Writing Prompt

Writing Prompt: n

If time did not exist, what would your life be like?

Assignments: n n n n

Next time – Computer Lab Analytical Essay – April 14/15 Research Paper – April 30/May1 Final Exam – May 6/7

Planning The Research Paper

Steps to Follow n

n

n

___1. Setting a schedule and beginning a research journal ___2. Finding a researchable subject and question ___3. Developing a research strategy

Steps to Follow n

n n

___4. Finding sources, both print and electronic, and making a working bibliography ___5. Evaluating and synthesizing sources ___6. Mining and interacting with sources, often using summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation

Steps to Follow n n n n

___7. Taking steps to avoid plagiarism ___8. Developing a thesis statement ___9. Creating a structure ___10. Drafting the paper, integrating summaries, paraphrases, and direct quotations into your ideas

Steps to Follow n n n n n

___11. Revising and editing the paper ___12. Citing sources in your text ___13. Preparing the list of works cited ___14. Preparing and proofreading the final manuscript ___ Final paper due

Choosing A Subject n

n

Ample Sources of information available Pose a research question n

Technology n

n

When is technology bad? What makes it good? Is there such a thing as too much? What’s it’s purpose? Should it be available to all people regardless of income? What will our future really be like if we let it go unencumbered?

Death

Choosing A Subject n n

n

Research a wide variety of sources Take notes as you research – either on paper or on your computer. Be sure to include the vital statistics of your sources: n

n

n

Date and city of publication, Date accessed (if internet) Publisher, Book Title, Article page number, title of article, author’s name, editor’s name, internet site

Drafting the Research Paper

Reread the assignment to review your instructor’s criteria. n Write a quick two- or three-paragraph summary of what the paper will be about. n Start with the section of the paper you feel most confident about. n

Drafting the Research Paper

Work in chunks, one unit or principal idea at a time. n Center each section on an idea of your own. n Take great care in working with source material. n Insert source citations into the draft as you quote, paraphrase, or summarize. n

Revising the Research Paper

Assignment n How does the draft satisfy all of the criteria stated in your instructor’s assignment? n Thesis statement n Does it describe your subject and your perspective? n Structure n Does borrowed material illuminate and support your own idea? Will the n

Revising the Research Paper

Evidence n Where might readers need more evidence in order to accept your idea? Where might the evidence seem weak or irrelevant? n Reasonableness and clarity n How reasonable will readers find your arguments? Where do you need to define terms or concepts that readers may not know or may dispute? n

Primary Sources n

n

n

Primary sources are considered the best place to gather academic research. Primary sources are the journals and books where academics and scientists publish the results of their experiments and studies. The articles in these journals are written by the people who did the

Primary Sources n

n

These are the journals and books that you are expected to use for academic research. Government websites and websites run my managing organizations (such as the website for the American Ivy Society, for a paper on ivy) are also considered primary research, so don't overlook these sources.

Secondary Sources n

n

n

Popular magazines, websites, books, and newspapers are secondary sources of information. They take the information published in scholarly journals and make it available to consumers. They usually quote the scholarly journals or books that published the information originally, adding explanations to make the information

Web Search Engines n

Directories that review sites BUBL link (bubl.ac.uk.link) n Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org/div/subject) n Internet Scout Project (scout.wisc.edu./archives) n Librarians’ Index to the Internet (lii.org) n

n

The most advanced and efficient engines n

AlltheWeb (alltheweb.com)

Web Search Engines n

Other engines AltaVista (www.altavista.com) n Ask Jeeves (www.ask.com) n Dogpile (www.dogpile.com) n Excite (excite.com) n Lycos (lycos.com) n MetaCrawler (metacrawler.com) n Yahoo! (yahoo.com) n

Evaluating Sources n

Relevance Does the source devote some attention to your subject? n Is the source appropriately specialized for your needs? n Is the source up to date enough for your subject? n

Evaluating Sources n

Reliability Where does the source come from? n Is the author an expert in the field? n What is the author’s bias? n Is the source fair and reasonable? n Is the source well written? n

Evaluating Web Sites What type of site are you viewing? n Who is the author or sponsor? n What is the purpose of the site? n What does context tell you? n What does presentation tell you? n How worthwhile is the content? n

Summary n

n

n

Summaries condense and encapsulate another piece of writing. Summaries are most useful when you want to record the gist of an author’s idea without the background or supporting evidence. Summaries are objective, concise and complete.

