Transcript Hip Purple Template - Smithville High School

Research Project
English I
What is a research paper?

A research paper is an essay which
contain facts, figures, and opinions
gathered from outside sources.
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Examples of sources include:
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Books
Magazine articles
Scientific papers or journals
Pamphlets
Credible online sources
Interviews
Research Topics
In English I, you will research a person who
could be considered a hero, and write a paper
in which you prove or disprove this status.
 You must choose a person from the list and sign
up in class. Only one person per class may be
researched.
 You will have time in the lab to research a few
topics to find one of interest.—this is the
ONLY time you can use Google and/or
Wikipedia.

Research Questions
The topic is the broad view.
 Research questions are more specific questions
about a topic.
 Once you have a topic, you need to write 5-7
questions that you will want to answer through
your research. These are called “component
questions”.
 These questions will guide your research and
your essay.

Example of Topic and Component Questions

Main Topic: Jonny Cash

Component Questions:
◦ What did Johnny Cash contribute to music?
◦ What was his most impressive achievement?
◦ What were some of his political views, and how did he express
them in his music?
Where we will NOT find information

Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. are search engines. We
will not use these.
General Google searches are forbidden!

The Internet is a great tool, but anyone with a
computer can post information.

Weeding through the junk can take up too
much time.
Where we WILL find information
Online Academic Databases

collections of published articles from reputable
sources.
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They weed out the junk and you can generally trust
the sources.
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In addition, databases make finding sourcing
information needed for Works Cited pages easy.
Databases available through the EHS
library:

The EHS Library has access to several databases,
including:
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SIRS: This site is designed for high school research;
good for topical, controversial issues.
GALE: newspaper and periodical articles, academic
journal articles, and a biography resource center,
which we will mostly be using.
EBSCO: This is a history reference database
Facts on File News Archive: Newspaper and
magazine article archive, plus fact sheets about issues
and controversies.
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Note Sheets: Collecting info
Taking notes is the best way to collect and
understand the information you read.
 Taking notes, rather than simply highlighting,
is also a way to start putting much of the
information you will use in your own words.
 This will help you begin to “write” your
paper even before you start a first draft.
 You MUST take notes by hand for this
project.You may not copy and paste into a
word document.

Notes Sheet Layout
MLA Citation:________________________
Main Idea of article (your own words):______________________
Facts/ Examples/ Supporting details:_________________________
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Direct Quotes: Words taken directly from source.—use quotation
marks!
Paraphrase: Retelling in detail something you’ve read in your own
words. This can be done for an entire paragraph or an entire piece.
Summarize: Telling the main ideas of a selection concisely, in logical
order, but in your own words.
Parenthetical Documentation
and Works Cited Page

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We will be using MLA style in writing this
research paper. This stands for “Modern
Language Association”. This is the style used
most often in the liberal arts—history,
languages, sociology, education, etc.
MLA style requires you to cite your sources in
two ways:
◦ Works Cited Page
◦ Parenthetical citations
Works Cited Page
A complete list of every source of
information used in your paper.
 Provides information necessary for a
reader to locate and retrieve any sources
in your essay.
 Gives credit to the authors of the
information upon which you relied to
write your paper.

Sample Works Cited Page
Alphabetized by
author’s last
name.
 Different kinds
of sources
require different
information.
 A list of source
types and
examples will be
given.

Works Cited

Most citations will need the following
basic information:
◦ Author’s name
◦ Title of work
◦ Publication information (where was it
published, when, by whom?)
Parenthetical Citations
These are citations that go within the
body of your paper.
 You need to cite a source whenever:

◦ You quote exact words from a source
◦ You paraphrase information or ideas from a
source
◦ You summarize information or ideas from a
source
Handling quotes in text
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Author’s last name and page number must appear
somewhere in the text. Two different ways this
can be done:
◦ Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
◦ Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked
by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).
Notice that there is no comma between author and page
number, and that the period goes AFTER the citation.
More tips on parenthetical citations

Sometimes you will need more information in the
citations: If you have sources with the same last name,
include first initial, for example.
◦ (W. Wordsworth 23); (D. Wordsworth 224)
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If the source has no author, then use an abbreviated
version of the title:
◦ Full Title: “California Cigarette Tax Deters Smokers”
◦ Citation: (“California” 14)

If the source is only one page in length or is a web page
with no apparent pagination:
◦ Source: Dave Poland’s “Hot Button” web column
◦ Citation: (Poland)
MLA Style Books
When in doubt, refer to a copy of the
MLA style manual.
 We will have copies of these in the
computer labs.
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Outlining
After your research is complete, and
before you actually begin writing, you
need to organize your work.
 Group together note sheets with similar
or exact topics.

◦ Use each of these groups as a main section of your outline.
◦ Within these groups, cluster note cards together into subgroups.
Begin with general information, and behind these put supporting
details, quotes, and statistics that support the main point.
Topic Outline and Sentence Outline
The topic outline is simply an outline that
allows you to begin building some logical form.
This outline includes key phrases and topics.
 A sentence outline is a more thoroughly
written outline that will be an early model for
your first draft. This should include full sentence
structure, intro, thesis, parenthetical citations,
and conclusion.
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Research Paper Guidelines
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Paper:
◦ Must be 3-5 typed pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, with
standard margins.
◦ At least three sources used
◦ Must contain parenthetical citations whenever outside information is used.
(Be it direct quote or paraphrasing. )
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Format:
◦ MLA style
◦ Each source must be used at least once.
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Notes sheets
◦ You should have a completed packet of notes
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Works Cited:
◦ Alphabetical order
◦ List all sources
◦ One source card per listed source