The Dreaded Research Paper

Types of Research

• Primary- generating new ideas and information on your own.

• Secondary- gathering and analyzing the results of other people’s research

Research is…..• “about satisfying curiosity, about finding

something you are interested in, exploring it, and making discoveries.”

• “Whatever you plan to do with your future, knowing how to do research will be of great value to you.”

What is the Research Process?

• Choosing your topic• Doing preliminary research• Limiting your subject to a specific topic• Finding an angle and writing a statement of

controlling purpose• Preparing a list of possible resources• Taking notes and developing a rough, working

outline• Organizing your notes and making a final outline

Research Process continued….

• Writing your first draft• Revising your draft• Writing the final draft,

with a complete list of works cited.

The first step…

• Choose your topic• Choose something that you have a REAL

reason for wanting to explore.• “Often the best subjects for research reports

are ones that relate to your own life or to the lives of people you know.”

Interest Inventory

• Respond in writing to the questions your teacher gives you…..

Limiting your Subject / Choosing a Topic

• Should be interesting• Readily available resources• Significant topic• Objective• Allows you to come up with own ideas• Narrow enough to be covered fully

Statement of Controlling Purpose

• Support• Prove• Determine values• Analyze• Define• Explain cause and effect• Establish cause and

effect

• Describe development• Identify/ describe trend• Classify• Relate part to whole• Compare/ contrast• Examine• Explain- concept or idea

What to do when I go to the library…

• Set up Research folder in “My docs”• Research periodicals to find general articles on

your topic.• Brainstorm with peers or teacher to come up

with ideas.• Randomly choose a book on your subject from

the shelf. Look through it to find specific ideas.• Search the internet.

Working Bibliography

• A list of sources that might be useful in writing your paper.

• Place to start looking for resources include:– Other people– Institutions or organizations– Government– Library or Media Center– On line– References

Websites to use…• www.cactisearch.com • www.vivisimo.com • www.brainboost.com • www.kartoo.com • www.google.com • www.yahoo.com • Other helpful sites… • www.britannica.com • www.encarta.msn.com • Boston Public Library http://search3.webfeat.org/bostonsearch.asp?

cat=dbchildren • New York Public Library http://kids.nypl.org/internet/reference.cfm

Evaluating Sources

• Is the source authoritative? Is it reliable and accurate?

• Is the source unbiased? Does it lack prejudices?

• Is the source up to date?• Is the work written on an appropriate level?• Is the source highly recommended?

Which is the bogus website?

• http://www.molossia.org/countryeng.html• http://www.enjoyengland.com/

Making Bibliography Cards

• Essential information- author, title, publication place and date, pages used.

• Source note- where you found the source.• Source number- different for each source you find.• Card catalog number- if appropriate.

• We will discuss your Works Cited page at a later time.

How do I make source cards?

• “Do not read, view, or listen to every part of a source. Concentrate on the parts that relate to your topic and your purpose.”

• Direct Quotation• Paraphrase• Summarize• Make sure the source is indicated on the

notes.

How do I make an outline?

• This outline will be the basis for your research paper.

• Determine order of information- chronological, cause-effect, etc.

• Long phrases or sentences should be used to allow for clear understanding of paper.

Here is an example of an outline……

• I. Causes of the War of 1812– A. Trade conflicts with Great Britain and France– B. Impressment of US sailors by Britain– C. Responses by the US government• 1. Embargo Act• 2. Failure of the act

Outline Helper

Now let’s make it a sentence outline…

• I. Several international and domestic events combined to cause the War of 1812.– A. As a result of trade conflicts between Great

Britain and France, each country began attacking US ships that tried to trade with the other.

– B. Great Britain angered the United States by impressing its sailors, or seizing them and making them serve its navy.

Continued….

• C. The US government responded to these actions by trying to make Great Britain and France suffer economically.– 1. Congress passed the Embargo Act, which

prohibited US trade with Britain, France, and any nation that traded with them.

– 2. The act was not effective because instead of harming Britain’s trade and economy, it actually improved them.

The draft is a work in progress…

• Introduction- grab your readers attention, include your thesis statement

• Report on your research• Conclusion- restate your main idea and

reasons

Revisions

• Use the revision checklist to revise and edit your paper. Utilize your teacher’s and peer’s knowledge to make your paper better.

• Revision Checklist

MLA Format