Research Unit2015

Choosing a Topic: Freshman FocusFor this project, you may choose a topic of your choice. It must be: Something you’re curious about Genuinely interesting to youToday, you will write 1-2 topic options on a sticky note after looking around in the library. Make sure your topic is not too broad or too narrow.

You will also check out a book about your favorite of the three topics.

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Choosing a Topic: Pre-AP Students OnlyFor this project, you may choose a topic of your choice. It must be: A topic you’re curious about A question that you will be able to answer through inference and inductive reasoning

Example: What are the most effective ways of increasing my flexibility?

You will also check out a book about your favorite of the three topics.

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Choosing a TopicDouble-check your topic:Is it something I’m curious about?Is it something that’s genuinely interesting to me?

Is it too broad?Is it too narrow?Will there be enough information on it?

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Finding Credible SourcesThere are two types of sources. First hand research is research you have

conducted yourself such as interviews, experiments, surveys, or personal experience and anecdotes.

Second hand research is research you are getting from various texts that has been supplied and compiled by others such as books, periodicals, and Web sites.

Regardless of what type of sources you use, they must be “credible.” In other words, your sources must be reliable, accurate, and trustworthy.

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Finding Credible SourcesHow do I know if a source is credible? Who is the author? Credible sources are written by

authors respected in their fields of study. Responsible, credible authors will cite their sources so that you can check the accuracy of and support for what they've written. (This is also a good way to find more sources for your own research.)

How recent is the source? The choice to seek recent sources depends on your topic. While sources on the American Civil War may be decades old and still contain accurate information, sources on information technologies, or other areas that are experiencing rapid changes, need to be much more current.

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Finding Credible SourcesHow do I know if a source is credible? (Continued) What is the author's purpose? When deciding which

sources to use, you should take the purpose or point of view of the author into consideration. Is the author presenting a neutral, objective view of a topic? Or is the author advocating one specific view of a topic? Who is funding the research or writing of this source? A source written from a particular point of view may be credible; however, you need to be careful that your sources don't limit your coverage of a topic to one side of a debate.

Be especially careful when evaluating Internet sources! Beware of using sites like Wikipedia, which are collaboratively developed by users. Because anyone can add or change content, the validity of information on such sites may not meet the standards for academic research. Look for “.gov” or “.org” at the end of a URL!

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Activity: Find 2 credible sources on your topic!

Then, start your Works Cited (Bibliography) page the 2 internet sources you’ve found and all the sources Mr. Fuller found for you. You should have 5-6 sources total!

MLA (“modern language association”) format for a bibliography is shown below:

Websites: Author’s last name, author’s first name. “Title of the Article.” Name of entire website. Date of publication. Date of access.

Example:

Doing Research: MLA Bibliography

Activity: Finish your Works Cited (Bibliography) page the 2 internet sources you’ve found and all the sources Mr. Fuller found for you. You should have 5-6 sources total!

MLA (“modern language association”) format for a bibliography is shown below:

Websites: Author’s last name, author’s first name. “Title of the Article.” Name of entire website. Date of publication. Date of access.

Example:

Doing Research: MLA Bibliography

Writing Research Questions: Pre-AP StudentsTo help guide your research, write 3-4 guiding research questions on your paper. Later, these can help you organize your paper!

Example: What are the most effective ways of increasing my flexibility?

1. How “warm” do my muscles need to be before I stretch?

2. What kind of assists can I use on each of my stretches?

3. How long do my holds need to be in order to accustom my body to each stretch?

4. Are there limitations in stretching that I won’t be able to get past?

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Finding Credible SourcesActivity: Continue writing your Works Cited (Bibliography) page by listing the 1 book and the 4-5 internet sources you’ve found (5-6 sources total).

Books: Author’s last name, author’s first name. Title of the Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

Websites: Author’s last name, author’s first name. “Title of the Article.” Name of entire website. Date of publication. Date of access.

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ParaphrasingThe word “paraphrasing” means:To put something into your own words

It’s similar to summarizingIt ensures that you aren’t just copying what you’ve read word-for-word: that would be plagiarizing!

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Paraphrasing Read the whole passage first to understand it,

rather than pausing to write notes Be selective. You usually don’t need to

paraphrase an entire passage; instead, choose and summarize the material that helps you make a point in your paper.

Think of what your own words would be if you were telling someone who's unfamiliar with your subject (your mother, your brother, a friend)

Look away from the text! Read the text several times until you feel that you understand it enough to rewrite it in your own words.

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Paraphrasing Read the following passage:

◦ “Satoshi Tajiri first thought of Pokémon around 1989 or 1990, when the Game Boy was first released. The concept of the Pokémon universe stems from the hobby of insect collecting, a popular pastime which Pokémon executive director Satoshi Tajiri enjoyed as a child. Players of the games are Pokémon Trainers, and in the main series Pokémon games, these trainers have two general goals. These are to complete the Pokedex by collecting all of the available Pokémon species found in the fictional region where that game takes place; and to train a team of powerful Pokémon from those they have caught to compete against teams owned by other Trainers, and eventually win the fictional Pokémon League.”

