What is the “research” part of this paper?

Why Should Writers Research?• Research means evidence

• Like lawyers in a jury trial, writers must convince audiences of the validity of their argument by using evidence effectively. As writers, we must also use evidence to persuade our readers to accept our claims. But how do we use evidence to our advantage? By leading our reader through our reasoning.

• The process of putting together your argument is called synthesis, but first you must analyze or interpret evidence in order to support, test, and/or refine a claim. The chief claim in an analytical essay is called the thesis.

The Thesis Statement

• A thesis provides the controlling idea for a paper and should be original (that is, not completely obvious), assertive, and arguable. A strong thesis also requires solid evidence to support and develop it because without evidence, a claim is merely an unsubstantiated idea or opinion.

When should you incorporate evidence?

• Once you have formulated your claim, your thesis-- you should use evidence to help strengthen your thesis and any assertion you make that relates to your thesis. Here are some ways to work evidence into your writing:– Offer evidence that agrees with your stance up to

a point, then add to it with ideas of your own.– Present evidence that contradicts your stance in

order to argue against (refute) it and therefore strengthen your position.

– Use sources against each other, as if they are experts on a panel discussing your proposition.

– Use quotations to support your assertion, not merely to state or restate your claim.

Evidence• Evidence appears in paragraphs in the form of

quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. Each form of evidence must be cited in your paper, not just on the Works Cited page. Citing evidence means distinguishing the information from your own and giving credit to your sources.

• There are plenty of acceptable ways to use citations, but here are three standard ways of doing so. Be sure to note both the transitions and lead-in phrases!

Quote: According to Source X, “direct quotation” (citation).

Paraphrase: Although Source Z argues that [his/her point in your own words], a better way to view the issue is [your own point] (citation). (notice there aren’t quotation marks—you borrowed the ideas, not the exact words)

Summarize: Source P’s main points are Y, W, and R (citation).

Weak and Strong Uses of Evidence

• In order to use evidence effectively, you need to integrate it smoothly into your paragraph by following this pattern:

– State your claim.

– Give your evidence, remembering to relate it to the claim.

– Comment on the evidence to show how it supports the claim.

– 1 CD:2 CM!!!!!!!!

• Remember that your job during the course of your essay is to persuade your readers that your claims are feasible and the most effective way of interpreting the evidence.

• In other words, manipulate the information, so it helps prove your claim or thesis.

What are citations?

Parenthetical Citations

““When should I document or cite When should I document or cite information in a research information in a research paper?”paper?”

1) Always document the source of a direct quotation or visual in your text.

2) Document the source of material paraphrased from someone else’s work

3) Document an idea that originates from someone else

Why do I have to document my research?• MLA style also specifies guidelines for formatting

manuscripts and using the English language in writing and also provides a writers with a system for cross-referencing their sources--from their parenthetical references to their works cited page.

• This cross-referencing system allows readers to locate the publication information of source material.

• This is of great value for researchers who may want to locate your sources for their own research projects.

• The proper use of MLA style also shows the credibility of writers; such writers show accountability to their source material.

• Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism--the purposeful or accidental use of source material by other writers without giving appropriate credit.

When should I NOT document When should I NOT document or cite information?or cite information?

• When facts are widely found in reference books.

Example: Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States.

• When facts are widely accepted theories.Example: The sun is composed of hot gases

•If you are not sure whether a particular fact is generalized or specialized knowledge, give its citation.

What do you mean by citations?

• Citations are how you create a map for the reader to find what you found in your research.

• Citations show that you are giving credit to other people for researching the information, for doing the studies, for thinking of the information that you are using.

• You use citations to show when you have “borrowed” information to support what you are trying to prove.

• The more citations from various sources you can find the more believable your argument is because you are showing your audience that you are not the only one who believes or thinks what you think.

• Citations also help show the reader what you are trying to prove.

How does someone know when I’m citing something?

• You put information that is not originally yours in “quotation marks” or you set it off by indenting it into a block quotation.

• You put parentheses ( ) placed as close as possible to the borrowed words or ideas. They directly follow the quoted material.

Example:– Transition, Lead-in “quoted,” paraphrased or

summarized material (citation).– One simple solution is to “educate more people

about the repercussions of such acts” (Ford 78).• Each citation gives just enough information to lead

the reader to the full source listing in the Works Cited Page.

What is the Works Cited Page?

• This is the map your create for your reader of the research or evidence you have for your paper.

• It lists all the resources you have cited in your paper.

• You should create it first because it will show you what you should put in the parentheses of your citations (Ford 94).

