A Guide to the Research Paper - Lake Mills Middle School€¦ · NoodleTools where you will create...

A Guide to the Research Paper 1

A Guide to the Research Paper

English 11

Lake Mills High School

January 1, 2013


The Big6™ Skills The Big6 is a process model of how people of all ages solve an information problem. From practice and study,

we found that successful information problem-solving encompasses six stages with two sub-stages under each:

1. Task Definition 1.1 Define the information problem

1.2 Identify information needed

2. Information Seeking Strategies 2.1 Determine all possible sources

2.2 Select the best sources

3. Location and Access 3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)

3.2 Find information within sources

4. Use of Information 4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)

4.2 Extract relevant information

5. Synthesis 5.1 Organize from multiple sources

5.2 Present the information

6. Evaluation 6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)

6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

People naturally follow these steps as they seek information to solve a problem. However, it’s useful to

understand the steps to help you complete your research process more effectively. It’s also important to know

that steps overlap, and often you move back and forth between the steps, revisiting some before moving on in

the process.

In addition, certain feelings are common during certain parts of the process. Understanding these feelings can

help you cope with them constructively and stay focused on successfully completing the project.

Big 6. (2012). Big 6 Skills Overview. Retrieved January 9, 2013 from the Big 6 Web site:

http://big6.com/pages/about/big6-skills-overview.php


Junior Term Paper Overview

The total points for the Junior Term Paper are 650; thus the term paper accounts for much of your third and

fourth quarter grades. The term paper is a requirement for the English 11 course. You cannot get a passing

grade for the second semester without handing in all parts of the term paper!

These dates are absolute! There will be no exceptions made except for extreme circumstances discussed with

your teacher ahead of time. Notecards and outline will be submitted through NoodleTools. The one-page

description, rough draft and final copy will be submitted electronically to Turnitin.com.

Remember that from the time you have chosen your topic until you hand in your paper, you will be conducting

research and compiling notecards. The final copy will be 6-10 pages long, 12-point font, double-spaced. (The

Title page and Reference page are additional.)

Term Paper Checklist Item and Description Due

Date/Points

1. Task Definition – choose your topic 1.1 Define the information problem


Sign up for a topic in class and discuss with teacher. As soon as you’ve signed up for a topic, you

should begin your research.

1/30, 1/31

0

2. Information Seeking Strategies - One Page Description 2.1 Determine all possible sources


This is a one page, typed, specific (first-person) description of what you intend to cover in your

paper and where you will find the necessary information. You’ll need to conduct some research.

2/7, 2/8

50

3. Location and Access – conduct research 3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)


4. Use of Information – create Notecards 4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)


As soon as you’ve chosen your topic, you will conduct research and compile notecards. All

notecards should be done in Noodle Tools. Notecards will be checked twice – see rubric for

details.

2/14, 2/15

and

2/21, 2/22

100

4. Use of Information – continuing research 4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)


5. Synthesis - Outline 5.1 Organize from multiple sources


This is a detailed, formal organizational plan for your paper, generated in NoodleTools, based on

your notecards. The thesis statement must be included. Outlines without thesis statements will not

be graded.

2/21, 2/22

100


Item and Description Due

Date/Points

5. Synthesis – Rough Draft 5.1 Organize from multiple sources


6. Evaluation 6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)


The rough draft is your completed paper in its rough form. Use the information in this packet to

help ensure you meet all requirements. Drafts without in-text citations or References will not be

graded.

3/1

100

6. Evaluation – Final Copy 6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)


You will consult the feedback on your rough draft and make all requested revisions. There should

be NO errors.

4/19

300


Step 1: How to Choose a Topic

1. Task Definition – choose your topic 1.1 Define the information problem


First, research something that you are interested in; this makes the work easier for you. However, it’s best NOT

to choose a topic on which you are already an expert. Choose something you’d like to learn more about. After

all, this is a research project, thus you are REQUIRED to conduct research (in other words, you can’t just write

down stuff you already know).

Second, choose a topic that has enough available reference material; a paper based completely on the summary

of three or four encyclopedia articles or of just one website is not enough! Your personal experience may be

used as part of the material, but be careful not to use first person (I, we, me, us, etc.).

Third, be sure to limit the topic; do not choose a topic so general that you get sick of writing it or that you are

overwhelmed with information. Suppose you want to write on the American Sioux, Apaches, etc. This subject is

too general and you cannot do it justice in only 6-10 pages, so you must narrow the subject. Perhaps you would

then write on the eating habits of the American Sioux or on the ceremonies of the Apaches.

