How to Do a Research Project

1. How to Do a Research Project The Roaring 20’s

2. Step 1: Narrow the topic • Jot down ideas of all the subtopics you could cover. • Try to organize this list a bit – decide which subtopics are really important. • Plan to find information about those – and not about every little detail.

3. Example: Religion in the 1920s Help me out… What do you think I might consider?

4. Example: Religion in the 1920s • Urban vs. Rural • Wealthy vs. Poor • Race and ethnicity • Changes in major religions • New religions appearing • Numbers of people/percentage of people in major religious groups • Types of services • Political influence of religions • Conflicts

5. Example: Religion in the 1920s • Can I cover all of this? • Sure, if I am writing a really long paper. • This project requires 2 pages. I will need to cut it down. • I will see what information is available. Then, I’ll add and subtract subtopics from my list.

6. Your turn! • Doing it at home before you research? Good for you! Do your best. • Remember, you’ll revise this list as you learn more about your topic. Revision means you are doing it right!

7. Step 1: Narrow the topicClassroom Creation/Revision Time • Good news! You already have at least two articles, so you already have extra information to help you with this list. • Using the sources you have with you, make a list of subtopics you would like to cover in your paper and presentation. • You have 5 minutes. Help each other!

8. Step 2: Find appropriate sources • School databases are always trustworthy. • Be really choosy about sites you find on the internet! • Wikipedia is good as a starting point, but never as a cited source.

9. Step 2 cont’d • How can you tell if the source is good? • Good ones are published by recognized groups or companies. • You should be able to find all the required citation information. If you can’t, it’s probably not good.

10. Step 2 cont’d • Print the source. • If it is long, only print the part you need. • Get full citation information now, including the URL (in case the teacher wants it). • My rule is I don’t want the URL if you used a school database. I do want the URL if you used a website you found on the internet. • If you aren’t sure what information you need, use my website’s “MLA Format” page to help you.

11. HMWK due 10/4-7 • Find, skim read, and print at least 2 useful sources.

12. Step 3: Annotate your sources • Annotate is a fancy name for highlight and label. • Annotate useful information in your printed out sources. • How do you choose? Find facts about the subtopics you planned to cover. Keep in mind, you might need to revise your subtopic list when you learn more about your topic.

13. Step 3: Annotate your sources Highlighting • Read your sources, and highlight information that really seems relevant to your subtopic list. • DON’T highlight everything. • Highlight important sentences. • Even better, highlight important phrases.

14. Step 3: Annotate your sources About Labeling • When you are done reading all your sources, you should have more than enough material highlighted. If you don’t, find more sources, read and highlight, and then come back to this part.

15. Step 3: Annotate your sources About Labeling (cont’d) • Now, decide how you should group the information. You might use your whole original subtopic list, or you might use part of it, or you might reorganize your subtopics entirely. • Assign a symbol to each subtopic that you will cover in your paper. • In the margins of the sources, label each highlighted fact.

16. Example: Religion in the 1920s – my list revised after skimming several sources! • Major religious groups & their associated beliefs • In different geographical areas • urban vs. rural AND/OR north vs. south • Membership: # people/ percentage of population • Social class (rich vs. poor) • Race & ethnicity • Gender & age factors • Causes of change • Immigration • The Great War

17. HMWK due Tues-Wed, 10/8-9 • Annotate your sources. • Highlight all relevant material. • Decide which subtopics to cover. • Decide how you will group facts in the paper. • Label your annotated sources accordingly. • Note that completing this step requires having enough sources to find all the material you need!

18. Heads up! • Before you can effectively move on to Step 4, you must have completed research and created a final subtopic list. • If you want to begin writing the paper before your research is done, be prepared to make major revisions.

19. Step 4: Writing the Rough DraftIntroduction • Start with an interesting hook. A common knowledge fact about your topic might work well. • Include a Main Idea Statement. (In some cases, this is an official “thesis” statement.) Sum up the point of your paper in 1 sentence. • List your main subtopics, in order. You might want to give each one a sentence of its own.

20. Step 4: Writing the Rough DraftBody Paragraphs • Following your own organization plan, write the body paragraphs of your paper. You decide how many paragraphs there will be. • Remember to include a topic and closing sentence for each body paragraph. • You can actually write the body paragraphs in any order. When all are written, you will make a final decision about their order in the paper.

21. Step 4: Writing the Rough DraftBody Paragraphs This paper requires you to paraphrase info and weave quotes! • We discussed this with a literary work. You make the same decisions with nonfiction reference material. • Paraphrase most material. • Quote when the original phrase is just perfect already. Weave quotes into your own sentences.

22. Step 4: Writing the Rough DraftConclusion • Start by restating the paper’s Main Idea Statement. • Review the main subtopics. • End with an interesting idea. A suggestion of a connection between then and now might work.

23. Step 5: Citations • This is NOT really a separate step. You should do this while you write the rough draft (in Step 4). I include it as a step to remind you to check that you have done this correctly throughout the paper.

24. Step 5: Citations • This includes • In-text citations in EVERY sentence with someone else’s ideas • Works Cited page • The MAJOR difference (from a literary analysis): You must cite both paraphrased and quoted material! • Why? Because you must differentiate between your own ideas and the researched material you have found. • Think of it this way: when you are referring to a book’s events, your reader knows the material is not yours. When you are referring to anything else, the reader just cannot tell.

25. Step 5 (cont’d) • Follow the MLA Format rules for the in-text citations and the Works Cited page. • Use my “MLA Format” page for help. • Seriously, you need to spend some time actually reading through this material. It explains almost everything.

26. HMWK due Thurs-Fri, 10/10-11 • Type and print your rough draft, following ALL MLA requirements for format • Introduction • ALL body paragraphs • Topic sentences • Paraphrased and/or quoted information + in-text citations • Closing sentences • Conclusion • Works Cited

27. Step 6: Revise & Proofread • Peer edit! Check each other’s work for structure, clarity, and correctness. Look out for anything confusing, unclear, or grammatically flawed. • Look back at the Step 4 Writing the Rough Draft slides for ideas. • If you have to, go back to your sources – or even find additional sources – to get more information.

28. Step 7: The Final Product • Print a clean and perfect copy of your paper, including the Works Cited. Follow all MLA rules, as posted on my website. • Staple or clip your packet together, as follows: • Paper (inc. Works Cited) – on TOP • No rough draft required. If you have one, attach it. • Annotated sources, in alphabetical order – on BOTTOM

29. Step 8: About presenting • Your purpose, in this case, is to educate all of us about your subject. Plan to spend 2-3 minutes telling the class about your subject’s important subtopics. • You may bring up notes with you. I do not advise you to read a copy of your paper. • You may not use the copy of your paper that you are handing in. • This first presentation is not graded.

30. Step 9: the Visual Aid • At least 3 printed 4”x6” (or larger) photographs, arranged into a mini-poster, with an attached (single-spaced) paragraph explaining them. • Use this visual aid while you present! • No citations or Works Cited required for this part

31. HMWK due Tues-Wed, 10/15-16 • Final Paper + Annotated Sources • Mini-poster • Presentations