. How long should it be? Does that include the outline and Works Cited page?

3. Does your teacher expect to approve the topic and/or thesis statement in advance?

4. Does the teacher want an outline? Does the teacher want to see your note cards? 

5. Will the teacher want to see your outline or rough draft. 

Cont-- questions1. Does the teacher want a cover? Some

may not want plastic covers. 2. What information does the teacher want

on the cover page? 3. Will the teacher expect all research turned

in with the paper? 4. Does the teacher want a Works Cited (only

the sources used in the paper) or a Bibliography (everything you looked at).

5. Is this an informative or a persuasive paper? 6. May you uses any sources (encyclopedias,

magazines, Internet, etc.). How many should you use and are there any restrictions?

7. Ask your questions now because excuses aren't accepted later.

Basic Guidelines for a Research Paper.

1. Plan on spending about 60% of your time planning, researching, and preparing the first draft.

2. It must be typed unless your teacher states otherwise. Even then, statistics point to higher grades for typed papers.

3. Use 10 or 12 point type and a standard font such as Arial or Times New Roman.

4. Type on only one side of the page and double space all text.

5. Use parenthetical in-text documentation. 

Guidelines-cont1. When you look at any possible source

material, always copy down the bibliographical information (See Works Cited). 

2. Even if you use note cards, it helps to photo copy pages you might use. 

3. You must give credit to both exact quotes and paraphrases.

4. Unless otherwise stated the margins are to be 1 inch all around.

5. TCC offers special writing classes all semester-  current schedule.

Ima Student Class and Section Your Teacher Date the paper is due

How to Write a Research Paper One must double space and indent 5 spaces

when one begins a paragraph. However, for the sake of space this will be single spaced. As stated earlier the writer will use the standard one inch margins all the way around. This is normally the default setting if using a word processing machine or computer. Use left justification for the margins. If one needs a topic, one may go to the TCC handouts- Research Paper Topics or visit the TCC Learning Resource Center for ideas. Unless the teacher specifies otherwise, this is to be written in third person (he, she, they).

This is called a research paper because the writers must do research and include it in their paper. One must include

Last Name 2a combination of direct quotes, paraphrases, combination notes, and your own conclusions. In a direct quote the writer will use the authors exact words and place quotation marks ("quote") around it. It will be followed by the author's last name and the page number in parenthesis. In a paraphrase, the whole idea in the writer's own words. With a combination note, one uses some of one's own words and an direct quote. The writers' own conclusions are the ideas that come to the writers as contemplate the research. In the event of a long quote, more than 4 lines, the writer must set it off by indenting 10 spaces. This will not need quotation marks.

Laughter is also an elixir for the mind. Tests administered by Swedish psychologist Lars Ljungdahl before and after humor therapy reveal a reduction of stress and depression and a heightened sense of mental well being and creativity. More and more we are discovering that it only hurts when we don't laugh. (Lederer 10)

Last 3(Page 2 and all subsequent pages will have the author's last name and the page number as a header at 1/2 inch from the top of the paper. The actual text will begin at the 1 inch margin.) In the event there is a quote inside your quote, use a single quote mark for the interior quote. This is a combination quote with an interior quote. A teacher read this to her students, " 'If you subscribe to the summer Weekly Reader you will receive ten issues.' One of her students waited all summer for a pair of tennis shoes" (Lederer 147). Please notice that there is no punctuation inside the parenthesis, and the closing punctuation from the sentence is placed after the parenthesis.

Last 4If one mentions an author's name in the text, one need only give the page number in the parenthesis. This is also the case if one is continuing to quote from one author. "She's a real Pre-Madonna" (152). In the event the quote comes from a book with 2 authors, list both in parenthesis. (Author1 and Author2 10). With 3 authors it will be (Author1, Author2, and Author3 10). Beyond 3 authors one may name them all, or name the first followed by the abbreviation for "and others" et al. (Author1 et al. 10). In the event the quote is a quote from another work which can't be found, one must indicate that it was quoted from another place (qtd. in Author 10).

In the event one uses an abbreviation, always spell out the name first. For example, the Modern Language Association (MLA) is the source of this information. In the event one doesn't wish to use a whole quote, one may use an ellipsis (...) to indicate that text is missing. For example: "... and the quote" or "The ... quote" or "The quote ..."

Last 5Should the writer need to to offer an explanation about the quote or extra details, this may be done by placing the explanation in square brackets [ ]. If you see [sic] it means there is an error made by the original author—colour[sic]. When the writer feels sure that he/she has proven the point of the thesis, the writer will prepare the conclusion. This section will sum up all that has been written without introducing any new topics. Like any project make sure that you allow enough time. Prepare a schedule. It is a simple process if you take it in steps and allow enough time. To quote from Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will." This is never more true than when you leave a project to the last minute. Good Luck.

Last 6This is a list of all the works that you have included in your paper. It will be listed in alphabetical order by author. In the event that no author is given, use the title of the work and place it in alphabetical order between the authors. Continue the page numbering with your name and the page number in the header. The title, Works Cited, is at the 1 inch margin and just the first letters are capitalized. The first line of the entry will begin at the 1 inch margin with the second and subsequent lines of the entry being indented 5 spaces. Continue to double space your work. Make sure you place the punctuation exactly as you see it here. The publisher's name may be abbreviated-- see your text or MLA Home page. When you give the full date, it should be given as day month year (16 May 1978). In some cases your instructor may want you to list every source you looked at regardless of whether you used it or not. This is called a Bibliography. This is intended to

LAST 7be a basic instruction if you need more detail visit TCC Writing Center- Handouts- MLA Parenthetical In-Text Documentation Guidelines or go directly to the MLA Home page

Works Cited(Books 1 author. Last, First.  Title of the Book in Italics/or underlined if  you can't print in italics.  City of Publication: Publisher's Name, year published.) Lederer, Richard. More Anguished English. New York: Delacorte Press, 1993.

