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Research Papers. The easy and fun way!. Coming up with an Idea. Don’t just redo what has been done before Come up with a thesis before you begin your research This will narrow your search. It will also help you write a paper that is truly your own. Ways to Brainstorm. Webs Lists
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Research Papers The easy and fun way!
Coming up with an Idea • Don’t just redo what has been done before • Come up with a thesis before you begin your research • This will narrow your search. • It will also help you write a paper that is truly your own.
Ways to Brainstorm • Webs • Lists • Venn Diagrams
Finding Information • Use sources that are credible and offer scholarly information. Databases are a good place to look. • Find information for the other side of the argument and be able to refute it. • Use at least 4-6 resources • Designate a special folder for the paper in which you can keep all of your research organized.
How to Know if a Source is Credible • Is there an author? • What kind of publication is it from? • Looking at the URL can tell you a lot about the website.
A school site http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/melville.htm Indicates a personal page within a larger page
Compressing What You Find • Narrow down your sources to the ones that are most valuable and provide you with the most information. • Paraphrase the information in your own words. Your paper should sound like you wrote it! • Use the notes you took on the text and use the text as a reference. • Cite what you take directly from the text properly. Give credit where credit is due!
How to Cite • Here is an example of citing within a paper: • In her article “When Chaos Is Come Again: Narrative and Narrative Analysis in Othello,” Marcia Macaulay states, “Othello clearly has no stomach for the version of events Desdemona presents to him” (267). • The author and her article are mentioned within the sentence with the page number indicated at the end. It is clear to the reader where the statement came from. • This is not the only way that this source can be cited within the text.
How to Cite • On the Works Cited page included at the end of the paper, it would state: • Macaulay, Marcia. “When Chaos is Come Again: Narrative and Narrative Analysis in Othello.” Style. 39.3 (2005): 259-276. Academic Search Complete. EBSCOhost. Web. 4 December 2010.
Guidelines for Citations • Refer to your handbook for different variations. • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ is a great up-to-date reference on proper documentation.
The Writing Process Begins • Organize your ideas. • Writing an outline is a great way to organize and to make sure you have enough information to write your paper. • Make sure you have a strong thesis and that your information supports your thesis.
Some Tips • Write the body and the conclusion of the paper first. • Include quotations from sources using the “sandwich structure”– lead up to a quote, state it, and support it. • Then write the introduction. • With the body already written, it will be easier to write the introduction and will be able to better inform the reader what the paper is going to be about. • Create an attention-grabbing title.
More Tips • Avoid words like “I”, “you”, contractions, “I believe”, “I think”. • These are all passive and weaken your authority. • The paper is written by you and will automatically reflect what you think! • Write as if it is going to be published. • Do not deviate from the MLA structure. Once again, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ is a great resource.
Revising • Revising is much more than hitting spellcheck. • Read through your paper more than once and read it out loud. • Ask yourself: • Does the paper flow? Is it well organized? • Does the evidence support the thesis? • Are the format and citations done correctly? • What grade is this paper capable of receiving? How does it fall using the rubric?
Revising • Ask a peer to read the paper. • Ask me or another English teacher for advice. • A paper is never perfect! Always be looking for ways to improve.