The Research Proposal Format



ENGLISH 10 HONORS

Mrs. Jones

Research Proposal

Schedule and Due Dates

All assignments are due when your class hour begins unless otherwise noted.

Monday, February 23: MYP Research Proposal Project Introduced

Tuesday, February 24: Narrowing Topics to Generate Five Subtopics on Subject Area

Wednesday, February 25: Subtopics Due

Wednesday, February 25: Begin Preliminary Research to Answer Research Questions

Friday, February 27: Proposal Statement

Monday, March 2: Research Questions and Proposal Statement Due

Monday-Wednesday, March 2-4, 2015: 5 Articles – CRAAP Test

Copy/paste the important parts of your article and store them in your folder.

Complete the CRAAP test on EACH article you print.

Friday, March 6: Finalized Research Proposal Statement Due

Friday, March 6: CRAAP Test for 5 Articles Due

Friday, March 6: Workshop: Annotated Bibliography and Outline

Spring Break March 9-23

Tuesday-Wednesday, March 24-25: Workshop on Final Proposal

Friday, March 27: Annotated Bibliography and Outline Due

Friday, April 3: Final Proposal Due to AND printed for class

Disclaimer: You will be married to this topic for the next two years. Any changes you make regarding your topic or research may result in duplicating steps.

The Research Proposal: Introduction

• The Research Proposal is the preliminary steps to writing the extended essay.

• All students enrolled in English 11 will write an extended essay.

• Those students going on to complete the full IB Diploma will continue to develop their extended essay with the help of an advisor.

• If you do not go on to English IBAP 11, you will still complete a research project next year.

• Your research proposal is a written presentation:

✓ Convincing the reader that the topic you have chosen is worth discussion

✓ Showing the research that has already been done in this area.

✓ Discussing the questions/ problems your extended essay hopes to answer.

A research proposal is based on a problem or an area of inquiry. This is a problem, issue, or concern that requires extensive investigation. Your proposal is not intended to find the answer to the problem; instead, you will attempt to investigate and bring about new questions concerning this problem or area. Clearly identify the purpose of your research. Why is it important to find an answer to your question or the problem you pose?

FULL DIPLOMA CANDIDATES ONLY

• You are expected to be taking the class/subject and testing in it as a junior or senior.

• Science topics require an original experiment by the student. Experiments typically start junior year. Talk to a science teacher if there is any question regarding the achievability of an experiment.

• Economics is discouraged because students will not be taking this class until senior year.

• Psychology is discouraged unless it deals with abnormal psychology focusing on figures in literature or history who have exhibited the psychosis. Then it becomes a history or literature topic

ALL STUDENTS

• History topics must be at least 10 years back – not more recent than 2004

• Choose topics carefully. Topics will be further developed (not changed) junior year

Summary of Proposal

Your research paper proposal has a synopsis that gives a glimpse of what is presented on the project—as well as the work’s significance. This is what allows your readers to understand the importance of your paper and how you came about the project. Research proposal format should also have the vital elements of the proposal; it must include the title, the abstract, your work’s objectives, the historical background and the references. Proposals will be 800-1000 words not including quoted material. Proposals will be submitted to so that word counts can be checked.

All information, both directly quoted and parphrased, will be cited using MLA format. Both primary and secondary sources will be properly cited in the multiparagraph proposal, and the Works Cited page will be included for the research topic.

You will type an annotated bibliography to accompany the proposal that shows that there are ample people to interview and material for research that meet the requirements for the extended essay.

EXERCISE 1

Use brainstorming or idea mapping to create a list of topics you would be interested in researching. Think about the research you did in your freshman English class. Could you use the same topic? What subtopics could you connect to that topic? What narrowed focus could you research? List as many ideas as you can; don’t throw anything out since this is your first attempt. Use the space below and don’t stop writing until I tell you to.

Narrowing Your Topic

Once you have a list of potential topics, you will need to choose one as the focus of your proposal. Good topics are specific enough to write about without being too narrow to sustain an entire research project.

