A research paper requires that you focus on a particular ...



English III Research Paper with Mr. Boesch

Points: 100

Due Dates

Topic Due:

Thesis Due:

Reliable Sources Due (6 minimum):

Finalized Thesis Due:

Rough Draft Due:

Final Draft Due:

The Research Paper

A research paper requires that you focus on a particular subject, develop a claim or thesis, and support your position with convincing evidence: background information, facts, statistics, descriptions, and results of interviews or surveys. 

You will create a well-designed informative/explanatory text that will examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. Your paper should present your view of the topic, but you need to read, think, and reflect on the topic and on the expert sources you have read before you construct your thesis statement.

Physical requirements:

• Your formal and objective paper should be four to six pages (not including the works cited page) in length, and formatted in proper MLA style. 

• You must have at least six varied sources referenced in your paper.  Remember that "works cited" means you have actually cited these sources in your paper. 

Choosing a Subject

You are asked to sign up for one teacher-approved topic. Your topic should be interesting to you, so choose wisely.

Narrowing and Focusing Your Subject

Limit your topic by focusing on a particular research question. Your question may lead to a thesis statement or claim that you will demonstrate in your research paper. Limit your paper by considering your purpose and audience. In addition, consider the kinds of claims you might want to make about your topic:

o Claims of Fact

o Claims of Cause and Effect

o Claims of Value

o Claims of Policy

Evaluating Library and Online Sources

• Sources should be relevant to your subject, purpose, and audience.

• Sources should be current, particularly if your topic is scientific or technical in nature.

• Sources should be reliable, free of prejudice and inaccuracies.

Background Information and General Reference

You might get an overview about your topic by looking in encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other general sources. Realize, however, that these sources help you find general information about your topic. Encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other general sources do not count as sources in your paper.

The Online Catalog: Search Strategy

You may search for your topic by key words in our online databases, such as Issues and Controversies, EBSCOE Host, or Destiny.

The Pre-Writing Process

Consider the purpose and the thesis. Reflect upon your own notes. Then answer the following questions:

• What is your subject? How can you narrow it to a manageable topic for discussion?

• What aspect of your subject is most interesting to you now? What question will you answer or explain?

• What thesis, idea, or information do you want to impress upon your readers?

• Analyze your audience’s needs. How can your subject become interesting to them? What data is most appropriate, most relevant, for you audience?

• What graphics, tables, or graphs might be most useful to aiding comprehension?

Shaping Strategies

• Review strategies for shaping that are appropriate for your particular purpose.

• Explain to a friend or classmate your purpose, audience, and working thesis.

• Try free writing or clustering.

• Reread your notes and drafts.

• Take a break.

• Try branching or treeing your main ideas.

• Build a working outline. Organize your notes based on your outline.

Drafting

As you draft, use your outline as a guide, but don't worry if your research takes you in other directions. Reread your material and decide whether you have strayed from the thesis or introduced a new, welcome dimension to the project.

Using Sources

Sources should be fair, honest, and relevant. You must cite a source for any fact or bit of information that is not general knowledge. You do not need to indicate a source for your own ideas, but if you find a source that agrees with your idea, cite that source. Citing a source that supports your idea builds your credibility.

How to Cite Sources

You will use Modern Language Association (MLA) style. For information on MLA documentation style, go to:

• purdueowl.edu

• set_stl.htm

•

•

Identify Cited References

• Identify in the text the person or source of the fact, paraphrased idea, or quotation.

• If you cite the author in your sentence, the parentheses will contain only the page reference.

• Use block format for quotations of four lines or more.

• Vary your introductions to quotations.

• Edit quotations when necessary to condense or clarify.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Be honest and give credit for the work of others by carefully documenting all facts, ideas, charts, diagrams, and actual phrases or sentences borrowed from your sources.

All final drafts will be reviewed through

Revising and Peer Review

When you edit your paper, be flexible enough to identify weaknesses in your paper such as missing data or passages that no longer seem relevant. Correct them or delete them before submitting for peer review.  Remember, though, that you are the expert at this point.

If you have any questions about your essay, please see me.

The Research Paper Scoring Guide

|Description |5 Exceptional |4 Skilled |3 Proficient |2 Developing |1 Inadequate |

|Focus: |The text clearly |The text focuses on |The text has a topic |The text has an unclear|The text has an |

|The text focuses on a|focuses on a |an interesting |that informs the |topic with |unidentifiable topic |

|topic to inform |compelling topic that|topic that informs |reader with ideas, |some ideas, concepts, |with minimal ideas, |

|a reader with ideas, |informs the |the reader with |concepts, and |and |concepts, and |

|concepts, and |reader with ideas, |ideas, concepts, and |information that |information. |information. |

|information that |concepts, and |information that |creates a unified | | |

|creates a unified |information that |creates a unified |whole. | | |

|whole. |creates a unified |whole. | | | |

| |whole. | | | | |

|Development: |The text provides |The text provides |The text provides |The text provides |The text contains |

|The text presents |significant and |relevant facts, |facts, extended |facts, definitions, |limited facts |

