Transcript No Slide Title

Exploring a topic in depth . . .
From Reading to Writing The drama Antigone
was written and performed 2,500 years ago in a
society that was very different from ours. You
probably have many questions about it. How much
influence did the gods have in the daily lives of the
people in ancient Greece? Who was the audience
for these plays? How were the plays staged?
Exploring a topic in depth . . .
A research report can help you find the
answers to questions like these. Research can
not only help you understand literature, but it
can also help you investigate a science problem,
understand a historical event, or choose a
career.
Basics in a Box
Research Report at a Glance
RUBRIC
Standards for Writing
A successful research project should
• include a strong introduction with a
clear thesis statement
• use evidence from primary and
secondary sources to develop and
support ideas
• credit sources of information
• follow a logical pattern of
organization, using transitions
between ideas
• synthesize ideas in a strong
conclusion
• provide a correctly formatted Works
Cited list at the end of the paper
Writing Your Research Report
1 Prewriting and Exploring

Begin by brainstorming topics that
interest you.

Put your unique spin on the subject
by creating a cluster diagram with the
topic in the center. What related ideas
come up?

Try narrowing some of the related topics
even further.
Planning Your Research Report
1. Evaluate your topic. Is your topic broad enough so
you can find enough information? Is it narrow enough
so you can cover it adequately? You might do
preliminary research to answer these questions.
Making a cluster diagram can help you either
broaden or narrow your focus.
2. Establish a goal. What do you want to accomplish
in your report? Do you want to analyze the topic?
inform your readers?
Planning Your Research Report
3. Identify your audience. Who will read your report?
What does your audience already know about the
topic? What do they need to know?
4. Consider your purpose. How can you express
your purpose in a single sentence? That statement
can help you stay on target as you do research.
Later on, you can revise this to become your thesis
statement.
Writing Your Research Report
2 Researching
Use the following ideas to gather
information:

Make a list of questions you have
about your topic based on the
purpose of your report and what
your audience needs to know.

Begin your search in the library.
Writing Your Research Report
2 Researching

Look for primary sources, which give
eyewitness accounts of events. Primary
sources include letters, journals, historical
documents, and original works of fiction.

Also look for secondary sources, which
present information compiled from or
based on other sources. Secondary
sources include works of criticism and
commentary and most newspaper and
magazine articles.
Writing Your Research Report
2 Researching
Create Source Cards
Make a source card for each source you
use. Record complete publishing information
on index cards. Number the cards so that
you can easily refer to them as you take
notes and prepare your Works Cited page.
For library books, list the call number as
well.
Writing Your Research Report
2 Researching
Take Notes
Record the information you gather on index
cards. Write one idea on each card so you
can easily reorder your cards as you
organize your report. Label each card with
the number of the source card and the page
number in the source.
Writing Your Research Report
2 Researching
Paraphrase
Unless you are quoting material directly,
paraphrase what you read: that is, write it
in your own words. That way, you will be
less likely to accidentally plagiarize, or
use someone else’s material without
permission, and you can reduce the
information to fewer words.
Writing Your Research Report
2 Researching
Quotation
If you quote a source, use quotation
marks and double-check the accuracy of
your quotation. Quote material that is
particularly well stated or that helps you
emphasize a point.
Writing Your Research Report
2 Researching
Organize Your Material
One way to begin organizing your
research information is to group your
note cards according to key ideas. This
will help you see how the information is
related. Try several arrangements of
ideas, such as chronological and
cause-and-effect order to see which
works the best.
Writing Your Research Report
2 Researching
Organize Your Material
Create an outline, using the key ideas as
the main headings. Label these with
Roman numerals. Subheadings, which
summarize smaller groupings of note
cards in each group, are labeled with
capital letters.
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
As you begin writing, keep in mind that
your goal in drafting is to get your ideas
down on paper in a reasonably organized
manner. Use your outline as a guide and
write from your note cards. At some point,
write a thesis statement that expresses
the main idea of your report. You will
support your thesis with the information
gathered in your research.
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Choose Writing Strategies
You may want to use some of these
strategies for developing your ideas.

Narration. Presenting material as a
narrative can add interest and
drama to your report.

Definition. Identify and define terms
or concepts that your audience may
not know.
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Choose Writing Strategies

Description. You might imagine
what an eyewitness would see and
describe this using sensory details.

Classification. Discuss the
characteristics of your topic by
comparing it to similar topics or by
breaking it into logical parts and
examining each one.
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Organize Your Report
Think of your report as having three
parts:

Introduction. The introduction
should include a hook that captures
your readers’ interest and should
clearly state your thesis.
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Organize Your Report

Body. The body should present the
information that supports your
thesis. Some information might be
organized in chronological order,
other information in order of
importance, spatial order, or causeand-effect order, for example.
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Organize Your Report

Conclusion. End your report with a
memorable conclusion that
summarizes your thesis, draws a
conclusion, or points out topics that
need further examination.
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Document Your Sources
Document each quotation, paraphrase, or
summary of information in your report by
citing the author and page number of the
source in parentheses. Your readers can
refer to your Works Cited list for full
information.
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Evaluate Your Draft
Think about these questions as you
review your draft.

How can I rework my report to
better achieve my purpose and
goals for writing?
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Evaluate Your Draft

Does all of my information support
my thesis statement? What
information should I add? What
information should I delete?

What facts, quotations, and other
information do I need to check and
document?
Writing Your Research Report
3 Drafting
Evaluate Your Draft

How can I better communicate my
interest in this topic?

How can I improve the organization
of my report?
Writing Your Research Report
4 Revising
TARGET SKILL
ELABORATING WITH FACTS AND
STATISTICS
As you revise, look for opportunities to
elaborate on your ideas by adding facts and
statistics. A fact is a statement that can be
proved either by the use of reference
materials or firsthand observation. Statistics
are facts expressed in numbers.
Writing Your Research Report
5 Editing and Proofreading
3
TARGET SKILL
PARALLELISM
When parts of a sentence have parallel
functions, the structure of the sentence
parts should also be parallel. For example,
when connecting two or more similar ideas,
use the same part of speech for both.
Writing Your Research Report
6 Making a Works Cited List
3
When you have finished revising, editing,
and proofreading your report, make a
Works Cited list and attach it to the end of
your paper.