English 1302

1. English 1302 The Research Paper

2. The Research Paper • The research paper incorporates skills you learned in the basic argumentative/ persuasive paper. • The biggest difference between the papers you’ve written thus far and the research paper is that the research paper is longer and more thorough.

3. Nuts and Bolts • Paper length = 8 to 10 pages of text • This does not include the Works Cited page, which is the last page of your paper. • Number of sources = at least 6 • Sources must be valid(trustworthy, expert, professional) • Sources should be as objective as possible • You may use all electronic sources or a combination of electronic and hard-copy sources • Only one encyclopedia source allowed (DO NOT use Wikipedia as a source)

4. Nuts and Bolts • Information in the research paper must be documented • Parenthetical (internal) citations • Works Cited page • MLA style (7th edition)

5. Nuts and Bolts • A good rule of thumb is that 90%of a research papershould be in the author’s own words (this means that almost all your information should be summarized or paraphrased). • You must include at leasttwodirectquotationsin your paper: • At least one quote must beembedded(or blended) into the text of your paper • At least one quote must be an extract (or block quotation) • Remember, no more than 10% of your paper can be directly quoted!

6. Structure • The research paper should be structured like the argumentative-persuasive essay (except it will be longer). • Introduction • Begin with a strong lead. • End with the thesis statement. • Body • Discuss each major point in your thesis in the order in which it appears in your thesis. • Conclusion • Create a satisfying ending for the reader • Remember to restate the main points of your thesis (in different words).

7. The Thesis Statement • By now, you should have your topic and be researching it in order to write your initial thesis. • Remember, your thesis may change as you complete your research. • Once your thesis is complete, you have a focus for your paper.

8. The Thesis Statement • Be sure the thesis statement you use for your paper is extremely clear; it should list the major points of your paper in the order you will discuss them. • Your thesis statement should ideally be one sentence. However, if you need to use a two-sentence thesis, make sure sentence#2 directly follows sentence #1.

9. Thesis Example • The U.S. should implement a universal health care system, as many Americans do not have access to health care because they are not insured; in addition, many insured Americans cannot afford rising health care costs. • 1. the problem of uninsured Americans • 2. the problem of income as it relates to health care costs

10. Thesis Example • Animals should not be used for medical experimentation because it is ineffectiveand unethical. • This type of experimentation is ineffective because… • This type of experimentation is unethical because…

11. Research Suggestions:Bibliography (Source) Cards • Use 3 x 5 index cards to prepare your working bibliography (initial Works Cited), one card per source. • On each card, record all of the publication information you will need for your final bibliography. • In addition, give each bibliography card an individual number. Logically, you will simply label your first source card “1,” your second one “2,” and so on. This number goes in the upper right-hand corner of the source card.

12. Research Suggestions:Note Cards • Use 4 x 6 index cards for notes. • Whether you are summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting, use a separate card for each note. • Do not put more than one fact /idea on a single note card. • Put the page number on which you found the information on each note card.

13. Research Suggestions:Note Cards • In the upper right-hand corner of each note card, put the number of the source the information comes from. (This will be the same number that you gave the bibliography card and put in its upper right-hand corner.) • By doing this, it will not be necessary for you to write the bibliographic information on each note card. • Later, when you need to attribute your information to different sources, you simply match up the numbers of the note cards with the appropriate bibliography cards. This allows you to easily organize your information.

14. Research Suggestions:The Note-taking Process • To begin the note-taking process, read one of your potential sources. Begin scanning through the part of the book or article that seems to relate to your topic. When you find information that will be useful to you, read it carefully. • At this point you are ready to take notes. There are three methods of note-taking:summarizing,paraphrasing, and direct quotation. • You will probably use all three methods.

15. Research Suggestions:The Note-taking Process • Remember to summarize if you want to record only the general idea of large amounts of material. • If you require detailed notes on specific sentences and passages, but not the exact wording, you may want to paraphrase the information. • When you believe that some sentences in their original wording might make an effective addition to your paper, copy that material exactly as it appears, word for word. When you quote from a work be sure to use quotation marks in your notes to distinguish these passages from paraphrased or summarized notes.

16. Before you write… • Prepare an outline: • Group and sequenceyour main points and subpoints. • The outline provides a blueprint for you to follow when you write your paper; it clarifies your main ideas, lists your supporting evidence, and shows how everything fits together. • An outline also reveals where your argument is well-supported and where it is weak. • I suggest you create an outline; however, you are not required to turn one in. • You may turn in either detailed research notesor an outline(or both) as your prewriting for this assignment.

17. Write the First Draft • Two drafting strategies: • Overwrite: Explain each point as fully as possible, even including alternate explanations and wordings. Cut unnecessary info for the final draft • Underwrite: Jot down ideas quickly, leaving gaps where points need to be expanded and filling them in for the time being with notations (further explanation needed here, insert quote here, etc.). Expand info for the final draft.

