Weaving Research Facts into Paragraphs

1. Weaving Research Facts into Paragraphs The art of blending quotes, paraphrases and other research facts into the Stipulation paragraphs in research papers

2. Avoid the bullet syndrome! One does not want to create stipulation paragraphs that look and read like bullet lists. Learning how to weave research facts into the document provides an interesting narrative for the reader. “James provided a glimpse of the horror of 9/11 2001 in his description of the crumbling superstructure of Tower One” (Benard 17). “Engineers who designed the World Trade Towers never took into consideration the impact of a jetliner crashing into an upper floor of the building” (Dandarli 321).

3. Avoiding the bullet syndrome . . . “The Trade Towers literally crumbled because the interior steel beams pulled from the sides of the towers due to the excessive heat of the burning jet fuel” (Adamson A 7). “The terrorists seemed to know where the jets had to hit to guarantee the collapse the two towers” (Bellasou 5). “The collapse and devastation of the WTC towers became a gruesome lesson for those architects and engineers who design the urban skyscrapers of the future” (Bellasou 12). These are good quotes, but they are the victims of a cruel student attack! They have been dropped into the paragraph and have fallen prey to the bullet syndrome!

4. There’s hope – use a blender! Vary the way you add quotes and paraphrases into stipulation paragraphs! Blend research facts into sentences you create using: • Sentence introductions • Partial quotes imbedded in your own words • Creative paraphrases that work with Observation and transition sentences • Subordinate clauses and carefully chosen transition words

5. Be like a weaver . . . Aweaverthreadsstrandsofvariedandcolored fabric on a loom to create a beautifulpattern in an orderly and purposeful design. Research writers should do the same with varied sentence types to weave the research facts in a purposeful, stylistic design! Wise writers blend and weave facts in ways that the reader will see the intended design!

6. Examples . . . In Adamson’s report in the Wall Street Journal, he explains that the Trade Towers crumbled because “[. . . ]the interior steel beams pulled from the sides of the towers,” and he claims that happened from the heat of the burning jet fuel (A 7). The student writer used an introductory phrase, part of the actual quote, and a paraphrase of the remainder of the quote to create a blended or carefully woven research fact sentence.

7. Examples . . . The fact that the jetliners hit both towers at the precise contact points to cause the towers to crumble suggests that the terrorists seemed to know exactly what they were doing (Bellasou 5). The student took the original quote and paraphrased it to create a sense of the eerie and determined cruelty of the terrorist pilots.

8. Examples . . . Bellasou’s technical review of the 9/11 WTC tragedy explains that for future urban architectural and engineering specialists the experience became “a gruesome lesson” about the construction of skyscrapers (12). Again the student uses an introductory phrase that names the source’s author and weaves the powerful words of the original quote into the research fact sentence. The essence of the quote becomes a descriptive strand in the style and pattern of the writing.

9. Review? How does one prevent creating the bullet syndrome in the development of research facts in stipulation paragraphs? How does one blend or weave a quote or extended paraphrase in a way that is purposeful and intriguing for the reader? Practice: Rewrite for a research paragraph the two quotes on slide 2 in a way that could blend or weave the content for an effective research fact sentence! Good luck!