Decades Research Paper:
An Introduction to the Research Writing Process
Prompt:
Write an essay describing a decade between 1920 and1990.
Your essay will be comprised of four sections. The essay must include a description of the decade’s history/politics and your choice of three of the following aspects of the decade: scientific advances/transportation, clothing/fashion, art/culture, and sports. Your essay must site at least six sources: two books, two internet sources, and two additional sources of your choice. Your paper should also include a bibliography/works cited page using MLA notation.
1. Dissect the prompt using a “T-Chart
To Do Words Task
(Circle in prompt) (Underline in prompt)
Research Note Cards:
To prepare for writing your research paper, you must complete note cards listing at least twenty facts about the decade you are researching. All of the information presented in your essay must be based on a research note card. Be sure to cite the page number for each fact you find at the end of the fact in parenthesis. This will be important when it comes time to write your essay.
*See attached sample research note card format.
Pre-Composing:
1. List Facts.
List the facts for each aspect your essay will describe on a separate sheet of paper including a citation, the author’s last name, and the page number where you discovered the fact.
Example
History/Politics
-During the 2190’s most Americans thought the war on mars was wrong (Smith 211).
-President Roosevelt imposed a new tax on pet food the help fund the Martian war (Baker 12).
-Many people during the 2190’s wanted to give communism a try (Schmirnoff 444).
2. Order Facts.
Number each fact in the order in which you will write about it in your essay.
3. Transitions.
Before each fact, write the transition you plan to use when writing the first draft of your essay.
Writing:
Write the first draft. Be sure to double space, use the correct heading (use MLA format) and give your paper an original/catchy title.
1. Write your heading. Write your name, teacher, class, period and date using the example below as a guide. Be sure to double space.
Karina Trevino
Mrs. Hargrave
English 9 Honors, Period 5
08 March 2013
2. Write your title. Use an original/catchy title. Example: The Nifty Fifties.
3. Write the introduction.
Ø Topic Sentence
State your topic in a clear statement.
Ø Aspects
In separate sentences, state the aspects of the decade you will describe in the order that they will appear in your essay.
Intro Frame Example #1
The was a time of great change. There were significant events in the that changed the world. Similarly, there were advances in that greatly improved the quality of people’s lives. In addition, there were advances in . There were also notable advances in .
Intro Frame Example #2
To truly understand the a person must understand several key aspects of the decade. A person must understand the of the . Similarly, a person must understand the of the . A person must understand the of the . Also a person must understand the of the to understand the decade.
4. Write the body of your essay.
Going aspect by aspect, paragraph by paragraph, describe the decade you have chosen. Be sure to use information, summary, or sequence transitions as are appropriate and cite your sources using the MLA method.
Parenthetical Citations
When you write a research paper, you will need to give credit to the source from which you found your information. This is a very important part of the research process by helping to show your teacher that you used your resources effectively, and that you are able to refer to them in your writing.
Any source cited within your text also needs to be on your works cited page. To do so you need to be taking notes along the way so you have all the information needed to cite your sources. Below is an example of how a citation in your text should look and how the works cited for the same book and for a webpage would look. The examples below are using the current MLA 7th Edition which you are expected to use in your class.
What if…
/Explanation
/Example
What if I mentionthe author’s name in the text? / Your citation should only be the page number in your citation. / Batshaw states, “The effects of long-term smoking are not always physical” (149).
What if I mention the title
of the source and the page number in my text? / You should only include the author in your citation. / On page 149 in Children with Disabilities, the author states, “The effects of long-term smoking are not always physical” (Batshaw).
What if I mention the author and the page number in the text? / Do not do this. The purpose of this activity is to show that you know how to use parenthetical citations correctly.
What if I do not use a direct quotation? I paraphrased or summarized the information from my source. / You must still give credit to the source by using a parenthetical citation. / People who smoke suffer effects for a long time, but those effects may not always be physical (Batshaw 149).
