Steps for successfully writing your research paper Step

Steps for successfully writing your research paper

Step 1. First you need to know some vocabulary that we will be using in class. 1. Citation: When you cite a source, you include a brief note within your paper indicating that the information comes from an outside source. You must cite direct quotations, as well as paraphrases. – Example: Will, George F. "Electronic Morphine. " Newsweek 25 Nov. 2002: 92. 2. Source: A source is where you got your information from, whether it is a book, journal article, web site, or a database. 3. Paraphrase: A paraphrase is when you take information from a source and put it entirely in your own words (changing one or two words is not paraphrasing). – Example: The first gambling Web site appeared in 1995, and online gambling has since become the most profitable Internet business (Will 92). 4. Direct quote: A direct quote is when you take information from a source and put it in the exact words from the source itself. Put quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote. – Example: George Will says, “Gambling has become a lucrative business on the Internet since its origins in 1995” (92).

Vocabulary continued 5. In-text citation: An in-text citation is when you provide information about the source in the text of their paper. Often, in-text citations include a signal phrase which gives the author’s name and a parenthetical reference, which can include the author’s name and the page number Example: The first gambling Web site appeared in 1995, and online gambling has since become the most lucrative Internet business (Will 92). 6. Parenthetical reference: The parenthetical reference is part of the intext citation. At the end of the source material, whether it is a paraphrase or a direct quote, there should be parentheses with the page number of the source material. Often, you can also include the last name of the author of the source in the parentheses. – Example: The first gambling Web site appeared in 1995, and online gambling has since become the most lucrative Internet business (Will 92). – OR – George Will reported that in 2002 Internet gambling surpassed pornography to become the Internet's most lucrative business (92).

Vocabulary continued 7. Works cited page: The works cited page should be the last page of your paper, and it lists identifying information, such as the publication date and location, for each of the sources that you cited in your paper. The sources are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. 8. Bibliography: A bibliography is a list of sources that you used in preparing your paper. It can also be called citation or works cited. 9. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s work without giving that person the proper credit or no attribution at all 10. Source Card: It is an index card with the bibliography information. It has the source’s title, the author’s name, the copyright date, etc.

Vocabulary continued 11. Note Card: It is an index card with information on it that you will either paraphrase or directly quote in your paper. 13. Thesis Statement: This is the statement in your introduction paragraph which tells the focus or main point of the research paper. (What you are proving) • 14 Support: This means that you need to give evidence from sources to support your views. • 15. MLA format: The MLA stands for Modern Language Association. MLA format refers to using that type of documentation in your research paper. There are many different types of formats.

Step 2. Decide what you will be proving in your research paper and write your thesis statement. (We have already completed this)

Step 3: Find sources • Find sources that prove your thesis statement. For example, if you are proving that a career as a dental hygienist is a good choice, then you need sources that discuss the salaries of, the education required for, working conditions of, and daily schedules of dental hygienists.

Step 3: Sources • You must include 6 sources in your paper. – one source must be a print source (book, magazine, etc. ) – an interview is an excellent source to use in your paper • You may not list a source on your works cited page unless you use it in your paper • Your research paper is based on the information you gather from the sources you read on your topic, not simply your opinion.

Step 3: Sources When you find a source you want to use in your paper, create the citation (bibliography) immediately. • • For internet sources, you need – – – – Website name (this is not the URL) Title of the article/section you used from the website Author (if listed), Date the website was last updated (usually at the bottom of the page), Date you accessed the website, Publisher of the website. You might want to write down or copy and paste the URL of the website, but do not list this in your citation on the works cited page.

URL Internet sources Name of website Notice this is. org, which tells you it is a reliable source

Internet Sources Title of specific article you want to use

Internet Sources Date website updated Publisher Notice this is scrolled all the way to the bottom of the page

Internet source citation Put quotation marks around titles of articles There was no month/day given so put the info you do have Don’t forget to capitalize important words Write the day before the month. Never write 9/22/11 Actually write the word Web

Book Sources • For book sources you need – Author’s name – Title of the book – City where the book was published – The publishing company – Year it was last published.