A good research paper provides focused, in-depth information and analysis. If your topic is too broad, you will find it difficult to do more than skim the surface when you research it and write about it. Narrowing your focus is essential to making your topic manageable. To narrow your focus, explore your topic in writing, conduct preliminary research, and discuss both the topic and the research with others.

Extended Essay Topic Samples

BIOLOGY

• The Study of Americans' Health Habits and Their Links to Heart Disease in the United States

• How valid is Research done on the Effects on stress on Cognition?

CHEMISTRY

• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: Assessing Behavior to a Biological Diagnosis and Treatment

• The effect of laundry detergent, its enzymes, and its chemicals in the environment

CLASSIC GREEK AND LATIN

• A comparison of Ancient Greek and Ancient Egyptian beliefs, values and practices to represent universality among human beings

DANCE

• From Improvisation to the Stage: To What Extent Does Improvisation Play a Role in the Creative Process of Dance Choreography?

DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

• The Effect of the Internet on the Exchange of Information within the Medical Community

ECONOMICS

• The Economics of Divorce in Modern America

• What is the economic impact of corn on inflation, as discussions on global warming and high fuel prices promote alternative fuels, primarily ethanol, in the United States of America?

ENGLISH

• "Slaughterhouse Five" and "The Things They Carried" as Anti-War Novels

• Symbolism in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath"

• Rhetoric in the Media: Modern Overuse of Pathos Film 2005 An Investigation of the Conformists' Motivations in David Fincher's Film, Fight Club

FILM

• What Was Kelly's Intention for the Movie Donnie Darko and How Did He Go About Achieving His Goal?

• Influence of Hong Kong Action Cinema to America's Hollywood

• Bohemia in Film: An Examination and Analysis of Bohemianism Represented in Chris Columbus' Rent and Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge!

• Tim Burton and Expressionism: How Tim Burton’s Films Relate and Contain Ideals of Color, Distortion, and Emotion Found Within Expressionism

• Luke Skywalker: An Archetypal Heroic Journey

HISTORY

• The Effect of Japanese Imperialism from 1870 through World War II on the Western Expansion in China

• The Contradictory Nature of the Use of Terror in the French Revolution

• Hitler's Abuse of Inherent Inhumanity to Man and The Common German's Concession to Hitler

• Roman Concrete: The Basics of Construction

• Tutankhamun's passive ruling style and how it leads to his early death

• Fear or Compassion: An analytical look into the persuasive styles of Adolf Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt

• Atomic Bombs in World War II (Were either of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan justified?)

HISTORY/ART

• The Effect of Stalin's Rule on Russian Art

HUMAN RIGHTS

• The Role of Citizenship in The Acquisition of Human Rights For Migrant Workers In the United States of America

• The Universal Struggle vs. United States Struggle for Women to Become a Racecar Driver in a Male Dominated World in the Late 1960's and early 1970's

HUMANITIES

• The Need for Better and Consistent Funding for Non-Profit Organizations

LITERATURE

• The Influence of Greek Tragedy on the American Novella "Legends of the Fall"

• The Influence of the Supporting Cast of "Cinderella" on the Story as a Whole

• Pride on the Road: A Literary Analysis on the Role of Rebellion in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Jack Kerouac's On the Road

• Use of Time and Death in the Novel Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's Crusade and the Collection of Short Stories The Things They Carried as Tools Creating Revelation or a Catharsis

• Jane Austen’s Use of Outdoors for Characterization in Pride and Prejudice

• An Analysis of the Different Receptions of John Steinbeck’s novella, The Moon is Down During WWII

• Friendship, Dissatisfaction, and Travel: Similar Cyclical Processes of Characterization in Kerouac’s On the Road and Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

MUSIC

• A Musical Comparison: Tim Burton's "A Nightmare Before Christmas" To "Les Miserables"

• Elements of Composition Used to Create Debussy's Style

• On Wicked’s Success as a Musical: Applying Aristotle’s Poetics in an Analysis of Wicked

• A Comparison of Lyrics to Fundamental Elements of Poetry

PHILOSOPHY

• The Philosophy of Language: Why Language Requires Two States of Being

• Unhealthy Food Advertising and Obesity: An investigation grounded in liberty based political philosophy

• Trust as the Vehicle to Societal Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence

• The Flaws of Ethics in Medical Research: Human Ignorance or Flawed Ethics?

