1. Mature Research Writing English 11

2.  The topic sentence needs to encompass your entire content of each paragraph Your t.s. should never mention a specific fact about one college or the other

3.  Bad: The University of Wisconsin – River Falls costs approximately $ _______ per school year for tuition.  Better: UW-RF and Carnegie Mellon are vastly different when it comes to total tuition costs.  Best: In these hard economic times, many people are worried about the money needed to continue their education past high school.

4.  Your information should be organized within each paragraph according to topic, not college Take some time to find “pairs” of information and make sure they are by each other in your text Label them “similar” or “different” so you can start thinking of cue words/transitions to use

5.  UW-RF costs $______ per year for tuition. However, over 60% of their students are able to receive some sort of financial aid. Most of the financial aid comes in the form of scholarships given out by the college. Carnegie Mellon costs $______ per year for tuition. Almost 90% of their students are able to receive financial aid. Most of the financial aid comes in the form of scholarships given out by the college

6. UW-RF costs significantly less per year for tuition compared to Carnegie Mellon. While UW-RF total tuition for one year is $______, Carnegie Mellon’s yearly tuition is $_______. To make up for this vast difference, Carnegie Mellon offers many more scholarship opportunities for their students; 90% of the student body is able to get some sort of financial aid. At River Falls, only 60% of students receives help from the college to pay for tuition.

7.  Direct quotations are no longer allowed to be “plunked” between your sentences.  You need to introduce your direct quotation and even a majority of your paraphrased material.

8.  A plunked quotation is exactly that – a quotation that is just put in between two sentences with no connections to what you are trying to write around it.  A lead-in links the quoted material to what surrounds it in the context of your paper

9.  Bad: There has been a de-emphasis in the importance of grammar instruction in the modern classroom. “Many teachers seem to believe rules stifle spontaneity” (Pickle).  Good: Because “many teachers seem to believe rules stifle spontaneity,” there has been a de-emphasis in the importance of grammar instruction in the modern classroom (Pickle).

10.  Bad: UW - River Falls’ English department is known for their friendly staff. “The English Department has the friendliest teachers on campus!” (Pickle).  Good: Peter Pickle, UW-RF recruiter, asserts that “the English Department has the friendliest teachers on campus!”

11.  Some of the quoted material is left out, but you blend the phrase(s) in with the rest of your sentence.  Good: According to Peter Pickle, state universities are serving a broader student population than ever before by admitting students from junior colleges and through “special remedial programs where students who do not meet entrance requirements are admitted on probation.”

12.  acknowledges, adds, admits, argues, asserts, believes, claims, comments, compares, confirms, contends, declares, denies, disputes, emphasizes, endorses, grants, illustrates, implies, insists, notes, observes, points out, reasons, refutes, rejects, reports, responds, suggests, thinks, writes

13.  Do not use the person’s name as a possessive and then make reference with a personal pronoun.  Bad: In Peter Pickle’s answer, he says “college is great for everyone!”  Better: Peter Pickle commented in the interview that “college is for everyone”

14.  Anything that does not have a lead-in NEEDS to have a parenthetical citation.  There are over 200 different majors offered at UW-Madison, and people can even declare their own major (Madison is for You).  The crime rate in the city of River Falls has drastically reduced since the addition of more police force roaming the streets (“Crime Rates 05-08”).