Presentation is loading. Please wait.

Presentation is loading. Please wait.

The ALMIGHTY RESEARCH Paper.

Similar presentations


Presentation on theme: "The ALMIGHTY RESEARCH Paper."— Presentation transcript:

1 The ALMIGHTY RESEARCH Paper

2 An Introduction for 7th Grade
Research Writing An Introduction for 7th Grade

3 What is a Research Paper?
A research paper is like a report. Before you write it, you use books, articles, the internet, and other sources to gather information about your topic. You GATHER information from these sources and use that information in your paper to tell your readers about your topic.

4 WAIT……WHAT??? A research paper is actually a WRITTEN piece of WORK IN YOUR OWN WORDS that fully discusses a topic that you have spent time learning about. It is to be in depth and intelligent, with support from credible sources. This paper will be YOUR work, but you have based your knowledge on the credible work of others. Sounds difficult? It’s not really so bad, actually, it gets pretty easy.

5 There’s NO NEED to become this…….we will work on this TOGETHER.

6 Magazine or Newspaper Articles
Books Internet Web Journals

7 Choosing a Topic Pick a topic
You should have a Science Fair topic by now. If not… talk to your parents check out sciencebuddies.org Choose something you are interested in.

8 Things to consider when choosing a topic
Choose a subject that interests you. Choose a subject for which a wide range of source material is readily available. You need to be able to find sources on your topic Choose a subject of some significance. A subject of lasting interest will be challenging and gratifying to pursue. You will be spending a great deal of time and effort on this so make sure it's of value.

9 Things to consider when choosing a topic
After you have chosen a general topic, you must narrow it so that it becomes more specific and easier to research.

10 Things to consider when NARROWING a topic
Do some general reading on your topic so that you become familiar with various aspects of it. Establish the purpose of your paper. What will you be informing the reader about? Be sure your topic can be handled within the assigned length. Focus on a particular aspect of your topic that will lend itself to the sources available.

11 Research: Experiment:
How are paper towels made? 2. Where does salt come from? What are the properties of water? How do chickens create eggs? 3. What are the properties and characteristics of elmer’s glue? Other ingredients? Experiment: What brand of paper towel is the most absorbant? 2. How much salt is needed for an egg to float in water? 3. Which recipe makes slime that stretches the most?

12 GENERAL TOPIC: How much salt is needed to float an egg in water?
Example: How to Narrow Topic to Sub-Topics GENERAL TOPIC: How much salt is needed to float an egg in water? Sub-Topic 1: Density of water. Density of liquids vs. solids. Sub-Topic 2: Salt. Where it’s mined; characteristics. Sub-Topic 3: Eggs. How to chickens create eggs?

13 When I start researching, how do I know if a site is CREDIBLE?
You should know that only a few select sites can be credible. Follow this checklist to ensure that you can actually use the source. Know the name of the AUTHOR of the site, and their credentials (Dr., Researcher, Journalist, etc…) Know what company or organization this site affiliated with. Know WHERE this site exists. (Usually AngleFire, MySpace or blogger pages and their like ARE NOT credible). Know what type of information is being conveyed. There must be useful information you can gather for your study. Know when the site was updated last.

14 Good Site: Bad Site: Examples:
Borne From Gaves and Charnel Houses. by: Dr. Julian Smithee PHD of Supernatural Lit, Cambridge College. Following the strange trails of the vampire through history leads down any number of false dark alleys and real dark corridors. However they are regarded, stalker or carrion rogue, the vampire seems to permeate every society in the world in one form or another. Yet where do these creatures originate from? Why do they differ in appearance and behavior from country to country? And above all, why are such murderous creatures so terrifying yet so attractive to us at the same time? To explore the true birth place of the vampire, we must look at two of the greatest empires in the world and their sub-cultures. The Greeks and the Egyptians were simultaneously the most powerful and populace empires in the known world. Thus, it is only fitting that from such great societies come the world’s most renowned fiends. Somewhere around eighty years before the birth of Christ, we find the first written evidence of vampiric happenings in Greek grave yards and Egyptian tombs. pg. 1 Vampires are undoubtedly the coolest creatures out there. In comparison to werewolves or ghosts, neither is more real or more powerful than the vampire. I myself am a vampire, and so it is with pride I tell you about myself to scare you a little more…people taste better when they’re scared. I, like all vampires, originate from Los Angeles. Some people think vampires are from other places, but the true vampires are seen only in LA clubs. I’ve been to N.Y. clubs, and they’re just posers. Despite popular belief, vampires have been around as long as humans…longer, actually. We began as angels, fallen like the demons, but we made our way from Hell to earth where our lesser forms developed into humanity. Real vampires do not develop, we feed and continue. pg. 1

15 From the good site you could clearly see WHO wrote the article, WHY they were a credible source, and INFORMATION that would actually help you with your research. Furthermore, look at the WEB ADDRESS, (Houghton Mifflin is a school textbook company, thus a trustworthy source). The bad site is quite opposite. It is based on opinion, “I am a vampire….” Has irrelevant quotes as to helping you, and has no credible author or company to back them up. Furthermore, look at the address. Any time it is from Geocities, Angelfire, Tripod, a personal blog, or any other company that allows any and all individuals to make personal web pages, it is usually NOT a credible or accepted source.