PHYSICS

• Antimatter Transportation: Should antimatter knowledge and technology be steered toward the eventual goal of using antimatter to fuel future rocket engines?

• A Brief History of Early Experimentation in Elementary Particle Physics and its Application in Transuranium Element Synthesis

POLITICS

• Preventing Discrimination in Health Insurance as a Result of Genetic Testing

• How the Political Environment Affects the Research Concerning HIV and AIDS

• Do Personal Religion and Theology Significantly Affect Presidential Leadership, or Are They Merely Symbols Manipulated by Presidents to Pacify the Religious Among the Electorate?: A Comparative Case Study of United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan

SCIENCE

• Alternative Automotive Energies: H2ydrogen and Beyond

• A study of improvement in nutritional habits and their effects concerning allergies and asthma in the United States Social and Cultural

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• Crop Circles: The Unexplained Phenomenon

• An analyzation of Popular Culture and Religion: Do the American people Subconsciously view Superheroes as Biblical Figures?

• An Examination of the Possible Causes of the Salem Witch Trials and the Evidence that supports the Interpretations of Ergotism and Hysteria

• The Controversial Regulation of Artificial Sweeteners

• The Presidents’ Struggle in Ending Poverty in America Due to the Clash in Politics and Religion Social and Cultural

• Impact and Significance of Racial Diversity on Undergraduate Students’ Learning

• Disney’s Princesses as Reflections of Women’s Roles in Twentieth Century America

• A Pirate's Life For Me: A Study in Pirate Utopias Created in Opposition to Established Government

THEATRE

• Stages of Life: The Actor and the Essence of His Self in Theory of the Theatrical Method

• The Living Art of Theatre: A look on the connections between indigenous African theatre and Modern African Theatre

• Pushing the Boundaries of the Acceptable: Theatre throughout the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917

• The Effect of a Matriarchal Society on Shakespearean Plays

VISUAL ARTS

• How did photography affect the American view of war during the Vietnam War?

• How does photojournalism impact the public perception of society?

WORLD RELIGION

• A Grain of Biblical Salt: How Understanding the Nature of Translation Affects Modern Bible Study

• The Influence of the Pre-Reformed Catholic Church on the Lifestyle of the People During the Reformation in Europe

• The Motif of the Number Three in the Bible and its Correlation to the Trinity in Christianity

• Success in the Peoples Temple Cult

Exploring Your Topic in Writing

“How am I supposed to narrow my topic when I haven’t even begun researching yet?” In fact, you may already know more than you realize. Review your list and identify your top five topics. Explore each one through freewriting. Simply taking the time to focus on your topic may yield fresh angles.

Conducting Preliminary Research

Another way writers may focus a topic is to conduct preliminary research. Like freewriting, exploratory reading can help you identify interesting angles. Surfing the web and browsing through newspaper and magazine articles are good ways to start. Find out what people are saying about your topic on blogs and online discussion groups. Discussing your topic with others can also inspire you. Talk about your ideas with your classmates, your friends, or your instructor.

Tip

The reliability of online sources varies greatly. In this exploratory phase of your research, you do not need to evaluate sources as closely as you will later. However, use common sense as you refine your paper topic. If you read a fascinating blog comment that gives you a new idea for your paper, be sure to check out other, more reliable sources as well to make sure the idea is worth pursuing.

EXERCISE 2

Review the list of topics you created in Exercise 1 and HIGHLIGHT THREE you would like to explore further. For each of these topics, spend a few minutes writing about the topic without stopping. Then review your writing to identify any possible areas of focus.