Summary Example Original

A recent Rand study, with research supported by the MarkleFoundation, concluded that in the foreseeable future the free market is likely to deliver email to only half of America. Without induced subsidies, perhaps from Internet access fees, the computer industry may never produce the inexpensive technologies that would

Summary A Rand study says government direction and subsidy may be required to make email technology universal and accessible to all (Frankel 42).

Paraphrase n

n

n

An idea restated in someone else’s words Not necessarily shorter than the original Does not distort the original

Paraphrase Example n

Original n

n

“The Serbian campaign, however, had never been more than a slideshow to Austria’s great battle on its northern frontier with Russian Poland.” – John Keegan, The First World War (155)

Paraphrase n

John Keegan observes in his history The First World Warthat Austria’s battle with Poland overshadowed in importance the

Direct Quotations n

n

n

When borrowing from other writers, use direct quotations sparingly, relying more on summary and paraphrase. Reserve Direct Quotations for sentences in which the words cannot be changed without altering the meaning or the effect you want to produce. Examples include highly technical

An Example of a Direct Quotation

n

Original n

n

The opening phrase of the Galician battle was, in consequence, to be confused and indecisive. It was a useless effort often seen as one executed more for reasons of pride than of truth.

Direct Quote n

“The opening phrase of the Galician battle was, in consequence, to be

Tests for Direct Quotations from n

The author’s original satisfies one of these requirements: n The

language is unusually bold or inventive. n The quotation cannot be paraphrased without distortion or loss of meaning. n The author’s words are at issue in your interpretation.

Tests for Direct Quotations from n The

quotation represents and emphasizes a body of opinion or the view of an important expert. n The quotation emphatically reinforces your own idea. n The quotation is a graph, diagram, or table. n

The quotation is as short as possible: n It

includes only material relevant to your point.

Verbs to use when using sources n Use

verbs that convey information about source authors’ attitudes or approaches. n See

next slide

A Checklist for Avoiding Plagiarism Type of source n Are you using n your own independent material, n common knowledge, or n someone else’s independent material? n You must acknowledge someone else’s material. n

A Checklist for Avoiding Plagiarism Quotations n Do all quotations exactly match their sources? n Have you inserted quotation marks around quotations that are run into your text? n Have you shown omissions with ellipsis marks and additions with brackets? n Does every quotation have a source citation? n

A Checklist for Avoiding Plagiarism Paraphrases and summaries n Have you used your own words and sentence structure for every paraphrase and summary? If not, use quotation marks around the original author’s words. n Does every paraphrase and summary have a source citation? n

A Checklist for Avoiding Plagiarism The Web n Have you obtained any necessary permission to use someone else’s material on the Web? n Source citations n Have you acknowledged every use of someone else’s material in the place where you use it? n Does your list of works cited include all the sources you have used? n

Plagiarism Examples n

Original n

n

The character and mentality of the keepers may be of more importance in understanding prisons than the character and mentality of the kept.

Plagiarism n

But the character of prison officials (the keepers) is more important in understanding prisons than the character of prisoners (the kept).

Revision n

According to one critic of the penal system, “The character and mentality of the keepers may be of more importance in understanding prisons than the character and mentality of the kept” (Mitford 9).

Lindenwood’s Butler Library

n

http://www.lindenwood.edu/

Troy Buchanan District Sources

n n n n n

http://troy.k12.mo.us/district/news.php Information Internet Resources Library Library Spot