Writing the Research Paper Rough Draft

Where do I begin?

FormattingOrder of Pages

1. Title Page (see example)2. 5-8 pages (no headings or

titles on the first page)3. Appendices (if you are

including pictures/graphs, etc.)

4. Works Cited (as a whole separate page at the end)

Appearance

• Double-Spaced• 1’’ Margins• Times New Roman Font• Size 12 Font• No contractions• No first (I, Me, We, etc.) or

second (you, your, etc.) pronouns. Third person only!

• Do not put ANYTHING in your paper in italics or bold font. Every word should be typed by the guidelines above.

Step 1: Organize Your Note Cards• Make a different stack of cards

for each of your subtopics.• Organize each subtopic based

on the order that makes the most sense to each section of your paper:– Chronological order– Cause/Effect

• Number all of your cards on the back so that you know what the entire order of your paper will be (1-50).

Step 2: Write an Introduction

• The introduction should:– Go first in your paper– Explain to the reader

what your paper is going to be about

– Interest the reader with a hook

– End with your thesis statement (claim)

Step 2A: Include a Good Hook in your Introduction

• Can be a:– Fact or statistic– A scenario– A rhetorical question– Thought-provoking, original

sentence (s) that draws the reader into the discussion

• Should not be:– Painfully obvious– A trite generalization– Boring– Something that puts me to

sleep

Step 2A Continued: Sample Hooks

• Dull Hooks:– Drugs and alcohol are a

problem for many young people in today’s society.

– Photography is one of the most popular hobbies in the world.

Step 2A Continued: Sample Hooks• Better Hooks:

– When sixth-graders get drunk and 13-year-olds smoke pot every Friday night, society’s got a problem.

– A photography enthusiast takes his camera and twelve packs of fresh film on Spring Break but comes home and realizes ten of the film packs are still unopened.

Step 2B: Include a Strong Thesis Statement in your Introduction:

• Thesis statements:– Are the carefully worded statements of the main idea of the

paper– Almost always include a judgment or evaluation; they are

never merely facts that can be easily proven– Usually mention all of the subtopics of your paper– Usually appear at the end of the introduction– Should follow a pattern (optional depending on topic):

• _______________because __Sub.1_______Sub. 2___, ___Sub. 3_______, __Sub.4____.

• If ___________________, then _________________.

Step 2B Continued: Sample Thesis Statements

• Poor (nonjudgmental/nondebatable) thesis statements:– Animal abuse is a big problem in the United

States.– There should be no restrictions on the first

amendment.– Although we have the right to saw what we want,

we should want to avoid hurting other people’s feelings.

Step 2B Continued: Sample Thesis Statements

• Strong (Judgmental/Debatable) Thesis Statements:– Even though there may be considerable

advantages to restricting hate speech, the possibility of chilling open dialogue on crucial racial issues is too great and too high of a price to pay.

– If Americans can accept that emotional injuries can be just as painful as physical ones, then as a country, the citizens should limit speech that may hurt people’s feelings in a ways that we limit speech that may cause someone bodily harm.

Step 3: Weave your facts from your notecards together with and in your own words.

• Example:– Fact from notecard: The elimination of “death row”

and executions would save California $ 1 billion over a five year period.

– Section of research paper: There are some who believe that keeping in prisoners costs taxpayers too much money. Many do not realize how much executions actually cost, and how much money could be saved by eliminating the death penalty. According to an article published in USA Today, “The elimination of ‘death row’ and executions would save California $ 1 billion over a five year period” (Smith par. 3).

Step 3A: Using Topic Sentences

• A Topic Sentence should:– Be used at the beginning of each body paragraph

paragraph– Be general enough to open up all the ideas in that

paragraph– Make the main idea of that paragraph clear

• Sample Topic Sentences:

Step 3B: Summarizing & Paraphrasing

• Summarize (compress/shrink down) in your own words

• Translate and rewrite what the author is saying·  

PARAPHRASE Example of what you read:

"I had to explain to him that I was deaf. I said, 'Wait; I can't hear; please talk slowly.' He looked at me and said, 'What?' I told him again I was deaf, and he said, 'Oh.' He pointed to a door and told me to go through that door. I followed his instructions. I opened the door and walked through it, closing the door behind me. I found that I was in the hallway near the elevator where I had just come up. I was shocked! He had rejected me without any explanation. I got into the elevator, and as it descended, I felt very letdown. I couldn't understand why he didn't give me a chance to explain that I could do the job well. It didn't require hearing!"

-- Bernard Bragg, My First Summer Job, A Handful of Stories, 19

PARAPHRASEAn Example of paraphrasing what

you read• In A Handful of Stories, Bernard Bragg tells a story of

trying to get a job. One time he told a potential employer he was deaf, and the man just pointed to the door. Mr. Bragg, not realizing the man was telling him to leave, opened the door and stepped out. Not until he went out the door did he realize he had been rejected because he was deaf (19).

Step 3D: Quoting

Use quotation marks “ “ to show EXACTLY what the author was saying (Do NOT use more than 4 lines)

• Include Author’s Last Name and Page Number on which you found the information, directly after the quote

• For example, According to Hughes, “poetry rocks!” (Hughes p. 2)

Step 4D: Include Parenthetical Citations Your sentence goes here, and you use parenthetical citations when you include information that you did not create on your own; it should be something you found in your research (Author’s Last Name or “Article Title” goes here paragraph or page #).

– Punctuation goes AFTER the parenthetical citation.– DO NOT put web addresses/URLS in as

parenthetical citations.

Step 5: Write a Conclusion• A Conclusion should:

– Focus the reader back to the main points of your paper

– Include your thesis statement (presented in a different way than in your introduction)

– Leave the reader with a final thought/scenario, etc.– Include a call to action (optional)– Not be very long– Not include new facts or information about your

topic

Step 5A: Conclusion Starters

• In conclusion… Clearly… As one can see…

• All in all… To conclude… To summarize…

• Based on this information, people should realize that…

Step 6: Revise Your Work1. Read completely through your paper at least twice.2. Check that all of the formatting is correct.3. Check for spelling/grammar mistakes4. Check for the usage of first (I, Me, We, etc.) and

second (You, Your, etc.) pronouns.5. Check for the usage of contractions (can’t, won’t,

etc.)6. Check to make sure all of the parts of your paper

are included.7. Get a partner to check over your work.8. Grade yourself using the rubric and turn it in after

you have revised your work.

Step 7: Send draft as a Google Document1. Open Gmail and sign in.2. Click on “Documents” on the top tool bar.3. Click on “Create New”.4. Click on “Untitled” at the top, and name your

paper: Your Last Name, First Name: Research Paper

5. Copy and past each part (Title Page/5-8 Pages/Works Cited) in that order as one document.

6. Click on “Share”.7. Share with me by typing in my email address:

mrsebuchanan@gmail.com

Step 8: CELEBRATE YOUR HARD WORK!

Until it’s time to turn a revised copy into me.