Writing a Research Paper (Cont.) Chris Dison Fall 2010

What is Academic Writing? Academic writing begins with a thesis or idea about a certain topic. Central to academic writing is the ability to use what is known about a topic via existing research and to develop whatever new ideas may emerge by using the author’s logical, fact-based argument as a jumping off point.

Academic Writing is… Formal: The writing needs to be clear, unambiguous, literal, and well structured.

Academic Writing is… Logical: The writing tests propositions against one another to determine their accuracy.

Academic Writing is… Planned: The writing takes place after research, deliberation, and evaluation, and it adheres to a specific plan and outline.

Academic Writing is… Well Organized: The writing must flow from one point to the next in logical order. The ideas must be well thought out, and the research must be solid. Academic Writing is… Impersonal: The writing must lessen the sense of emotional involvement between the topic and the author.

Academic Writing is… Objective: The writing must show an unbiased presentation of facts. “But Mr. Dison, I thought this was my opinion!”

Why Research Paper? A research paper is designed to make a persuasive argument about a central thesis. It is NOT a series of facts, a report of previously stated information, or a summary of information from a series of sources.

7 steps to success Select a topic! a. Make sure you have a focused topic/thesis BEFORE you begin your research. b. The reverse of this process may work better for some students.

7 Steps to Success (cont.) Identify source materials. a. Source material is information you have gathered to provide understanding of the topic. b. This is also information from which you will be gathering evidence/support for your argument.

7 Steps to Success (cont.) Take notes and organize them for future reference. a. Detailed notes help shape the thesis statement and the paper itself. b. As your paper develops, notes should become narrower in focus.

7 Steps to Success (cont.) Create an OUTLINE for the paper. a. An outline will help you organize your thoughts, which will in turn help your paper to be organized in a logical and coherent format. b. Screenplay example.

7 Steps to Success (cont.) Write the first draft. a. Multiple drafts are necessary for any writing assignment. b. Having multiple drafts will allow you to fine-tune your argument and identify errors in grammar and mechanics.

7 Steps to Success (cont.) Edit and refine the paper. a. Editing your paper for mistakes is only ONE part of the editing process. b. Refining your paper consists of checking your argument for unity, clarity, coherence, and purpose.

7 Steps to Success (cont.) Edit and refine the paper AGAIN! a. Read the paper aloud to catch awkward or incorrect phrasing. b. Ask yourself important questions about your paper, your thesis, and your overall argument…

7 Steps to Success (cont.) Question 1 - Have I fulfilled the intent of the project? Question 2 - Is the introduction clear? Does it indicate where the rest of the paper is headed? Question 3 - Is each section in the appropriate place to fulfill the paper’s purpose?

7 Steps to Success (cont.) Question 4 - Have I drawn connections between the sections and used effective transitions? Question 5 - Does the conclusion make clear what question I asked and how I arrived at the answer? Question 6 - Are there any issues with word choice, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, or spelling?

Academic Writing Preparation The most important question to ask yourself is… WHAT AM I WRITING ABOUT?

What Am I Writing About? 1) Subject: The subject of a paper is the general sense of what you are writing about.

What Am I Writing About? Topic: The topic of a paper is a manageable portion of the subject. Ex. If the subject is the Space Shuttle, the topic could be design issues, the propulsion system, or stress tolerances in outer space.

What Am I Writing About? What is the SUBJECT that we are focusing our research paper on? What is your TOPIC?

What Am I Writing About? 3) Thesis: The idea you have formulated about the topic after the requisite research is the thesis. The thesis statement is the beginning of the argument you are prepared to make throughout the paper.

Questions to Ask As you proceed with the writing, ask yourself: Do I have a good grasp of the concept of the thesis? Does the thesis support the main idea of my paper? Does the information relate to and support the thesis?

Questions (cont.) Does the paper have a clear order? Are there enough specifics and details to explain each main or topic sentence idea fully? Does the document adhere to the standard and correct MLA formatting? (Both in-text and works cited list?)

Research Paper Basics 1) When writing about a complex subject, the first step is to do the research. It is not necessary to know about a subject from the outset, but it is necessary to be as open as possible to multiple variations on a subject.

Research Paper Basics (cont.) Evaluate the sources. From the mass of information available on the given subject, narrow your focus to one aspect of the topic.

Research Paper Basics (cont.) 3) Understand the material! This comes from doing the research and reviewing and thinking about the information gathered. Some references are better than others, and some authors are more credible than others.

Research Paper Basics (cont.) What is the best way to understand the material? READ! Writers must think about what they have read BEFORE writing the research paper. Why am I telling you this?

Research Paper Basics (cont.) Translate the material. This is the part of the writing where you get to formulate your argument. Ask yourself questions like, “What information is pertinent to the topic?” and “How can I break complex ideas into manageable pieces?” From this point it is easier to outline your ideas/paper.