High School of Teaching

English/ Ms. Selip

April 27, 2010

FOCUS: What are the necessary parts of a research paper?

o What is a research paper?

o What are the characteristics of a research paper?

• What is a research log?

• What steps should I be taking?

 How do I outline?
WHAT IS IN AN INTRODUCTION?
1. Background information
2. Position
3. Thesis
What is a thesis?

What is a Research Paper?

A research paper should provide its writer and its reader with new knowledge and a
new understanding of a specific topic. The success of your research paper depends
primarily on your critical judgment in selecting sources and on the originality and
thoughtfulness of your treatment of the topic
To write an effective research paper, one that makes an argument about your topic,
you must review relevant resources and, using powers of analysis and integration,
develop a paper that reveals understanding and original thinking. You want to think of
your research topic as a question or problem that your essay is going to address and/or
resolve.

The paper should embody all of the following characteristics:

• Originality
• Expression of an evaluation or attitude
• A reasoned approach to an argument
• A synthesis of information from several sources
• Systematic documentation of sources
• The result of a time-consuming research process

Research Log

You should keep a research log either in print or electronic to jot down thoughts about
your topic, lists of things to do, and ideas about possible sources; also use it to keep track
of library materials. You can also use the log as a means of analyzing and developing
your research process. What things worked? What didn’t work? How will you do things
differently next time?

The Steps I should be taking are:

o Select an appropriate topic approved by your teacher.
o Locate information on your topic in the library. ______________
o Prepare your bibliography (source) chart. Follow the MLA guide.
o Select your best sources from which to take your notes.
o Write a thesis sentence to control the focus of your paper
o Prepare a "working" or tentative outline
o Prepare notes on note cards.
*Remember: the topic on each card should match a topic on the outline.
o Write the first draft of your paper following the outline closely. Remember to
give credit to your sources using the MLA guide.
o Proofread and edit the rough draft.
o Write the final draft and type in according to teacher's specifications.

REMINDERS

Maintain a working bibliography

Keep a record of any sources you decide to consult. You will need this record, called a
working bibliography, when you compile the list of works cited that will appear at the
end of your paper.

Keep track of source materials

The best way to keep track of source materials is to photocopy them or print them out.
 How to outline:
Thesis: During the Holocaust, Raoul Wallenberg was not a passive bystander like the rest
of the apathetic,onlooking world, but was a heroic activist who chose to make a
difference by rescuing Hungarian Jews from their inevitable extermination.

I. Introduction and Accepted Beliefs/Behavior

A. The Majority concept of accepted behavior
1. People think they do not make a difference.
2. This thought leads to a lack of action.
B. Misconceptions about apathy and non-action
1. Most people believe in being self-centered, therefore, not acting.
2. The use of not taking action is considered acceptable.
C. The Power of One
1. In actuality, one person can make a difference.
2. Everyone is able to make a difference.
D. Case Study- Wallenberg
1. He is a prime example of how people can make a difference.
2. He saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.
3. His decision to make a difference had a tremendous effect
4. Thesis
II. Background
A. World War II background
1. The situation in Hungary during WWII was desparate.
a. Deportations had begun.
b. Include statistics from Hungary
2. Very few individuals made a difference.
B. General overview of the Holocaust
1. Early stages and situations- deportations
2. Later stages, including mass killings and concentration camps
C. World reaction and response
1. Many countries and leaders were in fear of taking a stand and getting
involved.
2. The majority of the world is considered bystanders, those of non-action.
III. Wallenberg made a difference (broader theme)
A. Wallenberg made a difference
1. He saved a number of Jews.
2. He has influenced others to take a stand and make a difference.
B. Everyone can make a difference.
1. The efforts of one person can have a tremendous effect.
2. Everyone can be this one person.
Topic/Question:

Thesis:

I. __________________________________

A. ________________________________

1.________________________________

2.________________________________

B. __________________________________

1. __________________________________

2. ___________________________________

II. ____________________________________

A. ________________________________

1.________________________________

2.________________________________

B.__________________________________

1. __________________________________

2. ___________________________________

III. _______________________________________

A. ________________________________

1. ________________________________

a. ________________________________

b. ________________________________
 The Thesis Statement
1. The non-thesis thesis.

A thesis takes a position on an issue. It is different from a topic sentence in that a

thesis statement is not neutral. It announces, in addition to the topic, the argument
you want to make or the point you want to prove. This is your own opinion that
you intend to back up. This is your reason and motivation for writing.

Bad Thesis 1: In his article Stanley Fish shows that we don't really have
the right to free speech.

Bad Thesis 2: This paper will consider the advantages and disadvantages
of certain restrictions on free speech.

Better Thesis 1: Stanley Fish's argument that free speech exists more as a
political prize than as a legal reality ignores the fact that even as a political
prize it still serves the social end of creating a general cultural atmosphere
of tolerance that may ultimately promote free speech in our nation just as
effectively as any binding law.

Better Thesis 2: Even though there may be considerable advantages to

restricting hate speech, the possibility of chilling open dialogue on crucial
racial issues is too great and too high a price to pay.

2. The overly broad thesis.

A thesis should be as specific as possible, and it should be tailored to reflect the

scope of the paper. It is not possible, for instance, to write about the history of
English literature in a 5 page paper. In addition to choosing simply a smaller
topic, strategies to narrow a thesis include specifying a method or perspective or
delineating certain limits.

Bad Thesis 1: There should be no restrictions on the 1st amendment.

Bad Thesis 2: The government has the right to limit free speech.

