Research Glossary

Article provides current information and is written by experts on the topic.

Audience a particular set of readers who will read the assignment, story or article.
Body Paragraphs provide support for the thesis statement.
Credible Source -- a source that contains information that is backed by evidence, supporting information,
examples, statistics, and expert opinions.
Database an electronic resource that offers a search of online material such as electronic books, articles in
journals, magazines, newspapers and reports.
Destiny an online hub set up by each school in Horry ounty that allows students to search school libraries
for necessary sources.
Direct Quotation is a passage borrowed word for word from another source. !uotation marks "# #$ establish
the boundaries of a direct %uotation. &n a research paper, a direct %uote is followed by a parenthetical
reference "also known as an in'text citation$.
Discus online database of reference materials( accessed through the H) website. * user name and
password are re%uired.
Documentation - formal acknowledgment of the sources used in a research paper( allows readers to judge
the %uality and originality of the work.
Ebsco online database of articles accessed through the H) website. * user name and password are
re%uired.
Edit after revision, the essay should be edited. +hen an essay is edited, concentration is given to
grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics.
Final Drat the revised and edited, polished draft of a written response.
!anging "ndent a type of indent that shifts all text but the first line. ,elow is an example of a hanging indent-
text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text
#argin the empty space around the printed or written material on a page.
#$A %#odern $anguage Association& Style a method of documentation re%uired by many teachers of
.nglish and other languages as well as teachers of humanities. /his method has three parts- parenthetical
references in the text "also known as in-text citations$, a works'cited list, and content notes.
'utline - a blueprint for an essay( a plan that gives more detailed, specific guidance than a thesis statement
does. * ormal outline indicates both the exact order of all the ideas to be explored and the relationship of
those ideas to one another.
Paraphrase a detailed restatement of all a source0s important ideas. /he researcher should use his or her
own words "to avoid plagiarism$ and give credit to the source afterward "a parenthetical reference, also known
as an in-text citation).
Parenthetical (eerences ) "n-te*t Citations giving credit to a source within the text of the paper. * typical
reference consists of the author0s last name and a page number.
.x. The colonys religious and political freedom appealed to many idealists in Europe (Ripley !").
Peer Edit after editing, the essay should be read and edited by several classmates. /his ensures that
mistakes overlooked by the author can be corrected prior to completion of the final draft.
Periodical a newspaper, magazine, scholarly journal, or other publication published at regular intervals
"daily, weekly, monthly, or %uarterly$.
Plagiarism taking credit for ideas or words that are not your own. &t can be intentional or unintentional.
Proposal a one'page document that clarifies a project0s direction and goals through four categories- a topic
description, a source list, specific deadlines, and an outcome or purpose. *dhere strictly to any specifications
outlined by an instructor.
Quotation the use of the written or spoken words of others.
(esearch - systematic study and investigation of a topic outside a person0s own experience and knowledge.
1oing research means more than just reading about other people0s ideas( it re%uires evaluation and
interpretation of the ideas explored. &t re%uires discipline, strategic planning, careful time management, and a
constant willingness to rethink ideas and reshape discussions.
(e+ise after completion of the rough draft, review it and evaluate structure, tone, topic sentences, and
supporting sentences. 1uring revision, irrelevant points or sentences should be deleted, and fluency should be
considered.
(ough Drat the first draft of a written response.
Statement o Controlling Purpose a sentence or pair of sentences that tells what will be accomplished in
the report. &t is called a statement of controlling purpose because it controls, or guides, the research. /he
statement of controlling purpose usually contains one or more keywords that tell what the report is going to
accomplish.
Summary - a brief restatement "in the researcher0s own words$ of the main idea of a passage or an article.
ondense the author0s ideas into a few concise sentences. * summary is always much shorter than the
original source because it omits the examples, asides, analogies and rhetorical strategies writes use to add
emphasis and interest. 2ailing to use original wording without using %uotation marks constitutes plagiarism.
3ibrary abstracts or blurbs from the back of a book are not permissible. 4se your own voice and words.
,hesis Statement the main idea of an essay( the central point an essay supports.
2our characteristics of an effective thesis statement-
o clearly communicates an essay0s main ideas
o carefully worded
o 5ore than a general subject, a statement of fact, or an
announcement of intent.
o )uggests an essay0s direction, emphasis and scope
-or.ing Bibliography - an alphabetized record of complete bibliographic information for each source
examined during exploratory6preliminary research. /his can serve as a basis for the works cited.
-or.s Cited an alphabetized list that appears at the end of a research paper and gives publication
information for all the research materials cited in the paper.