Junior Research Project
Specifications and Due Dates
I. Development of Sub-Topics and an Essential Question:
1. A website like Wikipedia.com is a great place to conduct basic research so that you can develop an idea of what important sub-topics you need to cover for your chosen topic. Be aware, however, that YOU MAY NOT USE WIKIPEDIA as a source for your notecards or paper, as it is open to the public for editing, and therefore, unreliable at times.
Topic: The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.
Sub-topics:
a) Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden
b) The World Trade Center bombing of 1993
c) The planning of the 9/11 attacks
d) Statements for motive in the attacks
e) Financing of the attacks
f) Signs that an attack was imminent
g) Lapses in airport security
2. When you have conducted your first round of investigative research and have decided on which sub-topics to address, you may then convert them into an Essential Question:
Topic: The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001
Essential Question: What events led to the attacks of September 11th, 2001?
The purpose of your Essential Question is that once you have figured out which sub-topics are important, you may then conduct your research and write your paper so that you can actually answer your Essential Question.
Due Date: ______Point Value: ______
II. Notecards:
3*5 Note Cards Format
Note Cards Bibliography Cards
Title of Source Card #Author & pg. #
· Body of Notes:
· Quotations
· Paraphrases
· Statistics
· Any information that would otherwise answer your essential question / Title of Source Card #
Author
Publishing & Copyright Information
Specifications:
· A minimum of FIVE sources must be used
· A minimum of THREE of the resources must be print (books, scholarly journals, newspaper and magazine articles, etc.)
· A total of FIFTY note cards are needed, not including your bibliography cards
· Internet sources are acceptable, but must be approved (.org, .gov, and .edu websites are typically reliable)
· For each source, you should garner a minimum of SIX note cards
· Some sources will be more fulfilling than others and will therefore produce a greater number of suitable note cards
So What Should I Write Down?
Write down anything and everything that helps to answer your essential question.
Be clear in whatever you write, but don't rely too heavily on mental notes because you're afraid of writing too much down. Even if it's just background data, boil it down to a short phrase or two. Notes are a bit like drafts: you will not end up using everything you write down. Luckily, the next step on outlines will help you to sift the gold from the debris.
Please be aware that it is acceptable to copy down contradictory information. Research papers often include opposing views and even for argumentative papers, acknowledging an opposing viewpoint that is easily disproved by its counterpoint is an effective writing tool.
Whatever you take notes on, be sure to take them from more than one or two key sources. Using a variety will lend weight to your argument, broaden your horizons on the topic when you need varying viewpoints anyway, and demonstrate to your audience the thoroughness of your research.
Final Steps:
Organize your note cards according to the sub-topics you listed in your research log, and be sure that all source information is documented on your cards.
Due Date: ______Point Value: ______
III. Developing your Research Outline:
The purpose of the research outline is to organize the research that you have conducted into a format that will eventually become the final paper. Once you have identified your sub-topics in Pt. I, and generated your research notecards in Pt. II, developing your research outline should be relatively simple.
I. Introduction:
1. Opening statement, question, or quote designed to grasp the reader’s attention.
2. Educate the reader by providing important background information on the Topic.
3. Present your Essential Question along with a very basic description of what the reader will be reading.
II. Body:
In the body, you must divide their Essential Question into sub-topics and structure their paragraphs accordingly.
1. Topic Sentence for sub-topic #1
a.) Support w/citations
b.) Support w/citations
c.) Support w/citations
d.) Support w/citations
e.) Conclusion sentence that provides flow into the next paragraph
2. Topic Sentence for sub-topic #2
a.) Support w/citations
b.) Support w/citations
c.) Support w/citations
d.) Support w/citations
e.) Conclusion sentence that provides flow into the next paragraph
3. Topic Sentence for sub-topic #3
a.) Support w/citations
b.) Support w/citations
c.) Support w/citations
d.) Support w/citations
e.) Conclusion sentence that provides flow into the next paragraph
*Repeat steps according to the number of sub-topics that are identified.
III. Conclusion:
1. Summarize main points.
2. If appropriate, describe your own feelings on the research.
3. Provide closure for the reader.
IV. Final Paper:
You will be provided with a separate manual on how to write a research paper. Here is a checklist of things that the final paper must feature or include:
· 7-8 pages in length
· Proper use of MLA style to document sources
· Works Cited page
· Proper formatting:
o 1” margins
o Double spacing
o 12pt font
o Times New Roman or Arial
Due Date: ______Point Value: ______