Now, paraphrase what you’ve read to a partner!

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QuotingWhen something is said perfectly, poetically, or there is no possible way to rephrase it, you can put it in “quotation marks” for your paper.

Only a small percentage of your paper should be direct quotes.

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Citing In order to avoid plagiarism, you must cite your sources using parenthetical citations. This means that you tell your readers where you got the information from.

Even if you already put the information into your own words, you still need to cite it! You learned that information from another source – it did not come from your own head.

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CitingAfter the sentence and before the period, put the citation information in (parenthesis). We call this a parenthetical citation. Usually, you would put the author’s last

name and a page number (Jones 43). If there is no page number, just write the

author’s last name (Goodall). If there is no author, put the title of the

work in quotation marks (“Weather in Patagonia” 37).

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Citations in paragraphsSince your paragraphs will be filled with information from various sources, they should have many citations scattered throughout! Example paragraph:The concept of Pokemon is a game in which creatures are captured in capsules, or containers, called Pokeballs to be collected for use in battle (Berri 9). The concept was invented by Satoshi Tajiri, who loved to collect bugs as a kid (Mortenson 32). Pokemon were originally titled “Capumon,” or “Capsule Monsters” (Berri 1). Eventually, the name was changed to “Pokemon,” or “Pocket Monsters,” which had a better ring to it (“Concept of Pokemon”).

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Making a notes page:On a blank sheet of paper (or on your iPad), write out your 3-4 research questions with adequate space between them for bullet-pointed notes. Research question #1

◦Facts, paraphrasings, quotes with citations after each one to show where you got each fact (Jones 25).

Research question #2◦Facts, paraphrasings, quotes with citations after each

one (Cordova 11). Research question #3

Facts, paraphrasings, quotes with citations after each one (“The World of Racing” 739).

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Making a notes page:Doing Research

Citations in paragraphsSince your paragraphs will be filled with information from various sources, they should have many citations scattered throughout! Example paragraph:The concept of Pokemon is a game in which creatures are captured in capsules, or containers, called Pokeballs to be collected for use in battle (Berri 9). The concept was invented by Satoshi Tajiri, who loved to collect bugs as a kid (Mortenson 32). Pokemon were originally titled “Capumon,” or “Capsule Monsters” (Berri 1). Eventually, the name was changed to “Pokemon,” or “Pocket Monsters,” which had a better ring to it (“Concept of Pokemon”).

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Organizing the paper1. Introduction (give a bit of

brief background information on the topic, then state your topic in a position statement)

2. Research question #13. Research question #24. Research question #35. Conclusion

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Changing a quoteYou can change a quote if you need to, but you must follow these rules:Removing part of a long quote: Use an ellipses (…) to show what part you cut out.◦“He was a good student…he always finished his work.”

Changing a word in a quote: You may change a word to clarify something by using [brackets].◦“[Marin] was one of the most accomplished authors of her time.”

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Embedding a quoteIt sounds more fluid when you can make a quote part of a sentence. Examples: According to studies done in Spain, art is more interesting to people when “it comes from the soul.”

When she walked into the room, it was “as though the windows broke and the tiles fell from the ceiling.”

TIP: Introduce your quote briefly, then flow into it!

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Using QuotesPractice using quotes! By the end of the period, find an article on the internet or from a book, and show me that you can do the following:1. Use ellipses…to remove part of a quote2. Change a word in a quote using

[brackets]3. Embed a quote so that it flows in a

sentence

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Pre-AP students: How do I organize my essay other than the “5 Paragraph” formula? Cause and Effect Comparison and Contrast Better and Worse If . . . Then Either . . . Or Chronological Problem/Needs/Solutions Theory/Practice/Example Specific topic/debatable view /significance to the

audience

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Pre-AP students: How can I connect my ideas from paragraph to paragraph?

1. Quickly recap the point of previous paragraph(s)2. Preview where the next paragraph(s) are going3. Highlight the connection between the two ideas

(why are you discussing them in this order?)4. How can you connect your ideas to your thesis?

Attach your Works Cited to the back pageWorks CitedMortenson, Lori. Satori Tajiri: Pokemon Creator. San Diego: Kidhaven Press, 2009.Berri, Glitter. “Early Concept Art.” Game Translations. 2015. 15 May, 2015.“Concept of Pokemon.” Bulbagarden. April 2015. 14 May, 2015.Wakka. “The 150 Original Pokemon.” Giant Bomb. 2015. 15 May, 2015.Plunkett, Luke. “The Man Who Created Pokemon for a Living.” Kotaku. 24 May, 2011. 15 May, 2015.“Parents’ Guide to Pokemon.” Pokemon. N.d. 18 May, 2015.

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Research Paper RequirementsWrite a research paper on a topic of your choice. Your paper must include: Elaboration – quotes, scenarios, descriptions, statistics, definitions, examples, etc.

Information from 5-6 credible book and internet sources

Proper parenthetical citations (Jones 73). A works cited (a.k.a. bibliography) page attached to the back

Minimum 1 page

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