The Research Project Learning the Process Thinking about

The Research Project Learning the Process

Thinking about the paper Once you have completed all of your note cards, you must draft an outline. Outlines are a list of how your paper will be organized. You Should: § § § § Outlines must be typed Decide which note cards you will use for your paper and group them by paragraph (which paragraph are you using them in? – you can label them with the Main Topic Numeral from your outline if you desire). Title the outline. Main ideas are chief points. Label them with Roman numerals (I, III). Subtopics of main ideas are labeled using capital letters (A, B, C). Details for subtopics are labeled with numbers (1, 2, 3). Follow rules for indenting - see sample on next slide.

Sample Outline –Decide where paragraph breaks will be Title of Outline I. Main Topic A. Important subtopic B. Important subtopic 1. Detail a. Sub-detail b. Sub-detail c. Sub-detail 2. Detail 3. Detail a. Sub-detail II. Main Topic

Thesis • The answer to a question that you have posed • A statement that takes a position on a debatable topic

Format of Intro – Attention getter (commonly known as a “hook”) – Introduce the topic – State thesis

3 Part Thesis 1. Set up the who, what, when, where of your topic. 2. State the point you will prove in your paper. This is the broad answer to your research question. 3. Explain how you will organize the evidence from your research in the paper to prove your point. Think of this as the major section subtopics.

Prom Version 1. Who, what, when, where 2. Although + answer to question. 3. Evidence to prove point

Example • Introductory Statement (establish the setting): It is impossible to talk about great female aviators in American history without discussing the achievements of Amelia Earhart. • Position statement (Although statement): Although her aeronautic prowess was great, she is often overlooked as the iconic player in the women’s rights movement that she was. • The Broad Organization (Major Subtopics that help prove your position statement): Amelia Earhart was especially influential because of her position in the public eye, her achievements, both in and out of the air, her fame and her actions for women’s rights.

From Notes to Paper • Write a topic sentence for your 1 st paragraph • Take your first notecard and decide what part of it you want to use • Quote • Paraphrase • Summarize • Footnote!

Direct Quote – Use SPARINGLY “In preparation a lot of emotional and financial investment can be made. However, it's important to remember that the more hopes and money are invested in the occasion, the greater the anticipation that is created, the harder that expectation is to fulfill when it becomes unrealistically high. ”

Paraphrase • Paraphrasing is often defined as putting a passage from an author into “your own words, ” but following the same structure as the original.

Summarize • Summarizing is defined as taking a passage from an author and putting it all into your own words, regardless of structure.

Writing the Rough Draft Remember: • Your paper should be typed, double-spaced (format, font, line spacing = double), with 1” margins (file, page set-up, margins = change right and left from 1. 25” to 1”). • Only use Times New Roman or Arial font size 12. Do not bold anything, only underline book titles (poems and short stories go in quotes). • Put your last name and page number in the top right hand corner (view, header and footer, align right from main toolbar, type last name, space, choose the # sign from the header toolbar, close) • Your paper should be an organized paper with an Intro, body paragraphs and conclusion.

Adding Internal Citations Remember to include parenthetical, or internal, citations when you use information from your note cards. Citations go in parenthesis at the end of your sentence, but before the end punctuation. See your MLA handbook pg. 14 -21 more info. The most common ways to cite your source: 1. Cite the author’s last name and the page number where you found the information = (Smith 2). 2. Use the author’s last name in your sentence, and give the page number at the end of the sentence = Edgar Wolf says, “…” (48). 3. For Anonymous works, use the title and page or paragraph number = (Inherit the Wind 5).

And Finally: The Works Cited Page This is where your source cards come into play. If your source cards are done correctly, you will be able to transfer the information directly to the works cited. See your MLA book pg. 35 for sample. v v v Skip down five lines after the end of your paper and center the title: Works Cited Do not bold, underline or make this any bigger!!! Only list the works that you have actually cited in your paper. List them in alphabetical order. Indent each line after the first in an entry (5 spaces). Double-space the works cited, but do not include any additional spacing between entries. Do not bold, number or letter the entries.

Edit the Rough Draft • Once you have typed up your initial copy of the paper, make sure to give it a read through. In fact, reading aloud will help you detect errors you might miss by reading it silently. Have your parents, friends or a teacher take a look as well. • If you are missing any information, you may have to go back to your sources, or even find more sources. Add your new info, then edit again