Research Paper Guidelines

Guidelines for Writing Your Research Paper

• All drafts and final paper must be typed, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced.
• Your paper should be made up of an introduction (one paragraph), a body (at least six paragraphs) and a conclusion (one paragraph).
• You must have a thesis statement in which you introduce three sub-topics.
• Include transitions between paragraphs.
• Do not use I, me, we, us, you etc. in your paper.
• You should have at least 1000 words in your final draft.
• Include information from at least three sources (one MUST be a book, only ONE may be an internet site).
• You must have a works cited page (we will talk more about this in class).
• You must have in-text citations from all three sources (we will talk more about this in class).
• Quotations can be no longer than 4 typed lines.
• Do not plagiarize (use your own words, structure, ideas)
• You will turn in your outline, drafts, revisions, works cited pages and anything else we worked on in class along with your final draft. Do not throw any of these things away.
  

Structure
Introduction (3-5 sentences)

• Hook: Grab the reader’s attention with a quote, scenario, question, vivid description, etc. Must be related to your topic. 1-2 sentences
• Thesis statement: Simply and clearly state the main idea of your essay.1 sentence
• Three sub-topics. Choose three points of similarities and differences you will write about. Briefly state these ideas here. 1-3 sentences

Paragraphs 2-3 (5-8 sentences each)

• Go back to paragraph one
• Find your first sub-topic
• Write a paragraph including specific details and examples from the text and your own experience
• Write a transition sentence.

Paragraphs 4-5 (5-8 sentences each)

• Go back to paragraph one
• Find your second sub-topic
• Write a paragraph including specific details and examples from the text and your own experience
• Write a transition sentence.

Paragraphs 6-7 (5-8 sentences each)

• Go back to paragraph one
• Find your third sub-topic
• Write a paragraph including specific details and examples from the text and your own experience
• Write a transition sentence.

Conclusion (3-5 sentences)

• Summarize—restate your thesis statement and three sub-topics in different words
• Make a closing statement. Tie your closing statement back to your opening hook.

12/15/08

We started our day with spelling words and then reading/glossary time. Find the new list in the right side bar.

We're still working on the research paper. You should have given your draft and an evaluation form to your parents to read over the weekend. I checked evaluation forms today. Use the evaluation to show you what you need to focus on to make your final draft better. Be sure to keep your form so you can attach it to your final draft when you turn it in on Thursday.

Today's task is to print a first draft of the Works Cited page. Remember, you need at least three sources. One must be a book. No more than one website. I will be checking Works Cited pages tomorrow in class. Remember, all these deadline points really add up. Stay on task and complete each assignment by the due date and you'll get a good grade.

12/11/08

We have been working on our first drafts in the computer lab during the last two days. We are working toward completing a 1000-word draft by the end of class tomorrow.

Remember to cite your sources in the text of your paper. Here is a good site to show how to use in-text citations.

Your draft should:

• be typed, doubled-spaced in 12 pt. Times New Roman font
• include a thesis statement (the main topic of your research paper) and three sub-topics
• be at least 8 paragraphs, including an introduction (1 paragraph) a body (six paragraphs) and a conclusion (1 paragraph)
• be at least 1000 word (click on Tools then Word Count to find the number of words)
• have MLA formatted in-text citations (at least one per paragraph and from at least three different sources)

We will be printing our drafts by the end of class on Friday. I will ask you to have your parents read your draft and fill out an evaluation over the weekend. We'll work on revising and editing on Monday and Tuesday in class. We'll also work on the Works Cited page and the Title Page.

Remember, don't throw away any of the steps we have worked on for this project. We'll turn everything in next week!

12/9/08

Today we talked about the MLA format for citing sources. When you write a research paper, you have to document your sources. That means you have to tell the reader where you got your information. We are using the MLA format for citing sources for this research paper. Today in class, I gave you a chart showing how to follow this format. We also practiced using the MLA format on a worksheet. Get the worksheet and chart from me if you missed classes.

Here is a great website showing how to use MLA format. Use your chart and this website to format your Works Cited page. Remember, you need at least three sources for your research paper. You must use at least one book and no more than one good website.

We also worked on our outlines for our research paper. If you missed today, get an outline form from me.

12/8/08

We are continuing with our research paper. We are spending today in the library doing some book research. Remember, I am requiring you to use at least one book for a source of information for your research paper. We are taking notes of interesting information today. Make sure to write the book and page number next to each note so you can cite your sources in your paper.

We will be writing on outline tomorrow. We will also be talking about MLA format for citing sources. We will talk about the "Works Cited"--what to include and how to format. Remember, if you complete each task I give in class, you should be able to complete your research paper without any homework. Only those who mess around in class get stuck with homework. Be sure to complete each task when it is assigned.

Check the right column for this week's spelling list.

Research Paper Calendar

Research Paper Calendar

From: mrs_cheney,
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Research Paper Calendar

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12/3/08

Today was late start--so we had a short class.

We started with reading and glossaries. Next we talked about the upcoming research paper. We will be doing some preliminary research over the next couple of days. We will each explore three interesting topics to narrow down the to topic of our focus by Friday.

Get a chart from me if you weren't here today.

See this calendar for important due dates for this project. Be sure to click on the screen icon to get the full screen view of the calendar.

12/2/08

Today we read "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh", by Ray Bradbury on page 203 of the red lit. book.

We filled in the compare/contrast chart as we read. The chart was due at the end of class.

12/1/08

We finished the final copy of the compare/contrast essay last Wednesday. Turn it in as soon as you can if you missed class on Wednesday.

Today we started with a new list of spelling words. Check the right side bar for the list. We will have a spelling quiz on Friday.

Today we read "Drumbeats and Bullets" on page 197 of your red literature book. This is a non-fiction account of the drummer boys in the Civil War. We will be comparing this article with a fictional story about drummer boys we will be reading tomorrow. Copy the chart on page 202, read "Drumbeats and Bullets" on page 197, and fill out the first column of your chart.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!