Use your own paper to do this. Highlight FIVE POTENTIAL RESEARCH TOPICS.

Conduct preliminary research about your potential topics—this is where you can use any resources to find out what people know about the topic and what you might be able to contribute. After you’ve done this, choose a single topic to pursue for your research paper. Get it Monte approved before moving on.

A Plan for Research

To work with your topic successfully, you will need to determine what exactly you want to learn about it—and later, what you want to say about it. Before you begin conducting in-depth research, you will further define your focus by developing a working thesis (proposal statement).

Constructing a Proposal Statement

A working thesis, or for this project, a Proposal Statement, concisely states a writer’s initial answer to the main research question. It does not merely state a fact or present a subjective opinion. Instead, it expresses a debatable idea or claim that you hope to prove through additional research. Your working thesis is called a working thesis for a reason—it is subject to change. You will submit a finalized statement later. As you learn more about your topic, you may change your thinking in light of your research findings. Let your working thesis serve as a guide to your research, but do not be afraid to modify it based on what you learn.

Tip

One way to determine your working thesis is to consider how you would complete sentences such as I believe or My opinion is. However, keep in mind that academic writing does not use first-person pronouns. These statements are useful starting points, but formal research papers use an objective voice.

EXERCISE 3

Write a working thesis (proposal statement) that presents your preliminary answer to the research questions. Check that your working thesis statement presents an idea or claim that could be supported or refuted by evidence from research.

Research Questions

Subject Area:

Research Question:

EXAMPLES: Biology: What are the effects of Aspertame on child brain development?

History: What were Stalin’s political motive’s for accepting the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Psychology: What was the contribution of media violence on the Columbine High School schootings?

Answer these questions in regards to your research topic.

1. Are their any organizations you will contact for credible primary sources? If so which ones?

2. Is this research topic timely? In what way? How is it relevant today?

3. How is the research topic defined—denotation/connotations?

4. What are the Pros and Cons of this research topic?

5. What is the background history of the research topic?

6. Are there any laws that affect this research topic?

7. When and what caused the research topic to escalate (social science area)?

8. What experiments (science area only) can you do to prove or disprove any theories?

9. What one or two local places can visit to observe, participate and learn more about this research topic?

10. What has been done thus far to resolve this research topic?

CRAAP Test

Monday-Wednesday, March 2-4, 2015: 5 Articles – CRAAP Test

Copy/paste the important parts of your article into a document. Store them in your documents, email them to yourself, save them to a flash drive, print them, etc.

Complete the CRAAP test on EACH article you save.

Answer each of the questions below to evaluate each of your sources on the following pages. Then assign a score on a scale of 1-10 for each CRAAP category below. By scoring each category on a scale from 1 to 10 (1 = worst, 10=best possible) you can give each source a grade on a 50 point scale for how high-quality it is:

45 - 50 Excellent | 40 - 44 Good | 35 - 39 Average | 30 - 34 Borderline Acceptable | Below 30 - Unacceptable

Currency: the timeliness of the information

• When was the information published or posted?

• Has the information been revised or updated?

• Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?

• Who is the intended audience?

• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?

• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?

Authority: the source of the information

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?

• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?

• What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?

• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?      examples: .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .gov (U.S. government), .org (nonprofit organization), or .net (network)

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content, and

• Is the information supported by evidence?

• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?

• Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?

• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists

• What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?

• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?

• Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?

• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?

Note: If you end up with an unacceptable article to use for research, you will need to find another source. I will have additional copies of the CRAAP test on my teacher page if you need them, or you may answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Be sure to use only good sources. Skimping on this portion of the project now will only make your research later that much more difficult as you will need to re-research.

