Worksheet  #1  Narrowing  Your  Essay  Topic  

1.    According  to  the  UVic  Writer’s  Guide,  why  is  it  important  to  find  a  

topic  of  interest?  

•  It  will  be  more  sHmulaHng  and  will  help  you  write  a  more  convincing  essay.  

2.    What  results  if  your  topic  is  too  broad?  

•  A  vague  and  generalized  essay  that  is  uninteresHng  to  the  student  

3.    What  are  the  three  categories  to  narrowing  a  topic?  

•  General  subject:    •  Narrowed  topic:  •  Specific  topic:  

4.    Using  the  three  categories,  narrow  a  topic  of  your  own  choice.  •  EXAMPLE:  •  General  subject:      teacher  

•  Narrowed  topic:    high  school  teacher  

•  Specific  topic:      high  school  literature                  teacher  

Using  Credible  Sources  

hUp://plagiarism.umf.maine.edu/valid.html  

1.    What  six  quesHons  should  you  ask  about  any  source  used  for  

informaHon?  •  Who?  

•  Who  is  the  author?    What  are  his/her  credenHals?    

•  What?  

•  What  informaHon  is  available  from  this  resource?    

•  Where?  

•  Where  did  the  author(s)  get  the  informaHon?    Are  citaHons  provided?  

•  When?  •  When  was  the  resource  produced?    (For  books,  check  the  copyright  date.    For  arHcles,  check  the  publicaHon  date.    For  websites,  look  for  a  "created  on"  or  "last  updated  on"  date.)    

•  Why?  •  Why  does  this  resource  exist?    Is  the  purpose  to  entertain,  persuade,  inform,  etc.?    Is  the  resource  biased?    

•  How?  •  How  comprehensive  is  the  resource?      Does  it  go  into  the  depth  you  need?  

2.    What  is  plagiarism?  

•  Plagiarism,  strictly  speaking,  is  the  stealing  of  words,  ideas,  images,  or  creaHve  works.    

3.    If  you  decide  to  use  a  direct  quote,  what  punctuaHon  must  you  use?  

•  If  you  decide  to  use  a  quote,  you  must  use  quotaHon  marks.    Use  quotes  only  when  the  author  presents  the  informaHon  in  a  unique  way,  when  there's  no  beUer  way  to  say  it.    To  avoid  confusion,  always  add  the  quota3on  marks  during  the  note-­‐taking  process.  

4.    For  parentheHcal  citaHons  in  MLA  style,  what  informaHon  must  you  list  in  

order  to  give  proper  credit  to  the  source?  

•  For  parentheHcal  citaHons  in  MLA  style,  you  will  need  the  author's  last  name  and  the  page  number(s)  on  which  the  quote  appears.  

EXAMPLE  

•  From  only  one  cyber-­‐hate  site  at  the  Hme  of  the  Oklahoma  City  bombing  in  1995  to  more  than  2,800  by  2001,  "The  Internet  has  put  the  problem  of  incendiary  hate  into  sharp  relief,  raising  many  difficult  poliHcal,  legal,  and  social  quesHons"  (Leets  287-­‐288).  

5.    What  is  paraphrasing?  

•  When  you  paraphrase,  put  the  thought  enHrely  into  your  own  words.    A  close  paraphrase,  any  paraphrase  that  mimics  the  original  sentence  structure,  is  plagiarism.      

Worksheet  #3  

WriHng  a  Thesis  Statement  

hUp://wriHng2.richmond.edu/wriHng/wweb  

thesis.html  

1.    What  is  a  thesis  statement?  

•  A  thesis  statement  unifies  a  paper.  

2.    Why  is  it  important?  

•  The  thesis  statement  can  help  "map"  a  paper  as  it  suggests  an  order  or  direcHon  for  the  paper's  development.  

3.    What  can  a  good  thesis  statement  act  as  for  your  paper?  

•  It  should  act  as  mortar,  holding  together  the  various  bricks  of  a  paper,  summarizing  the  main  point  of  the  paper  "in  a  nutshell,"  and  poinHng  toward  the  paper's  development.    

4.    The  sentence  aher  your  thesis  might  list  what  informaHon?  

•  The  sentence  aher  the  thesis  statement  suggests  an  obvious  path  for  development.  

•  Judy  Syfer's  essay,  "I  Want  a  Wife,"  exaggerates  the  marital  expectaCons  facing  women  in  our  society  today.  

•  The  following  sentence  could  conHnue:  •  Those  expectaCons  include  managing  a  household,  maintaining  a  career,  and  having  a  good  relaConship  with  a  spouse.  

5.    Where  should  the  thesis  statement  come  in  your  research  paper?  

•  It  should  be  included  in  the  introducHon.  

6.    Should  a  thesis  statement  be  general  or  specific?  

•  General  

7.    Can  a  thesis  statement  be  revised  during  the  researching  and  

wriHng  process?  

•  YES!    You  may  find  informaHon  that  is  more  interesHng  to  you  than  something  you  already  had  wriUen  in  your  thesis.  

OUTLINES  

hUp://webster.commnet.edu/MLa/format.shtml  

1.    Why  is  wriHng  an  outline  recommended?  

 Using  an  outline  can  help  you  organize  your  material.  

