As you prepare to submit your research papers, here are some final reminders:
1. Your paper will include these pages:
#1 cover page which can show your creativity;
#2 outline–typed and double spaced with the thesis under the title (Outline);
#3 the research paper– MLA format with the heading and title; start your numbering here; your name and page number should appear on each page; the last page of the reseach paper should be your works cited page (also numbered). This means that you will submit a minimum of 8 pages! You will place this in a folder with your articles, source cards, and notecards.
2. The actual research paper (from introduction to conclusion) must be 5 pages in length or you will not earn a passing grade.
3. You must have citations AND a works cited page or you will receive an automatic ZERO (0) for failure to give credit to your sources. Reminder: The citations are the sources that you place at the ends of sentences. (Walker 4)
4. The paper must be submitted on the deadline or I will not accept it.
5. The paper must be typed in 12 point Times New Roman with 1 inch margins on all sides. The paper should be left justified (with a ragged margin on the right side). You will lose formatting points if it is not in the correct font. The entire paper from the outline to the works cited should be DOUBLE-SPACED.
6. You are not allowed to use contractions, personal pronouns (I, you, etc.), “I believe,” or “I think.” The final paragraph should be your opinion, but you should be able to state it without using the personal pronouns. The remainder of the paper should be research– not your opinion. I repeat—ONLY THE CONCLUSION IS YOUR OPINION. THE REST SHOULD BE RESEARCH BASED!!!! Your conclusion should also be supported by facts and research.
7. Use clear topic sentences. Look at the helpful hints sheet for examples. It is ESSENTIAL that you write a clear topic sentence that covers the content for each paragraph. The topic sentence should be your words– not a quote. Quotes should be used as details during the paragraphs. Read each of your topic sentences and then rephrase it in your mind as a question. Then ask yourself if your paragraph answers that question. If it does not, then you have not developed the paragraph correctly. Also ask yourself if you have any “extra material” that is not needed to answer the question. That content is IRRELEVANT and should be deleted or moved to where it is needed to develop another paragraph.
8. On your Works Cited page, remember to alphabetize and to use the hanging indent (the tab) after the first line. This page is double-spaced also. Remember to fix the entries that have 2 or more author names. These should be in this order: LAST NAME, FIRST NAME, and FIRST NAME LAST NAME. If you copy and paste from EBSCO, there will be an error with these.
9. To type your outline in Microsoft Word, you can go to the “multi-level list” option beside the numbering bullets at the top. Select it and you will get a drop-down set of options. On my computer, the outline that looks most like a regular outline is the third down. You may have to search for it. It must have Roman Numerals and A, B, C and then 1, 2, etc. Then you can type as normal, and this option will formal the outline for you. After typing, hit CTRL-A and change the text color to plain black (no bolding).
10. Remember to use signal phrases to introduce your quotations. Do not dump a quotation into your paper without introducing it properly with the speaker (the author, researcher, etc.). The first time that you use this person’s name, give the first and last name as well as some description of the person. Ex. According to Thomas McLemore, the principal of Nansemond River High School, ….” quote goes here” (5) . Use the appositive to add the information that gives credibility to the source. Notice that when you use the author of the book or article in the sentence, then you can just use the page number in the citation (5) at the end.
11. When formatting your citations, there is no punctuation before the parenthesis. The period goes after the parenthesis. Do not use a comma anywhere. I have copied and pasted examples for you below. These are from the third sample research paper that I have linked below:
Sagan acknowledged that the chances of anything actually discovering the probe were astronomical, but believed that it was important to promote public appreciation for science and thought the project to be “all in good fun” (McDonough 50). Notice that the period comes after the citation.
He believed that investigating and disproving popular paranormal claims would raise scientific awareness (Morrison, Sagan 30). This one shows how to do a citation with two authors.
Your best resources are the sample research papers. They have directions in the margins about formatting and writing the papers. The second one includes a typed outline. Both show the works cited page and include directions for typing that page:
Sample Research Paper Cell Phones (This is the one that we have been over in class.)
Sample Research Paper Cell Phones (This one we did not go over in class, but it contains a sample outline.)
Sample Research Paper with Directions (This one includes directions that you CAN’T miss!)
Here is the handout that helps with the thesis and topic sentences:
Research Paper Helpful Hints 1
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
If you need to cite an article from an anthology (a book of articles), here is the information that you need:
A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection
Works may include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is for this sort of citation is as follows:
Lastname, First name. “Title of Essay.” Title of Collection. Ed. Editor’s Name(s). City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of
entry. Medium of Publication.
Some examples:
Harris, Muriel. “Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers.” A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One to One. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth:
Heinemann, 2000. 24-34. Print.
Swanson, Gunnar. “Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and The ‘Real World.’” The
Education of a Graphic Designer. Ed. Steven Heller. New York: Allworth Press, 1998. 13-24. Print.
This information is from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/ Much more information is available at the Purdue site.