|facts, extended |relevant facts, |extended definitions,|definitions, concrete|details, quotations, |and examples related |

|definitions, concrete|extended definitions,|concrete details, |details, |and/or examples |to the topic. |

|details, |concrete details, |quotations, and/or |quotations, and/or |that attempt to develop|The text may or may |

|quotations, and |quotations and/or |examples that |examples that |and explain |not provide a |

|examples. The text |examples that |sufficiently develop |develop the topic. |the topic. The text may|conclusion. |

|provides a conclusion|thoroughly develop |and explain the |The text |provide a | |

|that supports |and explain the |topic. The text |provides a conclusion|conclusion that | |

|the topic and |topic. The text |provides a competent |that supports |supports the topic. | |

|examines its |provides an engaging |conclusion that |the topic and | | |

|implications and |conclusion that |supports the topic |examines its | | |

|significance. |supports the topic |and examines its |implications | | |

| |and examines its |implications and |and significance. | | |

| |implications and |significance. | | | |

| |significance. | | | | |

|Audience: |The text consistently|The text anticipates |The text considers |INFORMATIVE |The text lacks an |

|The text anticipates |addresses the |the audience’s |the audience’s |The text illustrates an|awareness of the |

|the audience’s |audience’s knowledge |knowledge level and |knowledge level about|inconsistent |audience’s knowledge |

|background knowledge |level and |concerns about |the topic. The |awareness of the |level about |

|of the topic. |concerns about the |the topic. The text |text includes |audience’s |the topic. The text |

|The text includes |topic. The text |includes appropriate |formatting, graphics,|knowledge level about |includes limited or |

|formatting, |includes effective |formatting, graphics,|and/or multimedia |the topic. |inaccurate |

|graphics, and/or |formatting, |and/or multimedia |when useful to |The text may include |formatting, graphics,|

|multimedia when |graphics, and/or |that strengthen |aiding comprehension.|some |and/ |

|useful to aiding |multimedia that |comprehension. | |formatting, graphics, |or multimedia that |

|comprehension. |enhance | | |and/or |impedes |

| |comprehension. | | |multimedia that may be |comprehension. |

| | | | |distracting | |

| | | | |or irrelevant. | |

|Cohesion: |The text |The text skillfully |The text uses words, |The text contains |The text contains |

|The text explains the|strategically uses |uses words, |phrases, and |limited words, |few, if any, words, |

|relationship |words, |phrases, and clauses |clauses to link the |phrases, and clauses to|phrases, and clauses |

|between ideas and |phrases, and clauses |to link the major |major sections of |link the |to link the |

|concepts. The |to link the |sections of the text.|the text. The text |major sections of the |major sections of the|

|text includes |major sections of |The text identifies |connects the topic |text. The text |text. The text |

|appropriate and |text. The text |the relationship |and the examples |attempts to connect the|does not connect the |

|varied |explains the |between the topic and|and/or facts. |topic and |topic and the |

|transitions and |relationships between|the examples and/or | |the examples and/or |examples and/or |

|syntax. |the topic and the |facts. | |facts. |facts. |

| |examples and/or | | | | |

| |facts. | | | | |

|Language and Style: |The text presents an |The text presents a |The text presents a |The text illustrates a |The text illustrates |

|The text presents a |engaging, |formal, objective |formal, objective |limited |a limited or |

|formal style and |formal, and objective|tone. The text uses |tone. The text uses |awareness of formal |inconsistent tone. |

|objective tone and |tone. The |precise language, |relevant language, |tone. The text |The text uses |

|uses language, |text uses |vocabulary, and |vocabulary, and |attempts to use |imprecise language, |

|vocabulary, and |sophisticated |techniques such as |techniques such |language, |vocabulary, and |

|techniques such |language, |metaphor, simile, and|as metaphor, simile, |vocabulary, and some |limited techniques. |

|as metaphor, simile, |vocabulary, and |analogy to manage |and analogy to |techniques | |

|and analogy to manage|techniques such |the complexity of the|manage the complexity|such as metaphor, | |

|the topic. |as metaphor, simile, |topic. |of the topic. |simile, and | |

| |and analogy to manage| | |analogy. | |

| |the complexity of the| | | | |

| |topic. | | | | |

|Conventions: |The text |The text demonstrates|The text demonstrates|The text demonstrates |The text contains |

|The text demonstrates|intentionally uses |standard |standard |some accuracy |multiple inaccuracies|

|standard |standard |English conventions |English conventions |in standard English |in Standard English |

|English conventions |English conventions |of usage and |of usage and |conventions |conventions of usage |

|of usage and |of usage and |mechanics while |mechanics while |of usage and mechanics.|and mechanics. |

|mechanics while |mechanics while |suitably attending to|attending to the | | |

|attending to the |specifically |the norms of the |norms of the | | |

|norms of the |attending to the |discipline in which |discipline in which | | |

|discipline in which |norms of the |they are writing |they are writing | | |

|they |discipline in which |(MLA, APA, etc.). |(MLA, APA, etc.). | | |

|are writing (MLA, |they are writing | | | | |

|APA, etc.). |(MLA, APA, etc.). | | | | |

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