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Name:____________________________________________________________Date:___________Period:________

Scientific Research Paper Guidelines 2014-2015


Requirements
This year in biology, you will be required to write a scientific research paper on a scientific topic or current event. The requirements of the
paper are as follows:
1. The paper must be at least 500 words.
2. Topic must be science related and relevant.
3. A proper thesis statement will be written.
4. Students will follow rubric provided by teacher.
5. Paper will be peer-reviewed and edited.
6. 3 drafts of the paper will be completed prior to the final draft.
7. The paper and works cited will be in MLA format. The works cited will need to have at least two primary source and several
secondary sources.
Timeline
Nine Weeks Process
1st 9/25-9/26 Topic selection, research, thesis statement and introduction paragraph written.
2nd 12/12/14 1
st
and 2
nd
draft: body paragraph in addition to the criteria from the first 9
weeks. Paper needs to be 500 words or more. Peer review of drafts.
3rd 3/5-3/6 3
rd
Draft Peer Review: Revising and Editing
4th 5/21-5/22 4
th
and Final Draft: Revising and Editing

Finding Credible Sources Online
The research paper can leave many wondering where to go for information. With the Internet being so accessible, it might be tempting to type
words into Google and use whatever comes up first.. Learning how to evaluate sources for research paper writing is a key component to your
research papers success. Here are five tips to help you as you gather your sources:
Start with a simple search. Search engines, such as Google are great places to start when youre first reading up on the assigned
writing topic.
Avoid Wikipedia. Print and digital encyclopedias, such as Encyclopedia Britannica and InfoPlease.com are excellent sources from
which to gather material (see instructions below for access). But be careful of sites such as Wikipedia that allow multiple users to edit.
Wikipedia is a great jumping-off point in terms of figuring out what to search for, but double-check all of the facts by using credible
sources of information.
Use online scholarly databases such as EBSCO or TexQuest Gale.
Newspapers and magazines are also rich sources of information about what is happening now. Consider browsing through the New
York Times, TIME, Houston Chronicle and the Wall Street Journal.
Dont forget the library. Often this rich source of information is overlooked because students think its more convenient to look
subjects up online. The problem with that is you miss out on accidentally stumbling upon a book or magazine that might just be the
perfect source for your research paper.

To look for credible online source through Aldine ISDs website:
1. Go to http://www.aldine.k12.tx.us/
2. Selects the student tab on the left.
3. Scroll to the internet resources tab below that.
4. Helpful sites include:
a. eBooks
b. EBSCO and AP Photo Archives (good place to find a primary source)
c. Encyclopedia Britannica
d. FolletShelf
e. Houston Chronicle Online
f. Scienceflix
g. TexQuest Gale (good place to find a primary source)
h. Scholar.google.com

Writing Your Thesis Statement
Without a good thesis statement, you will not have a way to organize your thoughts well enough for writing the rest of the paper in a
persuasive way. The thesis statement is the theme of your essay put into one sentence. Everything in your essay should stem from and refer
back to the thesis statement; it is the essay's anchor. How does one accomplish this task?
1. Understand what a thesis statement in general needs to accomplish. Your thesis needs to express a "considered point of
view." Note that a considered point of view is different from an opinion. Anyone can express an opinion. You can say that
you prefer chocolate to vanilla ice cream, to which another can either agree or disagree. This kind of exchange, however,
neither leads to further conversation about nor investigation of an issue. Blanket opinions are conversation stoppers. A thesis
statement is a conversation starter.
2. Define your point of view. Once given your assignment, take notes on your research paper outline in order to sort out your
thoughts on the issue at hand. You may want to create a table listing the pros and cons of two opposing positions before you
make your final decision. This will provide you with clarification and perhaps a line of argumentation for the body of your
essay.
3. Write your thesis statement in the form of an organized and clear complex sentence. Complex sentences, as opposed to
simple sentences, allow you to communicate rich thoughts. They give you room to unpack and elaborate in the body of your
essay. Consider the following pair of sentences, the first simple and expressing a mere opinion, the second expressing a
considered point of view in a complex sentence:
I hate San Francisco weather in the summertime.
Statement 1 gives a mere opinion, to which one can respond in only one of two ways. One can agree (I
hate it, too) or disagree (I love San Francisco weather). Either way, the statement does not begin a
conversation, but rather shuts it down from the beginning (as with the chocolate ice cream example). It is a
flat, blanket statement.
While San Francisco weather in the summer can be variable and unpredictable, once one has mastered the art of
layering, it can be quite pleasant.
Statement 2 offers much more to a writer and a reader. Notice first the structure of the sentence. It is a
complex sentence with two subordinate clauses (while & once) in front of the main, independent clause.
Looking at the sentence from its structure alone, one can see how much richer it is.
The subordinate clauses in this sentence give the writer room to write. In order to elaborate on the
thesis successfully, the writer would have to talk about what s/he means by calling San Francisco weather
variable and unpredictable. S/he would have to explain and illustrate with examples. The writer might also
give a descriptive narrative about encountering such unpredictable weather (experiencing sudden shifts in
temperature, or different weather conditions in different parts of the city).
The writer would then be able to talk about how s/he found a solution (layering) and how s/he has
made layering into an art. The writer could give examples of this. At this point, the writer is then
poised to discuss the conclusion built into the thesis (San Francisco weather can be quite pleasant). S/he
could then extend the discussion and further confirm the thesis in the conclusion by comparing San
Francisco weather to other climates (for example, the heat and humidity of New Orleans).
4. Analyze; don't moralize. Avoid using the words "should" or "must." Statements dictating what people should or should not
do are off-putting. On the other hand, offering a fresh or interesting way to think about a controversial or complex issue is
inviting, even if there are flaws in one's line of thought.
5. Avoid generalizations. Instead of resorting to terms such as "everyone," "no one," "all," etc., try using "many" or "some."
Making universal statements about all of humanity can set your thesis up for easy attack.
6. Although the topic of this sample thesis sentence is rather trivial and uninteresting, one should be able to see how
sentence 2 is superior to sentence 1 when launching a point of view. It not only expresses a richer point of view, but paves
the way for the successful execution of the actual essay!

Peer-Reviews
You will be required to have you paper peer-reviewed and peer-review the work of your classmates. During the peer review you will be editing
for correct punctuation, capitalization and spelling. The rubric below is the guide for what is required of your research paper for the peer-
review.
Peer-Review Rubric
Attributes Yes/No Comments

Check MLA heading.
1. Is it correct?

Check the Works Cited page.
1. Is Works Cited centered at the top of the page?
2. Is it spelled correctly?
3. Are all sources, which are documented parenthetically, also on
the Works Cited page?

MLA Format of Paper
1. Does the paper have an appropriate title?
2. Is it centered?
3. Are the margins 1 in?
4. Does it have the correct font and point size?
5. Does the paper have all of the proper spacing within the text of
the document?

Proofreading and Editing of Paper
1. Use the revision marks provided by your English teacher.
2. Mark all possible grammatical, spelling, and usage errors.






Now you are ready to begin your research paper outline!!

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