1. RESEARCH PAPER
Port of Los Angeles

2. To write a report, you should:
choose a topic that interests you
decide on a purpose for your report
gather information from multiple sources
take notes, organize your notes, & write an outline
write about your purpose and main idea in a thesis statement
present the information about your topic to your readers in your own words
prepare a list of your sources (works cited page)

3. I. Prewriting Choose a good topic B. Narrow your topic
1. Select a topic about POLA that interest you (ask, what would I like to know more about?)
2. Narrow the topic so that you can cover it thoroughly
B. Narrow your topic
1. Too broad – example: Port of Los Angeles
2. Too narrow – ex.: Fanfare Fountains (won’t find enough facts and statistics for report)

4. Broad Topic Port of Los Angeles Narrow Topic Narrow Topic FLOWCHART
Narrower Topic
Narrower Topic
Narrower Topic
Narrower Topic
FLOWCHART

5. Questions to ask to make sure you have chosen the right topic:
How long is my report suppose to be?
How much information from various sources about my topic can I find?
What element of the general subject interests me the most?
Reports are built on facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions.

6. List of sources you can use to investigate your topic:
reference books (i.e., encyclopedia, almanacs, atlases, and dictionaries)
books
magazines
newspapers
pamphlets
non-print resources (i.e., video and audio)
Internet sources
computer software programs
experts – anyone who has valued information about the topic you are investigating

7. EVALUATE the INFORMATION:
FACTS can be proved. Statistics and other information that can be proved true are facts. OPINIONS cannot be proved; they are what people think about facts. Include only the opinions of experts in your report. BIAS sources are those that support a particular point of view. These sources only include information that supports their point of view. INTERNET SOURCES do not always contain accurate information. To make sure the information from a site is accurate, find another source with the same information.

8. PRIMARY & SECONDARY SOURCES:
Primary sources: gives you information that has not been gathered and shaped in a certain way by someone else. Examples: 1). a person close to the topic you’re researching. 2). a real journal, a letter, or a document from the topic you’re researching. secondary sources: books, magazines, articles, internet sites; sources where another writer has gathered the information and shaped it in a certain way. research tip: an interview with an expert in the field that you are researching would be an EXCELLENT primary source.

9. Conduct an Interview Research should always include primary sources
Interviews with people who are experts in the field of your topic are excellent sources
Indentify an expert on your topic
Contact him/her to schedule an interview
Prepare interview questions ahead of time
Effective interview questions  open-ended (they ask for more than a yes or no answer)
*research tip: when conducting an interview use a notebook, a tape/voice recorder or both to help remember important points

10. form a purpose
Must have a purpose, or reason for writing your research report
After reading articles on your topic choose a purpose by:
1. Write down 3 questions you hope to answer in your report
2. Consider which questions will guide your research
*research tip: As I learn more about my topic, I may discover an element that looks more interesting than the one I originally chose. It’s not too late to change directions.

11. Make note cards After highlighting, reread article and take NOTES
1st  find sources
2nd  gather information
take notes on 3x5 index cards
WRITE DOWN the title and author of each source!!
After highlighting, reread article and take NOTES
TOP write the subject of the note. Later, this heading helps organize and find information
BOTTOM write the author’s name, the title of your source, and the page number where you found the information

12. Make note cards DON’T COPY WORD FOR WORD (plagiarism)
Think about what you read then write notes in your own words
If you do copy some words/phrases from a source USE QUOTATION MARKS
Begin a new card each time you start a new topic or go to a new source

13. DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR NOTES BEFORE YOUR REPORT IS FINISHED!!!
EXAMPLE:
Helmets come in more styles, shapes, and prices than most shops can handle. As I write this, there are at least a hundred models on the market competing for your attention. Average weight is about 9 ounces though some are as light as 6 or 7 ounces.
James C. McCullagh. Cycling for Health, Fitness, and Well-being, New York: Dell Publishing, 1995
Helmets
different styles (this might encourage young people to wear them)
many weigh less than 10 ounces
James C. McCullagh, Cycling for Health, Fitness, and Well-being,
DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR NOTES BEFORE YOUR REPORT IS FINISHED!!!

14. Expository Writing
The goal of expository writing  to explain or inform
FOUR APPROACHES:
1). definition 2). compare-contrast
3). process 4). cause-effect
These four approaches can be used alone, or they can be combined in any expository piece of writing
*if using definition then it must be combined with another approach

15. Compare and Contrasting
When you compare two things you explain how they’re similar
When you contrast two things you explain how they’re different
Examine your subjects/topic: first think about one topic and list descriptive facts that go with that topic then make a list of the same kinds of facts for your other topic
Sort what you see: Venn diagram
Organize the facts:
I). by topic (discuss first topic then second) OR
II). by feature (discuss one feature and write about both the similarities and differences for both topics) and then do the same for another feature and so on.

16. Explaining a Process
Choose a topic you know well (through your research)
Identify your audience (class and teacher)
Locate terms they’ll understand (define when needed)
Be clear about your purpose
Make the order clear:
 gather info. through research, observations, interviews
 list the steps of the process in chronological order
 use transition words in your writing (examples: first, then, after, next, later, while, finally)

17. Using Cause-and-Effect Relationship
A cause is an identifiable condition or event
An effect is something that happens as a direct result of that condition or event
May show one cause and one effect
May explain a series of effects resulting from a single cause
May present multiple causes and multiple effects
Sometimes a cause and its effect form part of a chain of events (one cause may lead to an effect, and that effect may in turn change circumstances and lead to another effect)

18. Using Cause-and-Effect Relationship
Organize Your Explanation:
I). identify a cause and then explain its effects OR
II). Stating an effect and then discussing its cause or causes
*Once draft is completed you must review to make sure the cause-and-effect relationships are clear
**Use transition words (i.e., so, if, then, since, because, therefore, as a result)
Using Details: facts, statistics, examples/incidents, reasons

19. Expository Writing Summary
definitions
step-by-step process
comparison and contrast
cause-and-effect relationships
support explanation with facts, statistics, examples, incidents, and reasons
use transition words/phrases

20. Thesis Statement
Chose a purpose for your report and write about it in the form of a thesis statement
A sentence that tells briefly and clearly the main idea you want your readers to understand
Tells what you want: to show, prove, or explain
Gives your report a focus
That one statement ANSWERS:
What is your report’s purpose or main idea?
What are some of the most important ideas you learned in your research?
What exactly do you want your readers to know?

21. HW: answer on index card
What is your report’s purpose or main idea?
What are some of the most important ideas you learned in your research?
What exactly do you want your readers to know?
What do I want to teach others?
What expository approach will I use?
What is my first draft of my thesis statement? (1-2 sentences)