How do you limit a subject? The best way is to find material on the general subject and then, through a little

research, find which part you would like to write about and which also has sufficient information. In other

words, you will probably need to conduct research just to choose your topic!

You may feel overwhelmed at this point with the amount of work and number of due dates. Take a few minutes

to record all the due dates in your calendar/homework system. Then take some deep breaths, and plunge right

into your research – the more you learn about the topic, the more you can clarify your ideas about what you will

write in your paper.


Step 2: One Page Description

2. Information Seeking Strategies - One Page Description 2.1 Determine all possible sources


As you begin your research, you will begin planning what to include in the paper and where you will find your

information. This information will be submitted to your teacher in the form of a one-page description. It should

be submitted to Turnitin.com on the due date and will be graded according to the rubric below.

You may write in first person. This description is a PLAN – it shows that you’ve been making progress in the

project; however, you will not be penalized if your plans must change as you get further into your research

project.

You may feel confused and frustrated at times during this step. Be sure to ask your teacher or library media

specialist for help when needed.

Requirement Points

Full heading typed at top of page 5

One page – no more, no less, typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font 5

Typed and submitted on time to Turnitin.com 10

Specific plan for 3-5 main ideas or sub-topics to be included in

the paper; should also plan the order in which topics will be

discussed.

15

Specific plan for where information will be located, e.g. which

books, databases, websites; could also include physical

location like school library, public library, etc.

15

TOTAL 50


Step 3 and 4: Research and Note Cards

3. Location and Access – conduct research 3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)


4. Use of Information – create Notecards 4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)


You may feel confused and frustrated at times during this step. Be sure to ask your teacher or library media

specialist for help when needed. Remember to skim and scan to find the information you need. You may feel

you’re spending too much time on research; however, if you are careful and thorough in your research and

documentation, the writing will go quickly.

As you do your research, good note taking will help you organize your paper. We have a subscription to

NoodleTools where you will create and organize all your notecards, generate your outline, and create your

References list. More information on how to use NoodleTools will be given in class and links to tutorials and

further help are on the Term Paper Resources web page.

The notes should be brief and in your own words, unless you are writing down a quotation (a group of words

taken from a text that you will use verbatim in your paper). Noodletools allows you to quote from the source,

mark up the quote, and then paraphrase/summarize it all in one notecard.

Getting started: • Go to http://www.noodletools.com/login.php.

• Click the "Create a Personal ID“ button to register as a new user

• At the “New User Registration” screen, enter lmhsenglish and password 53551

• Create your personal ID and password

– Record these on your handout; you are responsible for this information!

• When you use NoodleBib after that, login only with your personal ID and password

Tips for making the most of NoodleTools: 1. First, create a project.

2. Then, share your project in my dropbox: Eng11 Term Paper 2012-13

3. Start your project by creating a citation/reference on the Bibliography page on NoodleTools.

a. When you create notecards, you’ll be able to link them to existing bibliography/reference entries.

b. Linking notecards to bibliography/reference entries is essential to being able to correctly cite

your sources in the text.

4. Use tags and piles to organize your notecards into the subtopics that match your outline.

a. For example, if your paper is on ice fishing, all notecards for the section on lures should be

tagged “lures.”

b. Those notecards should be organized into a pile on your tabletop, and the pile should be dragged

into the outline in the section on lures.

5. Always include page number or paragraph number on every notecard. Having this information is

essential to being able to correctly cite your sources in the text.

6. Please be sure your bibliography and notecards have correct citation information. Please trust me when I

say you’ll save a lot of time by being correct now instead of having to chase down information in the

middle of writing your paper.


English 11 Term Paper

Notecards Grading Rubric

First due date (should be 50% complete)

Number of cards:

Second due date (should be 100% complete)

Number of cards:

Content cards

Quotation cards

bibliography/reference entries

Content cards

Quotation cards

bibliography/reference entries

Requirement 1st due date

Points

2nd

due date

Points

Correct format (quotation and content cards)

Each card is labeled with a topic and tagged with its subtopic on the

outline

Each card is linked to its bibliography/reference entry

Each card includes page or paragraph number

Only one piece of information or one quotation is included on each card

10 10

Correct format (bibliography/reference entries)

Each entry has complete bibliographic information, including (where

applicable) author, title, publication title, date, publisher, URL, etc.

