Research Paper Vocab

Thesis

Focus statement of an essay; main statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based.

topic sentence

the first sentence of a body paragraph that introduces a subtopic.

subtopic

One of numerous supporting topics related to main topic.

evidence

facts or information indicating whether a belief or opinion is true or valid.

bibliography

the written list of all the books or websites used in an essay

citation

Used to give credit to someone else's words/research in a paper.

connecting sentences

describes how the evidence is connected to the main topic or subtopic

hook

The first sentence or question in an essay that is designed to grab the reader's attention

quote anchor

introduces where the evidence comes from: Who said it/wrote it

source

A book, article, person, or other resource referenced for information.

so what statement

Concluding sentence in your conclusion that makes the reader think about. Connects the topics discussed in the essay to real life

summary

A retelling of the most important parts of what was read.

Restate topic

The part of a topic sentence that reviews the prompt and/or the subtopic discussed in the thesis

Answer question

The part of a topic sentence that gives your opinion on the topic

Explain evidence

The part of a literary analysis that IS the analysis. Combines your opinion on the evidence and connects it with the topic sentence and thesis

media literacy

the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms

misinformation

shared information that is false, but the sharer is NOT aware that it is false

disinformation

shared information that is false, and the sharer IS aware that it is false.

malinformation

shared information that is false, and the sharer does this with the purpose of causing harm to others

informative essay

essay written to inform others about a topic

holistic

an adjective that describes a complete or "big picture" view of something (both good and bad elements)