What is a Research Paper A research paper

What is a Research Paper? • A research paper is like a report. • Before you write it, you use books, articles, the internet, and other sources to gather information about your topic. • You GATHER information from these sources and use that information in your paper to tell your readers about your topic.

WAIT……WHAT? ? ? • A research paper is actually a WRITTEN piece of WORK IN YOUR OWN WORDS that fully discusses a topic that you have spent time learning about. It is to be in depth and intelligent, with support from credible sources. This paper will be YOUR work, but you have based your knowledge on the credible work of others.

Choosing a Topic • Our research paper topic: – After reflecting on your future, choose your career and research various aspects of the career and work to prove/convince your audience that this is a choice worth pursuing.

Things to consider when NARROWING a topic • Do some general reading on your topic so that you become familiar with various aspects of it. • Establish the purpose of your paper. What will you be informing the reader about? Think about the specific ideas that will support your points. • Focus on a particular aspect of your topic that will lend itself to the sources available.

Choosing a Topic Research the following subtopics on your career: Ø Ø Ø Job Description (Impact/purpose) /Duties/Wages Personal Characteristics/Skills Needed Education/Training Needed

JOB IMPACT /DUTIES/WAGES § § What is the purpose/impact of this job? What duties/responsibilities are required? What hours would you work? What is the range of wages that an experienced worker can earn?

Personal Characteristics/Skills § What important personal characteristics are needed to be happy and successful in this occupation? § What skills are valued or beneficial to the job? (ex: computer, building, writing, math) § What personal values does this career provide that are important to you? (Examples: security, having fun, status, helping others, challenging…)

Education/Training needed § What specific high school classes and activities would be most helpful in preparing for this career? § What type of education or training would be needed after high school? (Certification/Bachelor’s/Master’s/Doctorate) § List possible colleges/school where you plan to receive training or where you plan to attend. § How long does education or training take to complete?

Counterargument When arguing a point, it is important to consider what the opposition would say in response to your claims. • What are the “down sides” or negative aspects of the job? *You must work to acknowledge the counterargument while also using your research to refute them.

When I start researching, how do I know if a site is CREDIBLE? You should know that only a few select sites can be credible. Follow this checklist to ensure that you can actually use the source. 1. Know the name of the AUTHOR of the site, and their credentials (Dr. , Researcher, Journalist, etc…) 2. Know what company or organization this site affiliated with. 3. Know WHERE this site exists. (Usually Angle. Fire, My. Space or blogger pages and their like ARE NOT credible). 4. Know what type of information is being conveyed. 5. There must be useful information you can gather for your study. 6. Know when the site was updated last.

Examples: http: //www. Houghton. Mifflin. com/historical/vampire/ht ml Borne From Gaves and Charnel Houses. by: Dr. Julian Smithee PHD of Supernatural Lit, Cambridge College. Following the strange trails of the vampire through history leads down any number of false dark alleys and real dark corridors. However they are regarded, stalker or carrion rogue, the vampire seems to permeate every society in the world in one form or another. Yet where do these creatures originate from? Why do they differ in appearance and behavior from country to country? And above all, why are such murderous creatures so terrifying yet so attractive to us at the same time? To explore the true birth place of the vampire, we must look at two of the greatest empires in the world and their sub-cultures. The Greeks and the Egyptians were simultaneously the most powerful and populace empires in the known world. Thus, it is only fitting that from such great societies come the world’s most renowned fiends. Somewhere around eighty years before the birth of Christ, we find the first written evidence of vampiric happenings in Greek grave yards and Egyptian tombs. pg. 1 http: //www. geocities. com/Morgan. LF/vampires. html Vampires are undoubtedly the coolest creatures out there. In comparison to werewolves or ghosts, neither is more real or more powerful than the vampire. I myself am a vampire, and so it is with pride I tell you about myself to scare you a little more…people taste better when they’re scared. I, like all vampires, originate from Los Angeles. Some people think vampires are from other places, but the true vampires are seen only in LA clubs. I’ve been to N. Y. clubs, and they’re just posers. Despite popular belief, vampires have been around as long as humans…longer, actually. We began as angels, fallen like the demons, but we made our way from Hell to earth where our lesser forms developed into humanity. Real vampires do not develop, we feed and continue. pg. 1

• From the good site you could clearly see WHO wrote the article, WHY they were a credible source, and INFORMATION that would actually help you with your research. Furthermore, look at the WEB ADDRESS, (Houghton Mifflin is a school textbook company, thus a trustworthy source). • The bad site is quite opposite. It is based on opinion, “I am a vampire…. ” Has irrelevant quotes as to helping you, and has no credible author or company to back them up. Furthermore, look at the address. Any time it is from Geocities, Angelfire, Tripod, a personal blog, or any other company that allows any and all individuals to make personal web pages, it is usually NOT a credible or accepted source.

