This document provides an overview of how to start researching and writing a research paper. It discusses reviewing the thesis statement, finding and evaluating different types of sources like primary and secondary sources, taking notes on those sources using note cards or electronic files, and analyzing factual and analytical information found in sources. The document emphasizes forming an arguable thesis, using reliable sources like books by experts and avoiding sources like wikis, and properly recording source information to use in the paper and bibliography.

1. STARTING YOUR
RESEARCH PAPER
11/15/12
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“GCA: Working topro vide an exemplary individualized and engaging
educational experience f or all students “

2. TODAY WE WILL LOOK AT:
• Review of Thesis
• Sources: What are they? How do we find them?
• What is an analysis?
• CCGPS covered:
• ELACC9-10RI1
• ELACC9-10RI2
• ELACC9-10RI5
• ELACC9-10W1
• ELACC9-10W5
• ELACC9-10W7
• ELACC9-10W8
• ELACC9-10W9

3. REVIEWING THESIS
• What is a thesis
statement?
• The thesis is a
statement
• It is the overarching
focus of your paper
• It is arguable
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4. HOW DO YOU FORM A THESIS?
• Topic + Opinion =
Thesis
• Start with your topic
• Add your opinion
about something to
do with that topic
• It needs to be
arguable and
provable!

5. EXAMPLE:
• Topic: The authorship of Shakespeare’s plays.
• Opinion: Shakespeare was not the author of his
plays.
• Thesis: Because of his lack of formal education and
knowledge of the inner workings of the
nobility, William Shakespeare could not have been
the author of most of the plays attributed to him.

6. IS THIS A GOOD THESIS?
• Let’s test it…………
• Because of his lack of formal education
and knowledge of the inner workings of
the nobility, William Shakespeare could
not have been the author of most of
the plays attributed to him.
• Is it a statement or a question?
• Is it arguable?
• So, is it a good thesis?

7. HOW DID I FORM MY OPINION?
• RESEARCH!!
• I knew what my opinion was because I looked up different
books and non-print sources about it.
• Some of what I could use are:
• encyclopedia entries on authors, their works, or the time period during
which the authors lived
• biographies of authors
• books about the history of British literature
• books about British history
• works of literary criticism, including articles or books
• websites about your author or British history
• online databases that contain articles about your author or British
history

8. HOW MANY SOURCES DO I NEED?
• Not every paper
needs to include
every type of
source.
• Remember that you
need at least three
sources.

9. WHAT KIND OF SOURCES ARE THERE?
• Primary Sources
• A primary source is one
that was created during the
historic period you are
researching. An example of
a primary source for your
research paper would be a
letter written by the author
you are studying.
http://viewpure.com/xIdm6RguzRM

10. ALSO:
• Secondary Sources
• A secondary source is one
that was created after the
time about which you are
writing. For your research
paper, a recent critical
article or a biography of the
author would be a
secondary source.

11. FACTUAL AND ANALYTICAL
INFORMATION
Factual Analytical
• You know the difference • Analytical information is
between fact and opinion. A more than just
fact can be proved, but an opinion, though. It is an
opinion can't. Similarly, factual interpretation of the
information can be facts, derived from evidence.
proved, and analytical An opinion doesn't always give
information can't. solid reasons. An analysis
does.

12. SOMETIMES YOU CAN RECOGNIZE ANALYTICAL INFORMATION FROM THE
WAY IT IS INTRODUCED. KEY WORDS AND PHRASES ARE:
• "The writer suggests"
• "It seems as if"
• "Perhaps the author"

13. IN YOUR RESEARCH, YOU WILL FIND AND USE
FACTUAL AND ANALYTICAL INFORMATION.
• In your paper, you will include your own analysis of
literature, with facts to support the analysis. When citing
analytical information in your research paper, be sure to identify
the author who originally wrote the analysis.

14. RELIABILITY OF WEBSITES
• Some websites contain reliable information and others don't. The
search engine results alone can give you a few clues to how reliable
a website is, including:
• the title of the website
• the URL of the website
• a couple of lines from the website's text, including your keywords
• However, you need to open the website and examine its contents to be sure it's reliable.
• http://viewpure.com/dKVL1ehDQB0

15. DOMAIN SUFFIXES
• How can a website's URL help you figure out whether the site is
reliable? Look at the domain name suffix. The small group of letters than
follows the dot, such as .com, .org, .edu, or .gov. These suffixes give clues
to the reliability of a website:
• .com is for companies or individuals. The reliability of these sites varies greatly.
• .org is for organizations, such as charities or political parties. Such groups may
offer a great deal of information, but the organizations may have biases.
• .edu is for schools and universities. Sites written by professors are usually
reliable, but students' pages are less so.
• .gov refers to government websites. Such websites are usually reliable but
probably not useful for your topic.

16. SOURCE QUALITY
• When you find a print source, such as a book about an
author, look for clues that an expert wrote it. The clues include
the following:
• The author is a scholar, such as a college professor or an
experienced biographer. Look in the About the Author note at
the end of the book or on the back flap of the dust jacket.
• The source contains detailed interpretation, not just facts or
personal opinions.

