Research Paper
Guide
Walter G. OConnell
Copiague High School
Name __________________________
Teacher ________________
Period ____ Date _______ Due _________
1
PARENT LETTER
Mr.
Joseph Agosta Principal
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions or comments about the project.
Sincerely,
Daniel E. Barresi
English Teacher
dbarresi@copiague.net
631-842-4010
Due: _____________
Due: ____________
English II
1. 3-4 page length.
2. MLA format.
3. Five source minimum. One source must
be
in book form, and one source must be
a printed periodical. Al other sources
may be internet based or digital.
4. At least four sources must be cited in the
body of the essay.
5. Students will generate a minimum of
30 note cards or notes from their sources.
6. Students must create an outline of their
essay including a thesis, concrete details,
and commentary.
7. Students will include a works cited
page at the end of their essay.
Advanced - English
IV
1. 5-8 page length.
2. MLA format.
3. Seven source minimum. 1-2 sources
must be
in book form, and 2 sources must be a
printed periodical or journal. All other
sources may be Internet based or
digital (from credited sources.
4. At least four sources must be cited in
the body of the essay.
5. Students will generate a minimum of 50
note cards or notes from their sources.
6. Students must create an outline of
their essay including a thesis, concrete
details, and commentary.
7. Students will include a works cited page
at the end of their essay.
Books
Internet Sites (.org/.edu/.gov)
Interviews
Educational Publications
Magazines/Journals
Newspapers
Documentaries
Literary Critiques
Pamphlets
Videos/Movies
Databases
Research Terms
The following terms are used throughout this guide to refer to specific writing and
research concepts. Please refer to this sheet if there are any questions throughout the
research process.
Bibliographic Information: the address for your source. Author, title, publisher, date,
etc. This information needs to be organized according to MLA style in the students
works cited page.
Bibliography Cards (also known as source cards): contain the bibliographic
information for one source. Students will complete a bibliography card for each of the
sources they use. These cards should be placed in alphabetical order and number.
Categorizing: the process for sorting through and organizing the research note cards.
For example, research papers can be categorized by cause/effect relationships,
comparisons, persuasive appeals, problem/solution, qualities of an object, etc.
Commentary: specific opinions expressed by the student about each concrete detail.
Commentary must be directly related to the concrete detail, must be specific, and must
be focused upon the overall topic of the paragraph in which it appears.
Conclusion: record of what has been discovered through the writing of the paper. A
students conclusion should almost entirely consist of commentary and it should not
repeat phrases and sentences found elsewhere in the paper.
Concrete Detail: a specific example used to support the topic sentence. It can be a
quote, fact, statement, summary, paraphrase, or other illustration.
Controlling idea/questions: the specific idea that the project is shaped around. In
the final draft of the paper, the controlling idea changes into a thesis statement.
Drafting: the process of taking the research that has been done and writing it out in
expository form.
Editing: the process of checking spelling, grammatical usage, and punctuation.
Format: the physical parameters of the report. Spacing, punctuation, font size, and
style are issues of format. The format for this paper must follow MLA guidelines. Format
requirements are outlined later on in this packet.
MLA Style: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers specifically dines procedures
and requirements for scholarly research. Most colleges and universities use MLA style
in some capacity. MLA stands for Modern Language Association.
Paraphrase: recording the ideas found from a source in ones own words.
Paraphrases still must be documented in the works cited page and parenthetical
citation. To do otherwise is to commit plagiarism.
Plagiarism: use of another persons ideas, words, or opinions as if they were your
8
10
Plagiarism
58.3% of high school students let someone else copy their work in 1969, and 97.5% did so in 1989The
State of Americans: This Generation and the Next
30% of a large sampling of Berkeley students were recently caught plagiarizing directly from the
Internet-- results of a Turnitin.com test, conducted from April-May 2000
Plagiarism is passing off the work of someone else as your own. See the handbook regarding
consequences.
You find the same information undocumented in at least five other sources
You think it is information that your readers will already know
You think a person could easily find the information with general reference sources
Need to Document
x
x
x
x
x
No Need to Document
x
x
When
quoting
directly
12
Print Search
1. Start by searching for related
publications in your librarys catalog
to get background information on as
many different aspects of your topic
as possible
2. Look in the works cited at the end of
articles for suggestions for further
research
3. Find and review as many of the
sources in the bibliography section as
possible.