What if there is no author
for my source? / Use the full title (if brief) or a shortened version of your source.
· Underline or italicize for books.
· Use quotation marks for articles. / The article stated, “The effects of long-term smoking are not always physical” (“Living with Disabilities,” 2).
What if my source has
two or three authors? / List the last names of the authors separated by commas and the word “and.” / The authors stated, “The effects of long-term smoking are not always physical” (Batshaw, Bates and Cook 149).
What if my source has
more than three authors? / List the last name of the first author and the words “et al.” / The authors stated, “The effects of long-term smoking are not always physical” (Batshaw et al. 149).
What if I used an internet site with no page numbers? / You may use section numbers or paragraph numbers, only if they are indicated on the site. / The author stated, “The effects of long-term smoking are not always physical” (Batshaw sec. 4). OR (Batshaw par. 2).
What if I have two works
by the same author? / You will list the author’s last name, the title, and the page number. / If title is book--
(Batshaw Children with Disabilities 149).
If title is an article--
(Batshaw “Living with Disabilities,” 2).
Common Transitions
Information / Summary / Sequencefor example
in addition
also
interestingly
additionally
another example / The author
Or
(Name of author)
points out
says
states
mentions
emphasizes
asserts
reports
notes
highlights the fact
contends
argues
concludes
+ that (subject + verb) / first, second, third
next
then
following this
at this time
now
at this point
after
afterward
subsequently
finally
consequently
previously
before this
simultaneously
concurrently
thus
therefore
hence
next
soon
5. Write the conclusion.
Review the aspects you have chosen and restate your topic sentence.
6. Write the Works Cited Page (using MLA format).
Works Cited:
1. Set up your bibliography page by writing Works Cited centered at the top of the page.
2. Going card by card, write your bibliography using MLA format (refer to MLA format handouts, handbooks, or online resources).
ü Remember to list sources in alphabetical order.
ü Remember to indent the second line of the citation.
ü Remember to double space.
Example
Works Cited
Dawes, Tim. Tech Time. Flemington, NJ: Central Press, 1997. Print.
Deed, Patricia, and Marc Southern. Software Basics. New York: May Press, 2002. Print.
Dew, John, et al. Myths Revisited. New York: The Viking Press, 1992. Print.
Dundes, Alan. “Myth: Myths of the Beginning and of the End.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th ed. 1970.
“Shakespeare’s Best Lines.” Bob’s Shakespeare Page. 1998. Web. 02 April 2002
Sherman, Amy. "All about Chutney." Cooking with Amy: A Food Blog. 30 Mar. 2005. Web.
03 Aug. 2005
Editing:
1. Check the format.
ü Check the heading, title and spacing.
Karina Trevino
Mrs. Hargrave
English 9 Honors, Period 5
08 March 2013
ü Check margins.
ü Check Paragraph indents and spacing.
2. Check organization.
ü Double underline the overall topic/subject sentence and letter the aspects in the introduction.
ü Underline and letter the topic sentences for each body paragraph, be sure they occur in the same order as they are referred to in the introduction paragraph.
ü Number the facts (there should be at least four per body paragraph and a total of at least twenty).
ü Box transitional words.
3. Check Spelling.
1. Read through the essay backwards, sentence by sentence, to check for spelling grammar and punctuation errors.
4. Check the Works Cited page.
ü Is the list in alphabetical order?
ü Is the spaced correctly?
ü Is the list correctly indented?
5. Evaluate the essay.
ü Grade the essay using the scoring guide.
Revision:
- Revise the essay correcting problems found during the peer edit.
- Have a parent or other adult read and edit your revised essay.
- Revise the essay correcting problems found during the parent edit.
- Type the final draft of your essay. The essay must be double-spaced, 12 point font (preferably Times New Roman), one inch margins with proper headings and numbering. A cover page is optional. Number each page and staple them together in the upper-left corner.