SOURCE 1 CITATION:

Currency: The timeliness of the information. SCORE: /10

|When was the information published or posted? |

|Has the information been revised or updated? |

|Is the information current or out-of date for your topic? |

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. SCORE: /10

|Does the information relate to your thesis or answer your question? |

|Who is the intended audience? |

|Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)? |

|Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? |

Authority: The source of the information. SCORE: /10

|Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? |

|What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given? |

|What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic? |

|If you found the information on the web, does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net |

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content. SCORE: /10

|Is the information supported by evidence? How? |

|Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge? |

|Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion? |

|Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors? |

Purpose: The reason the information exists. SCORE: /10

|What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? |

|Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear? |

|Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda? |

|Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases? |

TOTAL: /50

SOURCE 2 CITATION:

Currency: The timeliness of the information. SCORE: /10

|When was the information published or posted? |

|Has the information been revised or updated? |

|Is the information current or out-of date for your topic? |

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. SCORE: /10

|Does the information relate to your thesis or answer your question? |

|Who is the intended audience? |

|Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)? |

|Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? |

Authority: The source of the information. SCORE: /10

|Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? |

|What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given? |

|What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic? |

|If you found the information on the web, does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net |

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content. SCORE: /10

|Is the information supported by evidence? How? |

|Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge? |

|Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion? |

|Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors? |

Purpose: The reason the information exists. SCORE: /10

|What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? |

|Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear? |

|Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda? |

|Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases? |

TOTAL: /50

SOURCE 3 CITATION:

Currency: The timeliness of the information. SCORE: /10

|When was the information published or posted? |

|Has the information been revised or updated? |

|Is the information current or out-of date for your topic? |

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. SCORE: /10

|Does the information relate to your thesis or answer your question? |

|Who is the intended audience? |

|Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)? |

|Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? |

Authority: The source of the information. SCORE: /10

|Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? |

|What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given? |

|What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic? |

|If you found the information on the web, does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net |

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content. SCORE: /10

|Is the information supported by evidence? How? |

|Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge? |

|Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion? |

|Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors? |

Purpose: The reason the information exists. SCORE: /10

|What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? |

|Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear? |

|Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda? |

|Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases? |

TOTAL: /50

SOURCE 4 CITATION:

Currency: The timeliness of the information. SCORE: /10

|When was the information published or posted? |

|Has the information been revised or updated? |

|Is the information current or out-of date for your topic? |

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. SCORE: /10

|Does the information relate to your thesis or answer your question? |

|Who is the intended audience? |

|Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)? |

|Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? |

Authority: The source of the information. SCORE: /10

|Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? |

|What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given? |

|What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic? |

|If you found the information on the web, does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net |

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content. SCORE: /10

|Is the information supported by evidence? How? |

|Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge? |

|Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion? |

|Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors? |

Purpose: The reason the information exists. SCORE: /10

|What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? |

|Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear? |

|Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda? |

|Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases? |

TOTAL: /50

SOURCE 5 CITATION:

Currency: The timeliness of the information. SCORE: /10

|When was the information published or posted? |

|Has the information been revised or updated? |

|Is the information current or out-of date for your topic? |

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. SCORE: /10

|Does the information relate to your thesis or answer your question? |

|Who is the intended audience? |

|Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)? |

|Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? |

Authority: The source of the information. SCORE: /10

|Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? |

|What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given? |

|What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic? |

|If you found the information on the web, does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net |

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content. SCORE: /10

|Is the information supported by evidence? How? |

|Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge? |

|Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion? |

|Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors? |

Purpose: The reason the information exists. SCORE: /10

|What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? |

|Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear? |

|Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda? |

|Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases? |

TOTAL: /50

Write your Finalized Proposal Statement

WORKS CITED and IN-TEXT CITATIONS

Basic Style for Citations of Internet Sources

Below are some common features you should find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every Web page will provide all of the following information. However, collect as much of the following information as possible. Skip over what is not available.

← Author and/or editor names

← Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)

← Title of the Website, project, or book in italics.

← Any version numbers, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers.

← Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.

← Take note of any page numbers (if available).

← Date you accessed the material.

← URL (if required, or for your own personal reference).

