How to Write Your Rough Draft Research Paper

What you will need… Your complete outline Four different, credible sources (these are from your source cards that you completed during the ‘research process’) The correct manner in which you will cite your sources in your text (for example either author last name or title of article)

Introduction Attention grabber – a general sentence about your topic that is not specific but is interesting Introduce your topic (subject): 2-3 sentences Thesis statement (taken directly from your outline) Transitional closing sentence (close the topic and mention the next topic.)

Grabber Should be catchy/grab the reader’s attention Could be a question, interesting statement/quote, or interesting fact/statistic Examples: Imagine 4,000 people marching up to Ouchi High School and peacefully protesting for change. This is what black and white U.S. citizens did during the March on Washington to stand up for equal rights. What would you do if you were forced to attend a run-down, understaffed school?

Introduce Topic Explain what your topic is For example: Rosa Parks was an African American woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She stood up for what she believed in and never backed down. She was an inspiration to civil rights activists across the country and her stand sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Example of Outline->Draft conversion Introduction Grabber: profession Background/lead in: discuss how technology has impacted the profession Thesis: Technology has been a positive impact upon nursing because… Closing: Nursing is a very important field in America and through the world. Throughout the world, people depend on nurses to take care of the ill, help mothers welcome new babies, and to assist doctors with important tasks. Technology has had a wonderful effect on nursing because of new machinery available and to keep paperwork as accurate as possible. The machinery is just one impact that technology has had on the nursing field.

Body Paragraphs Refer to your outline Outline shows what needs to be covered in each body paragraph First sentence of the paragraph should be a topic/transition sentence Make sure to include extra information not on your outline: specific dates, facts, statistics, etc. Each body paragraph needs one quote from one of your sources (parenthetical citation) (Authors Last Name page number) ex. (Smith 10) If no author, than article name/title

Outline -> Draft Conversion: Body Section Bravery is an admirable quality in a person. Bravery is defined by Webster’s dictionary as, “brave or courageous behavior, or valor,” (Webster 1242). When people think of bravery thoughts of soldiers in battle or heroes rescuing people come to mind. Maya Angelou is a brave woman because she has faced many tragedies in her life. Body Bravery topic sentence Definition Example Transitional closing sentence:

CITATION Make sure to cite your sources using the appropriate method within the body of your draft or paper. If you have an author for the source, use the last name and page number (if there is one) example: (Jones 4) or (Jones) If you do not have an author for the source, use the title of the article example: (“Angelou Biography”)

Conclusion Restate thesis Summarize your main points Extend relevance of your topic Why is it important today? What change has it caused? Why should we remember?