Research Paper Introduction A Writer’s Checklist Choosing your research topic Remembering your purpose Developing your research questions Finding and evaluating

Research Paper

Introduction

A Writer’s Checklist

Choosing your research topic

Remembering your purpose

Developing your research questions

Finding and evaluating your sources

Gathering your information

Drafting your thesis

Organizing your information

A Writer’s Model

Your Turn: Writing a research paper

Introduction

Think for a moment about how many questions you consider during the course of a day.

“How old is that building?”

People are naturally curious. All human knowledge is a result of people wanting their questions answered.

“How long until lunch?”

“Why don’t The Rolling Stones call it quits?”

Introduction

To find answers, people explore. That exploration takes many forms. Some people travel through jungles; others dig around old ruins. Still others read to gain new knowledge.

Research is exploration to answer questions.

Researchers often share their discoveries by arranging and presenting their discoveries in a research paper.


When you write a research paper, you should:

Choose a research topic that you and your audience will find interesting.

Remember the purpose of your research paper and keep it in mind as you write.

Develop a list of research questions to guide your research.

Find and evaluate sources to ensure that your research paper is based on solid information.

Gather information from the sources to answer your research questions.

Draft a thesis, organize the information, and write your paper.


Begin work on your research paper by choosing a research topic. Find a subject that will generate an interesting thesis. Consider these strategies:

Investigate nonfiction books, newspapers, magazines, and informational TV programs. What subjects catch your attention? Explore them further on the Internet.

Observe your surroundings. What things in your everyday life might make interesting subjects?

Talk to people about their jobs and interests.


Rosetta came upon a book about Greek mythology in her school library. She thought:

These stories are fascinating

!

Other people

might think so, too!


Once you’ve picked an overall subject, you must refine your topic to make it a manageable size.

As Rosetta investigated Greek myths further, she found an article entitled “Greek Nature Myths.” She decided to narrow her focus to that topic. She jotted down a short description of her research topic.

How the ancient Greeks used myths to explain things in nature.


As you work, remember the purpose of research.

You conduct research to answer your own questions about a research topic, and you publish your research in order to inform others about that topic.

To achieve this second purpose effectively, you must consider your audience and communicate with them using the proper tone.


Readers expect to come away from a research paper with a new and better understanding of its topic. As you prepare to write, ask yourself:

Who is my audience?

Which aspects of my topic might

interest them?

What background information might

they need to understand my topic?

How might I increase their

understanding of my topic?

Topic: Greek Nature Myths

My audience is: my classmates

Interesting aspects of my topic: some of the stories ancient Greeks told to explain natural phenomena

Background information needed: The ancient Greeks didn’t have the knowledge of science that we do.

I want my readers to understand that: The Greeks believed their myths. They used the myths to make sense of nature.


Rosetta wrote these notes to clarify her purpose and her audience’s needs:


Before you begin your research, develop a list of research questions to explore. To get started, ask yourself:

What exactly are the parameters of my topic? What does it include and exclude?

What are some of the “smaller pieces” of my overall topic? How do these pieces fit together?

What other topics are related to mine?

Remember that revising your list of questions (or even your topic) as you work is a natural part of the research process.

Which gods did the early Greeks hold responsible for fire?

How did the early Greeks think diseases originated and spread?

How did the Greeks explain day, night, and the seasons?


Here are some of Rosetta’s research questions:

She wrote out her questions and kept them at hand. They would help her to keep her information organized as she collected it.


You must find and evaluate sources to support the content of your research paper. The first step in finding information on your topic is knowing where to look.

encyclopedias

There are many resources for tracking and finding reliable information. Here are a few:

the Internet magazines

libraries museums dictionaries

newspapers maps bookstores


Your readers will want to know where you got your information, so it’s important to keep track of your sources as you find them.

For each of your sources, record the author, title, and publication information.

You should also assign each source a number for your own reference.

Bullfinch, Thomas. The Age of Fable. New York, NY: Review of Reviews Company, 1999.


Rosetta organized her source information on note cards like this one:

Along with the source number and publication information, she wrote the location where the source was found and the book’s call number.

School Library115.22Bul

8

With her research questions before her, Rosetta began to gather information from her sources. She skimmed each source and took notes when she found information that related to her research questions.


Keyword Source Number

Information

from Source

Page Number


Rosetta used note cards to record the information she found. For each note she recorded the source number and a keyword describing the card’s subject. For print sources, she also noted the page number.

Disease Myth 2

“Forthwith escaped a multitude of plagues for hapless man, such as gout, rheumatism, and colic for his body, and envy, spite, and revenge for his mind.”

page 8


Research papers often make use of direct quotations. Quotations are used when the exact words of the author are important.

Fire Myth 6

Prometheus was a Titan. The Greeks believed that Titans were giants who lived on earth long ago. Prometheus is credited with bringing fire from the Sun down to man.

page 13


Paraphrasing is used when you want to explain an idea in detail. When you paraphrase, you use your own words to either restate or elaborate on a point.

A summary is a condensed version of a point or idea. Like a paraphrase, it is stated in your own words.

Fire Myth 4

The ancient Greeks also knew about fire, but their explanation of its origin was very different.

page 27


Next, draft a thesis statement to identify your topic and tell which aspects of it you will cover. To do this:

Review your note cards, focusing on main ideas.

Consider which approach your notes suggest.

1.

2.

Do your notes suggest a certain relationship, such as cause-effect or comparison-contrast?

Will your paper examine how the topic has changed over time?

Will your paper explore new information?

A.

B.

C.



The ancient Greeks used myths to explain phenomena they observed in nature.

After reviewing her information and choosing her approach, Rosetta wrote this thesis statement:

Remember that the content or wording of your thesis may change to suit the needs of your paper.

