Research Papers

The easy and fun way!

Don’t just redo what has been done before Come up with a thesis before you begin your

research This will narrow your search. It will also help you write a paper that is truly

your own.

Coming up with an Idea

Webs Lists Venn Diagrams

Ways to Brainstorm

Herman Melville

Bartleby the

Scrivener

Use sources that are credible and offer

scholarly information. Databases are a good place to look.

Find information for the other side of the argument and be able to refute it.

Use at least 4-6 resources Designate a special folder for the paper in

which you can keep all of your research organized.

Finding Information

Is there an author? What kind of publication is it from? Looking at the URL can tell you a lot about the

website.

How to Know if a Source is Credible

http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/

melville.htm

Indicates a personal page within a larger page

A school site

Narrow down your sources to the ones that are

most valuable and provide you with the most information.

Paraphrase the information in your own words. Your paper should sound like you wrote it!

Use the notes you took on the text and use the text as a reference.

Cite what you take directly from the text properly. Give credit where credit is due!

Compressing What You Find

Here is an example of citing within a paper:

In her article “When Chaos Is Come Again: Narrative and Narrative Analysis in Othello,” Marcia Macaulay states, “Othello clearly has no stomach for the version of events Desdemona presents to him” (267).

The author and her article are mentioned within the sentence with the page number indicated at the end. It is clear to the reader where the statement came from.

This is not the only way that this source can be cited within the text.

How to Cite

On the Works Cited page included at the end

of the paper, it would state: Macaulay, Marcia. “When Chaos is Come Again:

Narrative and Narrative Analysis in Othello.” Style. 39.3 (2005): 259-276. Academic Search Complete. EBSCOhost. Web. 4 December

2010.

How to Cite

Refer to your handbook for

different variations. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ is a

great up-to-date reference on proper documentation.

Guidelines for Citations

Organize your ideas.

Writing an outline is a great way to organize and to make sure you have enough information to write your paper.

Make sure you have a strong thesis and that your information supports your thesis.

The Writing Process Begins

Write the body and the conclusion of the

paper first. Include quotations from sources using the

“sandwich structure”– lead up to a quote, state it, and support it.

Then write the introduction. With the body already written, it will be easier

to write the introduction and will be able to better inform the reader what the paper is going to be about.

Create an attention-grabbing title.

Some Tips

Avoid words like “I”, “you”, contractions, “I

believe”, “I think”. These are all passive and weaken your

authority. The paper is written by you and will

automatically reflect what you think! Write as if it is going to be published. Do not deviate from the MLA structure. Once

again, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ is a great resource.

More Tips

Revising is much more than hitting spellcheck. Read through your paper more than once and

read it out loud. Ask yourself:

Does the paper flow? Is it well organized? Does the evidence support the thesis? Are the format and citations done correctly? What grade is this paper capable of receiving?

How does it fall using the rubric?

Revising

Ask a peer to read the paper. Ask me or another English teacher for advice. A paper is never perfect! Always be looking

for ways to improve.

Revising