16 Research Sources Begin Gathering Sources in Library:
Find at least one book or use the encyclopedia as a source for your research. 5 Required Sources: At least 1 source has to be a book, magazine, or encyclopedia Use credible web sources – NO WIKIPEDIA Informational videos are good sources People can be sources, too. As you research, you will begin to brainstorm more sub-topics

17 Once I start researching my topic, what do I do with the information?
STEP 1: Print the information OUT. Be sure to print out the information from the website. I encourage you NOT to copy and paste it into Microsoft Word because you will lose valuable information, including who wrote it, when it was published, etc. You will need this information when we create our bibliography. REMEMBER: The first step is to just get familiar with your topic. You are simply using any search engine to research your topic to see if you are interested in writing about it.

18 Once I start researching my topic, what do I do with the information?
STEP 2: Read and take notes: Read through each source and take notes about the information that you think will be beneficial to use in your research paper. Be sure to write down the bibliography for each source AS YOU FIND IT. This is a major portion of your grade so don’t lose it.

19 INTRODUCTION: HOOK – Your Attention Grabber
How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources? INTRODUCTION: HOOK – Your Attention Grabber Brief discussion/explanation of topic Thesis Statement clearly stating opinion or point of view on topic

20 (each sub-topic will be 2 paragraphs):
How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources? BODY PARAGRAPHS (each sub-topic will be 2 paragraphs): Explanation of Sub-Topic # 1 Supporting Evidence (supporting evidence may require the use of more than one paragraph to explain a sub-topic) Explanation of Sub-Topic # 2 Explanation of Sub-Topic # 3

21 CONCLUSION Rephrased Thesis Statement
How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources? CONCLUSION Rephrased Thesis Statement Briefly discuss main points (sub-topics) again Think Big Picture – Attention Grabbing Statement. Leave the reader with a thought-provoking sentence or question for closure.

22 How will we write this paper once we’ve finished researching and gathering our sources?
MLA BIBLIOGRAPHY The example of how to do this is found in your Science Fair packet. MLA stands for Modern Language Association. It is a specific format we will follow. This will all be explained to you in class.

23 Citations in Research Paper Parenthetical Citation
Learn how to include Parenthetical Citations: Parenthetical citations give credit to the author or source you retrieved your information from. You must understand that a research paper focuses on the information you have retrieved from other sources, NOT your own information, therefore the researched information needs to “cited”. It’s very simple: Whenever you provide a specific quote or evidence that is not your own, you will put the author’s last name and page number of where you retrieved your information. SAMPLE: In a recent study by the FDA, researchers found that over 70% of high school students have thought about taking steroids in order to enhance their performance (Livingston 56). Parenthetical Citation

24 Pride. Every step in the research paper process is graded and will contribute to the final product. If you choose to become lazy at any point in the process, it will affect the final product and frustrate you in the end. Take PRIDE in your work and REMEMBER: it reflects your work ethic and commitment to excellence. Choose a topic you would be interested in reading. And, above all, create something you are proud of altogether.

25 Plagiarism Plagiarism is when you take someone else’s works, ideas or words and use them as your own. Whether it is a sentence, a part of a sentence or an entire paper, it will ruin your grade. It is an academic crime and an ethical offense. Plagiarism is stealing someone’s intellectual property. If you plagiarize in ANY college class, you are usually expelled from the college, cannot reapply EVER, and the infraction is placed on your permanent record. Why is it an academic crime? It is an academic crime because you are stealing another person’s ideas. It is illegal and immoral. If you are thinking about it, don’t chance it. If you ever need to help summarizing, properly quoting or paraphrasing, see me! It’s better to ask for extra help than take the sneaky route and copy someone else’s writing. I will have more respect for you if you ask for help. We will discuss how to avoid this much more in class.

26 EXTRA SLIDES

27 Student Learning Center
Integrating Sources Use a variety of lead-ins to introduce concepts or findings from researchers: According to Smith (2001), the presence of a television set in the home even changed eating habits; frozen TV dinners, TV trays, and TV tables altered the physical and social contexts of family meals. By the early 1960’s, “90 percent of all households had at least one television set” (Bishop & Marx, 2006, p. 2). Television programs and commercials reinforced rigid gender roles and promised consumers material wealth if they could fit the roles. One social critic from the era remarked that “television certainly nurtured both consumerism and conformity” (Cole, 1966, p. 24). Student Learning Center

28

29 Questions Now you should come up with some questions you can research about your topic: When was the first Thanksgiving and why was it held? What happened at the first Thanksgiving? How has this celebration/event changed over time?


Download ppt "The ALMIGHTY RESEARCH Paper."

Similar presentations


Ads by Google