2.  Define  a  Working  Outline.  

•  A  Working  Outline  is  an  informal  list  of  topics  and  subtopics  which  you  are  thinking  of  covering  in  your  paper.  

3.    What  is  the  purpose  for  wriHng  and  using  a  Final  Outline?  

•  A  Final  Outline  should  enhance  the  organizaHon  and  coherence  of  your  research  paper.  

4.  How  should  you  try  to  arrange  the  informaHon  included  in  an  outline?  

•  Outlines  can  be  organized  according  to  your  purposes.    

•  Example:  *  chronological  *  cause  and  effect  *  compare/contrast  *  logical  

5.    What  is  the  difference  between  a  topic  outline  and  sentence  outline?  

•  A  final  outline  can  be  wriUen  as  a  topic  outline,  in  which  you  use  only  short  phrases  to  suggest  ideas,  or  as  a  sentence  outline,  in  which  you  use  full  sentences  (even  very  brief  paragraphs)  to  show  the  development  of  ideas  more  fully.    

6.    In  an  outline,  logic  requires  what?  

•  Logic  requires  that  if  you  have  an  "A"  in  your  paper,  you  need  to  have  a  "B";  a  "1"  requires  a  "2,"  and  so  forth.  

Formaong  the  MLA  Research  Paper  

Worksheet  #5  

hUp://webster.commnet.edu/MLA/format.shtml  

1.    What  size  paper  should  be  used?  

•  Use  white,  8  ½  x  11-­‐inch  paper.    

2.    What  margins  should  be  used  for  the  text?  

•  Leave  one-­‐inch  margins  all  around  the  text  of  your  paper  -­‐-­‐  leh  side,  right  side,  and  top  and  boUom.    

3.    How  far  should  each  paragraph  be  indented?  

•  Paragraphs  should  be  indented  half  an  inch  (tab  buUon).  

4.    What  does  The  MLA  Guide  say  in  regard  to  spacing?  

•  The  MLA  Guide  says  that  "the  research  paper  must  be  double-­‐spaced,"  including  quotaCons,  notes,  and  the  list  of  works  cited.  

5.    Is  a  Htle  page  needed  in  MLA  format?  

•  Your  research  paper  does  not  need  a  Htle  page.  At  the  top  of  the  first  page,  at  the  leh-­‐hand  margin,  type  your  name,  your  instructor's  name,  the  course  name  and  number,  and  the  date  -­‐-­‐  all  on  separate,  double-­‐spaced  lines.    

6.    Where  should  the  Htle  for  the  paper  be  placed?  

•  Double-­‐space  again  and  center  the  Htle  above  your  text.  (If  your  Htle  requires  more  than  one  line,  double-­‐space  between  the  lines.)  Double-­‐space  again  before  beginning  your  text.    

7.    What  informaHon  should  be  included  in  the  header  on  the  upper-­‐right  hand  corner  of  each  page  of  your  

research  paper?  

•  Number  your  pages  consecuHvely  throughout  the  manuscript  (including  the  first  page)  in  the  upper  right-­‐hand  corner  of  each  page,  one-­‐half  inch  from  the  top.  Type  your  last  name  before  the  page  number.  

8.    What  margin  should  be  used  for  the  header?  

Half  inch  margins  should  be  used  for  the  header.  

CitaHons  in  Text  

Worksheet  #6  

hUp://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch  

citmanage/mla#ciHng  

1.    MLA  formaong  uses  parentheHcal  citaHons,  which  suggests  that  what  punctuaHon  is  used  

around  the  citaHons?  

Parenthesis  

2.    What  informaHon  is  given  in  an  in-­‐text  citaHon?  

•  Give  only  the  informaHon  needed  to  idenHfy  a  source.  Usually  the  author's  last  name  and  a  page  reference  suffice.  

3.    Where  should  the  parentheHcal  reference  (citaHon)  be  placed?  

•  Place  the  parentheHcal  reference  as  close  as  possible  its  source.    Insert  the  parentheHcal  reference  where  a  pause  would  naturally  occur,  preferably  at  the  end  of  a  sentence.  

4.    Should  sentence  punctuaHon  come  before  or  aher  the  citaHon?  •  The  parentheHcal  reference  should  precede  the  punctuaHon  mark  that  concludes  the  sentence,  clause,  or  phrase  that  contains  the  cited  material.  

Worksheet  #7  Works  Cited  Page  

hUp://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla/sample.shtml  

1.    What  order  is  used  for  the  Works  Cited  page?  

•  alphabeHcal  

2.    What  spacing  must  be  used  on  the  Works  Cited  page?  

•  double  

3.    What  do  you  noHce  about  the  indenHon  that  is  used  on  a  Works  

Cited  page?  •  The  line  is  only  indented  if  the  citaHon  is  longer  than  one  line.  

4.    What  is  the  first  thing  that  should  be  listed  in  each  entry  (if  stated  in  the  source)  of  the  Works  

Cited  page?  

•  Author’s  name  (last,  first)  

5.    What  Htle  must  be  used  for  this  page?  

•  Works  Cited  

6.    Does  this  page  use  a  header  with  a  page  number?  

•  Yes  

7.    How  many  sources  were  used  on  the  Works  Cited  page  listed  on  this  web  page?  

•  28  

8.    Should  entries  listed  on  a  Works  Cited  page  be  numbered?  

•  No