10 10

On time

Cards not completed and shared on the due date lose 5 points per class

day late.

10 10

Minimum amount

Minimum 5 source/reference cards – look for high quality sources of

information!

Minimum 5 quote cards – this is a line from an article or book that is very

well expressed

Minimum 25 note cards

10 10

Extra work/amount

Students begin earning points for 45 note cards or more, 8 or more

bibliography/reference entries, and/or 8 or more quote cards.

20

TOTAL

100


Step 4 and 5: Outlining 4. Use of Information – continuing research 4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)


5. Synthesis - Outline 5.1 Organize from multiple sources


Once you have done some research, decide which three to five main ideas you will use in your paper. Next,

organize these main points in the order you want to discuss them in your paper, and write a thesis statement to

express these main points. The outline and thesis statement form a plan that will help guide the rest of your

research. You may need to revise the plan as you complete your research and prepare to write. You may feel

you’ve spent too much time in the research and outlining steps; however, the writing portion will go more

quickly if you’ve been careful and thorough in your research and notetaking.

Now you need to start putting your outline together. Remember that with an outline, if you have an “A”, you

must have a “B” and if you have a “1” you must have a “2”, etc. You’ll create your outline in NoodleTools.

Consider this outline for a short paper on the advantages and disadvantages of military life.

I. Introduction

A. Military heritage and tradition

B. Thesis Statement: Whether one considers the living conditions, financial considerations, or

availability of advancement opportunities, there are many disadvantages and advantages to a

military life.

II. Living conditions

A. Disadvantages

1. Discipline often annoying

2. Frequent moves hard on soldier’s family

3. Social life restricted to a small circle

B. Advantages

1. Opportunity to find a job

2. Annual leaves with pay

III. Financial considerations

A. Disadvantages

1. Low pay

2. Frequent entertaining expensive

B. Advantages

1. Security

2. Slow but steady promotion

IV. Conclusion

This short paper’s introduction and thesis statement could be the following:

America has a rich military heritage and tradition. While life in the military is often looked at through a

romantic and unrealistic view point by outsiders, the reality is very different. Whether one considers the living

conditions, financial considerations, or opportunities for advancement, there are many disadvantages and

advantages to a military life.


Thesis

The thesis sentence tells your reader what to expect. It sums up what the entire paper is about. It is a plan for

your paper and connects the central idea to the list of topics in your paper. The thesis will be stated in the

introduction and restated in the conclusion.

Example:

Central Idea Topics

Cults are dangerous. 1. Vulnerable teenagers

2. Easy answers to life’s tough questions

3. Carefully controlled addiction

Thesis: Cults are dangerous because they use the vulnerability of teenagers, they provide easy answers to life’s

tough questions, and they carefully control addiction.

The thesis statement should be the last sentence (or two) of your first paragraph (or introduction)!

Graphic organizers often help with narrowing down which main ideas or sub-topics of your subject you want to

discuss in your paper, and therefore, must mention in your thesis. Noodle Tools is also a great way to organize

your ideas!

The introduction and thesis statement are often compared to a funnel. You start with broad and general

statements in the first couple sentences and then get more and more specific, until you get to the last sentence of

the introduction, which specifically states the exact purpose and topic of the paper.


English 11 Term Paper

Rubric for Outline

Your outline will be created in NoodleTools. On the due date, it will be graded AS IS. Outlines will not be re-

graded.

Requirement Points

One item or idea per number or letter 15

Two levels per unit – each Roman numeral

must have some sub-points; if you have an A,

you must have a B; if you have a 1, you must

have a 2, etc.

15

Notecards are tagged with the outline

subtopics, put into piles by tags, and then

dragged onto the appropriate section of the

outline.

15

Grammatically correct with parallel structure 15

Outline is adequate and not overly extensive;

3-5 main points develop thesis statement; sub-

points develop main points

15

Thesis statement is included in introduction 25

TOTAL

Comments

of 100


Step 5 and 6: Rough Draft 5. Synthesis – Rough Draft 5.1 Organize from multiple sources


6. Evaluation – Rough Draft 6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)


No matter how sure you are of your material, the first writing should never be the final draft. The beginning of

the paper is often the most difficult. If you “get stuck” skip the first few sentences and just start writing where

you feel comfortable. Be sure to read and reread your paper several times, making improvements each time,

before submitting your rough draft. Investing the time to make the rough draft the best it can be will save you

time on the final.

