1 / 15

The Research Paper

The Research Paper. Sacred Heart Academy English Department. Contents. Pre-Thesis Statement Writing Thesis Statement Topic Outline Grammar and Style Checklist Plagiarism. Pre-Thesis Statement Writing.

desiree-burgess
Download Presentation

The Research Paper

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Research Paper Sacred Heart Academy English Department

  2. Contents • Pre-Thesis Statement Writing • Thesis Statement • Topic Outline • Grammar and Style Checklist • Plagiarism

  3. Pre-Thesis Statement Writing • Begin with general encyclopedias for preliminary research to give you an overview of your topic • Research several articles in magazines, books, journals, and the internet • CARRDSS the sources

  4. Decisions, part 1 • Determine the significant issues • What are the points view? • Are there many or just a few? • Are there major controversies? • What aspect of the subject do you want to explore?

  5. Decisions, part 2 • Decide how you want to deal with the topic • Have you developed your own point of view? • Do you agree or disagree with your sources? • Has some new or original approach come into your mind? • Could you apply the information in the sources in a new way? • What do you think about this topic?

  6. Thesis Statement • This task is to refine your ideas and develop a thesis which can be proved or supported by your research • Thesis statements are always written with a declarative sentence which can be proved with facts

  7. Examples • Chronology: The rise of the Imagist Movement can be traced over a period of twenty years. • Procedure: Five steps are required to produce liquid oxygen. • Cause/Effect: Economic factors caused deterioration in Sino-Soviet relations in 1950. • Problem: Differing Muslim ideologies make Israeli-Palestinian peace difficult. • Solution: The energy crisis can be solved by solar and nuclear power. • Comparison: Acupuncture is a better anesthetic than malothane. • Similarity: Television and motion picture writing are similar in several respects.

  8. Examples • Difference: Marriage rites differ among Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, and Western families. • Relationship: Hemingway’s life experiences influenced his work. • Analysis: Three major issues are related to the crisis in North Korea. • Literary Theme: Romantic themes prevail in two major works by William Wordsworth. • Pro: Kennedy’s handling of the Cuban missile crisis was good foreign policy. • Con: Four medical theories oppose radical mastectomy in breast cancer. • Category: Several ethnic populations in America grew during the past ten years.

  9. Thesis Checklist • Think the words, “I believe…” just before you write your thesis statement. This will ensure that you and your ideas are in the paper. • My thesis statement is: • (I believe) . • My thesis statement: • Uses an approach from the previous two slides • Is not too broad • Is not too narrow or technical unless required • Can be proved with the material I have found • Is scholarly • Has been approved by my most excellent SHA English teacher

  10. Topic Outline • This task helps you organize the information you have found to prove your thesis statement • Do not include the introduction or conclusion • Plan at least two subdivisions under each major heading. If you cannot, your outline is faulty • Subheads should also have at least two subdivisions • Use the Harvard outline style

  11. Harvard Outline Style I. A. 1. 2. B. 1. 2.

  12. Sample Outline Thesis statement: Romantic themes prevail in two major works of William Wordsworth. I. Romantic themes A. Return to nature B. Sympathy with humble C. Escape from convention II. Themes in Wordsworth’s works A. “Tintern Abbey” 1. Samples of return to nature 2. Samples of sympathy with humble 3. Samples of escape from convention B. “Intimations of Immortality” 1. Samples of return to nature 2. Samples of sympathy with humble 3. Samples of escape from convention

  13. Grammar and Style Checklist • While you will rely heavily on your research sources, be sure the major thesis and thrust of your paper is your own. • Write in the third person only, begin with the first topic sentence in your outline and then the sentences that prove it. • Quotations should comprise no more than one fifth of the paper. • Plan to have no more than four citations per page.

  14. Avoid contractions Clear topic sentences Topic sentences proved No fragments or run-ons Good paragraph transitions Subjects and verbs agree Pronouns and antecedents agree No misplaced modifiers Strong verbs and nouns Language fluent Varied sentence openings Spelling correct Third person used Consistent tense used Grammar and Style Checklist

  15. Plagiarism • Plagiarism is the use of another author’s words or ideas as one’s own. • The protection of intellectual property has long been a hallmark of the world of words. • Examples: • Purchase of research papers • Copying/using/borrowing other students’ work • Failure to document sources • All ideas or the language of others, whether summarized, paraphrased, or quoted, must be acknowledged by a citation

More Related