4. Review the works cited section (found
in the back of the book) for each of
those sources
5. Find and review as many of the
sources in those bibliography pages
as possible
6. Etc.
Electronic Search
1. Log onto the schools databases
2. Search for articles with important
key words in and surrounding your
topic
3. Find and review as many articles
as you can and decide which ones
are applicable.
4. Use the works cited for each
applicable article
5. Find and review as many sources in
the bibliography section as possible.
6. Repeat for reliable news sites
7. As a last resort use google, but be
sure to analyze carefully whether or
not the article is reliable and
appropriate or not (all such article
must be verified by your teacher).
13
What are the author's education and experience? Look for information about the
author in the publication itself.
Who is the audience for the publication (scholarly or general)?
Is the publication primary or secondary in nature?
Does it provide general background information or in-depth information on a
specific topic? Which do you need?
How extensive is the bibliography? Can you use these references to find more
information?
What is the publication date?
How up-to-date are the citations in the bibliography?
How current do you need for your topic?
Questions:
1. Where do you commonly find the publication date in a book?
2. How do you determine who the audience is for this book?
3. What is a bibliography?
14
Educational organization
School site
Company
Government agency
.k12
.mil
.org
.net
US school site
military
institution
organization
Network
New extensions to look for are: .biz, .name, .pro, .info. All are used for commercial
purposes.
Extensions can also include country codes such as .uk, .ca, .za, etc.
Personal Web Pages
A personal page is a Web site created by an individual. The Web site may contain
useful information and links to important resources and helpful facts, but often these
pages offer highly biased opinions and are not recommended.
The presence of a name in the URL such as bsmith and a tilde ~ or % or the word users
or people or members frequently means you are on a personal web site. Even if the site
has the extension, .edu, you still need to look out for personal pages. Ask yourself who
is the author and what are their credentials?
Questions:
1. Which of the above sites are more likely to have the most reliable information?
2. Which ones may present information with a bias?
3. Which sites may be trying to sell you a product?
4. How can you use this information to evaluate the information on the web site?
5. What are clues in the URL that help identify the site as a personal web page?
15
benefits/concerns
8. Humane/Inhumane
9. Race relations
10. Safety
11. Environmental
concerns
12. Pretext (false
reasons)
13. Cultural impact
14. Mankinds
responsibility for a
better future
15. Scientific concerns
16. Education
17. Legal
18. Political implications
(media politics)
19. Military concerns
16
Brainstorming Practice/Example
Topic: September 11
Depths of Complexity:
1. Economics
2. ?
Peeling the Onion: create a graphic organizer for all 6 depths of complexity.
17
Basic
For each source you use, write a separate listing on an index card.
Number each card in the upper, right-hand corner.
Use a web source like easybib.com or http://www.citationmachine.net/mla/cite-ajournal to create a correct citation.
Sources sometimes have no author. If an authors name is missing, begin with the
title of the source.
items to include on a bibliography card for a BOOK:
Call number
Place of publication
Author
Publisher
Title
Date of publication
Basic items to include on a bibliography card for a MAGAZINE or JOURNAL ARTICLE:
Author
Volume number
Title of the article
Date of magazine or journal
Name of magazine or journal
Page number(s)
18
Source #1
McPherson,JamesM.Marchingtowardfreedom:Blacksinthe
CivilWar,19861865.NewYork:FactsonFile,1991.
<http://www. giftedlanguageartsclasses.com/
article5693.htm>
HOW TO WRITE A BIB CARD FOR AN INDIVIDUAL PAGE ON A WEBSITE WITH NO AUTHOR
Name of Page. Name of site. Date of sites last revision. Name of institution or
organization affiliated with the site. Date you accessed the site. <URL>.
Synonyms for Said. Mrs. Christiansons Language Arts Page. 22 Jan. 2008. 23
Jan. 2008. <www.mrschristianson.com/saidsynonyms.pdf>
Youre right: it does look strange to have two dates written together. However, this is how
it is done in MLA format and people familiar with this way of preparing entries know that
the first date is the publication one and the second date is when you accessed the site.
Name of institution. Title of sites specific page. Name of full site. Date of sites last
revision. Date you accessed the site. <URL>.
Sometimes you need to really search to find the date of last revision or to find the authors name.
