T HE R OAD TO A G REAT I NTRODUCTION

T HINK A HEAD ! P ART I Think before you act! Find a topic Focus on the topic Explore possible research resources Do research Take notes Organize notes into an outline

A CT (P ART II) E XPLORE Y OUR R ESOURCES Don’t read every word of every research source that you find Scan the index or table of contents Skim articles in periodicals by looking at section headings Make a decision whether to read the item Choose which section, chapter or page to read **Glance footnotes and/or bibliographies for more research ideas.

E XPLORING R ESOURCES II If you cannot find at least 5 resources, your topic is too narrow and it needs to be expanded Record your resources that you know will help you later Index Cards

E XPLORING R ESOURCES III Example for Index Cards I Author Last name first Title of the article Journal Journal Number Page numbers on which article appears

E XPLORING R ESOURCES IV Example for Index Cards II Author Last name first Title of Book Place of publication Publisher Date of publication

T AKE N OTES P ART III Take notes on index cards Trust the system This is the difference between a smooth report and one that is chaotic Write down ONE FACT per card Even if you have lots of room left over Do not write down every word that you read Summarize Use abbreviations Make sure that you can understand what you have written later Put quotation marks around other people’s words Take notes…Do not plagarize!

T AKE N OTES I NDEX C ARDS II On each card, note the source by writing it in the upper right-hand corner on the index card Mentally separate your note cards into categories Color code your cards Either by index cards with different colors Or use highlighters to color code the cards in the upper left hand corner of the card

O RGANIZE Y OUR N OTES This is why index cards are used They can be moved around Sit at a large table, or on the floor, and sort note cards based on color coding Read over notes as you sort You will probably trash a few of the cards Keep sorting until your note start to tell a story It will almost feel like a finished paper All you will need to do is ADD YOUR OWN IDEAS AND TRANSITIONS to move from one idea to another.

M AKE A N O UTLINE Turn your note cards into a formal outline On the outline, DO NOT COPY ALL YOUR NOTES Just use a few words to remind you of the information If some of your information does not fit, ask yourself, “Is it important?” If not, it should be trashed The outline allows you to concentrate on how to present your information rather than what to write It allows a nice, tight and tidy draft!

D RAFTING P ART IV Be open to making changes to your outline! Should have Beginning Including why you choose this topic Middle The “meat and potatoes” Should reflect your outline Include your quotes End Talk about what you plan on doing during your experiment

T AKE A S MALL B REAK ! Get refreshed!

R EVISING AND E DITING P ART V Read through your paper at least TWO times! First Read Make a few notes but do not stop for lengthy corrections Use flags to remind you where the problem areas are Ask yourself if any irrelevant information has crept into your paper Is any information missing? Are your ideas clear, in logical order and does the information flow smoothly?

R EVISING AND E DITING II Second Read Correct issues as you find them Add transition words or sentences to clarify the connections between ideas Does each paragraph focus on ONE MAIN IDEA ? Each paragraph should have a topic sentence Could you choose more specific, vivid, or stronger words? Could you improve your style by combining short sentences or breaking up long ones?

R EVISING AND E DITING III Complete your Documentation Complete your bibliography and works cited page!

G O O VER C HECKLIST ! Have I written a good beginning that will draw readers into my report? Is my thesis statement clearly stated? Does my report reflect the “three good things?” Unity, completeness and coherence Have I documented every new piece of information from my sources? Have I enclosed al quotations in quotation marks and documented them?

C HECKLIST C ONTINUED … Does my ending sum up the main ideas, introduce the experiment and give my readers something to remember and think about? Have I used the correct 3 rd person pronouns? Subject He, she, it, they Objects Him, her, it, them Possessors His, her, its, their Have I completed my works cited page and bibliography in proper form?