Works Cited PageWorks Cited

Anderson, J. "Keats in Harlem." New Republic 204.14 (8 Apr. 1991): 23-45.Astin, Alexander W. Achieving Educational Excellence. Washington: Jossey-Bass,

1985.Banner, Lauren P. and George Washington. "A Hypertext History of Multi-User

Dimensions." MUD History. 5 Dec. 1994 <http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/lpb/mud-history.html>.

Bush, George. Phone Interview. 25 May 2004.Christie, John S. "Fathers and Virgins: Garcia Marquez's Faulknerian Chronicle of a

Death Foretold." Latin American Literary Review 13.3 (Fall 1993): 21-29.Creation vs. Evolution: "Battle of the Classroom." Videocassette. Dir. Ryall Wilson,

PBS Video, 1982. (MLA) 58 min.Ford, Betty. Someone To Watch Over Me. New York, Prentice Hall, 2006. 65-78.Lacan, Joe. "Freedom and Behavior Control." Encyclopedia of Bio-ethics, I, 93-101.

(MLA) New York: Free Press, 1992."Money is great." Compton's Handbook. New York: Harper Press 1977. 80-91.Mumford, David. “Blue Dolphins are Good for the Environment.” Dolphins. New

York: Harcourt Brace and World, 1963.Mumford, Lewis. The Highway and the City. New York: Harcourt Brace and World,

1963.- - -. Highways Around the World. New York: Prentice, 1967.“The Poets History of Life.” Masterplots. GALILEO. 4 Mar. 2005 Berkmar Media

Center, Lilburn, GA 25 Oct. 2004 <www.gpc.galileo.edu>.

Works Cited and Parenthetical Documentation (citations)

• All the words in green on the works cited page are what you will used to cite that article in your paper.

• Usually, the author’s last name and the page number or numbers from which the material is taken is the only information given.

• No commas between author and page number, nor is there a “pg” before the page number.

• Correct (Ford 78) Incorrect (Ford, 78)(Ford 74-8). (Ford 74-78)

(Banner and Washington 67) (Ford, pg 78-81)(D. Mumford) (Banner, Washington)

(Mumford, D.)

What the citations will look like in your paper:

• Now this idea does create some problems in that many parents are afraid to punish their children too harshly because of social service interference (which is justified in many cases): "Most parents [today] are afraid to impose physical discipline because they're afraid they'll lose their children. They're afraid a social worker will show up at their door" (McLaughlin 3).

• Additionally, “because social workers focus primarily on low-income Americans, tough laws unfairly target the poor” (McLaughlin 3), so if these families were to impose stricter discipline codes at home, the social workers might “target” them and charge them with child abuse.

• If you have two authors for one article: (Banner and Washington)• If you have two articles by the same author:Works Cited Page---. At the beginning of the entry means, same author.(L. Mumford, Highway) (L. Mumford, Highways)In Paper: (Author, “first real word of article” pg) You must do this for both articles by

the same author. (Lacan, “Help” 567)[The First “real” word of an article will not be “A”, “An” or “The”]• Two articles with same last name of author.In Paper: (First initial. Last name 76). (L. Mumford 76)• Articles with no author, but beginning with same first “real” wordWorks Cited Page Example:“Native American History.”…..

“Native American Legal Workings.”…

In Paper: (“First word…first dissimilar word” pg)(“Native…History” 214)(“Native…Legal” 56)

Special citing cases

You try—write the citation for all of the entries below

Works CitedAnderson, J. "Keats in Harlem." New Republic 204.14 (8 Apr. 1991): 23-45.Astin, Alexander W. Achieving Educational Excellence. Washington: Jossey-Bass,

1985.Banner, Lauren P. and George Washington. "A Hypertext History of Multi-User

Dimensions." MUD History. 5 Dec. 1994 Berkmar Media Center, Lilburn, GA. 25 Mar. 2004 <http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/lpb/mud-history.html>.

Bush, George. Phone Interview. 25 May 2004.Christie, John S. "Fathers and Virgins: Garcia Marquez's Faulknerian Chronicle of a

Death Foretold." Latin American Literary Review 13.3 (Fall 1993): 21-29.Creation vs. Evolution: "Battle of the Classroom." Videocassette. Dir. Ryall Wilson,

PBS Video, 1982. (MLA) 58 min.Ford, Betty. Someone To Watch Over Me. New York, Prentice Hall, 2006. 65-78.Lacan, Joe. "Freedom and Behavior Control." Encyclopedia of Bio-ethics, I, 93-101.

