chapter twenty-two writing a research paper
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Chapter Twenty-Two Writing a Research Paper. College Writing Skills , 5E and College Writing Skills with Readings , 5E John Langan. 1) Select a topic that you can readily research. 2) Limit your topic and make the purpose of your paper clear. 3) Gather information on your limited topic. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
College Writing SkillsCollege Writing Skills, 5E , 5E and and College Writing College Writing Skills with ReadingsSkills with Readings, 5E, 5E
John LanganJohn Langan
Chapter Twenty-Two
Writing a Research PaperWriting a Research Paper
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper
1) Select a topic 1) Select a topic that you can readily research.
2) Limit your topic2) Limit your topic and make the purpose of your paper clear.
3) Gather information 3) Gather information on your limited topic.
4) Plan 4) Plan your paper and take notes.take notes.5) Write 5) Write the paper.
6) Document 6) Document accurately.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper
Step 1: Select a topic that you Step 1: Select a topic that you can readilycan readily research. research.
• Check your library’s catalogcatalog (or that of a major online library or bookseller) to be sure there are booksbooks on your topic;
• Check periodicals indexesperiodicals indexes to be sure there are articlesarticles on your topic;
• Do an online searchonline search to see whether reliablereliable sitessites on your topic exist.
If sufficient information exists, go ahead! Otherwise, modify your topic.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper
Step 2: Limit your topic and Step 2: Limit your topic and make the purpose of your paper make the purpose of your paper
clear.clear.• A research paper should thoroughly
develop a limited topiclimited topic -- one that can be developed fully in 10 pages or so.• Pay attention to subject headingssubject headings as
you research your general topic -- these can help you limit your focus.limit your focus.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperStep 2: Limit your topic and make the Step 2: Limit your topic and make the
purpose of your paper clear.purpose of your paper clear. Remember, research papersresearch papers generally have one of two
purposespurposes:1: to make and defend a pointto make and defend a point of some kind
(e.g., elected officials should be limited to elected officials should be limited to a single term in officea single term in office);
2: to present informationto present information about a topic (e.g., the the most recent scientific findings about the most recent scientific findings about the effect of diet on heart diseaseeffect of diet on heart disease).
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperStep 3: Gather information on Step 3: Gather information on
your limited topic.your limited topic.Try to gather all the information you need in
one place:• Check out booksCheck out books you need from your library,
or request them via interlibrary loaninterlibrary loan.• Make copies of relevant articlesMake copies of relevant articles, or read
them and make careful notes. (Some online articles can be printed out in their entirety.)
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperStep 4: Plan your paper and take Step 4: Plan your paper and take
notes.notes.• Prepare a scratch outline for your paper that shows
both its thesisthesis and the areas of supportareas of support for the thesis.Thesis: There are things parents can do to There are things parents can do to
overcome the negative influences hurting their overcome the negative influences hurting their familiesfamilies..
Support: (1) (1) Create quality time with familiesCreate quality time with families(2) (2) Increase families’ sense of Increase families’ sense of
communitycommunity(3) (3) Minimize the impact of media and Minimize the impact of media and
technologytechnology
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper• Write your notesnotes on index cardsindex cards or
loose-leaf paperloose-leaf paper, or type them into computer filescomputer files.• Notes should be in the form of–direct quotationsdirect quotations–summariessummaries in your own words–a mixa mix of direct quotation and summary
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper•Direct quotations Direct quotations must be reproduced
faithfully: if you omit unnecessary words, supply an ellipse ([. . .])ellipse ([. . .]) in their place; if you supply a word or capitalize a letter to clarify meaning, you must indicate that you have done so using [[bracketsbrackets].].
• Otherwise, quotes must be written exactlyexactly as they appear in the original.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper• In summariessummaries, you condense original
material by expressing it in your own words. •SummariesSummaries may be written as lists, brief
paragraphs, or both.• In paraphrase,paraphrase, you also express the
original material in your own words, but do not condense.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperKeep in mind the following:Keep in mind the following:
• Write on only one sideone side of each card or piece of paper, and only one kind of informationone kind of information on each. (If using a computer filecomputer file, decide whether each file should contain notes on a single topicsingle topic or from a single sourcesingle source.)
• Write a topic headingtopic heading at the top of each card.• Identify the source and page numbersource and page number at the
bottom.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper
Beware of PlagiarismPlagiarism!If you do not document
specialized information or ideas that are not your own, you will be plagiarizingplagiarizing -- stealingstealing,, in
other words!When in doubt, When in doubt,
DOCUMENTDOCUMENT..
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperNotecard:Notecard:
Direct QuotationDirect Quotation
Movie content
“We cannot guarantee that bad things will happen, but we can argue that good things are not happening[. . .]. [I]ncreasing numbers of young people are left to their own devices at a critical point in theirdevelopment.”
Medved and Medved, 62
topic heading
ellipse: indicates omitted material brackets: indicate
capital not in original
source, page number
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperNotecard:
SummaryMovie content
Study conducted in 1996 showed that of PG-13 movies, 91 percent had crude language, 89 percent had obscene language, 45 percent had actual or suggested sex. Worrisome because most parents assume PG-13 movies are OK for their kids.
Medved and Medved, 62
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperStep 5: Write the paper.Step 5: Write the paper.
• Make a final outline and use it as a guide to write your first full draft.first full draft.–a topic outlinea topic outline contains your thesis
plus supporting words and phrases;–a sentence outlinea sentence outline includes the
above excpressed as full sentences.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper• In an introduction,introduction, include a
thesis statement expressing the purpose of your paper and indicating the plan of developmentplan of development that you will follow.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research Paper• As you move from your
introductionintroduction into the main main bodybody and conclusion, strive for–UNITYUNITY–SUPPORTSUPPORT–COHERENCECOHERENCE–SENTENCE SKILLS!SENTENCE SKILLS!
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperStep 6: Document accurately.Step 6: Document accurately.• You must tell the reader the sources
of the borrowed material in your paper. • The documentation style used by the
Modern Language AssociationModern Language Association is relatively simple and widely accepted. Follow the rules for this system described in your text, unless your instructor specifies another.
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Writing a Research PaperSample In-Text CitationSample In-Text Citation
Book with a single authorBook with a single author
Other parents work at home, even if it means earning less money than before. “[H]eading home is a real possibility for those parents who can master the new home-office technology [. . .]. If enough people can manage to do this, the neighborhoods might once again come alive for workers and their children” (Louv 285).
start of quoteellipse: indicates omitted material
source, page number
end of quote
capital in brackets indicates capital not in original
© 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E
Chapter 22
Louv, Richard. Children’s Future. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
Writing a Research PaperSample Works Cited EntrySample Works Cited Entry
Book with a single authorBook with a single authorindent second and subsequent lines .5 inch
author’s name, last name first
publisher
place of publication
title, underlined or in italics
year of publication