Research Paper FAQ 3202

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="040d4c00dduajq.gif"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0c299840.gif" border=0 width="153" height="132" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Yes, research requires reading!</div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#003333" FACE="Arial" ><B>Ray Knight's Learning Experiments </B></FONT>     |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ray Knights Learning Experiments "><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Examples of successful work"><U>Examples of successful work</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id66.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Plagiarism Project 3202"><U>Plagiarism Project 3202</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Examples of unsuccessful work"><U>Examples of unsuccessful work</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3202 Materials Links"><U>3202 Materials Links</U></A>   |   <B>Research Paper FAQ 3202</B>   |   <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Journal Guidelines 3202"><U>Journal Guidelines 3202</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Webpage assignments 3202"><U>Webpage assignments 3202</U></A></div> <div> Research Paper FAQ 3202</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="info_faq"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Info, </B><A HREF="#frequently_asked_questions" TITLE="Research Paper FAQ 3202"><U><B>FAQ</B></U></A><B>, on </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>research papers</B></FONT><B> for 3202, Spring 2007</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id30_handouts.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Handouts for 3202"><U>Back to Handouts for English 3202</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> 1)A research paper will include your <A HREF="#ideas_and_topic_areas" TITLE="Research Paper FAQ 3202"><U>original analytical or critical thinking about two (2) or more texts</U></A> we have seen in this semester.</div> <bR> <div> 2)It will be supported with <U>specific references</U> to portions of the texts that <U>illustrate</U> what evidence you are basing <U>your analysis</U> or reactions on.</div> <bR> <div> 3)It will also reflect your attempts to find and consider what other reasonable people have had to say about the text (or texts) you choose to write about.</div> <bR> <div> HOW to start?      WHAT to do?</div> <div> Possible approaches to <B>choosing a topic</B> include listing the stories, poems, etc. that most caught your attention.  This may be for almost any reason: [maybe you liked them or hated them or they made you think or they reminded you of something or you know someone like a character in a poem/story or you've seen a movie based on the poem/story or you see something important about a work we've read and want to show you feel/think about it or you want to show how an author deals with different topics or how different authors deal with the same topics or……..you get the picture!!]  </div> <div>      Having chosen two or more texts to work with, you want to consider a <B>thesis sentence or statement where you clearly show your opinion or point of view about some aspect of those texts.  </B>Write this sentence where you can use it to help guide your search for evidence in the text(s) and also to compare with what you find other people have said about those texts.</div> <div>      Start thinking about your analysis or interpretation, <B>supporting your thesis and opinions with evidence</B> from the readings you chose and other sources where needed.</div> <div>      Do some <B>simple research </B>looking for other people's reactions to and analysis of the stories, plays, or poems that you are writing about.  This may be done with internet and/or at the library or even at times with textbooks and movie reviews depending on the stories and/or poems, etc, that you choose to work with.</div> <div> <B>Begin writing (drafting) an essay in which you show your viewpoint and support it.</B>  You may find support from other writers or you may disagree with what they say. Having ideas different from those already published is NOT a problem.  You just have to <B>explain and support your position with evidence.</B></div> <div> <B>     Identify, document, and credit </B>your sources appropriately, using a standard documentation format, and give the required bibliographic information for ALL the sources that you use in a "Works Cited" page following that format.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> <A NAME="ideas_and_topic_areas"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Ideas and Topic areas</B></FONT> other students have found useful in the past:   ---<U>These are </U><I><U>not</U></I><I><U> </U></I><U>the only options</U>!</div> <bR> <div> Poetry as social criticism ----must identify what specifically is being criticized</div> <bR> <div> The impact of historical context for an author's work ---requires using more than 2 works</div> <div> by that author.  