Writing Research Papers Begin with a question By
Writing Research Papers
Begin with a question By starting with a specific question you set yourself up to conduct more specific research. By asking a question, you can quickly check to see if you are setting out to INFORM or to PERSUADE. For this research paper you should be INFORMING your audience – if you question is asking for an opinion, rather than clearly state facts, you need to rework it. You can keep refining your question to get more and more specific General statement: The history of jazz Refined statement: The importance of jazz General opinion question: Why is jazz the most important style of music? General fact question: What is the importance of jazz? Refined Fact Question: How had jazz influenced modern music? Refined Fact Question Further: How has jazz influenced rap? Refined Fact Question Even Further: How has the jazz of John Coltrane influenced the rap of Kendrick Lamar? Ect. You can keep refining and getting more specific.
Find Resources What kind of resources might help? Educational websites (. edu) Government or non-profit organizational websites (. gov, . org) Books Articles from reliable sources Where would I go to find these resources? Google Scholar Advanced Google Searches Google Books Galileo
Google Scholar will pull reliable articles for you – no extra work required.
Be sure to look and see if a full-text version of your article is available. The link will show up on the right hand side of the result.
Advanced Google Searches
Advanced Google Searches You can narrow your search to only. org, . gov, or. edu websites by typing the domain into the ‘site or domain’ search bar. This ensures you pull from appropriate domains, and don’t accidently begin referencing information from a. net or. com website.
You can also simply type in ‘site: . edu’ or ‘site: . gov’ after your search term to narrow your results down to specific domains. Notice the green url underneath each of the website links – all the results are from. edu websites, which means they are safe to use for your research.
Google Books allows you to search for specific topics within books, without having to go to the library or buy them!
Search for a specific book, or for a topic Ø Below the blue link to the book you’ll want to check and see if it has ‘preview’ or ‘full text’. Ø You will only be able to search within books that have those options.
Once you find a book you’d like to use, open it and you can search for more specific topics inside – the left hand side of the screen will have another search bar for this. Once you type in a search term, Google will generate a list of pages where those terms appear – you can read through them to decide where in the book you’d like to begin reading.
The pages in the book will have your search terms highlighted – making it easier to find the information you are looking for. Be sure to bookmark the book, and right down the page numbers you are using! Google will not do this for you.
Galileo - a database from which you can access reliable, peer reviewed articles
Watch the video below on the different ways you can search Galileo
Find Resources How do I know if the information is reliable? Does it pass the CRAP test?
Interpret Information Now that you’ve begun researching and looking up information, what should you do with it? Simple: ANSWER THE QUESTION YOU STARTED WITH. Look at the notes you’ve taken, the sources you’ve pulled – and try to answer the question as directly as you can in less than two sentences. THIS IS YOUR THEISS STATEMENT …and the basis for the rest of the work you will do on this paper. From here, you can begin to organize your paper to prove this answer to us.
Review your sources to make sure they support the answer you’ve come up with. Which parts support my answer? What parts do not support my answer? Do you really want to include it? You are trying to answer your own research question, not create new ones. Is it common knowledge? Strike-through them – don’t use them in your paper so you do not get off topic. Does it raise new questions? Pull those out, highlight, and annotate them to cite in your paper. If so, you don’t need to cite it. How important is it to understanding the answer to my question? Consider sharing the most important information first in your paper.
Report Finding/Write Paper – What is my main point? Thesis Statement An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper. Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement: Jazz music has evolved and changed since the early 20 th century, and its influence can be seen in rap music today in rhythmic experimentation and lyrics that remark on societal issues.
Report Finding/Write Paper – How should present my information? Outlining Outline your research paper first! It will save you a lot of headache down the road, and make the whole process easier. Once you’ve developed your thesis statement, think about the main points you’ll need to present to support that statement. Those main points are your sub-headings. Now, organize your thoughts and information under each sub-heading. Any information that doesn’t fit within the subsections of your outline, and doesn’t directly support your thesis statement, no matter how interesting, doesn’t belong in your research paper.
Introduction Here’s where you present the background and context for the rest of your paper. Craft a strong opening sentence that will engage the reader. Just because you’re writing an academic research paper doesn’t mean you have to be dry and boring. Set the context – Provide general information about the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and the claims you make and support. State why the main idea is important – Tell the reader why he or she should care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and convincing essay people will want to read and act upon. State your thesis/claim – Compose a sentence or two answering your initial question clearly and concisely.
How does all of my information connect? Body Paragraphs – Presentation of Information Topic Sentence This should clearly state what the topic of this paragraph is, and what will be examined. This should support thesis statement. Subsequent topic sentences in the paper will need to transition from previous topics. Supporting Details Supports the topic sentence with researched evidence. Depending on the topic for the paragraph, you can have any supporting details. Be sure the organize them in the way that most logically supports the topic sentence for this paragraph. You will need to integrate paraphrases and direct quotes from your sources within each body paragraph – be sure to cite your sources! Concluding sentence and transition to the next paragraph NOTE: You can have as many body paragraphs as you need to fully support your thesis statement. THIS IS NOT A FIVE PARAGRAPH ESSAY.
Conclusion Most research papers conclude with a restated thesis statement. Present your thesis again, but reword it. Briefly summarize the points you’ve made. Avoid phrases like "in conclusion. . . , " "in summary. . . , " or "in closing. . " These phrases can be useful, even welcome, in oral presentations. But readers can see by the tell-tale section heading and number of pages remaining to read, when an essay is about to end. You'll irritate your readers if you belabor the obvious. Don't surprise the reader with new information in your conclusion that was never referenced anywhere else in the paper. If you have new information to present, add it to the discussion or other appropriate section of the paper.
MLA Citation The in-text citation is a brief reference within your text that indicates the source you consulted. It should properly attribute any ideas, paraphrases, or direct quotations to your source, and should direct readers to the entry in the list of works cited. For the most part, an in-text citation is the author’s name and the page number (or just the page number, if the author is named in the sentence) in parentheses. Work Cited Alphabetical order Hanging indent Double spaced Separate page Only the words Works Cited at the center of the page at the top with no italics, bold, underlining, or quotation marks
MLA Format
Editing and Revising Developmental Edit Line Edit Is your thesis statement clear and concise? Is your language clear and specific? Is your paper well-organized and does it flow from beginning to end with logical transitions? Do your sentences flow smoothly and clearly? (Hint: Read your paper aloud to help you catch syntax problems. ) Do your ideas follow a logical sequence in each paragraph? Have you avoided filler words and phrases? Have you checked for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation? Have you used concrete details and facts and avoided generalizations? Do your arguments support and prove your thesis? Have you avoided repetition? Are your sources properly cited? Have you checked for accidental plagiarism?
- Slides: 26