Step 1 in Research Paper Once I start researching my topic, what do I do with the information? • First, survey information to make sure this is the topic you are going to commit to. • Once you have confirmed a credible and useful source. Print the information OUT. • Be sure to collect all source information. You can copy and paste into Microsoft Word, but be sure to include all necessary info. • Complete the Sources handout and compose your Works Cited page.

How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources? MLA Works Cited • MLA stands for Modern Language Association. It is a specific format we will follow. This will all be explained to you in class.

Step 2 in Research Paper • Develop THESIS statement • Located in the introduction, a THESIS statement tells the reader specifically what will be PROVED in the written paper. • From this point forward, after we have gathered our research and narrowed our topics, you will use your subpoints to develop thesis statement. Example: Nursing is a valuable career choice because it is provides economic stability, while promoting compassion and care for others. • Ultimately, everything that you write should connect to your THESIS statement.

Step 3 in Research Paper • Read and highlight sources: • You will need to read through each source and highlight information that you think will be beneficial to use in your research paper. • Not all the information is connected to YOUR specific topic. • As you read, confirm sub-topics that narrow down your specific topic even more.

Step 4 in Research Paper • Begin to develop note cards from your sources: • We will discuss the process of creating note cards in class once we have reached this point. • Note cards help you narrow your information even further and help us practice paraphrasing information in our own words rather than simply copying from a source. Note cards will be organized according to subtopics.

Step 5 in Research Paper • Develop OUTLINE • Once all note cards are completed, we will then organize our note cards into three piles: • Job duties/wages • Characteristics/skills • Education/training • Counteragrument • We will then organize our information into an OUTLINE. You will receive several samples of outlines and we will thoroughly discuss in class how one can type an outline in Microsoft Word. • The outline is a precursor to writing the research paper. The paper will follow the EXACT order of your outline.

Step 6 in Research Paper • Develop the rough draft! • Once complete, we will edit, proofread and revise to make the final copy!

How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources? INTRODUCTION: • HOOK – Your Attention Grabber • Brief discussion/explanation of topic • Thesis Statement clearly stating opinion or point of view on topic

How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources? BODY PARAGRAPHS (each sub-topic will be 1 paragraph): • Explanation of Sub-Topic # 1 • 2 Supporting Evidence w/ source citations • Explanation of Sub-Topic # 2 • 2 Supporting Evidence w/ source citations • Explanation of Sub-Topic # 3 • 2 Supporting Evidence w/ source citations • Counterargument • 1 supporting evidence w/ source citation

Including your research • Learn how to include Parenthetical Citations: • Parenthetical citations give credit to the author or source you retrieved your information from. • You must understand that a research paper focuses on the information you have retrieved from other sources, NOT your own information, therefore the researched information needs to “cited”. • It’s very simple: Whenever you provide a specific quote or evidence that is not your own, you will put the author’s last name and page number of where you retrieved your information. SAMPLE: In a recent study by the FDA, researchers found that over 70% of high school students have thought about taking steroids in order to enhance their performance (Livingston 56). Parenthetical Citation

How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources? CONCLUSION • Rephrased Thesis Statement • Briefly discuss main points (sub-topics) again • Think Big Picture – Attention Grabbing Statement. Leave the reader with a thoughtprovoking sentence or question for closure.

Final thoughts… • Every step in the research paper process is graded and will contribute to the final product. If you choose to fall behind at any point in the process, it will affect the final product/grade. • Remember to always adhere to MLA guidelines and directions. • Pay attention to details!!! • Take PRIDE in your work and REMEMBER: it reflects your work ethic and commitment to excellence.