(MLA) New York: Free Press, 1992."Money." Compton's Precyclopedia. 1977 ed., X, 80-91.Mumford, David. “Blue Dolphins are Good for the Environment.” Dolphins. New

York: Harcourt Brace and World, 1963.Mumford, Lewis. The Highway and the City. New York: Harcourt Brace and World,

1963.- - -. Highways Around the World. New York: Prentice, 1967.“The Poets History of Life.” Masterplots. GALILEO. 4 Mar. 2005 Berkmar Media

Center, Lilburn, GA 25 Oct. 2004 <www.gpc.galileo.edu>.

What to Use and When• The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses

following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number (s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.

For example:• Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of

powerful feelings" (263).

• Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

• Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

Why is the author’s name in one and not the others? Why do two have quotation marks, but not the last?

• The citation, both (263) and (Wordsworth 263), tells readers that the information in the sentence can be located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Wordsworth, they would find the following information:

• Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford U.P., 1967. 245-278.

Parenthetical Citation Examples:

• Metaphors work the same as archetypal symbols to point out higher truths (Lacan 142).– Why aren’t there quotation marks?

• In explaining his theory of the “Superman,” Nietzsche states, “‘You look up when you want to be exalted. I look down because I am exalted’” (Christie 5). – Why does it say “Nietzsche states…” but there is a different

person in the parentheses?• Banner states in his article that “few people know the truth about

the universal being. Few people care” (456).– Why isn’t there an author in the parentheses?

What to Quote

• Quote only sentences, passages, or words that are especially succinct, memorable, or powerful. Save direct quotations for brilliant comments, controversial statements, certain statistics, and personal testimony that you believe will strengthen your argument.

• If a quotation is long, or if you can say it better or more concisely, paraphrase it (restate it in your own words). Remember, you must indicate a source even when paraphrasing. Keep direct quotations to a minimum because it is your ideas, your argument that counts to convince your readers.

PLAGIARISM• All direct quotations, paraphrases, and ideas not the student’s own or not

common knowledge must be documented. Not doing so results in plagiarism. First, all direct quotations must be placed in quotation marks and acknowledged in the text by a parenthetical reference. Secondly, all paraphrases and summaries must be documented even though they are not placed in quotation marks. Plagiarism may result from using the words, ideas, or even a sentence pattern of someone else. The following are examples of different types of plagiarism.

• Quoting a passage without quotation marks or parenthetical reference—using author’s words and ideas.

• Paraphrasing without a parenthetical citation—using another’s ideas.• Using a direct quotation as a paraphrase with a parenthetical reference—

giving credit for the ideas but not the words.• Improper paraphrasing with a parenthetical citation—giving proper credit for

the ideas but not for the words.• Using a synonym for each word of a quotation—using the author’s sentence

pattern and ideas.• Reverse plagiarism—making up a quotation and author instead of finding

one to support your point.DON’T DO IT.

How to incorporate Quotes into my Paper

• Always integrate quotations into your text. NEVER DROP A QUOTATION IN YOUR ESSAY! They are called “FLOATING QUOTES.” They will cost you five points a pop.

• In other words, you must use your own words to introduce a quotation.

• The good old standby--So-and-so said, "blah blah blah"--is the very least you can do.

• Even better is when you can use some select words and phrases from a quotation and integrate them into a sentence of your own (always putting those words or phrases in quotation marks, though).

Quote Incorporation Examples

• Additionally, “because social workers focus primarily on low-income Americans, tough laws unfairly target the poor” (McLaughlin 3), so if these families were to impose stricter discipline codes at home, the social workers might “target” them and charge them with child abuse.

• Metaphors work the same as archetypal symbols to point out higher truths (Lacan 142). (Paraphrase)

• In explaining his theory of the “Superman,” “‘Nietzsche states, ‘You look up when you want to be exalted. I look down because I am exalted.’” (Christie 5) (direct)

• Banner states in his article that “few people know the truth about the universal being. Few people care” (456).

Incorporating Quotations into my Paper

Maintaining a smooth sentence style• In order to make your own writing flow as smoothly as possible, it's

usually best to use only an effective part of a quotation as part of one of your own sentences. So instead of boring your reader with this:

• The narrator says, "Who can even imagine me looking a strange white man in the eye?" (232).

write something like this:• The narrator asks if anyone could imagine her "looking a strange

white man in the eye" (232). And this:• At one point the mother says, "I used to think [Dee] hated Maggie,

too" (233).is not as good an integration as this:• At one point the mother admits that she "used to think [Dee] hated

Maggie, too" (233).

INTRODUCING QUOTATIONS AND PARAPHRASES: COLON

• Each quotation and paraphrase should be introduced in the body of the paper so that the reader may readily distinguish between the borrowed material and independent ideas. The quotation should be used to support a point already made, not to make the point. Of course, you may incorporate quoted phrases in your sentence to use a phrase particularly well said.