17. ALSO…
• There is an index that includes many detailed topics.
• There are bibliographical notes and perhaps footnotes.
• Indexes and notes show that the author has done a thorough
job and that he or she expects other experts in the field to read
the book.

18. SITES NOT TO USE
• Wikis: A wiki is a site that any reader can write for or edit. The most well-
known wiki is Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Because anyone can
contribute or change information, Wikipedia's articles are not as authoritative
as those in standard encyclopedias.
• E-rooms, chat forums, and blogs: In all kinds of fields, including
literature, groups and individuals discuss their favorite topics. These sites can
be exciting to read and contribute to. However, these sites may not be
created by experts, so they aren't good sources for research papers.
• Essay sales sites: Some companies sell research papers to students. Their
URLs may show up on your search results. Buying another person's paper and
presenting it as your own is cheating. In addition, the content of such papers
is not reliable or expert.

19. YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR SOURCES.
NOW WHAT?
• When you locate a source of
information, you want to make
sure that you can find it again.
• You'll need to refer to that
source often as you plan and
write.
• In addition, you will have to
put the source information in
the Works Cited section at the
end of your paper.

20. SO WHAT DO I DO WITH WHAT I’VE
FOUND?
• When you locate a source of information, you want to make
sure that you can find it again. You'll need to refer to that source
often as you plan and write. In addition, you will have to put the
source information in the Works Cited section at the end of your
paper.
• You need to write down the source information in an
organized way.
• File transfer research paper organizer form & notecard information/forms

21. THERE ARE TWO MAJOR WAYS OF RECORDING
YOUR SOURCES:
Create bibliography Create a word-processing
cards, using index cards. file to hold the information.

22. BIBLIOGRAPHY CARDS
• Index cards are among the most handy research tools ever
invented. Here's the how-to of recording your sources'
bibliographic information on index cards:
• Make a separate card for each source.
• Give each source a tracking number.
• For a book, include the author, title, publisher, and publication date.
• For a periodical, also include the page numbers of the article.
• For a website, include the title, the sponsors and authors or editors if
known, the date the site was created or updated, and the date you
accessed the site.

23. BIBLIOGRAPHY CARDS
• The URL
• When you make a bibliography card for a website, the URL
is optional. You can find the website again by doing a
search for the title and the author's name. However, the
URL can help you find the site more easily.

24. ELECTRONIC FILES
• The same
information would
be included in your
electronic files.
• Be sure to name
files so that you can
find them!

25. CITATION ORGANIZER
• coc
Copywrite date on website is sometimes hard to find

26. Example of A notecard
Source #_______
Topic____________
Page #
_______

27. Sample note card with a quote:
Source # I got this
Topic____________
Source #___1____ quote from. This
spot is NOT here to
count my note cards!
“Women in power are treated with distrust by
Shakespeare. They have questionable
morals. For example, Gertrude in Hamlet
marries her husband’s murdering brother and
Lady MacBeth coerces her husband into Page # or
paragraph #
murder. For these women, the penalty for Page if print
source
their scheming ways is normally death.” Paragraph if
internet source
with no page #
available
I put the exact words in quotation
marks, and I made sure to get the name
of the person who said this. Page or
paragraph #
Note to students: not to be used in a __4__
paper …for teaching purposes only

28. Sample note card with a statistic:
Source #____3___ Where I got this quote from. Topic____________
This spot is NOT here to
count my note cards!
Fourteen women character roles in
Shakespeare’s plays are the roles of
infidels. This is
the page
# I found
Statistics provide strong the fact in
support. Only put one the book.
statistic per note card.
Page #
___ix____
Note to students: not a true statistic…for
teaching purposes only

29. Sample note card with a fact:
Where I got this quote
Source #___2____ from. This spot is NOT Topic____________
here to count my note
cards!
Shakespeare’s mother was a huge
influence on him throughout his life..
No page Page # or
paragraph #
Page# print
if
source
because
Paragraph if
it is an
internet source
with no page #
Internet
Only include facts that are not available
common knowledge. Make sure source
.
the fact supports your thesis.
Page or
Note to students: not a true fact…for paragraph #
teaching purposes only ___6____

30. Sample note card with a fact:
Source #___2____ What does this number
represent?
Shakespeare like to end his plays
with the wedding of his unmarried
female characters. Ex: Tempest
(Ferdinand & Miranda)
What type of support is this?
Quote, statistic, or fact?
Page #
_______
Note to students: not a true fact…for
teaching purposes only

31. WHAT IS LITERARY CRITICISM?
• Literary criticism is writing that analyzes literature. In
literature, criticism doesn't mean saying that a work is bad. It
means explaining the meaning of the work.

32. WHO WRITES LITERARY CRITICISM?
• Literary criticism is usually written by experts, especially
professors of literature.
• To do research for your paper, you'll read literary criticism to
absorb scholars' ideas about the topic you have chosen. By
thinking about scholars' ideas, you'll understand your topic
better.

