MR. OGILVIE



Research Essay Information Package

English 112

Mr.Ogilvie/Mr.Hammond

Research Paper Final Draft Expectations

✓ Research paper is typed, double spaced, 12 point font in Arial or Times New Roman. Margins should be standard 1-inch margins. The Research paper should look professional – not wrinkled, misprinted, or damaged.

✓ In the top left hand corner, you will include your name, teachers, class, and date. Top right hand corner you will include your last name and page number.

✓ Your research paper must be at least 4 pages in total, including the Works Cited page (at least 3 pages of actual writing). It should not exceed 6 pages.

✓ You must use quotations and proper MLA citation form. You should have at least 8 citations total. Ex. According to Smith, the Middle Ages were “a very exciting time” (46). You must use at least one direct quote.

✓ You must include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. This is where you list the sources you have cited in your writing. They are listed alphabetically as in a bibliography page. You must have at least 4 sources listed.

✓ You must submit your Timeline Checklist (if applicable) in order to receive credit on all of the checks. If you do not submit this form, you may only receive partial credit for the final draft.

Prewriting Strategies

Brainstorming: Based on free association, this is the act of making a list of related words and phrases.

Clustering/webbing: This is the process of “mapping” any ideas that come to mind on a specific topic. This strategy involves writing a key word or phrase in the center of the page, drawing a circle around it, then writing down and circling any related ideas that come to mind and drawing lines to the words that prompted the new words.

Discussing: This is the act of talking with another person about your subject matter and grappling aggressively with your ideas in the process.

Freewriting: Based on free association, this is the strategy of writing for a brief period of time about anything that comes to your mind.

Outlining: This is the listing of the main ideas and details related to your subject in the order in which you will probably address them.

Questioning: This is the process of asking questions that will generate new ideas and topics. This process is often based on the five Ws and one H: Who? What? Why? Where? When? and How?

Scanning: This is the process of scanning and spot reading to generate specific ideas and form opinions.

Developing a Thesis

Independent research often assumes that a student will select, develop, revise, research and prove a thesis. Making sure you clearly understand the term thesis is central to research success.

Thesis: “a position to be maintained or proved” (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary).

This usually means a well written sentence that clearly expresses the essential idea of your research. State your thesis in your first paragraph and continually refer to it as you develop your supporting arguments. Your conclusion will be a clear restatement of your thesis and a brief summation of your supporting arguments.

Formulating a Working Thesis

What specific question will your essay answer? What is your response to this question? (This is your tentative thesis.)

What support have you found for your thesis?

What evidence have you found for this support? For example, facts, statistics, authorities, personal experience, anecdotes, stories, scenarios, and examples.

How much background information do your readers need to understand your topic and thesis?

If readers were to disagree with your thesis or the validity of your support, what would they say? How would you address their concerns? (What would you say to them?)

Examples

The following examples show how to develop a thesis statement from a broad, general idea. Each step shows a further narrowing of the topic in order to arrive at a legitimate thesis statement.

Broad Narrow

Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn Biographical significance of the ending

THESIS: Huck’s departure at the end of the novel reflects Twain’s own dissatisfaction

with civilization.

Broad Narrow

Public Schools Length of School Year Positive effect of long school year

THESIS: An extended school year would have a positive effect on learning, student

attitudes toward school, and the retention of skills from year to year.

What a Thesis should NOT be:

1. A topic or subject by itself cannot serve as a thesis statement. That information tells what the paper is about, but not what you and your research have to say about it.

2. A question cannot serve as a thesis statement because it is not a statement. A question merely says that an answer will follow. However, a question-and-answer pair can be a thesis statement.

3. A general statement that lacks a detailed point of view cannot serve as a thesis statement. A general statement may give the reader background information but does not reflect your point of view.

4. A “so what?” statement. This kind of thesis statement is too obvious (common knowledge) and demonstrates no originality of thought.

What a Thesis SHOULD be

1. A complete sentence or two summarizing the point of view in your paper.

2. A specific declaration of your main idea.

3. A statement reflecting your position.

EXAMPLES:

THESIS: The Midwife’s Apprentice is a realistic interpretation of the Middle Ages, showing what life was really like for the common villager.

THESIS: Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird we see Scout Finch mature as she becomes aware of the true nature of the people in her town.

Your Turn

First, Jot down your topic:

Now, think about what it is about this topic that you want everyone to know, which they may not already know. Present this in the form of a statement that you can prove is true with your research. Remember, a thesis is not a general statement (so it is not common knowledge, i.e. the Earth is round).

_____________________

Composing a draft

Now write a draft of your essay. This draft is usually “writer-based,” the goal of which is simply to get your ideas down on paper. You should start with your brainstorming notes, informal outlines, free-writing, or whatever other materials you have and write a rough draft of your essay.

Organizing the Essay

The following items are traditional parts of any essay.

Introduction (usually one or two paragraphs)

You might want to think about the following items as you compose your introductory paragraph(s).

• Use a “hook” to get the reader’s attention.

• Avoid truisms—obvious statements that everyone knows: “One should always be prepared to go into the wild.” Why would anyone argue with that?