In order to earn up to 100 points for your rough draft, ALL of the following requirements must be met. Consult

the attached rubric for more details.

Format Requirements

Paper must consist of (in order) title page, body of paper, and References page.

The rough draft must be typed, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced, with 1” margins.

Pages must be numbered, starting with the title page.

There must be a title on both the title page and on page 2 (the first page of the body of the paper).

In addition, the title must be in the header with the page numbers.

References page must be in correct APA format. Paper will not be graded if References page is missing.

(see sample below)

Title page must be in correct APA format. (see sample below)

You must upload your rough draft to Turnitin.com in the “Revision 1: Term Paper” inbox. Papers not

uploaded to Turnitin will not be graded.

Content Requirements

Do you have a good introduction?

Do you have a solid thesis and do you follow it in your paper?

Is your paper logically organized?

Do you have 2 – 4 citations per page, and do they correlate exactly with your reference page? Papers

without citations will be considered plagiarized and will not be graded.

Do you have at least five quotations in the paper? Have you used, punctuated, and cited the quotes

correctly?

Is the paper long enough (6-10 pages, not counting title and References)?

Papers without correct in-text citations and/or References list will be considered plagiarized and will

not be graded. Your teacher can help you with your in-text citations and References list. You will not

pass second semester of English 11 if you do not complete all parts of the term paper.


Tips for Writing a Great Rough Draft

Read your paper out loud to avoid clumsy and poor wording.

Check for accuracy in spelling, punctuation, sentences, etc. Avoid fragments, comma splices, and run-

ons.

You should use NO slang terms or first or second person (I, me, my, we, us, our, you, your).

Each paragraph should have a topic sentence.

Join paragraphs by connecting the topic for the new paragraph with the topic of the preceding paragraph.

Generally, no abbreviations should be used. Exceptions are: Mr., Mrs., Dr.

Spell out numbers that are under ten or use only one word (e.g. eight, forty), and use numerals for those

of two digits or more, or more than one word (e.g. 15, 75). Streets and telephone numbers should never

be spelled out. Dates should be written in numbers (e.g. January 25) except when the day of the month

comes before the name of the month (e.g. the twenty-fifth of January).

In APA style, all pages are numbered, included the title page and reference page. Put the page numbers

in the upper right hand corner, preceded by your paper’s title (this handbook uses APA style page

numbering).

Consult the handout “Acknowledging, Paraphrasing, and Quoting Sources” and be sure to use,

punctuate, and cite quotations and other information from your sources correctly.

-Technical difficulties? No excuses accepted. Work and think ahead. Be prepared to hand it in on time.


Modern America 1

The Rise of Modern America

Your Name

English 11

Teacher’s Name

Lake Mills High School

Date (not abbreviated!!)

Sample Title page – note that title and page number are in header; positions of other elements are approximate.


APA Citations

There are several forms of citation and research paper formatting. In previous classes, you have used MLA. For

this paper, you will be using the APA formatting rules.

The following is an example of a correctly formatted APA reference page.

*Notice:

1. The Reference Page starts on a new page. Use a page break to ensure this (Insert -> Break)

2. Entries are double spaced throughout with a ½” hanging indent (Format -> Paragraph). (NoodleTools will

format correctly for you.)

3. The entries are not numbered but are alphabetically ordered.

4. The title is centered (no fancy font), and the page is numbered.

5. References cited in the text of your paper must appear in the reference list; conversely, each entry in the

reference list must be cited in the text.

Apes and Language 11

References

Begley, S. (1998, January 19). Aping language. Newsweek, 131, 56-58.

Booth, W. (1990, October 29). Monkeying with language: Is chimp using

words or merely aping handlers? The Washington Post, p. A3.

Fouts, R. (1997). Next of kin: What chimpanzees have taught me about who we

are. New York: William Morrow.

O’Sullivan, C., & Yeager, C. P. (1989). Communicative context and linguistic

competence: The effect of social setting on a chimpanzee’s

conversational skill. In R. A. Gardner, B. T. Gardner, & T. E. Van

Cantfort (Eds.), Teaching sign language to chimpanzees (pp. 269-279).

Albany: SUNY Press.

Savage-Rumbaugh, E. S., Murphy, J. S., Sevcik, R. A., Brakke, K. E.,

Williams, S. L., Rumbaugh, D. M., et al. (2000). Language

comprehension in ape and child: Monograph. Atlanta, GA: Language

Research Center. Retrieved January 6, 2000, from the Language

Research Center Web site:

http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwlrc/monograph.html


Step 6: Final Copy 6. Evaluation – Final Copy 6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)


The Final Copy

Follow these rules while revising your papers:

1. Login to your Turnitin account to read the feedback on your rough draft. It will be graded according to the

same rubric as the final copy, so you’ll have a good idea what grade your final copy might earn.

