How To Write An Acceptable Research Pape1

HOW TO WRITE AN ACCEPTABLE RESEARCH PAPERWilbur L. Brower, Ph. D.
February 19, 2010
HOW TO WRITE AN ACCEPTABLE RESEARCH PAPER

Writing an acceptable research paper can be a daunting task, particularly if it is approached in a cavalier and haphazard manner. However, writing an acceptable paper can be a very rewarding experience that is best approached in a methodical and thoughtful manner and with a clear eye on the research and writing process. The research process can inform ones thinking about a subject of sincere interest, and the writing process can improve writing skills; but effective effort has to be applied to both. The primary purpose of this short paper is to provide a step-by-step process that, if followed systematically, will result in a finished product that is acceptable. STEP 1. CHOOSE A TOPIC Your true attitude and feelings about a topic will probably determine how much effort you will devote to the research and the writing that is required to support your position. Therefore, you should choose a topic that interests and challenges you because youll probably enjoy working on the paper. To help get you focused, you may want to ask yourself the following questions in sequence and then answer them honestly: What subject (s) am I most interested in? What interests me most about a particular subject? Is there anything that puzzles me or I wonder about regarding the subject? Findin g the right topic for you may be a challenge, but it is necessary if you want to write an acceptable research paper. You should spend time thinking and reading about what you
1. 2. 3.
HOW TO WRITE AN ACCEPTABLE RESEARCH PAPERWilbur L. Brower, Ph. D.February 19, 2010
want to investigate. Once youve selected a topic, your next critical step is developing a good tentative thesis statement. STEP 2. DEVELOP A THESIS STATEMENT Once you do your preliminary reading and some critical thinking about the topic, you will probably have a "working thesis," a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way. A thesis statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove. A good thesis statement can make the difference between a thoughtful and well researched project and a research paper that simply restates and retells facts that can be found in the existing literature. A good tentative thesis will help you focus your search for collecting information thats relevant to your research paper. You usually have to do some background reading before you know enough about a subject to identify essential or key questions that are seeking answers. You may not know your exact stance on an issue until you have examined the evidence. Thats why it is important to begin your research with a tentative, preliminary, or working thesis that you will continue to hone and refine until you have a better idea or are certain of where the evidence is leading you. The first paragraph of the research paper sets the context and parameters for the research and it tells the readers about your argument. The thesis statement is typically located at the end of your opening paragraph. In short, the first paragraph, in conjunction with the thesis statement, tells the readers: 1) how you will probably interpret the subject youre researching; 2) another way of understanding the subject; and 3) what to expect from the
remainder of the paper. So, the thesis tells what you plan to argue and how you plan to argue it. Remember: It is difficult to develop a strong argument for a thesis statement that is too vague. The rest of the paper gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade readers of the logic of your interpretation of your research. STEP 3. FIND RELEVANT INFORMATION You can find an almost unlimited amount of information on almost any topic or subject in the Media Center or online, but the breadth and depth of your research will be limited by the maxim number of pages assigned for your research paper. Therefore, this will require you to focus your research on your specific topic and to look for facts and information that will support your argument, which is the essence of your thesis statement. If you do not have Internet access at home, go to the GHS Media Center or the Wayne County Public Library and use the electronic catalog or browse the shelves to look for books on your topic. If you find a book that is useful, check the bibliography or list of sources in the back of that book for other books or articles on that topic. Also check indexes of periodicals and newspapers for information related to the general subject and your specific topic. Ms. Whysall and Ms. Atkinson can help you if you need help finding sources. They are very knowledgeable and are more than willing to assist you in your research efforts. One of the most important aspects of writing a research paper involves documenting sources of information in citations or endnotes. This will tell the readers where you got your information, and they will judge whether or not it is reliable. It is also important that you use as many different source materials as you can, and not rely on just one or two sources for all your information. Keep a list of all sources that you
use, including the title of the source, name of the author, publisher, date and place of publication, volume number, and the page number on which you found specific information, URLs (Uniform Resource Locator, the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web), creation or modification dates on Web pages, and your date of access. If you copy something directly from a book without putting it in your own words, put quotation marks around it so that you know it is an exact quotation, and it will help you to avoid plagiarism. This information, which can be keep on note cards, worksheets or saved as a document on a digital storage device, will prove to be invaluable when you include citations in the text of your paper and when you develop your Bibliography or Works Cited page at the end of the paper.(More about this later.) For general or background information related to your research paper, there are useful URLs, almanacs or encyclopedias online, such as Britannica, Encarta, World Book, etc., that can give you a great start. You may also use search engines such as altavista, askjeeves, bing, google, cuil, yahoo, info.com, excite, alltheweb, gigablast, lycos, freebooksearch.net, lexisnexis, msn, northernlightsearch, infoplease.com newslookup.com, turbo10.com, metacrawler and exlibris. Learning how to evaluate Web sites critically and to search effectively on the Internet can help you eliminate irrelevant sites and use your time wisely. It is important to recognize that domain name extensions [.edu (educational institution), .gov (government), and .org (non-profit organization)] convey perceptions about the credibility and reliability of information the sites contain. These sites typically represent institutions and tend to be more objective and reliable. Be skeptical of
.com (commercial) sites you include in your research. Many .com sites contain excellent information; however, a large number of them primarily contain advertisements for products and little else. To find books in the Media Center, use the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog). Study other print materials available in the Media Center: Almanacs and Atlases Encyclopedias and Dictionaries Government Publications, Guides, Reports, Journals Magazines, Newspapers Investigate online resources: InfoPlease Almanac: http://www.infoplease.com/ Rhyming Dictionary: http//www.rhymer.com/ Websters Dictionary and Thesaurus: http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict.htm Explore Encyclopedias Free Online: www.ncwiseowl.org- access to numerous encyclopedia, magazine databases, citation maker http://www.s9.com/- Biographies www.encyclopedia.com- a basic encyclopedia www.atlapedia.com- maps, country information, etc. http://www.magportal.com- a database of magazines articles
To be as inclusive as possible in your research, use all sources that are available to you, including Wayne County Public and Wayne Community College Libraries, businesses,
government agencies and people in the community who have some expertise in your area of interest and inquiry. As you conduct your research, bookmark your favorite Internet sites, printout or photocopy materials and take notes of relevant information. If you are printing from the Internet, it is a good idea to set up your browser to print the URL and date of access for every page. STEP 4. DEVELOP A TENTATIVE OUTLINE After you conducted an extensive amount of research, it is time to develop an outline that will result in a paper with a clearly defined Introduction, Body and Conclusion. All of the information should support your argument as specified in the thesis statement. The outline should pattern a format similar to the following:
I. INTRODUCTION - (Brief comment leading into subject matter -Thesis statement on Shakespeare) II. BODY - Shakespeare's Early Life, Marriage, Works, Later Years A. Early life in Stratford 1. Shakespeare's family a. Shakespeare's father b. Shakespeare's mother 2. Shakespeare's marriage a. Life of Anne Hathaway b. Reference in Shakespeare's Poems B. Shakespeare's works 1. Plays a. Tragedies i. Hamlet ii. Romeo and Juliet b. Comedies i. The Tempest ii. Much Ado About Nothing c. Histories i. King John ii. Richard III iii. Henry VIII 2. Sonnets 3. Other poems C. Shakespeare's Later Years 1. Last two plays 2. Retired to Stratford
a. Death b. Burial i. Epitaph on his tombstone III. CONCLUSION A. Analytical summary 1. Shakespeare's early life 2. Shakespeare's works 3. Shakespeare's later years B. Thesis reworded C. Concluding statement
The purpose of an outline is to help you think through your topic carefully and to organize it logically before you actually start the writing process. A good outline is an important first step in writing an acceptable paper. Check your outline to make sure that the points covered flow logically from one to the other. Make the first outline tentative. INTRODUCTIONState your thesis and the purpose of your research paper clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper? State also how you plan to approach your topic. Is this a factual report, a book review, a comparison, or an analysis of a problem? Explain briefly the major points you plan to cover in your paper and why readers should be interested in your topic. BODYThis is where you present your arguments to support your thesis statement. Include supporting arguments for each position you take. Begin with a strong argument, then use a stronger one, and end with the strongest argument for your final point. CONCLUSIONRestate or reword your thesis and summarize your arguments. Then, explain why you have come to your particular conclusion. STEP 5. ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES After you are satisfied with your tentative outline, organize all the information (notes, web pages, quotes, etc.) you have gathered according to your outline. Critically analyze your research data. Using the best available sources, check for accuracy and verify that
the information is factual, up-to-date, and correct. Opposing views should also be noted if they help to support your thesis. This is the most important stage in the writing process of a research paper. Here you will analyze, synthesize, sort, and try to make sense of all the information you have gathered, which is the real purpose of writing your research paper. It will help you to mark on your notes where they will fit into or support the overall outline youve developed, e. g. II, B 1a, ii (Shakespeare's Early Life, Marriage, Works, Later Years; Shakespeare's works; Plays; Tragedies; Romeo and Juliet.). You may also want to consider using different color hi-liters to help get your materials organizedDo whatever works best for you. Remember, you must be able to communicate effectively your ideas, insights, thoughts and research findings to others through the written words in your research paper. You will also have to present some of your research and results during an oral or multimedia presentation to community members using audio and/or visual aids. As you organize your notes, jot down detailed bibliographical information for each cited paragraph and have it ready to transfer to your Works Cited page. Getting it organized well will make both tasks much easier. STEP 6. WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT Start with the first topic in your outline, Roman numeral I, which is the Introduction. It often begins with a general statement about the topic and ends with a more specific statement of the main idea of your paper. The purpose of the introduction is to let the reader know what the topic is, to inform the readers about your point of view, and to arouse the readers curiosity so that they will want to read about your topic.
Read all the relevant notes you have gathered that have been marked. Summarize, paraphrase or quote directly for each idea you plan to use in your paper. Use a technique that suits you, e.g. write summaries, paraphrases or quotations on note cards, or separate sheets of lined paper. Put all your note cards or paper in the order of your outline, e.g. I, IIB, II1, etc. If you are using a word processor, create meaningful filenames that match your outline codes for easy cut and paste routines as you type up your final paper, e.g. cut first Introduction paragraph and paste it to IA. Using this step-by-step process will help you to develop a well-organized and acceptable research paper completed exactly as outlined. Do not include any information that is not relevant to your topic, and do not include information that you do not understand. Make sure the information that you have noted is carefully recorded and in your own words, if possible. If information is a direct quote, cite the source. Plagiarism is a serious matter. Therefore, you should accurately document all ideas borrowed or quotes used. This is an important reason for keeping detailed bibliographical information as you are conducting your research. You may find information on plagiarism on the Wayne County Public Schools website and in the Media Center. Different sources are cited differently in the text and the Works Cited page of your research paper. For example, a book you used in your research will have a different citation format than a journal article or a website you used. Consult the MLA (Modern Language Association) Style Manual, which is the style you are required to use, for the correct way to cite the sources youre using in your research paper. A copy of it is in the Media Center, and you may find it online.
STEP 7. REVISE YOUR OUTLINE AND DRAFT Read your paper for any content errors, and double-check any facts and figures you may have used. Arrange and rearrange ideas to follow your outline. If necessary, reorganize your outline, but always keep the main purpose of your paper and your readers in mind. To help you in your efforts to improve your paper, you may want to ask yourself the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Is my thesis statement concise, clear and proven with strong arguments? Did I follow my outline or miss anything? Are my arguments presented in a logical sequence? Are all sources properly cited to ensure that I am not plagiarizing? Have I made my intentions and points clear in the paper?
When you are satisfied that youve answer the above questions in the affirmative, re-read and check your paper against the following list. CHECKLIST 1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence? 2. Have I supported my arguments with documented proof or examples? 3. Any run-on or unfinished sentences? 4. Any unnecessary or repetitious words? 5. Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into the next? 6. Any spelling or grammatical errors? 7. Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation? 8. Are all my citations accurate and in correct format? 9. Did I use third person as much as possible? Avoid using phrases such as "I think," "I guess," "I suppose?" After you have corrected all errors you identified and improved the overall quality of your paper, get someone else to read it and give you some honest feedback.
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IN-TEXT CITATIONS
In MLA style, in-text citations, often referred to as parenthetical citations, are used to document any quotations, summaries, paraphrases, and other material used from sources within parentheses ( ) are placed typically placed at the end of the sentence in which the
quoted or paraphrased material appears. These in-text parenthetical citations should correspond with the full bibliographic entries found in a list of references at the end of your paper. In most cases, the parenthetical citations include the author's last name and the specific page number for the information cited, with no punctuation between them. Here are some guidelines for in-line in-text citations: 1. Always mention the author's nameeither in the text itself or in the parenthetical citationunless no author is provided. 2. If the author's name is clearly stated in the text introducing the source material, then cite the page number(s) only in parentheses. Example: Brower asks, How much education does one need? (43) 3. If the author's name is not used in the sentence introducing the source material, then include the author's last name in the parenthetical citation before the page number(s). Example: In the publication A Little Book of Big Principles, the author asks, How much education does one need? (Brower 43)
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4. If a source has two or three authors, place all of the authors' last names in the text or in the parenthetical citation. Example: The article makes several assertions about the overall results. (Bull, Brower and Peterson 121) 5. If a source has four or more authors, include the first author's last name followed by et al. (Latin for and others). Example: The authors of the report verified their results with statistical analyses. (Bull et al. 237) 6. If citing a work by a corporate author, use the corporate name or a shortened form if the name is long. Example: American Medical Association (534) 7. If quoting a phrase, put the citation after the quotation marks. Example: He said, The muddled war in Afghanistan is now in its eighth year, and has become the most urgent foreign policy challenge facing President Obama. (Mortenson xxi)
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WORKS CITED
Works Cited is sometimes referred to as References, and the expressions are often used interchangeably. The terms mean the same thing. Each is an alphabetical list of works cited, or works to which you have made reference in your research paper. Works Cited is generally used when citing sources using MLA (Modern Language Association) style. Works Cited and Bibliography are not the same. On your Works Cited page, you only list items you have actually cited in your research paper. In a Bibliography you list all of the materials (books, journal, newspapers, scholarly articles, websites, etc.) you actually consulted or in preparing your research paper whether or not you have actually cited the work. Entries in Works Cited, References, or Bibliography are put in alphabetical order by last names of authors, editors, translators, etc. or by first words of titles. If the first word of the title is "The", "A", or "An", and the word is being used as an article, e.g., in the titled A Little Book of Big PrinciplesValues and Virtues for a More Successful Life, the entry is placed under "Little" and the article "A" is omitted. Begin your Works Cited, References or Bibliography on a separate page and list them double-spaced in one ALPHABETIZED list by first words of citations, regardless of where citations come from. Start on the 6th line from the top (or 1" down from the top of the paper), center, and type one of the following titles: Works Cited, References, or Bibliography. List all entries in alphabetical order by the first word, taking into consideration the rules governing titles that begin with articles.
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WORKS CITED
American Medical Association. The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Charles B. Clayman. New York: Random, 1989. Brower, Wilbur. A Little Book of Big PrinciplesValues and Virtues for a More Successful Life. Edgewood, MD: Duncan & Duncan Publishers, 1998. Bull, Lynn et. al. History of Musket Use in North Carolina. Carolina This Week, February 2010: 34. Counting Crows. "Mr. Jones." August and Everything After. DGC, 1993. CD. Jamieson, Kelsey. MLA Format: MLA Works Cited. February 24, 2010. http://www.studyguide.org/MLAdocumentation.htm Mortenson, Greg. Stones into Schools.Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs in Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: Viking, 2009 Williamson, Taylor. Just Being Pretty Isnt Enough. Insider Magazine. Feb. 2010: 85
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HOW TO WRITE AN ACCEPTABLE RESEARCH PAPERWilbur L. Brower, Ph. D.

February 19, 2010

HOW TO WRITE AN ACCEPTABLE RESEARCH PAPER

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