Beginning My Research Paper

How to Get Started

Formatting Your Research Paper

1) First, be sure you have followed the “Cover Page Directions” PowerPoint.

2) Go to “View” “Header/Footer” “Insert Page Number” (the first icon)

3) Change centering to “Align Right.”

4) Hit “Close.”

Formatting Your Research Paper

5) Change your centering to “Align Left.”

6) Type in your MLA heading (the same one we used in class all year—see “Cover Page Directions” for format.

7) Hit “Enter.” Change your centering to “Center.”

Formatting Your Research Paper

8) Type in a “working title” (a title for-the moment). See “Minilesson 10—Writing an Effective Title” for help.

6) Hit “Enter.” Hit “Tab” once.

7) Begin typing your introduction

--See next slide for help with your Introduction

Drafting Your Introduction

5) Remember that you want to include the following three elements in your introduction:

A. An Attention Getter/LeadB. Background C. Your thesis

A. Experiment with Attention Getters/Leads suggested at these

links: http://

www.mcte.org/resources/laneleads.html

http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/speaking/infomod/pop8a.cfm

http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/writing/sixtrait/organization/leads.html

B. Background Information

5) Remember that background information will include the who, what, when , and where for your topic. The how and why will usually come in later as your draft your research paper.

--See next page for more

B. Background may include

i. Important namesii. Literary worksiii. Historical backgroundiv. Narrowing of topicv. Definitionsvi. Datesvii. Popular opinions

B. Background Information

Once you have written your background information, you will want to draft your thesis.

C. Thesis Statement

Your thesis consists of your topic, plus your specific assertion (opinion—not in 1st person) about that topic.

Thesis = topic + assertion

C. A thesis should

--state a position. --not be a fact.--not be too broad.--be proven within

the context of your research paper.

C. Sample Thesis Statements

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/planning-and-organizing/thesis-statements

Checking Your Introduction

6) Read through some of the samples provided to see if your introduction passes the test:

http://www.gmc.edu/students/arc/documents/Literary%20analysis.pdf

http://fc.pickerington.k12.oh.us/~sandy_juniper/FOV1-000151F9/S010C0463

http://drake.marin.k12.ca.us/staff/doherty/litanalysis.htm

http://www.roanestate.edu/owl/WritingLitAnalysis1.html

Congratulations!You have just finished

writing the introduction for your research paper.

You are now ready to use your T-notes to write the body of your paper.

--See “Body Paragraphs” PowerPoint for help.