Following are some examples of proper introductions using colons:

• E.A. Robinson’s text from “The Man Against the Sky” is as follows:

• A more subtle example occurs in Edgar Allan Poe’s “An Essay on Criticism”:

• Hemingway concludes:• Swift comments:• In “The Figure a Poem Makes” Frost points out:• A.H. Quinn has written:

• (Taken from Ms. Fisher of Berkmar HS)

Preparing for & following up on a quotation: THE SANDWICH

• To integrate a quotation properly within a paragraph, a good writer usually writes one sentence to introduce the quotation, a second sentence with a lead-in that includes the quotation, and a third sentence or two to comment on the significance of the quotation.

• It’s called the SANDWICH METHOD with TLQ!!!TLQ(CD)CMCM

(Transition, Lead-in, Quote, commentary, commentary)

• Begin with a transition from the previous sentence; lead into the quote; give the quote; then follow up with some commentary

• ORIGINAL: The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees.

SMOOTHLY INTEGRATED QUOTATION: Hemingway uses the image of a momentary darkness to suggest the woman's growing disillusionment. After her quarrel with the man, “the shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain . . ." (21). A similar shadow gradually develops over their relationship.

Preparing for and following up on a quotation (sandwich)

• ORIGINAL: That look of seeing into things, of seeing through a thing to something else, was in the eyes of the sheriff's wife now.

SMOOTHLY INTEGRATED QUOTATION: Mrs. Peters sometimes appears to be almost supernatural. For example, Glaspell describes her "look of seeing into things, of seeing through a thing to something else . . ." (333). However, this "look" really demonstrates a sense of intuition rather than any magical powers.

Here's another example:• ORIGINAL: "You don't have to call me by it if you don't want to,"

said Wangero.

SOMEWHAT SMOOTHLY INTEGRATED QUOTATION: The new and supposedly improved Dee tells her mother that

she doesn't "'have to call [Dee] by [her new name] if [she doesn't] want to'" (234).

• This quotation is technically correct (notice also the correct use of single quotation marks for dialogue), but three changes within such a short quotation render it a bit awkward.

• In general, if you have to change more than two items in a short quotation, it's better to find another way to write it. One way is just to paraphrase it:

The new and supposedly improved Dee tells her mother that she doesn't have to use her new name, Wangero, if she prefers not to (234).

Ineffective Use of QuotationToday, we are too self-centered. “We are consumers-on-the-run…the very notion of the family meal as a sit-down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their next activity” (Gleick 148). Everything is about what we want.

• This example is ineffective because the quotation is not integrated with the writer’s ideas.

• Notice how it is dropped into the paragraph without any connection between the claim and the quotation.

• Furthermore, the quotation’s significance is not discussed, which makes it difficult for the reader to see the relationship between the evidence and the writer’s point.

A More Effective Use of Quotation

Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don't matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence, as James Gleick says in his book Faster, “we are consumers-on-the-run…the very notion of the family meal as a sit-down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their next activity” (148). Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, that connection has become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity.

• The second example is more effective because it follows the guidelines for incorporating evidence into a paragraph.

• Notice, too, that it uses a “lead-in” phrase to introduce the direct quotation. This “lead-in” phrase helps to integrate the quotation with the writer’s ideas. Also notice that the writer discusses and comments upon the quotation immediately afterwards, which allows the reader to see the relationship between the quotation and the writer’s point.

• SANDWICH, SANDWICH, SANDWICH, TLQ, TLQ, TLQ

REMEMBER: Discussing your evidence’s significance develops and expands a paper!

Verbs to Introduce Quotesacknowledge declare object adddemonstrate observe admit denyOffer advise describe opposeagree disagree point out allowdiscuss personify analyze displayPortray answer dispute reasonargue emphasize refute askendorse reject assert exemplifyRemark believe exhibit replyCharge explain report claimExpress Respond comment findreveal Compare grant seecomplain illustrate show concedeimply speculate conclude insistState concur interpret suggestconfirm list suppose Considermaintain think contend noteWrite criticize

Formatting the text of quotations• Short Quotes—Quotations that constitute fewer than

four lines in your paper should be set off with quotation marks [ “ ” ] and be incorporated within the normal flow of your text.

Example:It is unquestionable that the “lack of parental responsibility undeniably contributes to the growing number of juveniles caught up in criminal behavior” (“Parents” 20).