• Provide background information that the audience may need to begin reading your argument.

• Write a thesis statement and give some indication of how the essay will be developed. You might sharpen or narrow your thesis at this point.

• Write a conclusion (usually only one paragraph) that summarizes the main points and explains the significance of the argument.

Body

The number of paragraphs in an essay depends on the nature and complexity of your argument.

• Your paragraphs should relate back to your thesis and support it.

• Your paragraphs should begin with topic sentences.

• Your paragraphs should include different points of view, and you should directly address them (e.g., refute them, show them to be irrelevant, dazzle the audience with the strength of your own argument, etc.).

• Make it clear that you have considered the values, beliefs, and assumptions of your audience as well as your own and that you have perhaps found some common ground.

• Develop the content of your argument by giving evidence in the form of examples, illustrations, statistics, and so forth.

• In addition to giving evidence, you must analyze what the evidence means to your argument and how it connects to your argument.

Conclusion

The final paragraph or paragraphs demonstrates that you have made a solid argument to support your thesis, shows the significance of your argument, and answers the question, “So what?”

Your ending should be honest and elegant. It might point to a solution or tie up the ends. A good conclusion does not just stop, it ends. A mere summary of all you have said in a short essay is rather insulting to the reader.

Research Paper Outline

Controlling Idea (Thesis Statement)

Controlling idea is just another term for thesis statement or main idea of your research paper. Copy your thesis statement in this space)

Introduction

Write down any points you want to include in your introduction in this space. You may write the actual introductory paragraph or simply make bullet-point comments. It is customary for the final sentence of an introduction to be the thesis.

Supporting Information

Write down any details or facts that support your thesis statement.

Conclusion

Use this space to write down any points you want to include in your conclusion. You may write the actual concluding paragraph or simply make bullet-point comments.

List of sources

List the sources you have consulted so far. You do not have to use MLA style here – just list book titles, websites, etc.

Using the Words of Others – In Text Citations

One of the most important features of academic writing is the use of the words and ideas from written sources to support the writer’s own points.

There are essentially three ways to incorporate words and ideas from sources:

• Direct quotation.

Jon Krakauer says, “I had been granted unusual freedom and responsibility at an early age, for which I should have been grateful in the extreme, but I wasn’t” (148).

• Paraphrase.

Paraphrasing is the art of saying what a source says but in short form and in your own words. The goal of paraphrasing is to be accurate but brief. Using your own word words, expressions, and sentence structure is critical.

In Chapter 11 of Into the Wild, Walt, McCandless’s father, remembers an early hike with twelve-year-old Chris. They made it to 13,000 feet before turning back from the 14,256-foot summit in Colorado. Chris did not want to quit, and complained all the way down (109).

• Summary.

In Into the Wild, Krakauer seems to be working out his own past and his relationship with his father as well as telling the sad story of Chris McCandless. Because Krakauer, too, is a man of the outdoors,

he understands something about the call of the wild.

Why Quote?

Most of your essay is in your own words, but use quotes to:

1. Back up your own thinking

2. Illustrate your own thinking

3. Prove that you are correct

4. Or to disprove an opposing point of view

Rules for Quoting

• Enclose the quotation in quotation marks, and make sure that you write down the quotation word for word and with the correct punctuation, exactly as it is found in the original source. Double-check your work.

• Indicate the full bibliographic source and carefully note the page number for easy reference later.

• Use ellipsis points (…) to indicate any omitted words. Be sure that when omitting words you are not changing the intent of the quotation.

• Make sure that your quotations are easy to find. Don’t bury then in the midst of other notes, and don’t include too many quotations on a single page. You might offer a one-word prompt to suggest how this quotation may end up in your final product.

Simple Pattern for Quoting:

1. Introductions do not usually have quotes, most often they are consist entirely of your own words.

2. After that, each paragraph starts with your own words.

3. Then, for possibly the second or third sentence of each paragraph, you can use a well-integrated quote to illustrate or prove the topic sentence of that paragraph

4. And finally, you can close off each paragraph with a reflection of your own showing how that quote worked to support your point.

Rules of Thumb:

• Do not start a paragraph with a quote

• Do not end a paragraph with a quote

• Just one or two fairly short quotes per paragraph

A well-integrated quote is a lot like a sandwich:

On top you have a topic sentence that is your own thought and summary, setting the context for the quote that you intend to use to prove illustrate your point.

Then you have the quote (with author tag/signal phrase) to back up your thought

Then on the bottom you have a sentence of your own that reflects back on the quote

For example:

Loyalty is a point of pride, honor, and principle for Ponyboy Curtis, main character in The Outsiders. Even when he doesn't like some of the actions of his gang, he would still do anything for them and would defend members from danger if possible. Loyalty, according to Ponyboy, is the thread that holds his gang together. It cuts across their differences. “You take up for your buddies no matter what they do. When you're in a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don't […] it isn't aging any more. It's a snarling, distrustful, bickering pack” (Hinton 66). They're loyal to each other because they know each other well, have grown up together, and have faced hard times together.

Tips for Quoting:

#1: Quote Sparingly

• Keep quotes to one sentence or less.