Book sources Title of book Book Cover Author Usually the publishing information will be listed on one of the first pages of the book. While the bottom of the page reads “Printed in the United States”, this is NOT the city of publication

Book Source Citation Last name, first name Italicize the title of the book, don’t underline it. Mc. Kane-Wagester, Cynthia. Dental Hygiene: The Pulse of the Practice. Tulsa: Penn Well Corporation, 2002. Print If a book lists multiply dates, use the most recent date given. Actually write the word Print (signifies what type of source you used)

Step 4: Take notes from your sources • There are three techniques you could use: 1. Copy and paste info into a word document, then highlight notes (If you print at home, you can simply print from website if you don’t care about ink usage). 2. Take notes on note cards 3. Use the blank handouts I gave you for notes

Step 4: Copy and Paste notes 1. Before you begin copying info from the site, get all the info you will need for the citation. 2. Highlight and copy info that you think will help prove your point (thesis). 3. Paste the info into a word document. If you only want text and no pictures, etc. use paste special.

Highlight the parts you want to read/use for your paper.

Once you have highlighted info, right click and select copy.

Open a word document. Under edit, select paste special, then unformatted text only.

You can either print the source out and highlight useful info OR you can highlight in Word, so you keep it all electronic To highlight in word simply click the highlight icon.

Step 4: Writing notes on handout/note cards 1. Get the info necessary for the citation 2. If using handout, fill in the blanks, then take notes on provided lines. 3. If using note cards: * Make bibliography (citation) card, number it * Write notes on other note cards (one main idea/quote per card)

This is the website we will use next. First we need to find the information we want to write.

Once you find info that helps back up/prove your thesis, simply take notes on your cards.

This is the citation/bibliography card. “Important Facts About Dental Hygienists” Adha. org. The American Dental Hygienists' Association. Always make this before taking notes so you don’t 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2011 forget. 1 “Dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases-both to protect teeth and gums, and also to protect patients' total health” Q If you write the note word for word as it appears in the source be sure to mark the card with a Q so you do not plagiarize later when you write. Mark the citation card and all the note cards that come from it with the same number This is the note card. 1

Step 5: Type your title page Pamela Harmon Caldwell County Graduation Project If your paper is set up for double space, hit enter 9 times to get to center of page Dental Hygienists: A Clean Career 12 December 2011 Notice the date once again is written day first

Step 6: Write and type your outline 1. If you used note cards, simply read through them and divide them based on their topic (ex. All cards that deal with salary go in one stack, regardless of which source). 2. Once you have them sorted use the stacks to create the headers for your outline.

Outline • If you highlighted or used the handouts, you need all your info in front of you. Read through it and decide what topics you want to cover in your paper. • Make sure you arrange information in a logical order (if talking about education, start with high school then college).

Harmon 1 Dental Hygienists: A Clean Career Running Thesis: Dental Hygienists play a vital role in ensuring that header people have the smile that they desire. I. Education requirements Title of A. High school Your thesis paper B. College statement word for C. Internship word II. Need skills A. Communication 1. Patients If you break your outline down into 2. Dentists one subtopic, you B. Patience Conclusion: A career as a dental hygienist is an excellent possibility for anyone wishing to work one on one with people, help others, and have a steady job. Dental hygienists are often taken for granted in the dentist’s office, but they are an important part of the office. They work to ensure patients’ oral health is a priority. . . . must also have a second subtopic Your entire conclusion paragraph goes here.

Step 7: Type your Works Cited 1. You need to have a correct works cited page before you write your paper to ensure that your parenthetical citations are correct in your paper. 2. If you have your 6 bibliographies written out either on cards or on your print outs, then you will simply need to alphabetize and type

“Important Facts About Dental Hygienists” Adha. org. The American Dental Hygienists' Association. 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2011 1 “Realistic Expectations of a Dental Hygienist’s Salary” Dentalhygienistsalaryguide. org. Dental Hygienist Salary Guide. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2011 Walsh, Margaret. Dental Hygiene: Theory and Practice. St. Louis: Saunders Inc. , 2010. Print

