Research Paper

Values

• Higher level of refinement

• Scholarly attitudes & disciplined work habits

Choose a Topic

• General overview, or

• Specific Analysis

  • Ex: Self-awareness: too genera
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Define your purpose

• To investigate,

• To verify.

• To evaluate

• To debunk/reaffirm a theory or an item of knowledge?

• To analyze a problem (social, psychological, etc.) and provide alternative solutions?

• To clarify and expand a concept and provide its critically examined meaning?

• Whatever topic must fit your purpose

Organize your ideas

• The Outline

  • The purpose of an outline is to put your ideas about the topic on paper, first in a moderately organized format

  • Begin with a very general topic outline

    • Topic outline CONSISTS: Words, phrase //not sentences

  • Then, have a more elaborate topic outline

  • Finally, create a 2-level sentence outline which will serve as your definitive guide in organizing the complete paper

    

• Compose Thesis Statement

  • The thesis statement tells the reader what the essay will be about, and what point the author will be making

  • Your thesis statement have 2 parts

    • The first part states the topic

      • Ex: Relationships that nurture self-awareness

    • The second part states the point of the paper

      • Ex: Can provide ways to develop an individual’s hidden talent

• Writing a Good Thessi

• Avoid Statements too Narrow

• The Topic Outline

  • An exploratory one-level topic outline will direct you more systematically in your search for materials and in narrowing down the topic to a manageable scope

    • Ex: I. Self awareness and hidden talent II. Relationships that nurture self-awareness III. Development of an individual’s self-awareness through the relationships IV. Development of the individual’s hidden talent resulting from a well-nurtured self-awareness

• Write the Body Paragraphs

  • In the body of the essay, all the preparation up to this point comes to fruition

  • The topic you have chosen must now be explained, described, or argued

  • Each main idea that you wrote down in your outline will become the body paragraphs

  • a

• Introduction

  • Should have your thesis statements

  • 1. Begin with an attention grabber

    • Startling information

  • 2. If the attention grabber is only a sentence or two, add one or two more

  • The thesis statement contains the ideas that will serve as the major sections of the paper

  • each section will have paragraphs developing the corresponding major idea in the thesis statement

  • Transition paragraphs will serve as links between major sections of the paper to keep the flow of ideas smooth

• Conclusion (terminator)

  • may sum up your points or provide a final perspective on your topic

  • all the conclusion needs is threee or four strong sentences that do not need to follow any set formula. Simply review the main points

• Add the finishing touches

  • Does it make logical sense?

  • Leave it for a few hours and then read it again. Does it still make logical sense?

  • Do the sentences flow smoothly from one another?

  • If not, try to add some words and phrases to help connect them. Transition words, such as “therefore” or “however,” sometimes help.

  • Also, you might refer in one sentence to a thought in the previous sentence

  • This is especially useful when you move from one paragraph to another

• Editing steps

  • 1. Check your spelling

  • 2. Check your grammar.

  • 3. Read your essay again.

  • 4. Make sure each sentence has a subject.

  • 5. Make sure your subjects and verbs agree with each other

  • 6. Check the verb tenses of each sentence.

  • 7. Make sure that each sentence makes sense.

  • 8. Check your paragraphs. Are they unified? Coherent?

  • 9.Check the flow

  • 10. APA

• Gatherig Sources and Storig Information

  • A tentative or working bibliographyis a research guide to sources

  • Gather notes and store them (you may use note cards). The types of notes are:

    • 1. direct quotation

    • 2. précis

    • 3. paraphrase

    • 4. commentary

  • Work out the proportion