Documented Essays or Research Papers

All papers should have:

• An introduction with a thesis statement
• A body where each paragraph develops one aspect of the topic
• A conclusion

The Topic:

• Must be broad enough to be researched
• Must be established enough to find sources
• Must be significant enough to show your ability to grapple with ideas and draw conclusions

When writing a research paper you blend three types of material:

• Common knowledge
• Places and Dates
• Your own thoughts and observations
• Someone else’s thoughts and observations

Cite by using summaries, paraphrases, or direct quotations

• Summary
• Condensed statement of someone else’s thoughts or observations
• Paraphrase
• Restatement, in your own words, of someone else’s ideas or observations
• Direct Quotation
• Someone else’s exact statement of their ideas or observations
• Integrate these with your own thoughts, opinions, interpretations, and analysis.

Types of Sources

***See the source information and source evaluation sheets.

Primary Sources (The Best)

• Works of literature
• Historical Documents
• Diaries
• Speeches
• Eyewitness Accounts
• Your own experiments, observations and conclusions

Secondary Sources

• Explain and analyze information from other sources

How to Cite Sources:

• Use style guides.  There are a few of them, but the main ones used are MLA and APA
• Refer to the following sites for style guides.

MLA (Modern Language Association)

http://www.mla.org/ for MLA

http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm for MLA

http://www.westwords.com/guffey/mla.html for MLA electronic sources

APA (American Psychological Association)

http://www.apa.org/ for APA

http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm for APA

http://www.westwords.com/guffey/apa.html for APA electronic sources