Harmon 7 Works Cited “Important Facts About Dental Hygienists” Adha. org. The American Dental Hygienists' Association. 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2011 “Realistic Expectations of a Dental Hygienist’s Salary” Dentalhygienistsalaryguide. org. Dental Hygienist Salary Guide. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2011 When you use information from your sources you cite using the circled parts. In other words the first part of each citation Walsh, Margaret. Dental Hygiene: Theory and Practice. St. Louis: Saunders Inc. , 2010. Print Alphabetical by the first word in the citation Notice that for each citation every line except the first is indented Book titles are not underlined, but italicized

• • • Step 8: Write your paper!!!!! Now you have everything you need to correctly write your research paper. Your outline is not simply a brainstorming activity like it was for the 10 th Grade Writing Test. Follow your outline as you write your paper to ensure it makes sense and had a logical flow. Cite as you write to avoid plagiarism Every paragraph must have at least 5 sentences to even be considered a paragraph

• • Set Up Ensure your formatting is set up correctly before you begin typing to avoid sadness when you think you have more pages than you really do. Change your margins to 1 inch on all 4 sides. The side margins always default to 1. 25 Change the font to Times New Roman, 12 pt Set the line spacing to double and make sure “before” and “after” are set to 0 pt.

If not set to 0 pt. It will put an extra space between paragraphs

Introduction paragraph • Never jump right into your topic. • Imagine you wanted to persuade a friend about going to a certain college. You would not walk up and say, “Hey go to ASU!” You would lead into that topic. You might bring up how difficult it is to fill out applications, then lead to an application for ASU, then hit them with your persuasive argument for ASU. • The same logic applies to your introduction paragraph.

Introduction Most people recognize the power of a smile. Most people recognize the important role proper oral hygiene plays in creating a beautiful smile. Many even recognize the role that oral health plays in their overall health. But is there an essential factor that is often overlooked? Dental Hygienists play a vital role in ensuring that people have the smile that they desire. Thesis statement

Body Paragraphs • Follow your outline • Every paragraph must have at least 5 sentences • You should never have a paragraph that has no citations (parentheses) in it. • Never begin a paragraph with a direct quote • Each paragraph can only have ONE main idea & every sentence in that paragraph should explain/prove that main idea • Each paragraph needs to flow into the next

How do I make my paragraphs flow? • Transitions: transitions are words, phrases, or sentences that lead the reader from one topic to the next. • For the 10 th Grade Writing Test, you may have used words like secondly, finally, another, etc. to connect your body paragraphs. • For the research paper, one word is not really enough to tie everything together.

Transitions • For the research paper, you will need to write phrases or complete sentences that connect paragraphs. • These can come at the end of each paragraph, at the beginning of each paragraph, or even a combination.

Example (note: these are not completed paragraphs) Anyone wishing to become a dental hygienist should begin working toward this goal in high school. They should take courses in biology, chemistry, and mathematics (“Important Facts about Dental Hygienists”). These courses will prepare students for the classes they will encounter once they enter a dental program. Any hands on experiences such as internships are also recommended (Walsh 23). This will give students a realistic view of what day to day life would be in the profession. If after an internship someone still wishes to pursue a career in this important field, they will need to enter a dental program. “Specific entrance requirements typically vary from one school to another” (Walsh 23). …

Here I have cited info that I paraphrased (put into my own words) Since this is a book source I have to put the page number By simply using the word important I have reminded my reader of my thesis that dental hygienists are vital. Here I have cited a direct quote (written exactly as it appeared in my source) from my book source.

Finish writing your paper • As you write make sure you connect topics back to your thesis statement • Make sure all info in some way supports your thesis: someone should be able to read any section of your paper without your reading your introduction and still know what you are trying to prove. • Use a mix of paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation throughout your paper • If you list a source on your works cited page, you have to use it in your paper • If you use a source in your paper, you must list it in the Works Cited

Conclusion paragraph • Your conclusion paragraph should restate your main points and leave your reader to think more on your topic. • Example: A career as a dental hygienist is an excellent possibility for anyone wishing to work one on one with people, help others, and have a steady job. Dental hygienists are often taken for granted in the dentist’s office, but they are an important part of the office. They work to ensure patients’ oral health is a priority. They work patiently to educate people on the impact that oral health has on their overall health. Dental hygienists may be creating a healthier tomorrow one smile at a time.