18. Documentation • You must give credit to the sources from which you got your information. You must document everythingthat you borrow—not only direct quotations and paraphrases, but also information and ideas you did not come up with. • When should you document material? • When it is directly quoted. • When it is paraphrased. • When it is summarized. • You should document anything that is not common knowledge; thus, almost all of your research papershould be documented.

19. Documentation • Use a brief note in parentheses after the borrowed material to document it within the paper. • The parenthetical (internal) citation does not include full bibliographic information, but provides enough info so that readers can turn to the Works Cited page to find complete info.

20. Long Quotations • If you use a quotation more than three lines long, you must extract (block) it. • Begin the quotation on a new line and indent it throughout (tab twice). • Do not use quotation marks around a blocked quote; the format indicates that it is a quotation. • Double-space the blocked quotation. Don’t leave an extra space below or above it. • Remember that long quotations must have a lead-in.

21. Block Format Example Julian Stamp cites changing economic conditions as the key to a national homeless policy: Beginning in the 1980s and through the 1990s, the gap between the rich and poor has widened, buying power has stagnated, industrial jobs have fled overseas, and federal funding for low-cost housing has been almost eliminated (8).

22. Documentation • When creating a parenthetical citation, you must do two things: • 1. identify the author • 2. specify the page(s) in your source on which the material appears

23. Documentation • Give the author’s last name only, even when the author is cited for the first time. • If there is no author, use a shortened version of the title or whatever element appears first in the Works Cited entry for the item. • Write the page number immediately after the author’s name, with no punctuation between. • If the source is only one page, only the author’s name is needed. • Provide a full page range of the borrowed material if it spans more than one page. • Don’t use the designation p. or page.

24. Documentation • Place the parenthetical citation before any terminal punctuation (period, question mark) or internal punctuation (comma, semicolon). • Example: Counseling and other support services are not enough to solve the problem of homelessness; proposed solutions must address the complex economic issues at the heart of homelessness (Stamp 8).

25. Documentation • Place the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence or immediately after the borrowed material, at a natural pause in the sentence (for example, after a clause, not in the middle of a clause). • Example: If we look beyond the problems of homeless people “to the larger economic issues, we . . . see that homelessness cannot be resolved solely at the level of individual treatment” (Stamp 8). • Example: Individual treatment of the homeless is a must for effectively eradicating the causes of homelessness (Stamp 8); thus, the issue cannot be resolved by agencies that view all homeless people in the same way.

26. Documentation • Place the parenthetical citation after an ellipsis and bracket at the end of a quotation, but before the final period. • Example: Because half of those taking refuge in shelters have substance-abuse problems, “programs need to provide not only a place to sleep but also comprehensive treatment for addicts . . .” (Stamp 8).

27. Using Attribution • You should also use nonparenthetical source identifiers to mix things up so your paper reads/flows better. • Example: Julian Stampargues that homelessness must be addressed in terms of economics and not simply in terms of individual counseling, addition therapy, or job training (8).

28. Using Attribution • Remember to provide attributions for quoted statements. Don’t just drop a quotation into your text. • Incorrect: “The key to any successful homeless policy requires a clear understanding of just who are the homeless” (8). • Correct: As Stamp explains, “The key to any successful homeless policy requires a clear understanding of just who are the homeless” (8).

29. Special Cases ofAuthorship and Pagination • Sometimes you may have more than one source by the same author, two or three authors of the same book or article, two or more authors with the same last name, or a source with no author. • Sometimes you may have a source with no page numbers, a nonprint source (like a lecture, interview, or television show), or other pagination complications. • Consult the MLA Handbook or another reliable MLA source (like OWL at Purdue) for information on documenting special cases.

30. The Works Cited Page • The Works Cited page is your bibliography (a list of the sources you used). It is the last page of your paper—remember to number it as such. • The Works Cited should include only those works you actually used and parenthetically cited in your paper. • Double-space the entries in the Works Cited list, and don’t add extra space between entries.

31. The Works Cited Page • The first line of each new entry should begin at the left margin; if any entry is longer than one line, subsequent lines should be indented five spaces (this is called a hanging indent). • If you are using Microsoft Word, you can easily create hanging indents. Type up the entire Works Cited page without trying to create hanging indents. Once you have finished, do the following: • Highlight all the Works Cited entries • Click on Format • Click on Paragraph • Click on Special • Click on Hanging • Voila! Your Works Cited will look perfect. 

32. Format • Paper MUST be typed according to MLA format (7th ed.). See OWL at Perdue MLA Formatting and Style Guide. • General instructions: • Times Roman font • 12-pt type. • Set right, left, top, and bottom margins at 1” • Use black ink • The Works Cited page is the last page of your paper; remember to number it as such • PAPERS WITHOUT PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS AND/OR A WORKS CITED PAGE WILL RECEIVE A ZERO FOR PLAGIARISM!

33. Research Paper Format Example Doe 1 John Doe Ms. Diane Sullivan English 1302 7 May 2012 Fitzgerald’s Greatest Achievement The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when Time magazine noted, “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s (Jackson 18). 1

34. And remember… unless you follow these instructions!