Research Paper.pdf

Composition Lesson Forty: Research Paper

What Is a Research Paper A Research Paper is the result of painstaking investigation and discovery of facts

What Is the Importance of a Research Paper? - It is a vital part of every occupation. - It is used to gather information, and make informed judgments, and - It is a skill and easy to perform.

Where Can We Do Research? - library (journals, periodicals, magazines, catalogs, etc., - on-line - internet search engines

Criteria for Writing Research Reports • recognize audience • choose an effective style • use formatting techniques

Audience for Research Reports Those people, who need • to understand a technical term or concept better • to find supporting data • to narrow down the focus of a topic

Effective Style Appropriate for Research Reports • formal • compiling, organizing, and presenting information with documentation • tone not too friendly and not too distant • more objective than subjective

Formatting Techniques for Research Reports • • • • • • • • • •

highlighting bullets numbers headings subheadings graphics (tables and figures) abc format parenthetical citation works cited internal organization

What Is the Process of Doing Research? -

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Identify a Significant Topic: involves investigating some problem, its importance, its impact, and how to resolve, reverse, or contain it. Limit the scope of your topic: focus on that aspect that has immediate relevance to you and your colleagues. Identify the location of materials of your research: all kinds of sources

- Know how to use the sources you find - Familiarize with the research materials and their organization - Know how to evaluate sources: be prepared to ask the right kinds of questions - Document the borrowed information

Prewriting Techniques • • • • • • •

select a general topic spot check sources for information establish a focus research the topic isolate main points write a statement of purpose create an outline

Sources for a Research Paper - Instructor (assignment given by him/her) - Textbook (assignment at the end of a chapter) - Television program (an issue raised by thought-provoking documentary) - Your own curiosity (one that has captivated you)

Selection Criteria for a Subject for Research Paper Subject for the assignment must - Suit the audience - Comply with the assignment - Be easy - Require a limited number of sources - Have material available easily - Be limited in scope

Guidelines for Choosing a Topic for Research Paper -

narrow the scope avoid personal opinion avoid trivial topics

Importance of Purpose A Research Paper should answer a question that has not been adequately answered in the past, e.g., The effects of Green House gases on our sources of oxygen. The influence of sport heroes on a nation’s youth. The sources of bird flu

What Is the Place of Argument in a Research Paper? - Argument is the logical purpose of a research paper

Example Topics for a Research Paper - The mystery of the building of the pyramids. - Is there water on Mars? - The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle - Do dreams mean anything? - How reliable is astrology? - The effects of atom bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima

Research Materials Available in a Library - Primary (eye witness accounts, letters, diaries, speeches, literary works, and autobiographies, transcript of a trial, poem, etc.,) - Secondary (reporter’s interpretation of an event, literary critics’ assessment of a poem, etc.,)

Resources in the Library • • • • •

The Computer and the Database The Internet The Card Catalog The Stacks The Reference Room

What Are the General Works Available in the Library? -

Encyclopedias Biographies Handbooks and Manuals Atlases and Gazeteers Almanacs and Yearbooks

How to Collect Pertinent Information? • • •

Compile a Bibliography Evaluate the Evidence Take Notes

Note--Taking Note • • • •

Prepare Bibliography Notes Write down direct quotation Paraphrase the quote Summarize the information

How Should We Formulate a Thesis Statement for a Research Paper? - coming up with a one-sentence summary of the main idea and the author’s view point

Working Outline Thesis Statement 1. Controlling idea one two secondary sources 2. Controlling idea two two secondary sources 2. Controlling idea three two secondary sources

Introduction • begin with something to arouse reader’s interest by asking a series of questions, an anecdote, a quote, or data pertinent to the topic

Discussion • organize paragraphs to focus on one main point • provide supporting details • use secondary sources as needed • acknowledge sources

Conclusion/Recommendations • summarize findings • draw conclusion about the significance of discoveries • recommend future course of action

Citing Sources • document sources correctly • avoid plagiarizing • follow the discipline’s format

Rewriting • add new detail for clarity • delete dead words and phrases that do not support main ideas • simplify words for easy understanding • move information to produce better organization • reformat text to make it user-friendly • correct errors, if any