Research Paper 101

Research Paper 101:

What is a research Paper? It is a carefully planned essay that shares information or proves a point. It may include ideas from books, Web sites, documents, interviews and observations. Your completed research paper may also require a title page, an outline and a list of works cited (also known as your bibliography).

Resource requirements:

3 Books (may also include periodicals/magazines/newspapers)
2 References (may include Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlases and Handbooks)
2 Web sites (may also include audiovisual sources)
2 Interviews (may be by phone, email, in person or archive)
1 additional personal source: (may be an observation, survey, experiment, memories or journal entries)

A word about using Web sites: The Internet provides so much that settling on a few quality sources may be difficult. Remember…anyone can publish anything on the Net. You MUST learn how to judge between what is accurate and responsible and what may be inaccurate and irresponsible. Here are some helpful guidelines:

Consider the Source: Government and educational sites are usually reliable, as are most nonprofit-organization and professional business sites. Some private sites, however, are less accurate.
Compare Sources: If you find the same information at more than one reliable site, it is probably accurate.
Seek the Original Source: For news, try to find the original source, if possible. Otherwise consider the information carefully.
Check with a Trusted Adult: Ask your parents, a teacher, a librarian, or a media specialist to help judge the accuracy of what you find.

Audiovisual Sources are: television, radio, motion pictures, records, and audiotapes.

Information sources can be divided into two categories-primary and secondary.

A Primary Source is an original source. It informs you directly, not through another person’s explanation or interpretation. How do you know a primary source? You are working with primary sources when you…

Observe an event
Survey or interview people
Do experiments to understand cause-and-effect relationships
Analyze original documents, such as the Constitution

A Secondary Source is not an original source. It is one that contains information other people have gathered and interpreted.

Documenting Your Research 101:

What is a Bibliography? It is a list of works written by an author or printed publishing house.

Preparing a Preliminary Bibliography: Look for a wide variety of resources related to your thesis statement by talking to others, searching your library and surfing the Web.

Keep track of your sources on your computer or on index cards.
Arrange your sources alphabetically by the author’s last name.
Number each entry in your computer list, or number each card in the upper right-hand corner.

Information to include on your Bibliography cards:

Books: author’s full name, complete title, the publisher, publisher’s city, and the copyright date or year of publication

Magazines/Newspapers: Author’s complete name (if available), “Title of Article,” Name of Publication, Volume, Number, Date of Publication.

Encyclopedia Articles: Author’s Name, “Title of Article,” Name of Encyclopedia, Publisher, City of Publisher’s headquarters, Date of Copyright.

Websites: Author’s Name (if available), “Title of Article,” URL (website address), Copyright Date by Name of Copyright Owner, and Date on which you viewed the website.

Use a separate card for each source andplace them in alphabetical order. Format is not nearly as important as recording all the pertinent information and putting it in an easy-to-use format. Consistency is the key.

Remember: Always put author’s name first. Why? This will make it easy to put your cards in alphabetical order saving you lots of time in the end.

Note Cards: A bibliography card must be made for each source that you use and include matching informational note cards. Each card should be written in correct bibliographic form and numbered consecutively so that you can easily identify the source you have used on each note card. The number you place in the right-hand corner of your Bibliography card will also be included on the informational note cards as you take notes on the resource information from that particular source.

As you work on your research and take notes remember to write out quotations related to your thesis. Additional guidelines:

Keep notes on cards of the same size and style (4x6 recommended)
Record important details and quotations and always remember to document page numbers where your information can be found.
Make sure to place the number of the related bibliography card in the right-hand corner.
Place quotation marks around word-for-word quotations.
Use an ellipsis (…) when you leave words out of a quotation and use brackets around words you add.
REMEMBER: Give each card a descriptive heading (a word or a phrase to highlight the main idea of that note card: Depletion of the aquifer-the problem). This will be vital when you get ready to organize your note cards to prepare your outline and begin your first draft.

Searching Tip: If you can answer who, what, when, where and how…you are on the right track with gathering information. You should be able to answer each of those when you are done.

THESIS STATEMENTS and HYPOTHESIS

THESIS:a dissertation embodying results of original research and especially substantiating a specific view

HYPOTHESIS: an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument

Once you have discovered what truly interests you about your subject, you are ready to write a thesis statement. What will a thesis statement do? It will serve as a controlling idea for your research, and it expresses what you believe your research will prove. You can also call this you hypothesis.

