By definition a research paper requires the writer to ...



By definition a research paper requires the writer to learn a great deal about their subject, so it is always good practice to select a topic that truly interests you before you begin gathering sources. If you are interested in your topic, learning about it will be more fun and you will write with greater enthusiasm, so choose your topic thoughtfully you can turn on the TV for ideas or even look at today’s newspaper. If you must choose your own topic and aren’t sure what to choose, sometimes brainstorming can help by jotting down a number of topics then narrowing them down by doing a preliminary search for information on a database and library catalogue. You can even input some of your ideas into Wikipedia and then see the number of sources listed in the Bibliography section of the article.

As you begin learning and writing about your topic, you should revise or amend your research question or thesis statement to better match the information that you are interpreting, analyzing, and expressing. Remember, you will become the EXPERT on your topic, knowledge you will take with you to college and beyond!

The PURPOSE of research is twofold:

1. It increases your knowledge

2. It allows you to share what you have learned with others

Receiving a research project can be overwhelming at first. It is helpful to put this assignment in perspective and use a protocol to approach the tasks you will need to complete:

• READ the assignment and understand what is needed, if you are not sure what the assignment is ASK your teacher. The verb used in the assignment defines what is needed, i.e. discuss, trace, etc.

• Decide on a way to search the topic that will lead you to good sources on your topic, if you need help, your school Media Specialist, Mrs. McGraw is always available

• Read, evaluate and take notes on your sources

o Organize sources using an ongoing document

o PARAPHRASE the ideas the sources present

o Keep track of your sources with BIBLIOGRAPHIC information for each one used

o As you work, use a different font to keep track of your own thoughts and ideas about the topic. Try to keep the topic RELEVANT to you own life, think about what you read and how you can apply it to you own life as a “TAKE HOME MESSAGE”. If you get stuck you can discuss it with friends, family or bring it into the library. Try to find ways to provide new ideas on a topic so the reader wants to read

• Change the scope of your topic so that you can write for a set number of pages but not one that is too broad:

o You want to write about "exploration." "Exploration" is too broad a topic. Write down three subtopics that are exploration related:

▪ Early Navigators

▪ Space

▪ Pioneers

o Then do one more round narrowing down:

▪ Navigators—choose a specific explorer and their accomplishments and impact on history

▪ Space—choose a specific astronaut and look at the impact of one of his missions

▪ Poineers—Look at a scientist such as Robert Goddard and his research into building the first rocket.

o Now, make one or two words even MORE SPECIFIC: Juan Ponce de Leon and Florida

o Now, create a sentence to include the specific terms: Juan Ponce de Leon—the Founding Father of Florida.

o Now make the sentence precise but allows for argument and support: Juan Ponce de Leon was not the true founding father of Florida, that honor belonged to Hernando D'Escalante who was shipwrecked and held captive by Florida natives for seventeen years.

• Organize a THESIS statement that includes your ideas and the information you have found from a number of sources. Your THESIS statement is simple—you only need your subject and the purpose for writing the paper, just one sentence to start. What exactly is my purpose in this paper?

o Do I want to convince my readers that I am right about a specific point? (This is an argumentative purpose.)

o Do I need to draw general conclusions from facts and specific evidence? (This is an analytical purpose.)

o Do I want to explain something in detail and show its role in a larger context? (This is an explanatory purpose.)

o If you are stuck, you can even play around with a thesis statement generator:

• Write the paper, revise, and cite your sources (made easier if you keep a running biography as you write, otherwise at the end of the process you will be scrambling to type the biography, by the way, MSWORD can format your sources into proper MLA citations as you type)

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