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A Guide to the Research Paper: WORKBOOK

Vince Lombardi says…

“All right Mister, let me tell you what winning means… you’re willing to go longer, work harder, give more than anyone else.”

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”

English 11 Lake Mills High School

September 1, 2019

2 Term Paper Topic Selection Goal: Students will generate a research question and narrow or broaden the inquiry as appropriate. Alphabetical brainstorming: write a topic that starts with each letter. A B C

D E F

G H I

J K L

M N O

P Q R

S T U

V W X

Y Z

Now choose your favorite three topics from above and write them in the left column below. Then try to narrow each one. General Topic Ideas Can you narrow the topic by geographic

region, culture, time frame, event or aspect, discipline or subject, person or group, etc.?

1.

2.

3.

Read a little bit about each of the three topics above (try Wikipedia or another encyclopedia), then decide which one you want to research. You may want to modify the topic based on what you’ve read. Write your final topic below:

3 Research Prep Sheet – Search Terms Goal: Students will narrow or broaden research topic as needed. Students will assess usefulness of sources and gather relevant information from multiple reliable sources. 1. Research Statement: Once you have your topic, write it out as a short sentence or question and look at the

different components that make up your statement. The research statement "Is memory loss related to aging?" has two main concepts: 1) memory loss; 2) aging. Remember that you need a focused topic in order to cover it adequately in 4-6 pages.

2. Concepts: What are the concepts, or main points, of the research statement/topic? Concepts can be words or phrases. The number of concepts varies from topic to topic. See example above.

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3 Concept 4

3. Keywords: Brainstorm words or phrases that are similar to the concept(s) you wrote above. A thesaurus, a friend, your instructor, or a librarian may be useful if you need help. Example (from above): 1) memory loss or amnesia or Alzheimer's; 2) aging or aged or elderly, seniors

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3 Concept 4

4. Search Expressions: Combine the keywords brainstormed above to create several search expressions that incorporate elements of both/all concepts before you start searching. Use AND, OR, and truncation symbols if appropriate.

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Quote cards must include a sentence in the Paraphrase box in which you practice working the quote into your text. Consult the handout “Acknowledging, Paraphrasing, and Quoting Sources” for details on choosing and using quotes. Quotes must fit one of the four reasons for quoting – statistics do not need to be in quotation marks. Quote cards must be tagged “quote.”

7 Notecard Practice Goal: Students will use evidence from informational texts to support their ideas. Students will follow a documentation format.

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Overview of In-text Citations Goal: Students will follow a documentation format to help them avoid plagiarism or overreliance on any one source. What’s it called?

In-text citation, parenthetical reference, in-text reference What’s it for?

You must give credit for every piece of information in your paper that came from research, even if you wrote it in your own words. The in-text citation directs your reader to your References list, where the full bibliographic information can be found.

What’s in it?

Three elements: author last name, year of publication, page OR paragraph number Variations?

Read further in your packets and on NoodleTools for help with the following: • Where it goes • How to include some of the citation info in your sentence • More than one author • No author • Multiple authors with the same last name • Sources by the same author in the same year • No date • When to include page OR paragraph number • Citing a source more than once in a paragraph

How do I punctuate it?

Commas between the elements, period AFTER the citation. Your citation is considered part of the sentence.

What does it look like?

For more samples, consult the examples in your packets and on NoodleTools. Look at the sample term paper on the Term Paper Resources web page. On the back are a few samples. Can you see a pattern in which information from the Reference is used in the in-text citation?

10 Highlight or underline the information in the Reference that appears in the in-text citation. Can you see a pattern? References list:

Lesinski, J. M. (2000). Bill Gates. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications.

In text citation: (Lesinski, 2000, p. 129)

References list:

American Cancer Society. (2015, February 26). Types of breast cancer. Retrieved February 24,

2015, from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-

breast-cancer-types

In text citation:

(American Cancer Society, 2015, para. 5)

References list:

Ellen DeGeneres. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2015, from

http://www.ellentv.com/page/2009/08/17/about-ellen-degeneres/

In text citation:

(“Ellen Degeneres,” n.d.) References list:

Lessons offered but not (necessarily) learned. (2012). Vital Speeches of the Day, 78(12), 397.