Food for thought: At this point, you are writing a working thesis statement or hypothesis. As you learn more about your subject, you may change your mind about it. Just revise your thesis accordingly.

Writing Your Thesis Statement

An effective thesis statement will tell your readers specifically what you plan to write about in your paper. It also serves as a personal guide to keep you on track as you research your paper.

The Process:

A thesis statement usually takes a stand or expresses a specific feeling or feature of your subject. Write as many versions as it takes to hit upon the one that sets the right tone for your writing.

A specific subject

+ A particular stand, feeling or feature

= An effective thesis statement or hypothesis.

THESIS CHECKLIST:

Make sure that your thesis statement….

______Identifies a limited, specific subject,

______Focuses on a particular feature or feeling a bout the subject,

______is stated in a clear, direct sentence (or sentences,

______can be supported with convincing facts and details, and

______meets the requirements of the assignment

The Writing Plan

Organizing Your Research (Note Cards)

Arrange your note cards into their most logical order; then use them to construct a writing plan (which lists in order outlines the main points you want to cover in your paper). Use the headings on your note cards to form your writing-plan list.

Sample Writing Plan

Introduction – presents subject and thesis
Background and history of the Ogallala Aquifer
Problems with current water use
The impact of center-pivot irrigation
Changing farm practices
Applying new technologies
Conclusion – summing up the main points

Note Card Outlining/Searching/Writing Plan

How to answer: who, what, where, when and how with your note cards
How to identify the cards that are pertinent to your topic and those that are not

Continuing Your Research

Search for any additional information you may need to develop your thesis. (Remember to revise your thesis if learning more about the subject changed your mind about it. Also revise your writing plan, if necessary, as you continue your research).

Tip on Taking Notes….Look up unfamiliar words. If you find that a particular word is important to the construction of your research paper, copy its definition onto the same note card as the information you pull.

There are a number of abbreviations commonly used for documenting sources in research papers. Here are a few:

Ch.Chapter(s)

Ed.Editor(s), edition(s), or edited by

Et al.and others

Illus.illustrator, illustration, illustrated by

n.d.no date given

no.number(s)

n.p.no place of publication and/or no publisher given

n. pag.No pagination (no page numbers)

p., pp.page(s)

qtd.Quoted

rpt.Reprinted (by), reprint

sec. (sect.)section(s)

sicthus in the source (used with brackets to indicate an error is that way in the original)

vol.volume(s)

Conducting an Interview

What is the purpose of an interview? Interviews are conducted to get information from someone who has significant experience or someone who is an expert on your topic.

Topic Guidelines

Prepare for the Interview by doing your homework about the topic and the person you are going to interview. Never go unprepared!
Arrange the interview in a thoughtful way. Explain to them your purpose, the process, and the topics to be covered.
Think about the specific ideas you want to cover in the interview and write questions for each. The 5 W’s and H (Who? What? Where? When? And How?) are important for good coverage
Organize your questions in a logical order so that the interview moves smoothly from one subject to the next.
Write the questions on the left side of a page. Leave room for quotations, information, and impressions on the right.

During the interview, try to relax so that your conversation seems natural and sincere.
Provide some background information about yourself, your project, and your plans for using the interview information.
Use recording equipment only with the interviewee’s permission.
Jot down key facts, quotations, and impressions.
Listen actively. Show that you’re listening through your body language-eye contact, nods, and smiles. Pay attention not only to what the person says but also to how he or she says it.
Be flexible. If the person looks puzzled by a question, rephrase it. If the discussion gets off track, redirect it. Based on the interviewee’s responses, ask follow-up questions. (Don’t limit yourself to your planned questionsonly.)

After the interview, do the following:
As soon as possible, review your notes. Fill in responses you remember but couldn’t record at the time.
Thank you the person you interviewed through note, email, or a phone call.
If necessary, ask the interviewee to check that your information and questions are accurate.
Offer to send the person you interviewed a copy of your writing.

How to write a Working Outline

Write a thesis statement that reminds you of your purpose and audience.

Begin working on the ‘body’ of your report. Ask yourself, “From all the note

cards I have gathered, which ones are the most important? What information

should I convey in order to help me achieve my purpose statement?”

Do not forget your key questions and answers (the ones you believe your

audience will want to know). These will be the main headings.

Under each heading, list your ideas, facts and stories that support, explain and illustrate what you are trying to say. While you are arranging, ask yourself these questions:

Is there one main idea I must put first because everything else depends on it?
Have I arranged my facts in such a way as to show how they are related to one another?
Are there some ideas that will be clearer if they come after other ideas have been explained (proper order is important)? Your stronger information should be toward the beginning of the report. Make a strong argument right from the start instead of saving your best stuff till the end.

Have I concluded enough facts so that I can end my outline with a summary statement or a logical conclusion?

Remember: An outline normally does not include complete sentences. The purpose of your outline is not to write your paper BUT to organize your thoughts and information. Once you are finished, go back with rested eyes and make sure that it makes sense; after that, writing your report should be easy. Your outline will NOT be perfect the first time through. Do not get frustrated as you write, re-write and edit. The work you put into your outline at this point will save you A LOT of time later on. It is easier to edit and rearrange a few words (points in your outline) that it is to rewrite and arrange whole sentences and paragraphs.

Developing Your Introduction…Your introduction should do two things. The first part (the Hook) should say something interesting, surprising or important about the subject to gain the reader’s attention. (See the list below for ideas.) The second part should identify the thesis of your research.

A ‘Hook’ (or introduction) introduces the subject of whatever it is you’re telling about. A good hook is far more that a topic sentence, and may be many paragraphs long. The hook is meant to catch the attention of your reader and cause them to want to read on.

Start with a revealing story or quotation

Give important background information

Offer a series of interesting or surprising facts

Ask an enticing question

Something that is unusual or out of the ordinary

Provide important definitions

State your reason for choosing this subject

A working outline will look like this sample:

I. Introduction

A. Hook

1. Determine who your target audience is and capture their

attention.

2. Your Thesis Statement

II. Outline (Body)

A. Point One

B. Point Two

C. Point Three

D. Point Four

III. Conclusion (Restate/summarize your facts)

IV. Bibliography/Sited Works

Is your outline (body) completed?

Run it by mom or dad. Talk about the flow and logic. Does it make sense? As you critic your outline there are four important questions to ask yourself.

1. If I actually write out everything I have put into my outline, will I accomplish my

purpose and the number of pages required?

2. Does everything I present relate to my Thesis Statement? (if not-clean it up)

3. Do I repeat some subjects? (straighten it out)

4. Does my outline follow the correct pattern for outlines? (make sure it is balanced)

Writing the First Draft

Once you have completed the working outline, the writing begins. The first draft is the most important because it will contain almost all of what you want to say-if you have taken notes properly and often. However, no rule states that you cannot add something later on.

Writing your Introduction… see notes from Developing Your Introduction…

Use double spacing for your drafts and your final. Follow your working outline/note cards as you develop your paragraphs. Begin with your introduction. The introduction should capture the attention of your intended audience and end with your one-sentence thesis statement.

There are two ways to get started. You can write freely as ideas come to mind, or you can work systematically, carefully following your notes and writing plan.

Systematic Writing: Carefully follow your writing plan and note cards right from the start. Begin by laying out the first section of your note cards (those covering your first main point in your plan). Using your note cards, write a general statement that covers the main point, and add supporting facts and details. Repeat the process until you have dealt with each point in your plan.

Free Writing: With your note cards and outline aside, write as much as you can on your own. Refer to your notes only when you need a quotation, specific fact, or figures. After you have finished, review tour note cards and outline to make sure that you have not missed or misplaced any important points. The continue writing, filling in or reorganizing ideas as you go.

Writing the Body…The next step is to write the main part of your research paper, the part that supports and proves your thesis. The information you decide to share in the body of your paper should always point back to your Thesis Statement. If it doesn’t… Change your Thesis Statement. Why? Because an effective Thesis Statement tells readers specifically what you plan to write about in your paper. Remember, without adequate support or evidence, you cannot effectively develop your research paper. Here are three ways to support your thesis.

1) Include Facts

Facts are statements and statistics that add support and validity to your paper; they help to prove your main points.

2) Give Examples

Examples are a way of “showing” your ideas to readers.

3) Add Quotations

Quotations from experts add authority to your writing.

Help File: In some cases, supporting your main point with facts, examples and quotations may not be enough. You may also need to comment on or analyze the subject to complete the picture.

Writing the Conclusion…The final section of your paper should leave readers with a clear understanding of the importance of your research. Remind the readers about your subject. Summarize the main points you have made and draw a final conclusion.

As you end your paragraph, you want the audience to have a sense of closure. In a more personal approach, you may discuss how your research has strengthened or changed your thinking about your subject.

2nd Draft Check Up