Transcript Drafting Your Research Essay

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ENC 1102,
Freshman Composition II
Drafting Your
Research
Essay
First Page Concerns
• Insert MLA-style page numbering—your last
•
•
•
name and the page number, starting on the
first page.
Include a heading.
Give the paper an interesting, correct title.
 Do not underline your title.
 Do not add quotation marks around the
title.
 Capitalize all major words.
 Avoid funky fonts.
The __________ [Insert your subject]
would be a boring title for this essay.
Wrighter 1
Wanda Wrighter
Professor Simmons
ENC 1102
October 17, 2011
Franken Food:
What People Need to Know About GMOs
General Structure for the Essay
Hook
Provocative Question
Thesis Statement
[separate paragraph]
Section A
Section B
Section C
Section D
[subheading
and 2 body
paragraphs]
[subheading
and 2 body
paragraphs]
[subheading
and 2 body
paragraphs]
[subheading
and 2 body
paragraphs]
Correct Use of Names
• The first time you mention a person, use
that person’s full name and identity.
 Dr. Melissa Shusett, a cardiologist at Johns

Hopkins, …
Stan Winston, a reporter for The New York
Times, …
• The second time you mention the
person, use that person’s last name
only.
 Shusett
 Winston
Body Paragraphs
• You must have at least eight body
paragraphs in the research essay.
• All body paragraphs must have at
least one quotation from a
source.
• All quotations must have four things:
 An authority phrase
 Correct punctuation
 Accurate wording
 A parenthetical reference [when
necessary]
Turn your Evidence
Worksheets into
body paragraphs.
Step 1: Write a
topic sentence
that reflects
one part
of your
thesis statement.
(See Brach’s
sample paper.)
Step 2: Find the
Evidence Worksheet
that supports the
topic sentence.
Step 3: Edit and/or
fix the summary
from the Evidence
Worksheet.
Step 4: Add your
quotation.
Be sure that
you do not repeat
information from
the summary.
Use this formula for your
quotation:
authority phrase +
“quotation” +
(documentation
when necessary).
Psychology Today explains the
process this way: “Lipoic acid,
found in beef, spinach and broccoli,
… combats memory loss in lab rats”
(Aaronson 63).
As Lauren Aaronson, a dietary
researcher, explains, “Lipoic acid,
found in beef, spinach and broccoli,
… combats memory loss in lab rats”
(63).
Common Authority Phrases
• According to Name of Source,
• According to Author of Source, Person’s
Importance,
• According to Someone in Source, Person’s
Importance,
• As Name of Source explains,
• As Author of Source, Person’s Importance,
explains,
• As Someone in Source, Person’s Importance,
explains,
Common Authority Phrases
• According to the Wall Street Journal,
• According to Jane Smith, a reporter for the
Wall Street Journal,
• According to James Jones, a finance
consultant since 1985,
• As the Wall Street Journal explains,
• As Jane Smith, a reporter for the Wall Street
Journal, explains,
• As James Jones, a finance consultant since
1985, explains,
Step 5: If necessary,
document your
quotation.
Step 6: Add your
relevance as the
conclusion for the
paragraph.
(Be sure to cut From
this source my
reader will learn
that ...)
Ta-da!
One paragraph is
done, seven more
to go!
(Repeat Steps 1 - 6
for each Evidence
Worksheet.)
First, Topic Sentence,
Then Summary,
Then Quotation,
Then, if necessary,
Documentation,
And finally Relevance.
Compose Your Four Headings
• Find your preliminary thesis statement and
reread it.
• Has your research caused you to make changes?
• Now write your official thesis statement.
• The thesis statement must indicate the four parts
•
of your paper.
Compose your four subheadings.
 Use phrases, not complete sentences.
 Keep the phrases parallel.
 Capitalize all major words.
 Bold and underline the subheadings.
Parenthetical
References with Books
• If you do not mention the author in the
•
•
introductory tag, use the author's last
name and the page number in the
reference.
If you use the author in the introductory
tag, include only the page number in
the parenthetical reference.
The one period that ends the entire
sentence follows the reference.
No author in the introductory tag:
According to Drug War Facts, “methadone treatment reduced
participants’ heroin use by 70%, their criminal activity by 57%, and
increased their full-time employment by 24%” (McVay 197).
Author in the introductory tag:
According to Douglas McVay, author of Drug War Facts,
“methadone treatment reduced participants’ heroin use by 70%,
their criminal activity by 57%, and increased their full-time
employment by 24%” (197).
Parenthetical References
with Online Sources
• If you do not mention the author in the introductory
•
•
•
•
tag, use the author's last name.
If you use the author in the introductory tag, no
parenthetical reference is necessary.
If you do not have an author, use an abbreviated
title in quotation marks, like this: (“Few
Successes”)
The one period that ends the entire
sentence follows the parenthetical reference.
If the quotation does not have a reference, the
period comes before the closing quotation mark.
No author in the introductory tag:
According to The New York Times, Matt Harding’s dance video is
“an almost perfect piece of Internet art” (McGrath).
Author in the introductory tag:
Charles McGrath, a reporter for The New York Times, considers
Matt Harding’s dance video “an almost perfect piece of Internet
art.”
All parenthetical
references must
flawlessly match the
entry on the works
cited page.
Establish a flawless match
between parenthetical reference
and works cited page entry:
According to Drug War Facts, “methadone treatment
reduced participants’ heroin use by 70%, their criminal
activity by 57%, and increased their full-time employment
by 24%” (McVay 197).
McVay, Douglas. Drug War Facts. Toronto: Chelsea House
Publishers, 2003.
Write the Conclusion
• Write one sentence that summarizes
the main idea of the paper.
• Write one sentence of summary for
each of your four main points. Remind
your reader of the good ideas you
covered.
• End with a thoughtful last statement.
You can have an opinion here or
address the reader directly.
• The conclusion must be at least 6
sentences.
Final Version
• Your essay is due in class on
Thursday, _______________________.
• You must put the essay in my
hands.
• Remember to bring your score
sheet.
• You must also submit a copy to
SafeAssign. No SafeAssign copy =
zero.
The End.