2. Read all feedback carefully. Make all requested revisions. If you don’t make the requested revisions, your

grade will automatically be dropped by one letter grade (e.g. a B will become a C).

3. Papers without correct in-text citations and/or References list will be considered plagiarized and will not

be graded. Your teacher can help you with your in-text citations and References list. You will not pass

second semester of English 11 if you do not complete all parts of the term paper.

4. After you’ve made all the requested revisions, upload your paper into the “Term Paper” inbox on

Turnitin.com. It will be graded according to the rubric below.

A Guide to the Research Paper 17 English 11 Term Paper

Rubric for Final Product

Undocumented (0) Minimal (2.5 pts) Basic (3 pts) Proficient (3.5 pts) Advanced (4 pts)

Assessment

Criteria

Demonstration of

skill or ability is

absent or not

applicable.

Limited or

inconsistent

demonstration of

skill or ability;

unable to meet

expected level of

performance.

Partial

demonstration of

skill or ability;

uneven level of

performance.

Complete

demonstration of

skill or ability at

expected level of

performance.

Outstanding

demonstration of

skill or ability;

exceeds expected

level of

performance.

1. Thesis

Statement

No thesis statement

found.

Poorly written

and/or covers few

main points of

paper.

Less well written

and/or covers most

main points of

paper.

Well written,

covers all main

points of paper.

Very well written,

covers all main

points of paper.

2. Integration of

source

material &

quotes

Weighted x 3

Source material

very poorly

integrated and/or

not evident.

Source material

poorly integrated.

Less well integrated

and/or sometimes

uses summaries,

paraphrases, and

quotations

correctly.

Well integrated,

usually using

summaries,

paraphrases, and

quotations

correctly.

Smoothly

integrated, using

summaries,

paraphrases, and

quotations

correctly.

3. Conclusions

Weighted x 2

Conclusions are

missing or illogical

and unsupported;

they are

inconsistent with

thesis statement.

Conclusions only

rarely grow out of

research and are

inconsistent with

thesis statement.

Not always logical

and/or supported by

research; may not

be consistent with

thesis statement.

Logical, supported

by reasonably well-

documented

research and

consistent with

thesis statement.

Logical, supported

by well-

documented

research and

consistent with

thesis statement.

4. Grammar &

mechanics

Errors make paper

incoherent.

Many errors that

interfere strongly

with

comprehension.

Some errors

interfere with

comprehension.

Few errors that

don’t interfere with

comprehension.

Few or no errors.

5. Writing Style

Weighted x 3

Style is incoherent. Vocabulary is too

basic and writing

style is difficult to

understand.

Vocabulary is less

specific and paper

is less clear.

Uses strong and

specific

vocabulary; clear

and easy to

understand.

Uses sophisticated

and specific

vocabulary; clear

and easy to

understand.

6. Organization

& Length

Less than 4 pgs.

and/or incoherent

organization.

Less than 6 pgs.

and/or unclear

organization.

6 pgs., organization

is fairly clear and

logical.

7-8 pgs.,

organization

contributes to

clarity of paper.

9-10 pgs.,

organization

contributes to

clarity of paper.

7. In-text

citations

format &

match with

References

Weighted x 2

APA format rarely

used correctly

and/or citations

rarely match

References list.

Many errors in

APA format and/or

few citations match

References list.

Some errors in

APA format and/or

most citations

match References

list exactly.

Few errors in APA

format; all citations

match References

exactly.

Correct APA

format; all citations

match References

exactly.

8. Quality &

number of

sources

Sources cannot be

found or all sources

are poor quality.

Less than 5 sources

and/or few sources

are high quality.

5-9 sources and/or

some sources not

high quality.

10 high quality

sources (books,

magazines, journals

or very reputable

websites).

10+ sources of high

quality from books,

magazines, journals

or very reputable

websites.

9. APA format

(References,

cover page,

header)

Format is not

followed.

Multiple errors in

format.

Some errors in

format.

Few errors in

format.

Few or no errors in

format.

Rough Draft Score: ÷ 60 x 100 = (of 100)

Final Score (of 60) x 5 = (of 300)

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