• If you have something that is longer, break it up with signal phrases and author tags, so the reader knows why you are quoting it.

• For example:

o “Xxx xxx xxxx,” the author wrote, offering justification for his actions. “Xxx xxx xxxx,” he added.

# 2: Just Quote the Good Stuff

• Memorable statements

• Especially clear explanations stated by authorities

• Controversial arguments in the speaker’s/writer’s own words

The Gist of It:

• Keep your quotes short

• Just quote the good stuff

• Use author tags and signal phrases with ALL quotes

• Don’t start paragraphs with quotes

• Don’t end paragraphs with quotes

Some examples of signal phrases with author tags:

According to Jane Doe, "..."

As Jane Doe goes on to explain, "..."

John Doe believes that "..."

Jane Doe claims that "..."

In the words of John Doe, "..."

List of Some Signal Phrases:

acknowledges, adds, admits, affirms, agrees, argues, asserts, believes, claims, comments, compares, confirms, contends, declares, demonstrates, denies, disputes, emphasizes, endorses, grants, illustrates, implies, insists, notes, observes, points out, reasons, refutes, rejects, reports, responds, states, suggests, thinks, underlines, writes

In-Text Citation Cheat Sheet

|Citing Situation |Examples |

| | |

|When you do NOT mention the author's |One researcher has found that dreams move |

|name in your sentence, the Author's name |backward in time as the night progresses (Dement |

|and page number are placed in parentheses |71). |

|at the end of your sentence. | |

| | |

|When you mention the author's name in |Freud states that "a dream is the fulfillment of a |

|your sentence, the page number is placed in |wish" (154). |

|parentheses at the end of the sentence. | |

| |One current theory emphasizes the principle that |

|When you cite more than one work by the |dreams express "profound aspects of personality" |

|same author: |(Foulkes, "Sleep" 184). |

| | |

| |But investigation shows that young children's |

| |dreams are "rather simple and unemotional" |

| |(Foulkes, "Dreams" 78). |

| | |

|When the work has two or three authors: |Psychologists hold that no two children are alike |

| |(Gesell and Ilg 68). |

| | |

|When the work has more than three |Child psychology is not a new field, but it is a |

|authors, use the Latin term "et al" which |difficult one due to the nature of the subjects |

|means "and others" after the first author's last |(Rosenberg et al. 14). |

|name. | |

| | |

|When the work has NO AUTHOR, begin with |Random testing for use of steroids by athletes is |

|the first few words of the citation as it will |facing strong opposition by owners of several of |

|appear alphabetized in your Work Cited page |these teams ("Steroids" 22). |

|at the end of your paper. | |

| | |

|When you quote or paraphrase a quotation |Bacon observed that "it is hardly possible at once |

|from a book or article that appeared |to admire an author and to go beyond him" (qtd. in |

|somewhere else: |Guibroy 113). |

| | |

|When you are citing several sources for a |There are negative implications to computerizing |

|single passage: |commercial art (Parker 2; "Art Nonsense" 43). |

| | |

|When you paraphrase a whole passage or |According to Brown, every time you read an |

|several passages, begin your citation with |essay, you are preparing to write one. Therefore, |

|the author's or article's name and end it with |you should pay careful attention to content and |

|the page number: |form (9). |

PLAGIARISM: A Warning

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that robs the intellectual property of others. Plagiarism is NEVER acceptable. Remember – if you can find papers or passages to copy on the internet, your teacher can find them, too.

What is Plagiarism

Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work, or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense:

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means

1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own

2. to use (another's production) without crediting the source

3. to commit literary theft

4. to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

But can words and ideas really be stolen?

According to law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property, and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

• turning in someone else's work as your own

• copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit

• failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

• giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation

• changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit

• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not.

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed, and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source, is usually enough to prevent plagiarism.

Source of the above information:

Works Cited

General Formatting Rules:

• Double Spaced

• Titled Works Cited

• Hanging Indents

• On its own page

• Sources are NOT numbered

• Sources arranged alphabetically by the first word in the citation

• All citations formatted correctly depending upon the type of source it is

Do not use Wikipedia as a reference.

Please make use of EBSCO for research matters.

Login: NBED

Password: bigchalk

The OWL at Purdue is a fantastic resource for academic writing and citing questions. Please refer to this site as an up to date place to gain citation knowledge.

Name:__________________________URL:_________________________________

Period:_______ Topic of Paper:_________________________________

Website Evaluation Criteria Checklist

I. Authority

Is there an author?

Is the author qualified? An expert?

Who is the sponsor? Is it someone reputable?

Is there a link to information about the author or the sponsor?

If the page includes neither a signature nor indicates a sponsor, is there any other way to determine its origin?

II. Accuracy

Is the information reliable and error-free?

Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?

Do any other sources have the same information?

III. Objectivity

Does the information show a minimum of bias?

Is the page designed to influence your opinion?

Are there any ads on the page?

IV. Currency

Is the page dated?

If so, when was the last update?

How current are the links? Have some expired or moved?

V. Coverage

What topics are covered?

What does this page offer that is not found elsewhere?

How in-depth is the material?

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In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

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