Transcript How to Write a Research Paper

How to Write a
Research Paper
You have already……
Conducted research and answered your research question
Written a thesis statement
Arranged your notecards in the order you will you them in your paper
Introduction
• write
one to two sentences that gab the reader’s attention. It
could be an anecdote or fact of some kind.
•Give enough background information that your reader will have
a good idea about your topic and not be confused
•Your thesis statement will be your last sentence of your
introduction paragraph
•Do—start broad and narrow your topic down to your thesis.
•Do NOT—begin with a quote or a question
Using your Research
• You will now write your body paragraphs using the notecards you have written.
•Write a topic sentence stating what your first body paragraph will be about.
• Then, use your notecards to prove your topic sentence/thesis statement.
•Each notecard will be a citation in your paper.
Citing Your Sources
• Each source will have what is called either in-text citations or parenthetical citations.
•You will have citation after each block of information that you use to prove your thesis (a
notecard).
•The basic format of an in-text citation has a paraphrase, an open parenthesis, the author’s
last name with the page number followed by a closed parenthesis and a period.
•Ex. Once Custer went hunting on the prairie and accidentally shot his own horse in the head
(Welch 76).
•Direct quotes must be embedded into your own writing. No stand alone quotes please.
•Ex. In order to “Write an effective research paper, you must conduct thorough research and
take careful notes” (Aguilar 82).
Citing Book Sources
• when citing a book source, you must have an author and a page number.
•If you are citing the same source consecutively (back to back), then you only cite the
page number after the first citation
•Ex. The legend of the Holy Grail has had many incarnations throughout the course of
British Literature (Loomis 5). Some of the main heroes who quested for the Grail are
Perceval and Galahad (7).
Citing Database Articles
• If the article you are citing has an author, then use the author’s
name in the parenthetical citation.
•Ex. One cause of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is childhood abuse
(Smith).
•If there is no author, then abbreviate the title and use it. For
example, if the title of the article is “Decline of Chinook Salmon in
the Puget Sound,” you would cite it as (“Decline”).
• Make sure to use quotation marks around the abbreviated titles.
•Make them as short as possible while still making sure the reader
can tell the exact source you used
Writing the rest of the paper
• Use transitions when necessary to show a change in thought.
Write sentences to introduce new ideas.
• Rely mainly on your research for this paper. Stay away from
heavy interpretation.
•Remember, you are not an expert on your subject. You are
quoting and paraphrasing people who are, so make sure you
quote experts instead of relying on your own interpretation.
Conclusions
• Restate your main points.
• You will be restating your thesis, but make sure you do not use the same
language you used in your introduction.
• State the significance of your subject. Answer the question “Who
cares?” or “Why does this still matter today?”
• Make a statement that sums your research up (this can be combined
with the significance)
Tips….
• Do NOT use “You” or “I” in this paper
• Proofread and make sure you have followed the format exactly
as shown
• correct any errors in grammar, usage, punctuation, or spelling
• Have someone read it to make sure that you have covered
everything within your topic in a thorough way
Works Cited
• If you are using easybib, export your Works Cited to a Word
document.
•Go through your entire essay and check off each source that you
used.
•If there are sources listed on your Works Cited that are not used in
your paper, delete them.
• Correct any citations.
•Copy and paste your corrected Works Cited as a new page in your
essay.
Works Cited--Continued
If you wrote your bibliography citations by hand, then follow these instructions.
1. alphabetize your bibliography cards by author.
2. If there is not an author, then you use the title of the article to alphabetize.
3. Open a new Word document, go to the “Paragraph” tab and set the spacing to “Double.”
4. Under “special,” choose “hanging” and click “OK.”
5. Center “Works Cited” at the top of the page. (No quotation marks)
6. Type the sources EXACTLY as they are written on your bib cards.
7. Do NOT put extra spaces between entries.
8. Copy and paste your Works Cited page as the LAST page of your research paper.