3. Write a statement that illustrates the approach supported by your notes.

Disease Myth 2

“Forthwith escaped a multitude of plagues for hapless man, such as gout, rheumatism, and colic for his body, and envy, spite, and revenge for his mind.” Page 8

Organizing your information

Organize your information in accordance with the approach you have chosen for your paper.

Group your note cards according to their keywords. Then put the groups in the order in which you will discuss them in your paper. Finally, decide how best to order the ideas within each group of cards.

Fire Myth 4

The ancient Greeks also knew about fire, but their explanation of its origin was very different.

Page 27

Fire Myth 6

Prometheus was a Titan. The Greeks believed that Titans were giants who lived on earth long ago. Prometheus is credited with bringing fire from the Sun down to man. Page 13

Main idea from first group of cards: First point (note card text) Supporting detail (note card text)

Main idea from second group of cards: First point (note card text)) Supporting detail (note card text)Etc. . . .


Once your note cards are in order, use them to create an outline to follow as you write your paper.

Begin with a working outline, arranging your details in groups without using numbers or letters.

Thesis I. Main idea from first group of cards A. First point 1. Supporting detail 2. Supporting detail B. Second point

1. Supporting detail 2. Supporting detail

Etc. . . .


You may then choose to create a formal outline, with Roman numerals and capital letters.

Either type of outline will give you a map to follow as you write the first draft of your research paper.


Use the checklist as you look at the following Writer’s Model and as you evaluate and revise your own paper.

Choose a research topic that you and your audience will find interesting.

Remember the purpose of your research paper and keep it in mind as you write.

Develop a list of research questions to guide your research.

Find and evaluate sources to ensure that your research paper is based on solid information.

Gather information from the sources to answer your research questions.

Draft a thesis, organize the information, and write your paper.

attention-getter

Greek Nature Myths

We learn about science from the time we are children. Basic facts about nature are common knowledge. For instance, most of us take it for granted that our world is round. We know that Earth’s rotation gives us day and night and that the stars are suns much like our own. We know that clouds are made of evaporated water and that lightning is actually a form of electricity. A list of well-known science facts could go on and on.

background information

background information

In ancient Greece, however, it was different. Although the Greeks are known for their contributions to civilization (“Greek Civilization”), their grasp of science was very incomplete.

The ancient Greeks did not have our scientific knowledge. To explain the world around them, they created myths which, historian Bernard Doyle tells us, “sought to explain everyday natural phenomena. Drops of morning dew, for instance, were seen as tears from Heaven over its separation from Earth.” (14)

thesis

quotation/ first example

author’s name in text

shortened form of source title

In ancient Greece, however, it was different. Although the Greeks are known for their contributions to civilization (“Greek Civilization”), their grasp of science was very incomplete.

The ancient Greeks did not have our scientific knowledge. To explain the world around them, they created myths which, historian Bernard Doyle tells us, “sought to explain everyday natural phenomena. Drops of morning dew, for instance, were seen as tears from Heaven over its separation from Earth.” (14)

second example For example, any scientist today can describe the physical process that results in fire (“Fire”). The ancient Greeks also knew about fire, but their explanation of its origin was very different. They believed that an ancient race of giants called Titans formed the Earth, animals, and people out of Chaos. According to this mythology, a Titan named Prometheus stole fire from the chariot that held the Sun and brought it to Earth as a gift to humankind (Bullfinch 12).

paraphrase

summary with supporting details

third example Similarly, although the ancient Greeks knew nothing about germs (“Germs”), they still had an explanation of where diseases came from. According to a myth still famous today, sickness, pain, and sadness were unleashed upon the world by Pandora, the first woman. Out of curiosity, she disobeyed the Greek gods and opened a box in which the Titan Epimetheus (Prometheus’s brother) had placed “a multitude of plagues for hapless man” (Bullfinch 13).

summary

online source

phrase quotation

paraphrase of supporting details

fourth example Many of the constellations in our night skies were originally named by ancient Greeks. We know some of them by the same names today. (Bell).

Of course, the Greeks were not the only ancient people with nature myths. Even today, many cultures tell fanciful stories to explain the world around them (Buxton). Even though we know that myths are not true, these stories give us insight into cultures of long ago while at the same time entertaining us.

summary

concluding thought

restatement of thesis

Works Cited

Bell, Cathy. “The Mythology of the

Constellations.” Princeton

University. 8 Nov. 2008.

<http://www.comfychair.org>.

Bullfinch, Thomas. The Age of Fable.

New York: Review Of Reviews

Company, 1999.

online source

book

Works Cited (cont’d)

Buxton, Richard. “The Complete

World of Greek Mythology.”

Science News. 7 Mar. 2004: 53-62.

Doyle, Bernard. Mythology.

Cambridge, UK: Anthropographia

Publications, 1996.

magazine

book


“Fire.” The Encyclopedia Britannica.

International ed. 1998.

“Greek Civilization Topics.” 9 Nov.

2008. <http://

atschool.eduweb.co.uk>.

online source

encyclopedia article


“Louis Pasteur Proves Germs Cause

Disease.” Great Moments in the

History of Science. <http://www.

hawkhill.com>.

online source

Your Turn: Writing a research paper

Write a research paper in response to one of the prompts below. Then, use the Writer’s Checklist as a guide to evaluating and revising your work.

Brainstorm three subjects that might be interesting to research. Choose a subject from your list and write a short research paper, following the instructions in this lesson. Remember to cite sources.

Choose a topic that is current in today’s news and explore it in a research paper. Remember to find a variety of sources to give different information and perspectives on the topic.

The End

Documents

Research Paper Introduction A Writer’s Checklist Choosing your research topic Remembering your purpose Developing your research questions Finding and evaluating