By: Mrs. Jeanette Ruggiero

When in doubt... check it out. Find up to date help online at owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01

  1. ____Choose a topic and consider a thesis!Thesis: What’s

your point? What are you going to research about that topic?

  1. ____Gather information

Go to the Library. Librarians are happy to help,ask!

Types of sources:

Online LEGITIMATE Resources –NO WIKIPEDIA!!!ANYONE can edit it! Don’t just type your topic in Google and use the first site that comes up! You may end up getting directed to Bob’s false facts page. The websites must have a copyright and author or credible organization that takes responsibility. (Ex. © 2008 Harborcrest Company) URLs ending in .org, .gov or .edu are good options. Check the bottom of the webpage as soon as it opens, so you don’t waste your time!

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2. suffolktopicguides.org
3.memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
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5. / 6. Click “Virtual Reference”, then ‘High School Collection”, then a category that might have your topic. Username = Central Islip, password= cihs
7.

Books –Each topic is together. Look up your topic on the search engine for the library (by last name if it’s a person). The book will have a number like 941.86. The library is organized from 100’s to 900’s in 2 sections. Reference – books you can’t leave with or regular –books you can. Look at both.

Encyclopedias – (Collier’s, Britannica, World Book, etc.) Alphabetical. The first one might coverAardvarks – Benson, Charles. If your topic is balloons, look here.

Magazine Articles – There are binders. Each has articles on a general topic. Example: Healthcare, Family, Science. If your topic is tornadoes, which binder would you look in?

____Print online sources, and keep the ENTIRE print out - you'll need the author or

editor, title, site name, edition or version, site owner or sponsor, date of publication,

and the dateyou accessed the site, otherwise it’s PLAGIARISM which is illegal and can get you kicked out of school!)

Photocopyuseful pages from books, magazines, and encyclopedias. ANDphotocopy the title page AND copyright page. ->This gives you the info you need to give credit to the source, these pages are in the front of a book, and look like this:

Stapleeach source. Your Works Cited (formerly called Bibliography), will need at least one source per length of assignment. A 5 page paper usually needsat least 5 sources.

  1. ____Choose your facts. UNDERLINE or HIGHLIGHT complete sentencesthat support your thesis, or argue against it, so you can look brilliant by refuting it! It's important to acknowledge different opinions, then explain why you're still right!

Have at least 3 researched facts or quotes per page length of paper. A 5 page paper should have at least 15 researched bits of evidence. If you are lacking facts/quotes, go get another source.

  1. ____Outline. See different ways to outline on my website. I like this way. Number the highlighted information.

1. - Introductory info (birth info, oldest, beginnings, etc.) that will introduce the reader to your point

2. - All the “meat” or interesting highlights, facts, middle parts of a life, etc.

3. - All the end info (old age or death, how something came to an end, most recent info, current updates etc.)

Then, breakdown each # into separate topics A, B, C. to represent paragraphs. You can even take it a step further and breakdown those!

  1. ____Confirm your thesis. Write a complete sentence that takes a stand on your topic. What's your point?
  2. ____Start Writing!

____Always Type

___Double-space. Press format on the top toolbar, then paragraph, then in the gray box, change line spacing from “single” to “double,” hit ok.

______MarginsKeep your sides, top, and bottom1 inch (it should already be that way)

______Insert header with Page # in upper right corner. Click “Insert” Then, “header.” Choose one that includes page number. Type your last name next to it.

  1. ____First PageNo cover page. On the first page in the top left corner, type

1. Your name

2. Instructor

3. Course title

4. Date of submission

Then, center the title EX.-----

  1. _____ The Introduction. Use atrue, attention grabbing first sentence that relates to your thesis. Then, briefly state the major points you plan to cover. Finish the intro with your thesis. Do NOT use the word "you." This is not a letter.

STEP 2– Choose a shocking fact, more general idea, or anecdote (quick story) that connects with your thesis and will make the reader want to read your paper.Ex. More general idea – Children love to be entertained.

STEP 3- Connect your interest grabbing sentence to your thesis by discussing how they are related. Ex.They can actually watch TV for several hours at a time without getting bored. But, the problem with this is that parents should monitor what it is their kids are watching or discuss what’s on TV with them.

STEP1 – Your thesis (your point!) is the last sentence of your intro and summaries exactly what it is you want the reader to know about your topic by the time their done reading your paper. Ex. Parents need to start taking responsibility for what their kids watch.