33. TRAITS OF LITERARY CRITICISM
• Literary criticism focuses on the elements in a work of
literature, such as
characters, setting, style, imagery, themes, and symbols.
• Literary criticism offers analysis and interpretation, not
opinion.
• Literary criticism may examine both the flaws and the
strengths of the literary work.

34. WHAT LITERARY CRITICISM IS NOT
• The following are not acceptable sources of literary criticism:
• papers by other students
• Internet sites that sell papers
• summaries or synopses of literary works
• blogs
• fan sites
• discussion rooms

35. FINDING LITERARY CRITICISM
• The place to begin looking for literary criticism is the library. Use
the librarian as a resource. Tell the librarian that you need to find
literary criticism on your research paper's topic.
• Use the catalog, too. Try a subject search rather than a search for
the title or the author. This kind of search will show you what
materials the library owns about Wordsworth, not just works by
him.
• To do a subject search about an author, use the author's name as
your keyword. For example, perform a subject search for
"Wordsworth" to see what kind of results you get.

36. LITERARY CRITICISM IN JOURNALS
• Literary criticism comes in article form as well as in book form.
Professors publish articles in journals of literary criticism. Your
library might not have literary journals, but you can find articles
from them online.
• To begin an Internet search for literary criticism, try the
website LiteraryHistory.com.
• It is a site created by a librarian to direct researchers to other
websites that contain criticism on a wide array of authors.

37. EVALUATING SOURCES
• The titles and subtitles of works of literary criticism often help you
decide how relevant they are to your paper.
• For example, an article titled "Wordsworth and the French
Revolution" would not have been relevant to the topic that the writer
of the Model Research Paper in the LMS chose. Her paper was about
the Industrial Revolution, not the French one.

38. CRITICAL ARTICLES
• Critical articles sometimes begin with brief summaries called
abstracts. The abstract tells you the article's main points. That
information can help you give an article a "Yes" or "No" as to
whether you should read it.
• Often, however, you have to read at least part of the article to
know whether it is relevant for you.

39. INTERPRETATIONS
• Remember that a work of literary criticism gives one person's
interpretation.
• Different people interpret things differently. If you find two
different articles about the same literary text, they may disagree
with each other. That's okay.
• Your job is to decide what you think about the literary text. Use
literary criticism to support your ideas, not to replace your own
thinking.

40. WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING NOW?
• Check the WCA and
Doc Sharing for all
assignments and • Have a wonderful
instructions. break!
• Contact me with any
questions!
• Keep up to date with
assignments.
• Use the break to
catch up if needed.

41. • Note: if you want a little more direction on thesis
statements…stay.. I have more information on this
presentation……

42. YOUR TOPIC/QUESTION IS TOO BROAD
• Topic: Compare and • Your question is
contrast class structure in the broad, because you ask
society of Shakespeare’s about your topic in a
time, and the times of Hamlet general way. To make it the
right size for a paper of 2-3
• In what ways did pages, I suggest you choose
Shakespeare’s works contrast a more narrowed aspect of
class structure in the society your topic.
of his time? • Pose a question that requires
a critical analysis of specific
elements of the works and
• Topic: Class structure in that connects them to their
Shakespeare’s time---How times.
Shakespeare highlighted in • Remember the paper only
his plays has to be 2-3 pages with the
4 page a works cited page.
• Opinion: Choose 3 items to focus on
and find evidence in the
• Arguable points: book to support your claims.

43. BOOKS ARE WRITTEN ON THIS TOPIC
• I want you to narrow down how Shakespeare used class structure in society (research what that
is), in his plays.
• For example... Love and relationships.... in Hamlet, Ophelia had a love for Hamlet, but because
they were in different "classes", that love would never work out (put aside all of the other issues
going on in the story ) Remember the conversations between Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia
• .....We also find out near the end that Hamlet, did indeed have feelings for Ophleia (remember
the scene at the cemetery between Laertes and Hamlet)
• So, you would discuss how class structure in Shakespeare's time affected love and
relationships, (use research and references to back up your claim that it did indeed affect
relationships), and then you would use the situation between Hamlet and Ophelia... take quotes
and lines from the play to highlight your point with evidence to show how Shakespeare used this
issue of class structure in his plays.
• other areas you can look at are:
• Family life
• Occupations
• Education
• Marriage and children
• Daily
• You can research background on different Shakespeare plays to see if they point these out and
you can use

44. THESIS FOR CLASS STRUCTURE
• Topic: Compare and contrast class structure in the society of
Shakespeare’s time, and the times of Hamlet......Class structure in
Shakespeare’s time---How Shakespeare highlighted in his plays
• RQ: In what ways did Shakespeare’s works contrast class structure
in the society of his time?
• Topic: Class Structure, Shakespeare, his works
• Opinion: Class structure affected Shakespeare and he used his
works to make a statement. (_________, ________, _______)
• Arguable points:1. Relationships: Hamlet

45. • Because Shakespeare was affected by the class
structure England had in place during his time, he
used his works to highlight the hierarches and
traditions of this structure, and the affect it had on
__________, __________, and ________________.

46. WHEN WE GET BACK…..