In text citation:

(“Lessons offered but,” 2012)

11 Notecard to Paper Practice Goal: Using the notecards below, construct a short paragraph of a research paper including in-text citations. Goering Quote Source: Gadney, M. (2011). Long Range Luftwaffe Killers. World War II, 25(6), 66-67. Pages: 66 Tags:escorts,quote Quote: Hermann Goering said, "When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up." Paraphrase: When Allied fighter planes appeared over Berlin, it signified the start of the end. Hermann Goering said, "When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up." History:Created: 02/14/13 12:13 PM American and German Losses Source: Kennedy, P. (2013). Engineers of victory. New York, NY: Random House. Pages:129-130 Tags:losses, 1944, “Allied bombing campaign” Quote: Paraphrase: The Allied air war effort took a severe beating in the early spring campaigns of 1944, with many of their most experienced and "best bomber and fighter pilots killed maimed or captured by a desperate German resistance." However, the Luftwaffe fared far worse: to balance out the astronomical losses to American and British fighters, the Luftwaffe pulled many of the crews from the Eastern front (Russia), which gave the Soviets an advantage with air superiority for the first time ever, and the Luftwaffe also recalled most of the Mediterranean air groups back in defense of the motherland. Even this influx of Axis pilots in Germany could not stem the tide of the Allied bombing campaign. In short, the Luftwaffe was being bled dry of all its experienced pilots and crews. There was no other reserve left. History:Created: 02/20/13 12:09 AM Remember, just as in this example, you should include your in-text citations AS YOU WRITE YOUR DRAFT. (Consider adding the citations to the Paraphrase box of the notecard to make drafting your paper super easy.)

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Thesis Statements Goal: Students will introduce a topic and organize its major ideas so that each one builds on the next. A thesis statement is made up of three different parts. Every thesis needs these three things:

1) Identification (What is the topic you are talking about?) 2) Claim (What do you believe about the topic?) 3) Direction (What are the three (or more?) main reasons you can support your claim?

This will basically outline the major sections of your term paper.)

You will need to form these three parts into a complete argumentative sentence: Identification of Topic + Claim (belief about topic) + Direction (reason One, reason Two, and reason Three.) ** Before you write your thesis, decide what you plan to argue and determine THREE DIFFERENT & GENERAL ways in which you can prove your opinion. It’s helpful to create a cluster diagram, list, or other graphic organizer first. Sometimes it is easier to argue a certain side of an issue, and it might be smart to take the side that is easier to prove. EXAMPLE: Writing Prompt: Educators often discuss whether high school sports have a positive influence on students. Some educators think high school sports do have a positive influence because the lessons learned from athletic competition add to the lessons learned in the classroom. Other educators think high school sports do not have a positive influence because the emphasis on sports often overshadows student achievement in other areas. In your opinion, do high school sports have a positive influence on students? ID-Identify topic Sports offered in high school

Claim-What you believe They have a positive influence

Direction-three general reasons you believe your claim is true

- Teach social skills - Teach time-management - Provide exercise and teach

benefits of hard work

Thesis: High school sports unquestionably have a positive influence on high school students because they teach social skills, reinforce time-management skills, provide exercise and show the benefits of hard work.

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Guided Practice Writing Prompt: The state of Illinois has been locked in a debate for several years as to whether the driving age should be raised from 16 to 18. Some people feel that 16-year-olds lack the responsibility and maturity to handle the significant privilege of driving. Others argue that 16-year-olds use their licenses for much more than social events. In your opinion, should the driving age be raised from 16 to 18? ID-Identify topic

Claim-What you believe

Direction-three general reasons you believe your claim is true

Thesis:

Individual Practice Writing Prompt: Should cell phones be banned in high schools? ID-Identify topic

Claim-What you believe

Direction-three general reasons you believe your claim is true

Thesis: