Title: How to Write a Research Paper Day One
1How to Write a Research PaperDay One
2How to Write a Research Paper
- Get-to-know you
- What is it?
- Different types of papers
- Choosing a topic
- Brainstorming
- Too broad/narrow
- Initial research
- Credible sources
- Varied sources
Day One
3Get-to-Know You
- Mrs. Ward
- 10th grade English
- Brewbaker Technology Magnet High
- Reading, guitar playing
- What is your name?
- What grade?
- Which school?
- What are some of your hobbies?
- What experience do you have with research papers?
4What Is a Research Paper?
- A research report that uses information gathered
from various sources - the culmination and final product of an
involved process of research, critical thinking,
source evaluation, organization, and composition
(OWL at Perdue) - Not a summary of information from primary and
secondary sources
5Types of Research Papers
- Argumentative takes a stance or makes a claim
that will be supported meant to be persuasive - Analytical explores a question on which the
writer may not have a specific claim meant to be
expository
6Choosing a Topic
- Check with your teacher
- Topic list?
- Length?
- Find your interest
- Brainstorm
- List
- Cluster
- Discuss with others
7Brainstorming
8Too Broad or Too Narrow
- Too broad The Space Race in the
- Twentieth Century
- Not too broad The Apollo 11 Space
- Mission
- Too narrow Corvette Mag Wheels
- Not too narrow The Two Best-Rated Sports Cars of
the Year
9Narrowing Down
10Narrowing Down
11Narrowing Down
12Narrowing Down
- Homelessness
- Topically
- Homeless Senior Citizens
- Homeless Shelters
- Education for the Homeless
- Food for the Homeless
13Narrowing Down
- Homelessness
- Chronologically
- Homelessness During the Great Depression
- Homelessness Before and After the Reagan
Administration - Geographically
- Homelessness in New York City
- Homelessness in Florida
- Homelessness in Mexico
14Narrowing Down
- Homelessness
- Combinations of Techniques
- Education for Homeless Children in New York City
- Homelessness in Florida Before and After the
Reagan Administration
15I Have My Topic Now What?
16Initial Research
- Encyclopedia articles
- Internet articles
- Non-fiction book
- Scholarly news articles
- Film documentaries
17Credible Sources
- Not all information is trustworthy, particularly
on the Internet! - Check all sources for credibility
C A R R D S S
18Credibility (Authority)
C A R R D S S
- Who is the author?
- What are his/her credentials? Education?
Experience? Affiliation? - Does he/she offer first-hand credibility?
- Who actually published this page?
- Is this a personal page, or is it an endorsed
part of a site belonging to a major institution?
(Clues pointing to a personal page tilde, ,
users, members) - Is the page hosted by a free server like AOL
Members, Tripod, or Geocities?
19Credibility (Authority)
C A R R D S S
- I cant find author information!
- Look for
- About Us, Who Am I, FAQs, For More, Company
Information, Profiles, Our Staff, Home - E-mail address for the author to ask for more
information
20Credibility (Authority)
C A R R D S S
- What do others think?
- Do a link check
- In Google or AltaVista type linksite address
- Your results will show which other sites have
chosen to link the page. If several respectable
institutions are linked to the site, that
provides a clue about the sites credibility. - Does the site appear in major subject directories
like Librarians Index to the Internet (lii.org)?
21Credibility (Authority)
C A R R D S S
Truncate the URL Delete characters in the address
line up to the next slash mark to see if a main
page offers more information about who is
responsible for publishing the page you are
interested in. http//www.statecollege.edu/histor
y/middleages/chaucer/smith/htm http//www.statecol
lege.edu/history/middleages/chaucer http//www.sta
tecollege.edu/history/middleages http//www.statec
ollege.edu/history http//www.statecollege.edu
22Credibility (Authority)
C A R R D S S
- If you have an authors name but no further
information about credentials, - Search the name in quotation marks in a search
engine or online database. - On the Web, include words like profile, resume,
or C.V. (curriculum vitaean academic resume) to
narrow your name search - Also include the name of a college or association
you can connect with the person - Ask your teacher/librarian for help
23Accuracy
C A R R D S S
- Can facts, statistics, or other information be
verified through other sources? - Based on your knowledge, does the information
seem accurate? Is the information consistent with
information you learned from other sources? - Is the information second hand? Has it been
altered? - Do there appear to be errors on the page
(spelling, grammar, facts)?
24Accuracy
C A R R D S S
Practice checking for accuracy with a few of
these sites Californias Velcro Crop Under
Challenge http//home.inreach.com/kumbacj/velcro.h
tml The Jackalope Conspiracy http//www.sudftw.com
/jackcon.htm Republic of Cascadia Bureau of
Sasquatch Affairs http//zapatopi.net/bsa.html Dih
ydrogen Monoxide Research Division
http//www.dhmo.org Federal Vampire Zombie
Agency http//www.fvza.org
25Reliability
C A R R D S S
- Does the source present a particular view or
bias? - Is the page affiliated with an organization that
has a particular social or political agenda? - Is the page selling a product?
- Can you find other material to offer balance so
that you can see the bigger picture? - Was the information found in a paid placement or
sponsored result from the search engine? - Information is seldom neutral. Sometimes a bias
is useful for persuasive essays or debates.
Recognizing bias is important!
26Reliability
C A R R D S S
Consider bias International Society for Animal
Rights http//www.isaronline.org/index.html The
American Physiological Society http//www.theaps.o
rg/pa/humane/pa_overview.htm
27Relevance
C A R R D S S
- Does this information directly support my
hypothesis/thesis or help to answer my question? - Can I eliminate or ignore it because it simply
doesnt help me?
28Date
C A R R D S S
- When was this information created?
- When was it last revised?
- Are these dates meaningful in terms of your
information needs? - Has the author of the page stopped maintaining
it? - Be suspicious of undated material!
29Date
C A R R D S S
- For example, RMS Titanic
- sank April 4, 1912
- survivors arrived in NYS April 11, 1912
- ship found September 1, 1985
30Sources Behind the Text
C A R R D S S
- Did the author bother to document his/her
sources? - Were those references reliable, popular,
scholarly, reputable? - Are those sources real? Have you heard of or been
able to verify them? - Is the material reproduced (accurately) from
another publication? - What kinds of link did the author choose?
- Are the hyperlinks reliable and valuable?
31Scope (Purpose)
C A R R D S S
- Does this source address my hopthesis/thesis/quest
ion in a comprehensive or peripheral way? - Is it a scholarly or popular treatment?
- Is it material I can read and understand?
- Is it too simple? Too challenging?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Why was this page created? To inform or explain?
To persuade? To sell?
32What Can You Learn from a URL?
- You can use the end (or suffix) of a domain name
to help you judge the validity of the information
and the potential bias of a website. - This strategy is only a guideline. People can
easily purchase domains that do not reflect their
actual purpose.
33URL Clues
.com commercial sites (vary in their
credibility) .gov U.S. government site .org
organization, often non-profit (some have strong
bias and agendas) .edu school or university
site (Is it K-12? By a student? By a
scholar?) .store retail business .int
international institution .ac educational
institution .mil U. S. military site
34URL Clues
.net networked service provider, Internet
administrative site .museum museum .name
individual Internet user .biz a business .pro
professionals site personal site
35URL Clues
http//personal.statecollege.edu/ejv114/ http//w
ww.fi.edu/wright/index.html http//www.house.gov/h
ouse/Legproc.html http//aolmembers.com/joyciev328
/civalwarsong
36Why Does Source Credibility Matter?
- Imagine making other choices in the future
- Which car should I buy?
- Which doctor should I choose?
- Should my child have this surgery?
- Should I take this medication?
- Be sure all information you choose is credible,
reliable, current, balanced, relevant, and
accurate!
37Source Variety
- Remember, use varied sources, not just the
Internet - Books
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Encyclopedias
- Interviews
- Documentary films
- Textbooks
- Medical journals
38Bibliography
- Everhart, Nancy. How to Write a Term Paper.
Second ed. Cornstock, Inc., 1987. - Markman, Ph.D., Roberta H., Peter T. Markman, and
Marie L. Waddell. 10 Steps in Writing the
Research Paper. Sixth ed. Barron's Educational
Series, Inc., 2001. - Mrs. Horn's Short Story Project. Montgomery Kim
Horn, 2009.