Mrs. WilmarthSenior English

Although you should have chosen and presented a possible topic of your research paper last year on your Plan of Action, while beginning to research, you may have discovered that your topic is not arguable, does not have ample/reliable sources, or it is too narrow or too broad. Because of this, you may have to modify your topic, but remember, it must relate to your shadowing experience.

A Thesis is a single, concise, grammatically correct sentence that presents the argument that you prove in your research paper.

This sentence should be declarative and in the third person, active voice.

The thesis should clearly present your point of view, and usually appears as the last or second to last sentence in the first paragraph.

Use a Because Statement to create your thesis.For example: Because of growing fears of global

warming, the government should implement mandatory recycling program in all of its offices.

Your research paper should be 4-6 pages if you are in the Honors or General classes, and 2-5 pages if you are in the non-language class.

You will need to choose relevant and credible sources to help you prove your thesis.

The honors and general classes use at least 6 sources 1 primary source -an interview or survey 2 Internet sources -from a .edu, .gov, .mil, or .us OR a

preapproved .com, .net, or .org *never an editable website 3 written sources -scholarly journals, books, or

newspapers. *no reference books Students in the non-language class use at least 1

source from each category. 1 primary source -an interview or survey 1 Internet source -from a .edu, .gov, .mil, or .us OR a

preapproved .com, .net, or .org *never an editable website 1 written source -scholarly journals, books, or

newspapers. *no reference books

An annotated bibliography is an MLA formatted citation, followed by a brief description/evaluation of the source (about 150 words; 4-6 clear concise sentences.) The annotation should inform the reader of the source’s relevance, accuracy, & quality.

The annotation should include the following: The main focus/ a summary of the source The worth, effectiveness, usefulness, and relevance of

the source to your topic A verification/critique of the authority, credibility, or

qualifications of the source’s author Conclusions/observations reached by the author and/or

reader Please remember that these are sources that you

plan to use in your paper.

How to set up your Annotated Bibliography & Works Cited

page The title of each page should be centered without italics,

underlines, or quotations. The annotation begins on a separate line than the

citation. The citations and annotations are indented after the first

line. Before going to a second line, fill the first to the margin.

As on the Works Cited page, all citations should appear on the Annotated Bibliography in alphabetical order by author’s last name.

Like a sentence, every citation ends with a period. Remember, like all MLA documents, the Annotated

Bibliography should be double spaced and in 12 point Times New Roman font. It should also have 1 inch margins.

When writing your annotated Bibliography, formal writing must be used. For example, use 3rd person without slang or abbreviations .

Basic formula to citing in MLA formatAuthor’s last name, author’s first name.

Title. City where the work was published: Publisher, year published.

Smith, Mary. The Truth in Lying. Chicago: Putmun, 1999.

How to Cite on your Works Cited page & Annotated Bibliography

Author’s last name

Comma

Author’s first name

Underlined Title of work

City where work was published Publishing company

Year published(most recent)

Author Title Publishing information

Book with one authorAuthor’s last name, author’s first name. Title. City where the work was published: Publisher, year published.Keating, James. Building a Future Today. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.Book with 2-3 authors1st Author’s last name., author’s first name.,2nd author’s first name, last name., 3rd author’s first name, last name. Title. City where the work was published: Publisher, year published.Hutts, Kenneth, James Harper, Ben Jameson. Reading for Today. Cambridge: Harvard College, 2003.Book with 4+ authors 1st Author’s last name, author’s first name., et al. Title. City where the work was published: Publisher, year published.James, Kate, et al. Technology in the Classroom. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.

Citing format and examples

Book with editor without authorEditor’s last name, Editor’s first name, Ed. Title.

City where the work was published: Publisher, year published.

Thomas, Susan, Ed. The Book of the Future. Philadelphia: HarperCollins, 2000.

Book with author and editorAuthor’s last name, author’s first name. Title. Ed.

Editor’s first name editor’s last name. City where the work was published: Publisher, year published.

Genner, Gerald. Cities with Crime. Ed. Carry Early. New York: Putnum, 2002.

Pamphlet (published by an organization)1st Author’s last name, author’s first name. Title.

City where the work was published: Organization, year published.

Bates, Jason. Technology in Medicine. Scranton: Mercy Hospitol, 1998.

