1. Writing a Research Paper

2. Clarify the Assignment  Length  Audience  Type of research paper  Informational paper summarizes factual information from a variety of sources  Analytical or evaluative paper analyzes the information and presents conclusions; displays some of the elements of persuasive writing

3. Set a Schedule  Ten weeks to complete the paper  Choose a topic one week  Locate sourcesthree days  Take notestwo weeks  Write a working title and thesis statementthree days  Write a final outlineone week  Write the first draftone and a half weeks  Document sourcestwo days  Revise two weeks  Proofreadtwo days  Prepare the finalthree days

4. Select a Topic  Choose a topic that meets the following requirements:  You can find enough material on the topic, but it is limited enough to be covered in the time and space available to you  The topic interests you  The topic is objective, not subjective  An objective topic is factual  A subjective topic is personal and influenced by your opinions, feelings, and ideas  Word your limited topic as a research question (or questions) that you will investigate

5. Locate Sources  Source: anything that supplies information (books, periodicals, web sites, etc.)  Primary Source: an original text, document, interview, speech, letter, eye-witness account  Secondary Source: not an original text or document; someone’s comments or an analysis of a primary source  DO NOT depend solely upon the Internet for sources and thoroughly evaluate each source before you cite it!

6. Where to Find Sources  Online catalog in the library  Search by author, title, and subject  Some online catalogs will allow a Boolean search, which uses key words  Boolean operators: or, and, not  Or will locate any title with either search term  And will locate only titles with both search terms  Not will locate only titles with the first search term  Boolean operators can also be used online and in databases  Reference section in the library  encyclopedias, periodicals, atlases, almanacs, government publications, specialized books  Microfilm and microfiche—back issues of periodicals

7.  Online Sources  Databases and Encyclopedias  EBSCO Host available through the Carnegie Public Library  If you are taking classes through TSJC, other databases and encyclopedias are available free of charge  Free online encyclopedias and dictionaries  Encyclopedia.com  Wikipedia.com (great place to locate more reliable sources)  Periodicals—newspapers, magazines, journals  Websites found through search engines such as Google  Specialized Google searches: books, blogs, patents, finance, scholar, search trends  Library of Congress

8.  Online Sources, cont.  Pay attention to the domain in the URL (universal resource locator)  = information posted by a government agency or group  = an educational source; it may have been created by a second grade class or someone associated with a college or university  = a nonprofit organization; usually reliable but look carefully for any bias  = a business; be wary of businesses that are trying to sell you a product; most major news organizations are reliable but look carefully for any bias  = network; used by a wide variety of organizations that offer Internet services

9.  Other Sources  Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature—index of articles in magazines and newspapers  Personal interviews  Contacting an expert via letter or e-mail  Conducting a survey  Visiting a local museum or government office  Documentaries

10. Evaluating a Source  Check the relevancy of the source  Is it related to your topic?  Is it recent? Does it need to be recent?  Who created the message of the text?  Do you know who wrote it and what their qualifications are?  Can you contact the organization or the author?  On a website, are there advertisements?  What creative and/or persuasive techniques are used to attract your attention?

11.  How might different people understand the message of the text differently?  What values, lifestyles, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, the message of the text?  Is the information presented without bias or opinion?  Why is the message being sent?  Check for accuracy  Can you find the information in any other source  On a website, it is clear who the site belongs to?  On a website, is the site well written and free of errors?

12. Bibliography or Source Cards  For every source that you will possibly consult, create a bibliography or source card on a 3” x 5” index card  Only one source should be recorded on each card  record the author, title, and publishing information  write each bibliography entry according to the style required  do no rely upon citation creators  You may also record your own notes or comments about the source  You will use these source cards to create your “Works Cited” page or “References” page, so recording information correctly now will save you time later  Assign each source card a number

13. Note Cards  Read each source with your research questions in mind  Formulate new questions as you gather information  You may want to create a working outline to organize your research questions  Avoid plagiarism!  Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work  Intentional plagiarism  Accidental plagiarism occurs when you forget you are quoting a source and don’t give proper credit

14.  Avoid accidental plagiarism  Cite: to quote, summarize, or paraphrase a source; to give credit to the sources you have borrowed information from  Paraphrasing: restating information in your own words; a paraphrase will be approximately the same length as the original source  Summarizing: telling the main ideas of a piece of writing briefly in one’s own words, omitting unimportant details  Direct Quotation: records the exact language used by someone in speech or writing  Common Knowledge: a body of information that is commonly known and that can be found in a variety of sources; information that is common knowledge does not need to be cited; the rule of thumb is that if you can find the information in at least five credible sources, it is common knowledge

15. Guidelines for Taking Notes  Use 3” x 5” index cards  Write the source number in the upper-right or upper-left-hand corner of the card, and assign each card its own letter or number (1.1 or 1.a). On each card, take notes from only one source.  It is strongly recommended that you only write on one side of each card.  Write about only one main idea, fact, or detail on each card.  Write a heading—a key word or phrase—at the top of the note card. The heading indicates the main idea discussed on the note card and will usually be one of the topics or subtopics in your working outline.

16.  Make an effort to use your own words. It may help to turn away from the source, explain to yourself what the author has written, then write that explanation on your note card. You do not need to use complete sentences; use abbreviations and symbols that are clear to you.  Enclose direct quotations in quotation marks. Make sure you have quoted word for word. If you wish to leave out any material, you must show that you have done so by inserting ellipses marks (more on this later).  At the bottom of each note card, write the page number(s) where the information was found.  Always double-check to see that you have written down the source number and any page numbers.

17. In-text Citations  An in-text citation allows you to give credit to your sources in the body of your paper.  Most in-text citations will include the author’s name and a page number (if available).  If there is no author, you should put the title of the article.  There are two means of writing in-text citations:  A signal phrase: begin your sentence with a reference to the author of the article and the title of the article; at the end of the sentence, put the page number in parentheses  Example: According to Clara Rights, the author of “Why 80’s Music Rocks!,” there has been no real music since December 31, 1989 (5).  A parenthetical reference: at the end of the sentence, put the author’s last name and the page number  Example: There has been no real music since December 31, 1989 (Rights 5).