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.