Corporation or Organization as authorCompany Name., et al. Title. City where the work was

published: Publisher, year published.Modern Language Association. Writing a Good Paper. New

York: Educational Books, 1998.

Survey Surveyor’s last name, first name. “Title of survey.”

Survey. City where it was given: Location, year published.

Thompson, Lindsey.”Research Methods.” Survey. Dunmore: Marywood University, 2009.

Book with multiple editionsAuthor’s last name, Author’s first name. Title. #th

ed. City where the work was published: Publisher, year published.

Bennett, Claire. Learning by Trial and Error. 4th ed. Tuscan: HarperCollins, 2000.

InterviewPerson interviewed’s last name, first name. Mode of

interview. Date interviewed.Mataloni, Patricia. Telephone Interview. 21

Septemeber, 2009.

Magazine

Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Name of article.” Name of Publication. Date of issue: Pages.

Stevens., Lauren.”Researching the Past.” Teaching Pre-k through 6. September 2007: 19-23.

Journal

Author’s last name, Author’s first name.”Title of article.” Name of Journal. Issue/volume number (Date published) : Pages.

DeSota, Gary. “Using advertisements in your Favor.” Professional Quarterly. 11 (Spring 1999): 2000-2031.

Newspaper article

Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of article.” Name of Newspaper. Date published: Section Page.

Brown, Andrea.”Schools for the Children.” New York Times. 23 September 2007: D 19.

Anthology Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Name of

entry.” Book Title. Ed. Editor’s first name editor’s last name. City where book was published: Publisher, year published.

Dramm, Robert.”Classroom Stories.” A Teacher’s Anthology. Ed. Brian Varvas. Los Angeles: Thompson, 2004.

Introduction/Preface/Afterword Author’s of the introduction last name, first name.

Introduction. Title. By Author of the book’s first name last name. City where it was published: Publisher, year published.

Sohns, George. Introduction. Working for Today. By Stanley Burger. Pittsburg: Penguin, 1998.

Book with translator Author’s last name, Author’s first name. Title. Trans.

Translator’s first name last name. City published: Publisher, Year published.

Jones, Andrea. Learning in the Workforce. Trans . Tina Edwards. Atlanta: World Books, 2003.

Internet siteAuthor’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of article.” Ed.

Editor’s first name last name. Date site was updates/copyrighted. Name of sponsoring website. Date the information was retrieved by researcher <full URL>.

Burke, Jennifer.”Schooling for the future.” Ed. Tyler Simpson. August 2007. Susquehanna University. 2 October 2009 <http://www.susqu.edu/education/article/future>.

Internet site with editor (no author)Editor’s last name, Editor’s first name, Ed. “Title of article.”.

Date site was updates/copyrighted. Name of sponsoring website. Date the information was retrieved by researcher <full URL>.

Smith, Sarah.”My Career as a Pilot.”. 2007. United States Air Force. 22 October 2009 <http://www.airforce.mil/careers/benefits>.

Internet site - no author or editor“Title of article.” Date site was updates/copyrighted. Name of

sponsoring website. Date the information was retrieved by researcher <full URL>.

“Your Money, Your Education.” 17 August 2007. United States Treasury Department. 3 September 2009 <http://www.loans.gov/college>.

Smith, Mary. The Truth in Lying. Chicago: Putmun, 1999. Smith’s book focused on a study that evaluated the reactions of adolescents faced with the decision to lie or to tell the truth. This book supports the concept of the relationship between lying to a child & his/ her recognition of the benefits of lying for self preservation. Also, the study shows despite a child’s lack of life experience, he/she still knows that lying goes against acceptable behavior. Ms. Smith has a Doctorate in Child Psychology and is a Professor at Brown University. Interestingly enough, these traits appear in children as young as eighteen months of age.

EXAMPLECitation Focus of

SourceRelation to my topic

Author’s authority/credibility

Observations

Notice that all lines after the first are indented.

Microsoft Office Word Document

The proposal consists of the thesis and the outline of your paper.

The outline is a way to organize your thoughts for your paper, so you should follow your basic outline when writing your research paper.

When creating your outline, the first and last Roman numeral will be “Introduction” and “Conclusion.”

Please remember you must have at least two elements to break down a topic (if you have a 1, you must have a 2)

Remember we are making a topic outline, not a sentence outline. Microsoft Office

Word Document