And details focused and effectively organized
Carol Ellison
Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-07-162990-4
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
—From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers.
Contents
Preface ix
Developing a Working Thesis 14
Analyzing Your Audience 16
Finding Books at the Library 26
Using Library Catalogs 30
Identifying Reputable Print Sources 44
Reading Critically 45
Writing Annotated Bibliographies 55
Conducting Original Research 57
Making Charts 75
Creating an Outline 78
Comparing and Contrasting Ideas and Information 89
Chapter 4: Preparing Your Draft 93
Writing Transition Sentences 110
Conclusions 116
Contents
Choosing a Documentation Style 124
Chapter 6: Polishing Your Writing 145
Vocabulary 146
Chapter 7: Preparing Your Submission 161
Pictures/Graphics 162
Keeping a Portfolio 166
Appendix A — The Dewey Decimal
vii
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The strategies and tips in this book are written primarily for students at the high school and university level. However, they will be helpful to anyone who is confronted with the task of writing a research paper and is looking for help.
The good news here is that anyone can learn to write a research paper. You do not need to be a “born writer.” Unlike creative writing where quality is largely a function of imagina-tion, the expository writing done for research papers is based on standard formats, expectations, and stylistic guidelines that anyone can follow.
x
Getting Started
R Or it may offer a great deal of flexibility, allowing you to pick be specific. It may be general. It may assign you a topic and point you in the direction the research should take. esearch papers begin with a writing assignment. It may
McGraw-Hill’s Concise Guide to Writing Research Papers
First Steps
■ Write a working thesis.
■ Write a proposal.
■ What is the purpose of the assignment? What does your instructor expect you to learn?
■ Is there an assigned topic? Can you choose your own?
■ Are print and online sources equally acceptable?
■ When is the paper due?
You cannot produce a perfect paper if you do not know what “perfection”means to your teacher or the person who will be reading and evaluating it. More important than the basic expectations are those that actually tell you what to do.Assign-ments are often worded very deliberately to test how well stu-dents read, interpret, and respond to the expectations that are outlined. Your instructor may want to know how well you can summarize new ideas and complex material, for instance, or whether you can present a logical argument to support an opinion or advocate an idea. Another assignment might spell out how you should conduct your research by specifying the types of sources you should consult.Others may use words like analyze,discuss, or investigate to describe what is expected. Do not take these words lightly. They have specific meanings. Learn to recognize the learning goals in an assignment.
When you receive an assignment, read it thoroughly and be prepared to ask your instructor about anything that is unclear to you. Make a list of the stated expectations.True, you already have these on the assignment sheet but writing them down will emphasize them in your mind and help you to remember them. If you receive the criteria for how your paper will be graded, examine them as closely as you do the assign-ment to determine what you must do to achieve the grade you
Grade of A: An essay that merits an A demonstrates a generally high degree of competence and control of language.Typically, such an essay meets all of the following criteria:
■ Responds to the assignment thoroughly, thoughtfully, and with insight or originality.
■ Demonstrates strong control of grammar, the rules of usage, and mechanics of standard English but may have minor errors.
Grade of B: An essay that receives a B is written in a clearly competent manner and displays generally consistent control of language.Typically, such an essay meets all of the following criteria:
■ Is adequately developed, using appropriate textual evidences, reasons, examples, and details.
■ Is focused and effectively organized, demonstrating control of the conventions of analytical essay writing.
■ Does not demonstrate an adequate understanding of the readings.
■ Is thinly developed, often relying on assertions with little textual evidence or few relevant reasons, examples, and details.
McGraw-Hill’s Concise Guide to Writing Research Papers
Grade of D: An essay receives a grade of D if it has one or more of the following flaws:
■ Demonstrates serious errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics, which may interfere with meaning.
Grade of F: An essay receives a grade of F when it:
6
Getting Started
■ Summary: An abbreviated account of a larger article, book, or other work.
Examples: Book report, movie review, or a summary of something you read in the news or saw on TV.