Better Thesis 1: There should be no restrictions on the 1st amendment if

those restrictions are intended merely to protect individuals from
unspecified or otherwise unquantifiable or unverifiable "emotional
distress."

Better Thesis 2: The government has the right to limit free speech in
cases of overtly racist or sexist language because our failure to address
such abuses would effectively suggest that our society condones such
ignorant and hateful views.
3. The incontestable thesis.

A thesis must be arguable. And in order for it to be arguable, it must present a

view that someone might reasonably contest. Sometimes a thesis ultimately says,
"we should be good," or "bad things are bad." Such thesis statements are
universally accepted and there is no need to prove the point.

Bad Thesis 1: Although we have the right to say what we want, we should
avoid hurting other people's feelings.

Bad Thesis 2: There are always alternatives to using racist speech.

Better Thesis 1: If we can accept that emotional injuries can be just as

painful as physical ones we should limit speech that may hurt people's
feelings in ways similar to the way we limit speech that may lead directly
to bodily harm.

Better Thesis 2: The "fighting words" exception to free speech is not

legitimate because it wrongly considers speech as an action.

4. The "list essay" thesis.

A good argumentative thesis provides not only a position on an issue, but also
suggests the structure of the paper. The thesis should allow the reader to imagine
and anticipate the flow of the paper, in which a sequence of points logically
proves the essay's main points. A list essay provides no such structure, so that
different points and paragraphs appear with no logical connection to one another.

Bad Thesis 1: There are many reasons we need to limit hate speech.

Bad Thesis 2: None of the arguments in favor of regulating pornography

are persuasive.

Better Thesis 1: Among the many reasons we need to limit hate speech
the most compelling ones all refer to our history of discrimination and
prejudice, and it is, ultimately, for the purpose of trying to repair our
troubled racial society that we need hate speech legislation.

Better Thesis 2: None of the arguments in favor of regulating

pornography are persuasive because they all base their points on the
unverifiable and questionable assumption that the producers of
pornography necessarily harbor ill will specifically to women.
 DEVELOPING A RESEARCH THESIS
A research thesis has most of the same thesis characteristics as a thesis for a non-research
essay. The difference lies in the fact that you gather information and evidence from
appropriate, valid sources to support your perspective on a topic or stand on an issue. Yet
although your sources provide information that informs your thesis, the thesis idea should
be your own, particular to your personal way of thinking about and analyzing a topic.

The thesis focuses your ideas and information for the research paper. Remember that
word "focus." Student writers often make the mistake of forgetting the focus and making
the research thesis far too broad in order to include a lot of research.

Create a working thesis for the research paper by specifying and ordering your categories
of information. For example, the following theses offer the writers' main arguments and
focus their research by specifying and ordering the reasons for their stance:

• Competency-based management is practical, logical, and accessible to managers

and workers.
• Workforce training in basic skills is now necessary due to the lower reading and
writing levels of the workforce, the fact that a person now entering the workforce
will change jobs many times, the shift in jobs from the manufacturing to the
service sectors, and the more comprehensive, abstract nature of those service jobs.

As you can see, a research thesis is your proposed answer to your research question,
which you finalize only after completing the research. (It's o.k. to modify and revise the
working thesis as you research more about the topic or issue.)

THESIS CHARACTERISTICS
Whenever you are writing to explain something to your reader or to persuade your reader
to agree with your opinion, there should be one complete sentence that expresses the
main idea of your paper. That sentence is often called the thesis, or thesis statement.
(Some other names it goes by are "the main idea" and "the controlling idea.") Based on
everything you've read, and thought, and brainstormed, the thesis is not just your topic,
but what you're saying about your topic. Another way to look at it is, once you've come
up with the central question, or organizing question, of your essay, the thesis is an answer
to that question. Remember, though, while you are still writing your paper, to consider
what you have to be a "working thesis," one that may still be "adjusted." As you continue
to write, read, and think about your topic, see if your working thesis still represents your
opinion.
WHERE TO PUT THE THESIS
The thesis comes within the introductory paragraph, which prepares the reader to listen to
your ideas, and before the body of the paper, which develops the thesis with reasons,
explanations, and evidence or examples.

PUT THE THESIS AS A STATEMENT

Make sure your thesis is in the form of a statement, not a question. "Can we save the
Amazon rain forest?" is an ear-catching question that might be useful in the introduction,
but it doesn't express an opinion or perspective.

DON'T GO OVERBOARD!
Make sure your thesis expresses your true opinion and not an exaggerated version of it.
Don't say "Computers are wonderful" or "Computers are terrible" if what you really
believe is "Computers do more good than harm" or "Computers do more harm than
good." Why commit yourself to an extreme opinion that you don't really believe in, and
then look like you're contradicting yourself later on?

FOCUS FURTHER
Make sure your thesis covers exactly the topic you want to talk about, no more and no
less. "Drugs should not be legalized" is too large a thesis if all you want to talk about is
marijuana. "Boxing should be outlawed" is too small a thesis if you also want to discuss
wrestling and football.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT SHAPE

Shape your thesis to fit the question you wish to answer. A thesis can come in many
forms, including the following:

• Simply stating an opinion

o "Langston Hughes was a master stylist."
• Indicating categories or reasons
o "Langston Hughes was a master stylist because of his vivid imagery,
surprising metaphors, and effective alliteration."
 Showing two aspects of a topic and emphasizing one
o "While Langston Hughes was a master stylist, as a critic he had several
blind spots."