  1. _____ Draft your body paragraphs. Use your outline to stay on topic and keep the flow. Each body paragraph is a reason for, or example of, your point. Each should start with your own thoughts and words about the reason, then what you found to support your idea. Nearly every paragraph will include a quote or paraphrased tidbit and will require an in-text citation. That's how you'll give credit to your sources. You MUST follow the rules for writing researched facts.

RULES FOR WRITING

DO NOT COPY VERBATIM – THIS IS PLAGIARISM = 0 (F)

To Paraphrase or To Quote… That is the Question!

To correctlyparaphrase, read the info you like, put it aside and write in ALL YOUR OWN WORDS what you learned. DON’T just change a few words around.

If you want to quote word-for–word, you must surround it with “Quotation marks” and capitalize the first letter. You also must introduce it with your own words and comment about it afterword with your own thoughts before starting the next paragraph.

IMPORTANT!!!!!!!

Either way, you MUST give credit to who you got the info from by using in-text citations. Usually, they go at the end of each paragraph.

  1. ____In-text citations-After you insert info you got from a source (paraphrased OR quoted), put the author’s last name and the page number where the info came from, in parentheses. Websites don’t have page numbers – so leave that out for a webpage, and encyclopedias don’t have authors – use the title Italicized and capitalized. The period goes after the parentheses.

Quote Example: From a business outlook, “communication is the oil that greases the machine and makes it run easily” (Wayne 4).

* If you mention the author in your writing, you don't need his name in the citation.

Example. Wayne states, "Communication is the oil that greases the machine and makes it run easily" (4).

Paraphrase ExampleIt has been said that 64% of kids who grew up watching Sesame Street become early readers (Encyclopedia Britannica 129).

* If you're using one source for a whole paragraph, put the in-text citation at the end of it.

* If you use2 sources within a paragraph, give the in-text citation for the first source right after you’re done using the first source, then use the second source followed by that source’s citation.

Ex. President Ulysses S. Grant was a brave leader. This is why he was able to become the 18th President of the United States (Jones 245). He established this reputation when he “did not negotiate on the battlefield” when he led the North to victory over the South in the Civil War (Encyclopedia Britannica 34).

Block quoting:A quote longer than 3 typed lines must be indented twice, introduced with a colon, and loses the quotation marks.

Ex. Hartman supports the eating of turkey at Thanksgiving. In her book she says:

I love turkey at Thanksgiving. It is a part of an American tradition. Having Thanksgiving without eating turkey is like having a Christmas without a Christmas tree. It’s just not going to happen in my home (Hartman, 114).

  1. _____Take a stand. In your paragraphs, after you state facts, add quotes, and give credit, have an opinion about the subject! A Citation for a fact/quote in that paragraph still goesat the end.
  2. ____Use transitionsbetween paragraphs like “Even though” “In addition” “On the contrary” “Not long after” “One example of” etc.
  1. _____Every 10 minutes, save your work!flash drive, Dropbox, or school account, etc.

How to Email yourself

Open up your email account. Click “compose” or “new”. Address it to your own email. Make the subject “my paper.” Click “attach.” Click “browse.” Find the paper in the folder you saved it. Double click it. Click “send.” Now, check your incoming mail. Open attachment. VOILA!

  1. _____Tricks!

Want to use a quote, but remove a bunch of unnecessary words, use an ellipse.... It's 3 dots.4 if it ends a sentence.

Ex: In parts of the world, children are used to run errands and to spy.

"In parts of the world, children are used … to spy."

or  "In parts of the world, children are used to run errands...."

When you need to change a word inside a quote from somebody else, put your own word in brackets.

Ex.“I used to believe in pink elephants” 

[Mr. Belzar] used to believe in pink elephants. (This way, it’s clear it wasn’t you)!

  1. _____Works Cited Page(MLA FORMAT) At the end of the paper, on its own page.Title it Works' Cited at the top and Center it. No underline or italics. It used to be called bibliography, but “biblio” means book, and now we use more!

A list of all your sources in alphabetical order using the author’s last names. If no author, use the first letter of the title

Information is gotten from the website or title page and copyright page that you photocopied for each source

n.p.= no publisher online, n.d. =no date online, n.pag = no page #'s online

Indent all lines after the first for each source.

Have many authors? Use 3 hyphens then title Ex. ---. "Farms."

Format

Last name, First name. "Article Title." Website Magazine

or Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher or Website, year of publication. Source Medium. Month and Year Accessed.

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