Books 1 author.  Last, First.  Title of the Book in Italics/or underlined if you can't print in italics.  City of Publication: Publisher's Name, year published. Lederer, Richard. More Anguished English. New York: Delacorte Press, 1993. 2 Books by the same author- use the form above for the first entry- the second entry follows this sample. ---.  Title.  City: Publisher, year. Books 2 or 3 authors Last1, First, and First Last2. Title.  City: Publisher, year. Last1, First, First Last2 and First Last3. Title.  City: Publisher, year. Books 4 or more authors Last1, First., et al. Title.  City: Publisher, year. Book with an editor.  Last, First, ed. Title.  City: Publisher, year. Magazines, periodicals, journals or newspapers.  Last, First. "Title of the Article in quotes." Title of the Magazine in italics or underlined. Volume or Issue Number (Year) OR full date: Starting page-ending page (for newspapers include the section letter with the page number). Treat articles with no author just as you treated the book with no author.

Government Publications. Last, First (if given) OR the State OR United States Department or Committee. City whereit is printed like-- Washington, D.C.: the agency preparing it like--GPO (Government Printing Office)/ State Dept. of Education, year. E-mail  Last, First. E-mail to the author. full date. Listserv or Usenet, bulletin board, or discussion group. Last, First. "The title in quotes." full date of the posting. Online Posting (type those words). Name of the group- may include the subject. Your source (Like- Usenet). Date you took it off-line. The electronic address though optional is important. Ask your instructor his/her preference.

Periodical CD-ROM with a print version Last, First. "Title." Print Source full date, section and page numbers if given. Title of the CD-Rom Name of the distributor or vendor. Full date of electronic publication. CD-Rom or other source with no print edition. Last, First. Title of the article.  Title of the CD-Rom.  The medium- CD-Rom, magnetic tape, or diskette. Place of Publication: Publisher, year of publication. An Online source with a print version. Last, First. "Title of Work." Name of the Print Source (Magazine).  Full date, pages and section. Name of the Online Source. Name of the Online service. Date you found this online. Optionally- electronic address. An Online source without a print version. Last, First. "Title." Date written. Name of Source. Online source. Date you found this online. Optionally-electronic address. A movie or video.  Title of the Work. Dir. director's names. Perf. performers' names (only main ones). Name of the studio/distributor, year. Television or radio. "Title of the Episode." Name of the show. Network. Local station, local city. Full date.

Preparing the Formal Outline Page This is different from the working outline which you used to begin organizing your paper. This is an outline which shows how your paper is actually organized. You may find that this is an excellent way of conducting a final edit of your paper since you can compare it with the original working outline and verify that you have adequate detail. This is a topic outline and uses phrases or words after the thesis statement but no sentences. Unless your instructor gives other instructions use the following format. As you can see, as you indent each level of information, it goes in another 5 spaces. Each level requires that you have 2 levels of detail- 1 must have a 2 although a 3 does not have to have a 4.

Ima Student Professor I.M. Wise Class and section numbers April 24, 1998 - Date submitted or due date.

OutlineThesis Statement: Yes, you do type the words thesis statement and underline it. This is presented as a single sentence and must match the thesis statement found in the paper's introduction. This is a

statement of your plan for your paper. It will include the research topic and your assertion-- your focus. I. Introduction A. Supporting Detail 1. Sub-detail a. Detail about the sub detail (1.) (2.) (a.) (b.) b. 2. B. II.

Student ii III. If you go to a second page, you must have your last

name in the upper right hand corner and use lower case Roman numerals (ii).

Preparing a Works Cited Page Bonnie Startt Spring 2002

Using the following information, prepare a sample works cited page using MLA format. Please note that you do not need to use everything given. 1. The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and other Clinical Tales. Oliver Sacks. New York. Summit Books. “The Autist Artist.” No year of publication listed. Pages 204 through 223. 2. Barbara Tuckman. Practicing History. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright 1936, 1959, 1966, 1974, 1981. Introduction copyright 1981. New York. 3. CD-ROM. CD Plus. Jan. 1991. “Responsible Weight Loss in New Jersey.” New Jersey Medicine 87(1990): M.A. Kirchner, et al. Pages 901-04. Medline. 4. “Beware Liquid Diets.” Healthtouch Aug. 1996: Available http://www.healthtouch.com:80/cane/wcin002.html. Harriet Cane. N. page. Online. Internet. 4 Mar. 1997.

5. Double Belonging, Interchurch Families and Christian Unity. George Kilcourse. Paulist Press. New York, NY. Mahwah, N.J.1992 . 6. Jennifer Siebel Trainor and Amanda Godley. College Composition and Communication. The Journal of the Conference on College Composition and Communication and the National Council of Teachers of English Volume 50 Number 2 December 1998 “After Wyoming.” 1111 W. Kenyon Rd, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096 pp 153-182 7. Black, Craig Summers. Volume 76 Number 11 November 1998 “A Bloom in Every Room, Indoor Plants that Flower with Ease.” Better Homes and Gardens pages 181-188. 8. The New Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropedia. Herman F. Marks. 15th Edition 1991 “Polymers. 9. Time. 101. October 11, 1976. “The Right to Die.” 10. An interview with your English teacher. At school Feb. 26, 1999. Taped for posterity.