Citing an Entire Web Site

It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available on one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Remember to use n.p. if no publisher name is available and n.d. if no publishing date is given.

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of

institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource

creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web.

23 Apr. 2008.

Felluga, Dino. “Guide to Literary and Critical Theory.” Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.

***Notice that the second line (and all subsequent lines) of each entry is indented… not the first.***

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

Below are examples of how you would cite the sources above within the text of your essay.

WORKS CITED PAGE:

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2008.

IN-TEXT CITATION SAMPLE FOR THE ABOVE SOURCE:

“OWL” stands for Online Writing Lab (The Purdue OWL Family of Sites).

WORKS CITED PAGE:

Felluga, Dino. “Guide to Literary and Critical Theory.” Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.

IN-TEXT CITATION SAMPLE FOR THE ABOVE SOURCE:

The article “Guide to Literary and Critical Theory” talks about theories related to writing (Felluga).

Annotated Bibliography

WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a descriptive and evaluative paragraph called the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

ANNOTATIONS VS. ABSTRACTS

Abstracts are the summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles. Annotations are descriptive and critical; they expose the author's point of view, clarity and appropriateness of expression, and authority. Annotations SHOULD NOT be on the abstract articles found – they need to be on the complete article.

THE PROCESS

Locate and record valuable sources using the CRAAP test.

Create a Works Cited entry in MLA Format.

Write the annotation: SUMMARIZE the article in one paragraph. Add a second paragraph in which you EVALUATE the source. You can discuss any of the following: the authority or background of the author, the intended audience, how this source compares or contrasts with another you have cited, or how this source will be valuable to your research.

[pic]

SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY:

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor Books, 1995. Print.

Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of being a writer, the chapters in Lamott's book are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot development to jealousy, from perfectionism to struggling with one's own internal critic. In the process, Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be both productive and fun. Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her main project seems to be offering the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and struggling with one's own imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a practical handbook to producing and/or publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and its encouraging approach.

Chapters in this text could easily be included in the curriculum for a writing class. Several of the chapters in Part 1 address the writing process and would serve to generate discussion on students' own drafting and revising processes. Some of the writing exercises would also be appropriate for generating classroom writing exercises. Students should find Lamott's style both engaging and enjoyable.

Outline

Your outline should organize your research in the following way:

I. Background Information (literally write “Background Information”)

A. Source 1 Summary (notes format)

B. Source 2 Summary (notes format)

C. Source 3 Summary (notes format)

D. Source 4 Summary (notes format)

E. Source 5 Summary (notes format)

F. Notes summarizing current field research

G. Notes summarizing what you know about the topic

II. State Problem or Area of Inquiry (Literally write your research question)

A. Identify purpose of research (notes format)

B. Cite reason 1 why it is important

C. Cite reason 2 why it is important (go onto D if you have more reasons)

The back page of your outline should be your Works Cited page: Include a Works Cited page referencing all sources including interviews and media used in putting together the proposal. You will copy this into your final paper as well. TIP: Copy your sources from your annotated bibliography and delete summary/evaluation paragraphs.

Research Proposal

• Title page: Your title page must be complete and make certain that it gives a glimpse of the nature of the proposed project.

• Introduction: The beginning of the research proposal must establish the importance of the investigation and the significance of the topic. This must also be imposing and must be able to create an impact to the readers.

• Background Information: Provide a summary of information you have found concerning your topic. What research has already been done in the field? You must show your knowledge of the topic including your knowledge of the latest updates in the field.

• Statement of Problem or Area of Inquiry/ Objectives. A research proposal is done based on a problem or an area of inquiry. This is a problem, issue, or concern that required such extensive investigation. Your paper may not necessarily find the answer, but will attempt to investigate and bring about new questions concerning this problem or area. Clearly identify the purpose of your research. Why is it important to find an answer to your question or the problem you pose? Common mistakes in research projects and proposals, especially for beginners who do not really know how to write a research paper, is that they tend to use emotional words and terms in their objectives and other parts of the paper. Keep the tone of your proposal professional.

