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1. Senior Research Writing the Research Paper
2. Using Noodle Tools Go to noodletools.com
Click on “Current Users: Sign In”
Click “Create a Personal ID”
Click “Register”
Username – Windber
Password – ramblers
Fill out the registration form
3. Explore the Topic Further Write down everything you know and don’t know
Ask these questions:
I already know:
I want to find out who:
I want to discover what:
I want to learn when:
I want I want to know where:
I want to understand why:
I want to find out how:
4. Limiting the Topic Choose a general topic area
Begin to think through the questions
Do some preliminary reading of the subject to begin to narrow it
Limit by deciding to do the research on a specific area of this general topic
Zero in on a specific, limited, topic that can be covered in a 7 – 10 page research paper
5. Limiting the Topic Example:
Sat
Difficulty of the test
How to take the test
The reliability of the scores
6. Write a Thesis Statement Tells the reader what your subject is and, more importantly, how you plan to treat your subject
Serves as a personal guide to help focus on your subject
Helps you to prioritize your research time
7. Write a Thesis Statement Should be three sentences in length
State the importance of your subject
Should highlight the debate
Should express a specific feeling or attitude toward that subject; expresses the stance you wish to defend
8. Write a Thesis Statement The Process:
Select a general subject: SAT
Narrow your subject: SAT Reliability
Put idea into a question: Is the SAT reliable? Is the SAT biased?
Answer your question
Compose your slant: The SAT is not always a reliable indicator of whether or not a student should be accepted to college or The SAT shows bias toward females.
Compose final thesis
9. Write a Thesis Statement Sample Final Thesis
Each year nearly one thousand students are rejected from college admissions offices due to low SAT scores. This staggering number of students who are rejected from colleges has caused some educators to question the reliability of the SAT in its role to determine whether or not a student should be accepted into college. This paper will, therefore, demonstrate that the SAT is not a reliable indicator of whether a student should be accepted into college.
10. Write a Thesis Statement Checklist:
Make sure your thesis statement focuses on a single, limited subject.
Make sue your thesis is stated in clear, direct sentences.
Make sure your thesis conveys your point of view or attitude about the topic.
Make sure you have access to enough good information to support your thesis statement.
Make sure your thesis directs you to write a paper that meets all the requirements of the assignment.
11. Search for Information Print articles that would have information needed
Skim those articles and highlight specific pieces of information you need
Label the highlighted information with: intro material, argument, support, etc.
Begin to create a preliminary bibliography at the same time of those sources that you will be able to use
12. Search for Information Required to have a minimum of 10 sources
Sources can be a combination of data bases, books, or approved web sites
Make sure you can identify the type of source
Enter the sources on noodletools.com
13. Preliminary Outline Read/ take notes
Take notes on note cards of the information that will address your thesis
Create your own headings for the notes
Summarize, paraphrase, quote directly (see slides that follow on these techniques)
Prepare a preliminary outline of the main headings you came up with while you were taking notes
Your preliminary outline should be only the main subject headings i.e. Roman numerals
14. Preliminary Outline Introduction
Description of the SAT
Uses of the SAT
Background
History
Argument #1
Argument #2
Argument #3
Opposition
Conclusions
15. Writing a Summary A condensed version of someone else’s work
Concentrates on the factual information
Does not contain personal opinions or evaluations
You call on your ability to comprehend, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate
See Write for College, 496 - 498
16. Writing a Paraphrase A clarifying type of summary
Helps to understand the meaning of difficult or symbolic piece of writing
See Write for College, 499
17. A Writing Plan Use your thesis and preliminary outline to guide your note taking
Keep refining your outline as necessary when you find new information
Add specific subject headings under your main points in your outline as you take notes
Your outline will serve as the blueprint for your paper, but should change showing improvements as you add new information
18. Writing the First Draft Introduction
Should do two things:
First, should say something interesting, surprising, or personal about your subject to gain the readers’ attention
Second, should identify the specific focus, the thesis, of your research
A revealing story, quotation, interesting or surprising facts or statistics
Background information
Provide important definitions
Your thesis
19. Writing the First Draft The Body: the part that supports or proves your thesis
Two methods:
Writing freely – put aside the outline and note cards and write as much as you can/refer to notes when you need quotes, statistics, etc. / fill in when you are finished with whatever is missing/reorganize
Writing Systematically – follow carefully your outline and note cards/lay out the first section/write a general statement to covers the main idea/use the note cards to add supporting facts and details/ repeat the process for all main points in the outline
20. Writing the First Draft The Body: the part that supports or proves your thesis
Process should be organized as follows:
Information
Argument
Support (facts, statistics, quotes)
Use transitional statements and phrases to move one piece of information to the next
21. Writing the First Draft Conclusion – should leave the readers with a clear understanding of the importance of your research
Review the important points
Draw concluding arguments
22. This is a technique for giving credit for your sources in the body of the research paper.
To give credit, insert the appropriate information ( usually the author’s last name and page number) in parentheses after the words or ideas taken from another source (Magill’s Survey 1484).
Place them where a pause would naturally occur to avoid disrupting the flow of the writing (usually at the end of the sentence and inside the end punctuation). Parenthetical/Interior References
23. Parenthetical/Interior References If all the information within a paragraph of the paper is from the same source on the same page, then just put the notation at the end of the paragraph.
If the next borrowed information is from the same source, different page, then just put the new page number in parentheses (1485).
If the next borrowed information is from a different source, then use the author/title and page (L’Engle 15).
24. Typed
Double – spaced
12 pt. Times New Roman or 10 pt. Arial
No bold or specials
All titles should either be underlined or in italic
Page numbers start with the first page of the paper and end with the Works Cited page. Your last name followed by the page should appear in the upper right hand margin
Margins should be 1 inch all the way around
Please use nothing but black ink
Manuscript Rules for the Paper
25. Title Page
Outline
Paper
Works Cited
Source cards
Note cards What Needs to be Turned in
26. DEADLINES Thesis Statement and Preliminary Outline
Due Monday, September 27th
Completion of Note taking
October 25th
Introduction to Paper
Due Monday, November 1st
1st Main point of Paper
Due Monday, November 8th
Final Draft
Due November 15th