Oftentimes this information is hidden at the bottom of the first page. If you cant find it, you can
also contact the Webmaster and explain you need the information to properly document the source.
A source that does not have this information, or which is not willing to give it out, may not be the
most reliable source to cite for research purposes. If this happens, please check with your teacher
to see what s/he would like you to do. You may need to find another source.
Christianson, Lori. We Need More Vacation. Mental Health Monthly. May 2002:
45 48. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. University of Phoenix.15 Apr. 2003.
<http://search.epnet.com/>.
Last name, First name. Title of article. Name of Magazine/Newspaper. Date of original
publication: page numbers. Database name. Database Service. Name of sponsoring library
or institution. Date accessed. <URL>.
Note: you may have to dig to find a sites date of last revision. Dont be afraid of a little work. The citation is
not complete without this!
ORGANIZING - the most important part of researching and beginning to write is the
information and your thoughts.
The index card system is a method you use to categorize the information you find by topic.
For each topic, you could have any number of cards from several different sources.
Later, as you write your paper, each card topic becomes a body paragraph (supporting idea) in
your paper.
As you find interesting facts about your topic during your research, you should write them
down.
Each sentence or idea that you find should be paraphrased (summarized in your own words),
and written on a card.
In order to keep your ideas in order, and to remember where you found the ideas, there are
four items that you should include on the index card.
Note Card
The card topic is the title for the kind of information on the card.
The card topic is a name that you make up yourself. Kind of like the title, or main idea of the
card.
After writing down the information, figure out how you could briefly categorize, or title it.
For example, if you are writing a paper on the life and works of the poet, Langston Hughes, you
may have cards with topics such as:
Hughes' upbringing
Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance
Hughes' influences
Hughes' poetry
Hughes' political beliefs
The source title is the name of the book, magazine, web cite, etc., in which you found the
information.
The source is given a number, instead of writing out the entire title. You could write out the
title on each card , or simply list your sources on a separate note card.
Number your sources on the source note card, and then use the numbers on the note cards to
specify which source provided which fact.
The third item on the card is the paraphrased information that you found.
It is helpful to paraphrase, or summarize, your research on the index cards while you are
taking notes.
If you are consistent in paraphrasing at this stage, then you will be certain not to accidentally
plagiarize someone else's work.
You will also have less work to do when you are actually writing the paper.
The source title is the name of the book, magazine, web cite, etc., in which you found the
information.
The source is given a number, instead of writing out the entire title. You could write out the
title on each card, or simply list your sources on a separate note card.
Number your sources on the source note card, and then use the numbers on the note cards to
specify which source provided which fact.
Page numbers on your note cards, as you will need them for citations throughout your
research paper.
Be sure you know which form of citation your teacher requires.
For information on citing your sources, look at English Works handouts on MLA, citations.
Start Organizing
Once you have written the information down on the note cards, you only need to
go back and organize your cards by topic.
Group together all the cards that have the same topic (i.e. all the cards titled:
"Hughes' Poetry" should be together).
When you finish, you should have your cards in piles, one topic per pile.
You can have any number of piles and any number of cards in each pile.
The length and detail of your paper will determine how many piles and cards you
have.
NOTECARD PRACTICE
TOPIC _________________________
Source # ___
TOPIC _________________________
Paraphrase, Summary, or Quote:
Page # ____
TOPIC _________________________
Source # ___
Page # ____
TOPIC _________________________
Source # ___
Page # ____
Source # ___
Page # ____
Standards Addressed
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the
text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2
Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact
and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3
Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over
the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings;
analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines
faction in Federalist No. 10).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.5
Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the
structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and
content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as
in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.8
Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal
reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public
advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.9
Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance
(including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln's Second Inaugural
Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
Writing Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient
evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.A
Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.B
Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the
strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.C
Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the
relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.D
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they
are writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.E
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through
the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.A
Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to
create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.B
Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations,
or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.C
Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships
among complex ideas and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.D
Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of
the topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.E
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they
are writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.F
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating
implications or the significance of the topic).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.A
Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple
point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting,
and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.E
Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing
what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language
standards 1-3 up to and including grades 11-12 here.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing
feedback, including new arguments or information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding
of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the
strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to
maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9.A
Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentiethcentury foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or
topics").
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9.B
Apply grades 11-12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including
the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents]
and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]").