The more works you use, the stronger your argument can be.</div> <bR> <div> Comparison of how two characters in different works faced similar situations.</div> <bR> <div> Analysis of how setting, plot, or other elements of fiction are used to achieve an author's</div> <div>  goals or purposes-must define elements being discussed.  Must state your view of author's goals or purposes.</div> <bR> <div> Showing how particular stories and/or poems work to communicate their message-requires you</div> <div>  to identify the message you believe is being carried in the work.</div> <bR> <div> Explaining how you can create a message by combining two or more works in some way.  Must identify this "message" and support your analysis of the texts.  </div> <bR> <div> Discuss how different authors treat a theme that you find in three or more works</div> <bR> <div> Show how metaphor or symbol is used to create a certain effect in some stories or poems</div> <bR> <div> Analyze a character in one or more readings to discuss how that person makes the reading(s) work.  </div> <bR> <div> Examine "tricks" or devices that you see authors using in two or more works to facilitate telling a story, to make the works more believable, to call attention to symbolic references, or to display character in an effective way.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <A NAME="frequently_asked_questions"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Frequently Asked Questions</div> <div> 1)  Can I write about something that we didn't read in class?</div> <div>      YES.  You must, however, relate it to one or more works we've read in class and the focus of your paper must include references to the work(s) we've seen.</div> <div> 2)  Can I use personal experience and information from newspapers, radio, and TV in my research paper?</div> <div>      YES.  Again, you must focus your work on the text(s) that you are writing about, but the more outside information you use, the better.  You must credit outside sources accurately.</div> <div> 3)  What if I can't find anything by anybody else about the work(s) I chose or about their authors?</div> <div>      KEEP searching.  Most of the works we've read here have been used for years by anthologies and college teachers and there are usually [<I>not always</I>] responses and critical writings by a number of different people about these texts.  YOU may need to search for the information in a number of different ways, including by author, title, character's name, subject, keywords, etc.  </div> <div> 4)  What happens if other people say things like what I already thought?  Do I have to give them credit?</div> <div>      YES, you do need to admit that they thought about it before you did. [Sorry] But that can also be used to support your analysis. </div> <div> <B>How can I refer to what other people said about the work(s) without committing plagiarism?</B></div> <div> Use your head!  Quote where necessary, or paraphrase, and give credit for the sources you use-document the sources in a works cited (references or bibliography) page.  There are many websites (and a few books in the library) that can help.  You can find them by searching for plagiarism and using the phrase “how to avoid plagiarism” or “avoiding plagiarism”.  You may also look for the MLA and APA documentations style sheets that show how to include references in the text of your essay and also document your sources with a “works cited” page.  <I>AFTER you have tried all other methods</I>, if you are still worried about plagiarism then make an appointment to see me BEFORE you turn in your work.</div> <div> 5)  Can I write about something I already wrote about in my journals and notes and we discussed and just add some more stuff?</div> <div> <B>NO!  Translation: NO!  If you try this, you lose.  No credit. </B> </div> <div> 6)  Can I use two short short poems we've talked about in class?  Can I use my notes and ideas we talked about in class?  Do I have to use other sources? Can I just ask friends what they think about the texts?</div> <div> <B>DUH?  Translation:  Are you ALREADY repeating the class?  See #5.</B></div> <div> 7)  What do I have to hand in?</div> <div> A)   I'll need an idea paper where you write down ideas about your topic and the texts you will discuss, the thesis sentence, a plan for how you will search for information, criticism, analysis, or other sources of information for your topic/texts.</div> <div> B)   A rough draft--written on word processor or typewriter, for me to react to before you prepare your final draft.</div> <div> C)   A final draft written on word processor or typewriter, double-spaced text with one inch margins, the thesis sentence <U>underlined</U>, with quotes and paraphrases<U> identified</U> and <U>documented </U>along with the “works cited” or “references” page.</div> <div> D)   ALL of these will be turned in together, with the most recent or finished product in front or on top.  As always, you will want to <U>keep a copy</U> either on paper or on floppy in case of some strange emergencies!</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>