Long or “Block” Quotes

For material exceeding four lines typed, • omit the quotation marks • indent the quoted language one inch from

your left-hand margin (two tabs). – If an indented quotation is taken entirely from one

paragraph, the first line should be even with all the other lines in that quotation; however, if an indented quotation comes from two or more paragraphs, indent the first line of each paragraph an additional one-quarter inch.

• Put the period before the citation.

Block Quote Example

• Maybe this will cause the parents to sit up and notice their children, which may be the reason many of them act out and commit the crimes they do. Despite the critiques of such programs, some state and local authorities press on for the following reasons:

Their reasoning is twofold. “One part is punitive, saying parents have to

pay attention to their kids,” says NCSL's Ms. Fairchild. The other part is the recognition that the problem may not be only with the child but with

the family, too, she says. (McLaughlin 3)

Beginning and Ending Paragraphs• Do not begin a paragraph with a

citation.–It should be a transitioning topic

sentence.• Do not end a paragraph with a

citation. –It should end on commentary if you

are doing your sandwiching right.

Punctuating QuotationsYour essay is your argument• Too many quotations, too many voices, can

overpower your own. Quotations should fit into your argument, not appear out of thin air.

• They should be grammatically consistent with the rest of your essay. If punctuation, pronouns, and verb tenses don't flow with your own words, paraphrase and cite the needed material, or make minor changes within the quotation, surrounding them with brackets [ ]. All quotations should be unobtrusive.

•Borrowed from L. Boyd, winter 1996.

Changing or adding words within a quotation

• Use brackets to indicate any changes you make to quotations while fitting them into your sentences (for reasons of style, verb tense, or general understanding).

• "Most parents [today] are afraid to impose physical discipline because they're afraid they'll lose their children," says Dana Mack, author of ‘The Assault on Parenthood.’ ‘They're afraid a social worker will show up at their door." (McLaughlin 3).

• [sic] means the error is theirs, not yours. Put it right next to the incorrect word or punctuation.– Many “poeple [sic] smoke at least once in their life” (citation).

Leaving something out of a quotation

• Notice the ELLIPSES (. . .) in the above quotations. Please notice that there ARE SPACES between each dot.

• Ellipses indicate, of course, that some unnecessary words, phrases, clauses have been left out of a quotation.

• Note that when you quote just a word or a short phrase rather than a whole sentence, no ellipsis is necessary.

• Use four …. when indicating deletion of whole sentences in the middle of your quotes. T-L “quoting, quoting…. Quoting, quoting” (citation).

. . . NEVER• Also, do NOT use an ellipsis to

indicate that you have left out the BEGINNING of a sentence “…part of sentence” (citation).

• only missing words from the end or somewhere in the middle of a sentence need to be indicated with an ellipsis. TL“part of sentence…” (citation).

• TL, “Beginning of a sentence . . . the end of the sentence” (citation).

Punctuating Quotations• If quotation marks appear within the text of a

quotation that already has the usual double-quote marks [ “ ” ] around it (a quote-within-a-quote), set off that inner quotation with single-quote marks [ ‘ ’ ] . Such a quote-within-a-quote within an indented quotation is marked with triple-quote marks.– “‘Give me that bird,’ the woman screamed”

(Glaspell 55).

• “‘Make sure the third quote mark faces the correct direction’” (citation).

“’Most parents [today] are afraid to impose physical discipline because they're afraid they'll lose their children,’ says Dana Mack, author of The Assault on Parenthood. ‘They're afraid a social worker will show up at their door’" (McLaughlin 3).

•For further information: http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/quotation.htm

Punctuating Quotations• In the United States, the usual practice is to place

periods and commas inside quotation marks, regardless of logic. Other punctuation marks — question marks?, exclamation marks!, semicolons;, and colons: — go where logic would dictate. Thus, we might see the following sentences in a paper about Robert Frost:

The first two lines of this stanza, "My little horse must think it queer / To stop without a farmhouse near," remind us of a nursery rhyme.

• (Note, also, the slash mark / (with a space on either side) to denote the poem's line-break.) But observe the placement of this semicolon:

There is a hint of the nursery rhyme in the line "My little horse must think it queer"; however, the poem then quickly turns darkly serious.

• Pay close attention to the placement of commas and periods in the use of citations.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Revising Your Paper:

• 1) Do I avoid generalizing in my paper by specifically explaining how my evidence is representative?2) Have I offered my reader evidence to substantiate each assertion I make in my paper?3) Do I thoroughly explain why/how my evidence backs up my ideas?4) Do I provide evidence that not only confirms but also qualifies my paper’s main claims?5) Do I use evidence to test and evolve my ideas, rather than to just confirm them?6) Do I cite my sources thoroughly and correctly?

• Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Internet Resources

• http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/mlaparen.html

• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html#Electronic