• References: Include a Works Cited page referencing all sources including interviews and media used in putting together the proposal. Research paper writing has certain rules. Plagiarism is a serious issue and it is essential for a writer to cite the sources that had been used in his project(s). Failure to properly document your sources will result in a zero on the paper with no chance to make up the credit.

• All Research Proposals must be submitted to

• Check spelling and documentation.

• Essays must be typed and double-spaced.

• 12 pt font – Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial

3-PART SOURCE INTEGRATION TECHNIQUE

Where college students tend to fail, in terms of academic research papers, is their overuse of citations and lack of discussion of the cited text. Their research resembles a list of quotes strung together with little or no discussion of the importance of the included quotes. Using the 3-part Source Integration Technique, you can avoid this pitfall when writing research papers of your own. There are three basic parts.

Part 1: Source & Author: This part tells where you found your information and who wrote it.

Part 2: Citation Verb, Citation & Page #: This part provides a paraphrase, summary, or direct quotation. It begins with a citation verb (see chart below) and ends with a parenthetical citation.

|Citation Verbs |

|argues |asserts |concludes |contends |discusses |points out that |

|examines |explores |focuses on |maintains |mentions |highlights the fact that |

|notes |reports |states |suggests |emphasizes |has determined that |

Part 3: Citation’s Importance: Comment on why this part of the text is important, relevant to the prompt, or significant in some other way.

| |Part 1: | |Part 2: | |Part 3: |

| |Source & Author | |Citation Verb, Citation & Page # | |Citation’s Importance |

|Sample |The American Immigration Lawyers | |maintains that immigrants in America make | |This position refutes a common belief held by |

|1 |Association , in their article “Immigrants| |every effort to assimilate (64). | |critics of immigration – foreign-born Americans |

| |Are a Vital Component of Society,” |+ | |+ |refuse to learn English and do not embrace “the |

| | | | | |American way of life. |

|Sample |In the article “The Threat of Terrorism is| |claims that “terrorism is relatively | |This is troublesome. America is spending billions of|

|2 |Being Reduced,” by John Ashcroft, the U.S.| |inexpensive to conduct, and devilishly | |dollars on the “War on Terror” and using its |

| |attorney general |+ |difficult to counter” (Viewpoint 27). |+ |military might to fight an elusive enemy. |

|Sample |In his article, “Global Warming is a | |argues that in other parts of the world, | |It is important for us to consider this point |

|3 |Serious Threat to Humanity’s Future,” Mark| |flooding, drought, and sea-level rise are | |because mass displacement of human life could have |

| |Lynas, the author of High Tide: News from | |forcing people to leave their homes, | |severe consequences for communities all around the |

| |a Warming World, |+ |creating environmental refugees (123). |+ |globe. |

Template Samples

________________________________________, in _______________________________________________________

(author’s first and last name) (source information: article, book, autobiography, etc.)

that ______________________________________________________________________________________________.

(citation verb) (page number of source)

It is important to consider ____________________________________________________________________________.

Example: Nelson Mandela, in his autobiography, explains that there were many “White, Indian, and Colored” people involved in the anti-apartheid struggle (352). It is important to consider this point because we often think that apartheid was only opposed to black people.

In the ___________________ __________________ ,________________________ , _____________________________

(type of source) (title of source) (author’s first and last name) (information about the author)

__________ that _________________________________________. __________________________________________

(verb) (quote and cite) (comment on the point)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________.

(explain your comment about the point)

Example: In the article “The Threat of Terrorism Is Being Reduced,” by John Ashcroft, the U.S. attorney general claims that “terrorism is relatively inexpensive to conduct, and devilishly difficult to counter” (27). This is a valuable point. America is spending billions of dollars on the “War on Terror” and using military might to fight an elusive enemy.

-----------------------

Evaluation Summary

................
................

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

Google Online Preview   Download